Does anyone know of any DVD player capable of 1080i without DVI besides the now unavailable Liteon LVD2001?

I think that's the only one. The Momitsu V880 can do it through DVI and VGA (since it has a DVI-I out instead of just DVI-D), but since you want a DVD-less player, it doesn't qualify.

Since there aren't 1080i DVDs yet, at least until the blue laser players hit the market, is this the time to think about such a player? They seem by the reviews to be line doublers. There are disclaimers saying that the image is not true HI-DEF and and don't even look like it. The Momitsu makes a case for the DVI connection much like the DVD first players with digital (optical or Coax) connections but the same is true now, you must have a receiver or TV with a DVI plug. The only recordable HI-DEF media is Tivo (and the like) & the JVC VHS-D machines. I like to be an early adapter of new technology but I think these are gap systems filling in until the true HI-DEF blue laser systems get to us and with software.
Greg

It really depends. If you have a digital display, these players are great. They tend to make better scalers than the ones that are built into your display device. To think that they will give you an HD picture is, of course naive, but it's just as naive to think that the scaler in 99% of the displays out there are anywhere near as good as the Sigma Designs EM8500 or Faroudja FLI2300 chips in these DVD players.

These players tend to cost around $180-300. I guess the question on whether or not these players are currently worth it depends on the quality of your display and your own viewing preferences (along with your wallet).

Any players out that do 1080i will NEVER do HD-DVD's when they come out (they don;t have the correct laser pickups for them)! All these players do is upconvert 480i DVD's to 1080i. And when compared to a good progressive scan DVD player (480P) I have yet to see a 1080i that looks as good! A waste of money in my opinion!

Frank S, have you ever seen a DVI player hooked up to a callibrated top-end display? It's totally film-like & devoid of any wavy, jagged edges common to 480p component players. That's because the data is kept in the digital realm, so there's no chance for CUE (chroma upsampling error).

I'm running a Bravo D1 with my Mits 65813 @ 1080i (can do 480p or 720p too) & the picture is absolutely stunning! So much so, that I'd returned a Denon 1600, after nothing but problems with the notorious Panny RP91.(Like Mission Impossible the RP91 seems to have a built in self-destruct mode it goes into 1 minute past its' warranty). The Bravo D1 is loud, slow to load, & is glitchy as all heck. However, they're built like a tank & accurately reproduce my digital pictures & sound. FWIW, it recently received Sound & Vision Magazine's Reviewer's Choice Award (Dec '03). The Bravo D1 can be had for $199, direct from manufacturer, VInc. (DVI cable sold seperately). This maybe a resonable alternative for those who don't want to waste their $$$ on an inferior, & more expensive, 480p chroma bug player.

In summation, all I know is that I won't have to rebuy my enitre dvd collection when HD-DVDs become popular. Backward compatibility will force blue ray players to upconvert dvds in a similar manner, so why not enjoy this technology now!?!?!

"It's good to be the king!", Mel Brooks, History of the World Part I