arjayvee

I have just purchased a 40" Sony Bravia W3000 LCD Digital Color TV and have hooked up a one-and-a-half-year-old Panasonic DVD Recorder/VHS combo to it via a component cable. The DVD picture results are less than stellar (I do have a Hi-Def cable box). I'm not ready to buy a Blu-Ray player yet, but if I invest in a DVD recorder that upconverts via an HDMI cable and digital tuner, do you think the results will be noticeably better and, if so, what manufacturers/models do you recommend? I know this is probably a pretty basic question for most of you but I need your expertise and decided to ask for it.

Also, a question about the broadcast picture on the Sony Bravia. Often during scene/camera changes, whether it be on a filmed sitcom, taped soap opera or live newscast, I notice a quick flash of horizontal lines during camera changes and cutaways, etc. Not with every shot but maybe every three or four shots. Wish I could describe it better. Does anyone know what I'm talking about and is this something common in Hi-Def broadcasts or with Sony sets? I have a 32" LG set in the next room and it doesn't exhibit this particular annoyance.

Thanks to everyone who weighs in. Much appreciated.

sockmodel7

If you're going to be spending at least $50 on a DVD player I would just recommend getting a HD player on Ebay for cheap. Even if the format will be obsolete it's still gets the job done.

Spiky

I'm not sure this TV is the best for SD material, even DVD. Also, companies refuse to put decent parts into combo units. You simply aren't going to get good results with a DVD/VCR combo and a low end Sony.

I'm not sure about the horizontal lines. I have seen things like that, for many different reasons in various situations. Not sure what yours might be. Is it every channel? It is not common for HD broadcasts in my area. NBC tends to be the worst HD broadcaster in most cities, for instance.

sockmodel1,
HDDVD is already obsolete. Yes, there is a decent number of discs already out and that's great for those that have them. But more won't be coming. It is hardly something to start into right now.

arjayvee

I appreciate the time and effort of anyone who has replied thus far, but my main question hasn't yet been answered. Will a new DVD Recorder with Upconvert capability, an HDMI cable output and a digital tuner give noticeably better results than a year-and-a-half old DVD Recorder that doesn't have an HDMI output and is now hooked up with component cable. That may seem like a no-brainer but I've heard from some sources that there is little difference between the clarity of a DVD with a component cable output vs. HDMI.

A brand-new 40" Sony Bravia W3000 LCD Digital Color TV that I paid just under $2,000 for is "a low end Sony"??? I really am a babe in the woods and posting in the big leagues here.

Spiky

Probably a new model won't be better, esp if you stick with a combo unit. But it depends on the internals. If you go from a combo unit to a standalone DVDR, you may find it has a better de-interlacer or scaler. Or not. And HDMI (digital) vs component (analog) is pretty much a wash unless you have some really high-end or really low-end equipment making either the digital or analog either stand out or suck.

BTW, the digital tuner may not even transmit HD to your TV. It is just there so you can record once the analog tuners are obsolete. Now, recordings should look a lot better from HD channels, but they will still be SD on a burned disc.

There are 2-3 levels of XBRs above that Sony product line. I think they add $500-1000 for each level, haven't studied it closely.

DanDaMan069

I have to disagree with you there.. for one, HD DVD new releases are still coming out as we speak, my local Best Buy is restocking their shelves daily with new movies or new shipments they are receiving..two, yes in the near future, blu ray will be on its own and all movies will only be coming out in that format...BUT, in the meantime, an HD DVD is the SAME damn thing as a Blu-ray disk...they are both up to 1080p, they both have true HD audio. The biggest difference is that you can get an HD DVD player for 99 dollars and a huge amount of HD DVD's are on sale for $8-10... and at the very least the HD DVD player will upconvert standard DVD's to 1080i/p.
arjayvee: if you are looking for an upconverting DVD player, go get you a Toshiba A-3,A30- or A-35 from Best Buy.. It WILL make a difference on how a standard DVD looks on your TV connected with an HDMI cable. And for the time being, you can buy HD DVD's for less than $10 dollars also. There is a difference from watching a movie from component cables vs HDMI. How do you have your HD cable connected..component or HDMI... It is a world of difference using an HDMI cable to your cable box! I got a TOshiba A-35 for $79 plus 2 new HD DVD movies of my choice tonight!! Thats a hell of a deal! I have a 46" Sony Bravia 1080p and a Sony 1080p projector....and using them, "You can tell a difference in picture quality between component and HDMI"

J.J.A. Sabadoz

I don't think so; The lowest end Sonys are the S series, then then the D series, V series, and W Series (which is the highest non-XBR). I think there's only one XBR, and the number designates model year (like the '3000' does).

J.J.A. Sabadoz

There are a lot of factors that affect video quality: the cable, the quality of the player, the quality of the DVD, the calibration of the TV.

I probably wouldn't buy a DVD player just for HDMI. If you want to get a DVD recorder anyways, then get the HDMI one, or if you really want a good DVD player, look at the Oppo, but I don't think and average player with HDMI will be night and day with an average player with component.

Spiky

Ok, I wasn't trying to be rude or anything to the OP, just commenting on Sony's product line. But I have seen a fair amount on the W3000 series, my father has the Sam's Club 40" model. And SD really sucks on his TV. It's far more watchable on my TV that is 4x bigger, which is not how it should work. HD looks wonderful on all these Bravias from what I've seen, the discussion was about SD.

Also:
In the 40" 1080p class (26" doesn't count in this thread) there is the V2500, the 3000 (in both V and W), and 2 XBRs. And the W only adds Deep Color over the V series. I don't see any S series, I think that refers to 720p models. Deep Color is pointless as nothing actually uses that right now. So it is middle of the road, barely.

Spiky

This depends completely on the machines in question. I have no doubt that you are absolutely correct about HDMI looking better from your cable box. But I have read many posts from people saying the opposite is true, probably talking about different boxes.

Theoretically, HDMI should be easier to make a machine that looks good from the standpoint of the source machine. But then you are relying on high quality processing in the TV.

Both systems are 100% capable of delivering outstanding 720p/1080i signal. Component doesn't transfer 1080p, so that may be an issue with some setups. But that is only because they couldn't be bothered to make the hardware do it, the cable system is certainly capable of it.

J.J.A. Sabadoz

I'm not attacking you either, I'm just saying the W isn't 'low end' the 2500 and 3000 are from different years (one year all the tvs were 2500, the next 3000) so while they are both still on the market, it's the letters that refer to the level, just like the xbr.
The S and D are 720P, I guess you could call the W the middle, but only if you disregard the 720s, and considering the price jump from the W to the xbr (over a thousand more), it's not a bad choice.