With home theater sales booming like never before, manufacturers are beginning to produce DVD players for more discerning movie-lovers. The Kenwood DV-5700, part of the up-market Sovereign line, is an example of this breed. It is a 5 DVD/CD carousel model that is compatible with DVD-Video, CD, MP3, and the
excellent DVD-Audio multi-channel music format. The DV-5700 is only available in black, and has a retail price of $1,200.

Unique Features - The DV-5700 incorporates two of the most significant advances in audio- video technology today. The first is progressive scanning, which when fed to TVs that are High-Definition compatible (I-ID), can provide a picture better than could have been imagined just a few years ago. This technology effectively "doubles" the frequency at which the picture is refreshed, from 480 lines interlaced (240 lines drawn on each pass requiring two passes to generate 480 lines of information) to 480 progressive (480 lines drawn on each pass). Although most HD-compatible TVs have a built-in line doubler, when the DVD player has this capability the conversion from 480i to 480p is done entirely in the digital domain, thereby decreasing picture degradation. The DV-5700 takes
this one step further by licensing the latest in de-interlacing technology, the Sage-Faroudja FLI2200 with DCDi. Faroudja is a name long associated with mega-dollar line doublers for high-end front-projection systems, and this new chipset is the first-time Emmy-Award winning Faroudja technology licensed for use in DVD players. DCDi uses proprietary processing to smooth the jagged, "step-like" look of diagonal edges of objects, which also has the effect of increasing three-dimensionality. The de-interlacing this player provides is superb, and it is probably the best video processing chipset available in a DVD player today.

The second major feature of this player is DVD-Audio, the new multi-channel high-resolution music format, which along with the competing SACD, is destined to replace the aging CD. The DV-5700 has the requisite 5.1 outputs for this, high-quality 24/192 DACs (digital-to-analog converters), and bass management capabilities for those without 5 full-range speakers.

Installation/Setup - Setup is fairly straightforward with this player. The setup and use menus use a combination of text and pictographs, and are easy to understand. I found the best picture resulted from turning the "enhancer" in the menu to the off position, and turning down the "enhancer gain" setting to 0 to decrease artificial sharpness. The necessary component, S-Video, composite, coaxial and Toslink digital audio outputs, interlaced/progressive switch, and 5.1 decoder outputs can be found in back as part of a particularly rigid panel. The 5700 is a little larger than the normal player, yet should easily fit into most racks. It is possible to turn the front display off for dark room viewing. The manual is fairly easy to understand, although sometimes the translation from Japanese does result in some grammatical flubs. I set this player up with a component connection to my Pioneer Elite RPTV, with a digital coaxial connection to my pre-amp, and with 5.1 analog interconnects to my pre-amp for DVD-Audio.

When you have digested all of this information, and finally have this player set up on your HD display, you will be rewarded with one of the best pictures available at any price. The colors are lush and beautiful, the blacks dark and deep, the edges of people and objects sharp and smooth, and the overall picture is very detailed and film-like. If a high-quality DVD is used, the clarity and beauty of the picture lead to an almost emotional experience, and one can notice all sorts of small details that can be easily missed in a movie. Watching Gladiator, the fight scenes are so realistic, it is as if I was in the middle of the action, and I could almost feel the gore splashing me. During the night-time parade scene in Dr. Zhivago, I was struck by how deep the blacks of the dark Russian overcoats were, and how the crimson communist party flags stood out against this scene. This sort of experience is what directors and filmmakers try to achieve in a movie theater, and now we can have it at home.

Although a great visual experience is important, one of the most overlooked aspects of a DVD player is how it sounds, not only for movies, but also for music (and during movies, this also adds to the "feel"). The Kenwood's audio capabilities are excellent, as it has a detailed soundstage, great transient dynamics, and a full, tight bass. Those horse hooves in Gladiator will make you think they are in the room with you, and the blast-off scene in Apollo 13 will make you feel like you're right next to the launch pad. Not only is this important to enhance the movie experience, but it also allows the Kenwood to double as a very good CD player. Its DVD-Audio playback is solid as well, doing an excellent job with this new and exciting format. Although there are not a lot of titles yet available, DVD-A is found in many new DVD players today, and the Kenwood does a very good job of presenting this multi-channel, high-resolution format in all of its enveloping, aural glory.

Final Take - If by now you think that I really like this player, you may be onto something. Does it have any flaws, you ask? In a word, yes, as everything does. Like all DVD changers, disc loading is on the slow side. The remote, although small (a trait I personally like), is a bit awkward in operation, as it assigns multiple functions to each button which are controlled by a side-mounted switch. The player has a slightly slow layer change (1-3 seconds), which can be a little annoying even though it only occurs once a side. That's about it, and none of these flaws are enough to outweigh the wonderful video and sound quality. This player hits that sweet spot, offering close to the performance of the high-end boutique players, without requiring you to auction off one of your kidneys to pay for it. I would highly recommend this player to anyone who has a HD-compatible television and is looking for top-notch picture quality, and for someone who expects their player to also have excellent audio capabilities. I was convinced enough to buy one for myself.

Suggested Retail Price
$1200