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Features
CD-Video and CD-RW compatible
10-bit video decoding
Optical and coaxial digital outputs
S-VHS and SCART outputs
Variable headphone output
Backlight remote control
Dimensions:110 x 440 x 415mm
Weight: 6kg
Pros
Good picture quality and overall performance.
Striking modern looks.
High fidelity design.
Cons
Remote needs work.
Ratings
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Distributor
Convoy International
TEL: 1800 817 787 |
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Harman/kardon DVD10
Single disc DVD player
Recommended retail price: $799
(inc. GST)
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Reviewer: Richard Morgan
Harman/kardon has a successful history in creating high quality sonic components for the world market, now it does the same in the burgeoning DVD video world. This is a US-based home entertainment manufacturer which has maintained a reputation for producing high performance audio products with top flight sonic quality. The company has been responsible for a number of industry 'firsts' and is credited with introducing the first hi-fi receiver.
More recently the company has turned its attention to the rapidly growing world of DVD and its latest single-disc player, the DVD10, is a unit that is touted to provide high performance and high value for money both as a DVD player and also as CD player.
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Naturally the DVD10 incorporates a number of up-to-the-minute digital video and audio technologies, including RGB video output, 10-bit video processing and Dolby Digital and DTS Surround compatibility.
The DVD10 matches the new range of harman/kardon AV receivers perfectly. It has a simple front panel layout with brushed aluminium highlights on some of the control buttons and the front of the disc drawer. To these eyes it's a great looking player either with or without the matching AV receiver.
There's a two-stage system for turning on power to the DVD10 - a main power switch and another illuminated button directly below that switches the unit to standby mode so that power can be turned off at the remote handset. The main display is subtly incorporated into the design yet clear and easy to read at viewing distances. I appreciated the ability to dim the display (two levels of brightness) and switch it off entirely to avoid distraction when viewing or listening.
There's a dearth of facilities on the front panel, just those that matter the most and are used most frequently. These are clearly illuminated with their function delineation.
Like most DVD players the majority of control is handled by the remote handset. Here the DVD10 wins good marks. It's well laid out and clearly labelled and there's a button which illuminates the keys. The latter is very helpful but you still need to know what the relevant controls do.
Connection facilities don't include component video outputs and at this price point I would have expected them. There are two SCART and S-Video connection facilities. The unit is Dolby Digital and DTS Surround compliant and accepts most disc formats (including CD-R and RW).
The DVD 10 uses a high-precision disc mechanism to make transcription more stable, better quality and faster. Inside there a Burr-Brown PCM1716 enhanced delta-sigma D/A converter (used to maintain resolution and sonic accuracy).
Video processing utilises 10-bit video processing and Omega MPEG-2 decoding circuitry - a combo renowned for its resolution and image detail characteristics.
The harman kardon DVD10 supports multiple aspect ratios, multiple viewing angles, a choice of multiple language soundtracks and subtitles and much more. It also offers a wide variety of picture search and scanning options, such as 4-Speed Smooth Scan (x2, x4, x8, x16), 4-Speed Super Fine Slow Motion (x1/2, x1/4, x1/8 and x1/16) and a Still Picture mode (which uses auto-switching field-frame technology to help create a stable, jitter-free picture).
The on-screen display features a reasonably complex graphical user interface providing general ease of operation and navigation once its operational structure are learned.
I used Grundig's new Elegance 82 widescreen television with the DVD10 and the combination worked well because I could connect SCART to SCART. With a Japanese television you'll likely need to use the S-Video connector. For sound I used my regular Onkyo TX-DS989 receiver and Sonique speakers.
The DVD10 is quite functional during operation and only exhibits a mild amount of disc drawer noise. The remote works exceptionally well. Image quality errs on the conservative side: that is, it's perhaps more neutral than many players out there and so will partner very well with a wide range of televisions. There's no complaining about its resolution and detail, they're both excellent. In fact the DVD10 performed flawlessly for me almost to the point of commodifying most elements of performance.
Sonically things are also excellent. You'll notice it most when you play a music CD in a hi-fi scenario. Here, the player creates sound that's full of detail (like a good many players are capable of) but also renders nuance extremely well too (something other players aren't also good at doing).
In all it's a very pleasing performance package, which site well with mid market systems and above. It's also an elegant looking player.
The DVD10 is a very attractive mid-market proposition. Its looks are thoroughly modern, the construction is first rate, there's plenty of top level technology going on and it performs very well indeed, particularly when it comes to rendering sound, where the unit makes a lot of the competition look and sound very pale indeed.
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