What Hi Fi Sound and Vision 15 OCT 2007

Onkyo DV-SP504

£ 300 4

* * * *

There are cheaper players that do it better than this

For
Good sound; smooth motion; detailed and stable pictures
Against
Has no 1080p upscaling; costs £50 more than better rivals

There’s very little wrong with this DVD player. No, really – sonically, it’s excellent; the picture is good; and the build and styling certainly won’t have any small children crying themselves to sleep. But it is still, justifiably, a four-star player. Why? Read on…

The DV-SP504 has 1080 upscaling – but to ‘i’ not ‘p’
We don’t think this Onkyo is as easy on the eye as other rivals around, somehow managing to look a little dated – perhaps it’s the stale yellow colour on the remote.

Inside, a lack of 1080p upscaling points to a similarly retrospective approach – but then again, we’ve seen on several occasions that 1080p-capability doesn’t necessarily make for a brilliant picture, not least if you don’t own a 1080p TV.

Otherwise, this DVD player is impressively specified, thanks to onboard DTS and Dolby Digital decoding, and support for DVD-A, SACD, DivX and MP3 discs.

The Onkyo DV-SP504 is good, but it’s not the one
Sonically, it’s excellent. Blood Diamond shows the Onkyo has controlled aggression on hand, as well as delivering decent insight and musicality. On the picture side, there are plenty of reasons to be cheerful, thanks to smooth motion, deep blacks and crisp edges.

So what’s the problem? It’s just not the best in either department. There are better, cheaper options, leaving the talented Onkyo stranded on four stars.