Blu-ray Onkyo DV-BD606

Publicado pela revista What Hi-Fi

Preço na Europa: £ 400

Avaliação: * * *  (três estrelas de cinco)

There’s some areas of real ability here, but the first thing we want from a Blu-ray player is corking pictures – and the Onkyo can’t quite deliver.

For
Very enjoyable high-def audio; impressive DVD player; quick(ish) to read a Blu-ray

Against
Oddly ho-hum Blu-ray images for the money

Considering that Blu-ray has long since buried HD DVD in the format war, we think it’s a little surprising that so far only a few manufacturers have released new Blu-ray players.

However, Onkyo, whose recent forays in home cinema have all fallen into either the ‘very good’ or ‘really very good indeed’ categories, has stridden in where other brands seemingly fear to tread with its first Blu-ray spinner: the DV-BD606.

First things first: we’re never ones to judge a book by its cover – some of our favourite hi-fi comes wrapped in tragically humdrum clothes – but the DV-BD606 is emphatically a no-looker.

Black may well be the new black, but the Onkyo’s facade is a bit too ‘authentically’ ’80s for our liking. This overly plasticky theme extends to the remote control, which is functional but flimsy.

No real complaints where specification is concerned, though. The lack of multichannel analogue outputs will disappoint owners of more elderly amplifiers, but in all other respects the Onkyo stacks up satisfactorily.

Undecoded Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio is available via the 1.3a HDMI output, as is decoded PCM sound. The same output can also deliver 1080p/24fps images, as well as DVD pictures upscaled to 1080p.

The fascia features an SD-card slot for playback of DivX or MP3 files, and the on-screen menus are as clear and concise as they come.

High-def pictures not quite up to par

Playing a Blu-ray of The Love Guru (beautiful picture, God-awful film), the Onkyo is a little disappointing.

Compared to similarly priced rivals, images lack the last scintilla of detail – there’s a vague, but undeniable, hint of softness to even the least demanding scenes.

Impression of depth doesn’t convince like the best players around, dark images don’t carry as much information as they might, and there’s a dispiriting lack of vitality to colours and contrasts.

The DV-BD606 makes a far better impression with high-def sound. It’s weighty and distinct, so soundtracks are presented expansively, with dialogue well-defined and effects distributed confidently.

There’s dynamic potency on tap that many competitors can’t match, and the sort of punch and attack that makes action movies a visceral pleasure.

More comfortable with DVD playback

Switching to a DVD of Tropic Thunder shows the Onkyo’s picture in a more flattering light.

Upscaling to 1080p, the ‘606 displays the sort of clarity and stability more readily associated with comparably priced DVD players, as well as a more confident colour palette. The same burly, detailed sound is present too.

It’s also worth mentioning that despite its older BD Profile 1.1 spec, the Onkyo loads and plays your discs with impressive speed.

Welcome though this is, it can’t detract from our dissatisfaction with the way the DV-BD606 performs as a high-def player. We’re certain you can spend your money more wisely.

Tech Specs

HD DVD
No

Blu-ray
Yes

DVD-Video
Yes

DVD-A
No

SACD
No

CD
Yes

MP3
Yes

DivX
Yes

DVD-R/-RW
Yes

DVD+R/+RW
Yes

DVD-RAM
No

HDMI out
1

HDMI 1.3a
Yes

DVI out
0

Component out
1

RGB Scart out
0

S-Video out
0

Composite out
1

Optical digital out
1

Coaxial digital out
0

Phono audio out
1

FireWire out
0

Multichannel analogue out
No

Video scaling
1080p

24fps
Yes

Dolby Digital Plus decoding
No

DTS HD decoding
No

Dolby TrueHD decoding
No

DTS HD Master Audio decoding
No

Dolby decoding
No

DTS Decoding
No

PCM decoding
No

Dolby Digital Plus HDMI output
Yes

DTS HD HDMI output
Yes

Dolby TrueHD HDMI output
Yes

DTS HD Master Audio HDMI output
Yes

PCM HDMI output
Yes

Dimensions (hwd, cm)
8 x 44 x 36