[mikeg]

jude & kelly (or any other Head-Fi member),

I've decided to buy one of the following three units: Marantz SA8260, Philips SACD1000, or Philips DVD962SA. The Marantz is a SACD/CD player only (i.e., no video), while the Philips units are SACD/DVD-Video players. Although my first priorities are redbook/SACD sound playback, DVD-Video capability remains a secondary consideration. But, DVD-Video remains a consideration only if the video output of the Philips player can somehow be input into my computer monitor, thereby permitting me to hear sound using my existing high quality audio system, while using my computer monitor for video. So, I need to know whether such video output to the computer monitor is possible. If possible, then I'll buy one of the Philips units, and if not possible, then I'll buy the Marantz unit. Can you provide any guidance regarding this question?

 

[grinch]

why are you so obsessed with plugging your dvd player up to your monitor?

either way, it depends on what kind of inputs your monitor has. if it only has a vga cable, you'd need some kind of third party vga-to-s-video converter box (if such a thing is made). however, if your monitor has: component in (three colored rca jacks), composite in (yellow rca jack) or s-video (s-video jack heh) than it will be able to plug into your monitor. other than that, you're probably SOL..

 

[kelly]

...or you could buy a TV card/capture board.

 

[darkclouds]

I believe you can get one of those ATI video cards with VIVO.

 

[mikeg]

grinch - I have very little space and listen to my audio/headphone system as I'm on my computer. So, playing a DVD video on my audio system and seeing the video on my computer monitor is desirable.
kelly & darkclouds - Thanks for this idea. I'll install a TV card/capture board in my computer and test the video presentation with a DVD or VHS. If it works out, then the choice is one of the two Philips units. But, I will regret passing up the Marantz unit. Any news yet about how the Philips DVD962SA compares to the Philips SACD1000 for SACD and redbook playback?

 

[grinch]

Quote:

Originally posted by kelly ...or you could buy a TV card/capture board.

it has been my experience that these cards suuuuuuuuck. an old roomate of mine got one for his computer and boy did it suck. the quality was horrendous, but hey it worked. i forgot that is an option, albeit an ugly one.

why not just get a dvd-rom drive for watching movies instead? that's like $50 and it'll be the best quality (when viewing on a computer monitor). most decent video cards have tv out as well nowadays, if you ever get a tv.

 

[Vertigo-1]

I have a Hauppauge WinTV tuner card and it works wonders. I've plugged my 9000ES and PS2 into it before through the Svideo input, and things come out looking quite sharp and clear, with the 9000ES looking obviously better. I can also catch cable TV out of the card as well. I love it, it turns my computer into the center of activity in my room.

 

[mikeg]

grinch - I've been using a dvd-rom drive in my computer for a couple of years to watch movies, and I listen to the audio through Sony MDR-F1 headphone connected to a Sony DP-IF5100 Digital Surround Processor. But, despite the surround sound simulation, the sound quality is poor compared to the sound that I get from my AKG K1000 headphone connected to my ASL AQ-1005DT amp. So, that's the reason that I want to play the audio of DVD movies through my hi-fi, while viewing the video through my 19 inch Sony Multiscan G400 monitor. Of course, in this configuration the source will be a Philips SACD1000 or a Philips DVD962SA player, rather than my computer's existing dvd-rom. I hope that this explanation makes sense.

Vertigo - I just installed a 3dfx Desktop TV card into one of the PCI slots of my computer. This is a type of TV card/capture board. In order to avoid loss of input signal from my cable connection I input the cable signal into a Radio Shack 1 in, 2 out Bi-Directional Cable/TV amplifier. I then connected the outputs of this amplifier as follows: one output to the cable modem, and the second output to the TV antenna input of the 3dfx card. So far I've only evaluated the quality of video obtained by viewing the available TV channels, and I'm quite satisfied with the picture quality. It seems about the same as I recall obtaining from my computer's cd-rom. What I have yet to do is to transfer my inexpensive DVD player from our TV to this setup in order to evaluate the quality of picture that I obtain from inputting its video output to the 3dfx card. When I do this I'll critically compare the resulting image quality to that obtained by playing the same DVD program through my computer's dvd-rom. If I find that the quality is comperable, then I will buy one of the Philips SACD units. I hope that my rather cumbersome explanation is understandable.

