Connecting prog. scan DVD player
 

I have Philips 29PT9420 that can take prog. scan (480p) input - there's a separate component input for that. So, if it's merely component input but not prog. scan, there's another set of input beside it. I've tried connecting the non-prog. player to the TV prog. scan input - the picture won't display. My question is, as I'm about to upgrade into a prog. scan DVD player:

1. I assume there's a setup in the prog. scan player that can turn off/on the prog. scan. What if I turn it off? Will it still display, as the cable is connected into prog. scan input on the TV?
2. What if I play VCD or SVCD? The prog. scan should be turned on/off?

Sorry if this is merely basic, but really, I don't know, so I need some insights here.

Exactly.

But how about this way: suppose I have a prog. scan player. I connect it using component to the TV's component input for progressive. This TV has another set of component input but will not receive progressive input, only interlace. If then I see that the prog. scan player capability is not good, then I want to change into interlace, do I have to reconnect the comp. output to the non/prog. input?

Or I simply turn off the prog. scan features of the player then the TV will automatically adjust?

I'm sorry I guess I am not following the question. If the tv accepts a progressive signal and the player is a progressive player, why would you want to turn it off? Not all dvd's benefit from a progressive player, it depends on how they are mastered.

Oh? Not all DVDs? By the way, OK, I just wondering... as I still haven't found good prog. player, and my current player is not progressive.

Just need your opinion: Brian, do you have "For a few dollars more" old MGM DVD (not the incoming remastered edition)? In my display, this is one of the most extreme visual examples that may benefit from Prog. scan... but I don't know. If you have it, or you can rent it, please go to chapter 7,8,9 if I'm not mistaken.

These are the scenes that need to be noticed:
- When a deputy sherrif placed aposter on a wall using his gun - see the poster - - plenty of lines wiggling along / jittering (I don't know the exact word)
- Next chapter: When Lee van Cleef Character walks into a bank, the moment where he stand in the entrance (plenty of jaggy lines throughout his body), and the bank ceilings (jaggy lines too).
- Next chapter (El Paso): when Clint Eastwood character rides into El Paso, see around thebuildings... especially the hotel wall. These wiggling lines, oh... they are definitely troublesome.

Now, can a good prog. scan player overcome those problems?

Another simple example: If you have a DVD from Anchor Bay, when the logo appears (a sailboat), in my current display I see that the mast is jaggish. Can a prog. scan player overcome it?

I don't have that dvd but to answer the question, it could be the way the dvd was mastered and not the player or display. It sounds like moire that you are seeing and it could be from artifacting(ie., poor tranfer of the film).

I would rather use a good quality transfer to evaluate a dvd player. "For a few dollars more" is not an anamorphic dvd and given the age of the film I doubt any transfer is going to look good. Do a search for demo dvd's.

Personally I use Lord of the Rings EE to calibrate my projector and I have also used Star Wars: Attack of the clones as well.

I finally bought a Pioneer player, 676A-S. Ah, I definitely can see the difference. Probably not in terms of progressive scan only, as I can still see some jaggies on certain DVDs, but possibly also the DAC chip (is that the name) is definitely much better than my cheapo Chinese TCL DVD player. Yeah, overall I see smoother pictures on Die Another Day DVD, and some others.

As for "For a Few Dollars More" I can indeed see the improvement. First on the main menu, smoother image. On the chapters I mentioned above, well, the moire effect remains but definitely much less than before. Flicker and jaggies are also pressed into minimum. And of course, color is a lot richer.

Yeah, I like this player. although I don't know the performance of a truly excellent DVD player, at the moment this will do.

A bit disappointment maybe lies on my TV now, Philips 29PT9420 Pixel Plus. For the prog. scan surprisingly the display appears moved a bit downward, leaving a thin white line on the upper side. I don't know what it is. But the line is indeed there, can be seen when the DVD is off and I pick that connection. The display shows 576p, with that line. So the DVD I watched would be pushed slightly downward. On my DVD with 1.85:1 AR (HKL The Killer), the subtitle becomes a bit cropped at the bottom. The "black bars" are displayed uevenly (the top is bigger). Oh boy.

Strange thing also, if I play PAL disc, for static menu it looks flickering, but not on the main feature. But when I switch the default into NTSC, the flicker stops, maybe it can convert PAL into NTSC and vice versa. My TV is also musti system.

Lets say one has a progressive scan dvd player and component video hook ups to the tv. Is that good enough to get the progressive scan or is there a special progressive component video that is needed