What Hi Fi Sound and Vision
12 SEP 2007
Denon DVD-1740
More than double the price of the competition around, this had to be exceptional, and it’s not quite that
Write your own review
This is Denon’s cheapest DVD player, but with current prices, £150 doesn’t seem amazingly ‘budget’. With that in mind, you’re entitled to expect this product to be a reasonable step-up from the sub-£100 market.
Its headline specs pretty much match those of the cheaper players. HDMI is a given, of course, with upscaling all the way to 1080p. Denon has eschewed the slim, lifestyle look in favour of a more serious-looking, chunky machine. From afar, it pulls it off nicely, but in the hand the unit is disarmingly light. In fact, we were worried we’d been sent a hollow prototype. Thankfully, this wasn’t the case, and once powered up, the Denon excels.
One of the best sub-£200 players around
Detail is excellent, even in dark areas, and the colour palette is balanced and natural. Motion stability is very impressive, with the frequent scuffles in The Departed being reproduced admirably, making them easy to follow. There’s a little noise on large areas of colour, but less so than on any other players in this class. Sound is also excellent, soundtracks being full, exciting and detailed, and even CD music sounds good.
The ’1740 is undeniably one of the best sub-£200 players around, but it’s not good-enough value to be the best. If CD replay is a priority, the Denon makes a case for itself, but as a DVD player, there are better.
Back to top