 

[Vertigo-1]

mikeg: I happen to be running off a 19" Sony E400 flatscreen CRT monitor. The picture quality I got with the 9000ES was stunning and definitely trumped my DVD-ROM and Playstation 2 as far as DVD playback is concerned. I don't doubt though that my monitor and the S-video input I have between these components have quite a bit to do with the quality.

Another thing to keep in mind is DVD-ROMs + computer monitors run in progressive scan mode, something you have to pay pretty big bucks for normally to get in a normal TV + DVD player setup. But again, the 9000ES running through the Svideo input of my Hauppauge card beat the pants off the DVD-ROM running through the DVD software and the 9000ES was not running in progressive scan mode (it can though), so I don't know if progressive scan is even that big of a deal. The quality difference wasn't small either...it was enough to make me consider keeping the 9000ES just as a DVD player, except I don't have much space (nor the money) to keep so many components around.

 

[Ricky]

mikeg, why don't you just get a good quality sound card, such as the M-Audio Audiophile 2496 (~$150), and connect it to your ASL AQ-1005DT amp?

Note that audio from dvd films is not top quality, due to AC3 compression.

Also, output from a good quality sound card doesn't differ much from output from a good quality cd player.

 

[mikeg]

Quote:

Originally posted by Ricky mikeg, why don't you just get a good quality sound card, such as the M-Audio Audiophile 2496 (~$150), and connect it to your ASL AQ-1005DT amp? Note that audio from dvd films is not top quality, due to AC3 compression. Also, output from a good quality sound card doesn't differ much from output from a good quality cd player.

This may be a good way to go. Any idea where I can get it for ~$150?

 

[Ricky]

At http://www.midi-store.com, $159 plus taxes and shipping. I bought mine from there ($150 then), and just took a few days to receive it, note that I'm at Spain.

 

[markl]

"mikeg, why don't you just get a good quality sound card, such as the M-Audio Audiophile 2496 (~$150), and connect it to your ASL AQ-1005DT amp?

Note that audio from dvd films is not top quality, due to AC3 compression.

Also, output from a good quality sound card doesn't differ much from output from a good quality cd player."

Well, here at last, we have it. I KNEW you were listening through a crappy soundcard Ricky. This explains much.

mikeg,
Ignore Ricky's statement that a computer sound card will sound as good as a quality CDP. This is BAD advice. In addition to being in the "cables don't make a difference" camp, he's also confirming he's in the "CDP's don't make a difference" camp to boot.

The only people who hold these positions are folks that simply haven't heard much equipment with their own ears. Anyone who has heard a budget CDP vs. a quality CDP can easily tell the difference.

markl

 

[mikeg]

Vertigo - Great info, thanks. I would consider the 9000ES, except the I've been told that it does not run CD-R. If that's true, then it's knocked out of consideration. Does it run CD-Rs and CD-RWs?

Ricky - Thanks for the info. I just ordered the 2496 from the source that you recommended, at the price that you indicated.

markl - I fully expect that the computer sound card will not sound as good as the high quality SACD player that I will definitely get to replace my existing Marantz CD5000. I do want a good sound card, however, especially since my wife wants me to transfer lots of her opera LPs to CD. I also want to hear good quality streaming sound off the internet, etc. As to which system I will use for video playback (i.e., movies), there is no harm in having more than one option. Of course, the indecision remains whether to get an audio only SACD player such as a Marantz SA8260, or a SACD/DVD player such as a Philips SACD1000, or Philips DVD962SA. Right now I'm leaning toward the DVD type, assuming of course that its audio reproduction is as good as that of the Marantz. Any idea regarding the sound quality of the DVD962SA? Know of any reviews of this unit?

 

[dparrish]

Mike,

My opinion would be to go with the SACD/CD only player, as it is more difficult to do a combination SACD/CD/DVD player well (due to the additional video circuitry). This isn't to say that the Philips players aren't good--the SACD1000 has gotten good reviews.

But with your 24/96 card on the way, I don't see why you would want to spend your money on an additional DVD player, unless you have plans to add a widescreen HD screen (or something similar) in the near future.

In my system I have a dedicated SACD/CD player (Sony XA777ES) and a progressive scan DVD player (Toshiba 5109). Although you should get better DVD tracks sound from a combi unit, I feel that you're more likely to get the BEST SACD/CD sound from a dedicated unit.

I am in the same boat as you in trying to upgrade my computer's sound (because I listen to Dolby Headphone through my WinDVD software), and I am looking at some higher-end soundcards as an answer.

Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.