bigrederik

I have a 1080i capable telivision, but I do not feel like the whole blu ray/HD-DVD format war is near settled so I will not be buying one of the new format players quite yet.

I am interested to hear what you guys think about the DVD players that upconvert standard DVDs to 1080i. With the proper TV and connection, is the difference truely worth a couple hundred bucks?

That may sound like a dumb question... of course higher resolution is better right? I guess what i am really asking is the present DVD sources really worthy of veiwing in HD? I would love to think that they are.

Any opinions?

Mr. Cinema

I was deeply in both high-def formats, but have just recently backed out almost completely. It's getting messier by the day. So yes, upconverted dvd is worth it. Now, the Toshiba HD-A1 player is the best upconverting player I have seen. I also just got the Oppo DV-981 which was just released in December. It doesn't present quite as strong a picture as the A1, but it's a solid unit for $230. Plus, it also plays SACD/DVD-Audio discs and is region free.

For higher price ranges, $350+, Denon offers plenty of units that have gotten quite a bit of praise from folks.

jonw9

Six posts down: http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread.php?t=487577

I am still uncertain, since TVs convert anyways.
The oppo 970HD is recommended for DLPs, but it seems odd to convert to 1080i, then in my case convert that to 1080p be the television. This may be ideal for you, plus at $130 with HDMI cable is essentially a bargain.

I am on the fence about upconverting. I am considering getting an upconverting player from BB so I can see for myself, and return if no improvment is seen.

mather

That may be a problem, as Oppos are not sold in retail stores. Oppos are regarded as one of if not the best for upconversions. Having bought a Samsung and returned it in the past, I can honestly say I am happy with what my Oppo 970 can do.

If you REALLY want to compare, order an Oppo and when it arrives, test it against what you find in the retail stores. I think you will not find a upconversion player in the stores that beats the Oppo. Many from the chains are cheap and upconvert poorly, which then gathers the posts from people who state upconversions are all marketing, does not look any different, looks worse, etc.

Oppos can do wonders on the upconversion. It won't be HD, but there will be definite improvements visually. On some discs, it will look very very nice, others, which may be bad to begin with, it will still improve the picture.

X

If you're not upconverting to your display's native resolution I'd forget it. It doesn't make much sense converting twice -- upconverting in the player and then downconverting in the display.

jonw9

I was not considering buying an oppo to return. I was considering a BB unit (LG, Sony, etc.) and compare it to my Sony progressive. But like X, converting to 1080i then sending it to 1080p by the set seems pointless. The only real benefit I see would be a HDMI output.

The only oppo I would consider is the 981, which is not recommend for DLPs.

I think part of the benefit of the oppos is the region hack, which does not interest me.

Brian Shannon

I love my Oppo and bought it for the same reasons as the OP.

Plenty of life left in DVD's and I am pleased with the upconverting results in my theater. Well worth the $200 IMHO.

JZ1276

i still dont know how these players work. If a dvd is 480p how can it make it look better than that

Brian Shannon

What is high definition up-conversion? How does it improve picture quality?

A: High definition up-conversion is the process of converting standard resolution video stored on DVD discs to high definition video signal suitable for display on HDTV (High Definition Television). It is also called up-converting. When properly done, up-conversion can produce outstanding video with picture that is very close or rivals real high definition contents. For more details about this technology and its benefit, please read our white paper on getting the most out of DVD on an HDTV display.

http://www.oppodigital.com/dv970hd/dv970hd_info.html#Q1

X

Upconverting can be beneficial if the player's scaler is better than the display's and you are not requiring the display to do any scaling.

cultshock

Which players can upconvert to 1080p (and do a good job at it)? The Toshiba HD-DVD players do 1080i, correct? What about any Oppos? Since my TV is capable of 1080p, I should find a player that can upconvert to that? Would it make a noticable difference? I'm still debating on whether I should just find a good upconverting player right now or get a HD-A2 (I have the opportunity to get a deal on one)

Mr. Cinema

The Oppo 981, which I just purchased, upconverts to 1080p.

jonw9

What kind of set?

Oppo is not recomending the 981 for DLPs, due to macro-blocking, but I would like to here if anybody is experiencing this.