Acouple of years ago, Samsung launched the DVD-HD935. This inexpensive player was groundbreaking, because it was one of the first at any price to sport a digital video output - DVI (Digital Visual Interface), in this case.

As a result, owners of compatible displays could bypass the DVD player's digital-to-analogue conversion and the display's analogue-to-digital circuitry. The result was a significant improvement in picture quality, and we even went as far as saying the HD935 had better picture potential that high-end players selling for several times the price.

In an attempt to keep the film studios happy, the HD935's DVI output managed to make provision for HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Copy Protection). At the time of launch, though, few displays had DVI inputs that supported HDCP - any attempt at a DVI partnership with the HD935 would have yielded a blank screen. So Samsung, bless 'em, built in a hack to disable HDCP so that its player could be used with such displays.

Unfortunately, we haven't been able to find a similar hack for the DVD-HD945 - the HD935's HDMI-supporting successor. But this isn't quite the issue it might have been a couple of years ago. Today, all DVI-equipped kit with home cinema pretensions supports HDCP.

HDMI or DVI?

In fact, on many of today's displays you'll find an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) socket instead. Electronically speaking, HDMI and DVI are identical in many respects; you can buy HDMI-to-DVI adaptors and cables. Connector shape apart, the only real differences are HDMI's support for HDCP and digital audio.

An increasing number of competing DVD players are now being equipped with HDMI ports, from budget Panasonic models through Pioneer recorders to high-end sources from Meridian and Denon. Faced with such competition, Samsung has had no option but to heavily spec the HD945.

To this end, this sub-£200 player is a 'universal' type, able to play DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD titles in all their high-resolution multichannel glory. Another benefit is compatibility with CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs containing DiVX MPEG4 video - the HD945 is also happy with the XViD format. On the compressed audio front, WMA now joins MP3.

Sure is pretty...

The HD945 is a pretty little thing, with its low-profile brushed-aluminium front, control 'disc' and brightly-backlit LCD screen. Its predecessor perhaps went a bit overboard with blue LEDs, but the only blue here is the illumination surrounding the standby button.