TO OUR CONFOUNDED PAL: I own a 2930 and could qualifiably say so that its service is gratifying - nonpareil - but I would not advocate it for general use. That 32-inch TV would not be able to show the wonders of the Reon video chip driving the video playback because, one, it is limited by its analog connections, and two, its screen size will hardly accentuate the engineering "hybrid" of the Denon. I also own a 32-inch Philips TV and I wanted to retire it because it could hardly be used apart from CNN news updates, and to pair it with the Denon is like insulting the 2930 itself because the TV is inherently handicapped from showing the player's strength.
The most positive benefit you'll be getting - and this is not authoritative statement from me - from a digital TV when paired with the Denon, is getting the best picture out of an HDMI connection. But only if the TV has HDMI. If it holds none, then the picture resolution you're getting will indeed be bereft of that Denon "cutting edge." It'll hold no visual distinction over the other, more rarified, players from the popular brands.
As to the Denon giving a measurable improvement over lesser-pedigreed brands, I would rather judge the Denon not vis-a-vis the others - but against its predecessor models. Before the 2930, Denon has employed the video chip service of Faroudja or Silicon Image. By themselves, these video drivers are superb - but the HQV Reon simply surpasses them both in its deinterlacing & line-doubling capabilities. My comparison is based on owning the previous 2200 and then the 2910. The improvement leap is penultimate contrast, black level and much more gorgeous color.
The "awful" thing about using the 2930 after nine months of use is that it is bound to spoil its owner - in such a way that he'll consider it technologically anathema to go back to other less stellar brands or contemplate crossing "another fence." The comparison is like this: when a driver tries handling a Ford gasoline-fuelled car with a V8 engine after being weaned almost all his past lifetime on a Mitsubishi L300 passenger AUV - he won't touch the L300 again if given the choice. Mahirap masanay sa luxury, of course, but a DVD player is a consumer electronic machine which practically doesn't need any maintenance (apart from feeding it software) whereas a car is a different kind of mechanical beast.
S-Video by all means still delivers a good picture, but when scrutinized closely by the eye, the Denon would not be able to work a miracle in overcoming the television "lines" that composes the image. The lines would still be in there because S-Video is analog and the TV could not upgrade from its analog manufacture. But you're still getting a terrific picture, better than all the rest of the other DVD brands (for I've demonstrated this in our case - by coupling the 2930 with a 1998 Sony Wega of a 27-inch girth - and the wow picture factor is there. S-Video is Monster THX1000, at 16 feet).
I cannot help out with regards to the audio query. I am old and music holds largely no more emotional resonance for me, hence I cannot tell much whether the 2930's audio DACS can hold its own against the more specialized Harmans, Arcams, Sherwoods or some such names which are mainly audio brands. But if the video engineering is certifiably superb, Denon is likely to compete also with audiophile-grade sound. Its a given really, you'll pay this much - you're getting this much in return too sonically - from the 2930.
I cannot advocate it, in the end, with all-out enthusiasm because my use for it is almost exclusively for giant-screen viewing. This is one case where the 2930 or some such machines, could truly show its innate best. The DLP front projector and the Denon makes for a complimentary coupling and practically every viewing experience is - and I would not tire using the word - magical.
I hope you could experience too that coupling. All the best.....
