Since you guys are experts on anything to do with the wonderful world of dvd's, I was hoping you could help me out:
I finally bought a decent TV (26" Sharp LCD Widescreen HD) and am looking to get a dvd player.
Should I just get any old dvd player off of craigslist or should I opt for a more expensive progressive scan player? How much of a difference would it make and is there anything I need to know before I look for one under $100?
Are the HD Dvd players worth it at this point?
Or should I just view DVD's on my ok Dell widescreen comp monitor?
XavierMike
09-09-06, 11:06 PM
I just got an RCA HD DVD player and LOVE it. However, if you feel more comfortable waiting the format war out, I would do that. You should peruse the HD Talk Thread to see if the next gen players are right for you.
Having an HD TV, I would look for an upconverting player at least.
DVD Josh
09-10-06, 12:40 AM
Having an HD TV, I would look for an upconverting player at least.
Um, no.
You will barely see any difference in an upconverting player on that small of display. Simply purchase a decent quality progressive scan player and be happy.
The_Wizard
09-10-06, 12:48 AM
Um, no.
You will barely see any difference in an upconverting player on that small of display. Simply purchase a decent quality progressive scan player and be happy.
What is an upconverting player if I may ask?
I'm looking on ebay for different progressive scan players..any recommendations or any hints on buying any under $150?
The_Wizard
09-10-06, 04:18 AM
I read an article about the Oppo OPDV971H and how it works wonders but with DVI. If I use the HDMI DVI converter cable it comes with, will it produce the same sparkling images if I had used just the DVI cable?
The article also stated that the native resolution makes a big difference...as my tv has a resolution of 1366X768, will this create scaling problems to convert to 1080i or 720p?
I'm conflicted between this (if it is a viable option with my TV) and the Panasonic S97..or I can just get a cheaper progressive scan player.
Any thoughts, anyone??
The Bus
09-10-06, 08:49 AM
Um, no.
You will barely see any difference in an upconverting player on that small of display. Simply purchase a decent quality progressive scan player and be happy.
It depends on where he sits. I sit a few feet away from my 26" LCD and there's a world of difference between HD and SD. Even if I'm bed and it's a a couple of yards away, I can very easily discern the difference.
The Bus
09-10-06, 08:52 AM
I read an article about the Oppo OPDV971H and how it works wonders but with DVI. If I use the HDMI DVI converter cable it comes with, will it produce the same sparkling images if I had used just the DVI cable?
The article also stated that the native resolution makes a big difference...as my tv has a resolution of 1366X768, will this create scaling problems to convert to 1080i or 720p?
I'm conflicted between this (if it is a viable option with my TV) and the Panasonic S97..or I can just get a cheaper progressive scan player.
Any thoughts, anyone??
Wiz: If you're going to spend money on an Oppo, you're not far from getting an HD DVD player, which you can get for $365-$410 (see the HD forum for details). The Toshiba HD DVD player upscales as well, and you get a next-gen HD player. Right now, the last thing I would do is spend a lot of money on a regular DVD player. Either buy something extremely cheap to hold you over for the next year until HD DVD prices come down below $250, or buy HD DVD now. But don't spend $200 on a DVD player, IMO.
XavierMike
09-10-06, 12:49 PM
Um, no.
You will barely see any difference in an upconverting player on that small of display. Simply purchase a decent quality progressive scan player and be happy.
I have a 30" display and an HD DVD player, and the upconversion looks spectacular. It depends on how far you sit froom the TV. If you look through the HD thread, there is a link to a chart that shows prefered viewing distance for your size of set.
XavierMike
09-10-06, 12:53 PM
What is an upconverting player if I may ask?
I'm looking on ebay for different progressive scan players..any recommendations or any hints on buying any under $150?
An upconverting player converts regular DVDs to near HD qualilty. The qualitity of up conversion varies greatly by player. The Oppo is highly regarded, but as Bus said I wouldn't pay much $$ for DVD player unless you go next gen.
The_Wizard
09-11-06, 12:31 AM
An upconverting player converts regular DVDs to near HD qualilty. The qualitity of up conversion varies greatly by player. The Oppo is highly regarded, but as Bus said I wouldn't pay much $$ for DVD player unless you go next gen.
Oh, ok..then maybe no for the Oppo..are there cheap upconverting progressive players that are worth it over just playing on my pc?
The_Wizard
09-11-06, 12:33 AM
Wiz: If you're going to spend money on an Oppo, you're not far from getting an HD DVD player, which you can get for $365-$410 (see the HD forum for details). The Toshiba HD DVD player upscales as well, and you get a next-gen HD player. Right now, the last thing I would do is spend a lot of money on a regular DVD player. Either buy something extremely cheap to hold you over for the next year until HD DVD prices come down below $250, or buy HD DVD now. But don't spend $200 on a DVD player, IMO.
Thanks for the response, Bus and everyone else!
I think I'll just get a cheap player then..any luck with any cheap upscaling players?
XavierMike
09-11-06, 01:24 AM
I bet you can find some good ones online. If you want more specific recomendations, I would definately check the DVD player forum on avs forum.
Spiky
09-11-06, 12:10 PM
It depends on where he sits. I sit a few feet away from my 26" LCD and there's a world of difference between HD and SD. Even if I'm bed and it's a a couple of yards away, I can very easily discern the difference.
Yes, but Josh was just talking about SD DVD. The only difference here is whether upconversion happens in player or in TV. There won't be much difference at that point.
DVD Josh
09-11-06, 12:27 PM
Yes, but Josh was just talking about SD DVD. The only difference here is whether upconversion happens in player or in TV. There won't be much difference at that point.
Thank you Spiky, you saved me the typing :)
In this person's situation, I think they would be happy with a quality progressive scan unit.
Buy: