Yamaha DVD-S796 (c. 2000–2001)

The Yamaha DVD-S796 is a single-disc DVD/CD player from around the turn of the millennium. It carries Yamaha's "Natural Sound" branding. Documentation is thin. Most of what's known comes from a single Japanese equipment database entry and a scattering of resale listings. What the record shows is a solidly specified, mid-range machine with a few touches aimed at home-theater use.

The player handles DVD Video, Video CD, and Music CD. Its video section is built around a 27 MHz / 10-bit video D/A converter. Video outputs are composite, S-video, and component. Component was a useful feature for the era, since it was just becoming common on affordable players. On the audio side, a 96 kHz / 24-bit D/A converter feeds both analog and optical digital outputs. The optical output carries DTS / Dolby Digital 5.1-channel surround when paired with a compatible AV amplifier. Two proprietary Yamaha features appear in the spec sheet. A "cinema position" function is intended to reproduce the moist texture and shadow detail of film images. A "cinema loudness" function makes dialogue easier to hear at low volume, and it works only through the analog outputs.

Physical specs are modest: 435 × 98.5 × 275.5 mm, 3.3 kg, 10W power consumption. The unit shipped with a wireless remote, a 1.5m RCA pin cable, and a 1.5m S-video cable. One eBay listing's structured data gives a manufacture year of 2000, and the Japanese price note of ¥49,800 points to a 2001 release. Neither is fully verified. A Russian reseller listing calls the unit a "pre-top" model with its DAC on board. Asking prices in recent classifieds have ranged from roughly $80 to $120. Beyond these facts, almost nothing is recorded - no professional reviews, no service documentation, no common-failure data, and no confirmed production run.

Known specifications:

Playback: DVD Video, Video CD, Music CD (single disc)
Audio D/A converter: 96 kHz / 24-bit
Video D/A converter: 27 MHz / 10-bit
Outputs: composite, S-video, component video; optical digital audio; analog audio
Features: cinema position, cinema loudness (analog out only)
Power consumption: 10W
Dimensions: 435 × 98.5 × 275.5 mm; weight 3.3 kg
Accessories: wireless remote, RCA pin cable (1.5m), S-video cable (1.5m)
Original price (Japan, c. 2001): ¥49,800