Hey guys I was wondering what the best upscaling dvd player would be. I've heard some suggestions about Toshiba, Samsung as the top quality brands. I'm not looking for something too expensive, but at least something that will give me a boost in quality over my current setup.

Right now I'm using an xbox (modded) with XBMC or Avalaunch DVD player that upscales to 720p, however this is obviously not the same as a dvd player, not to mention it uses Component video (and I've come to notice especially with xbox360 how inferior component video truly is). I'm looking for something HDMI since my set supports it.

Price wise I'm not 100% sure.. The 850 (I believe it's 850) Samsung model costs approx $150 CAD at the moment, which is roughly around $99 US. Hopefully nothing beyond $199, since that's a bit too much.. But any suggestion is welcome.

I have the 850. Got it for $130 US. Looks nice, but its my first HD upconvert player so I have nothing to compare it to. The main reason I decided on the Samsung is because it includes the HDMI cable. So if your trying to save some money, you might want to go with that. The HDMI cable itself costs over 100 bucks if you get a good one.

I hear this is the one to get...

http://www.oppodigital.com/

Anyone here have this dvd player? I'm thinking about getting one myself when I buy my LCD.

The Oppo is a very feature rich unit which is definitely worth a look. I also like the Samsung HD950 and the Sony DVPNS70H. The HD850 from Sammy is ok but there have been known issues with the software both this year and last.

The only thing holding me back from the oppo is the DVI output. When they release their next model with a HDMI I will buy it.

Why not just use hdmi converter?

He'd still have to run audio cables. Seems as though Oppo haven't updated their unit in a while. Then, you also have to realize, older connection means older HDCP revision which may cause some issues along the line.

OPPO doesn't have HDCP

so i dunno what u are talking about?

Well, my bad. That could prove to be a problem in and of itself, though. Content protection is going to start appearing more and more as digital devices and connections become the norm.

If it Lacks HDCP you can't mess it up HDCP inputs.

It doesn't look for it and crap out the player, what isn't there can't be turned on

If you are talking HD-DVD or blueray, then you will need a new player anyway.

i've read good things about teh SnaZio HD player.. about £250 in the UK

http://www.snazio.com/Links/Net%20DVD%20Cinema(new).htm

what kind of tv are you getting. if 1080i is the highest resolution of your tv then go for the samsung one, i've heard good things about the sammy upconverting dvd player.

if your resolution is maxed at 1080p then you might have to look for a 1080p upconverting dvd player.

What kind of software issues? See I can't find the 950 from both Future Shop and Best Buy, so I'll have to find a store that sells that model. I am steering towards a Samsung model more then others, though I'm still searching obviously. WOuldn't mind that Anynet integration ^_^ lol.



I have the Samsung LN-R268W LCD HDTV (720p/1080i). If you've seen the Xbox360 Kiosk Demo unit that's the tv I have, just the 26" larger version. Though it uses a component connection (which looks like crap compared to the VGA cables).

So anyway, obviously 1080p isn't a concern for me.

I would get the OPPO first, then the Panasonic S77.

The OPPO is by far the best Upscaling player using the faroudja 2310 chip.

It has a ton of support, new firmware every month.

I own a S97 which is right up there with the OPPO, the S77 is the new model from this year.

I wouldnt touch the other models they have huge problems and are very expensive for there downfalls.

I'll consider it, however chances are this "Oppo" dvd player is going to be hard as hell to find here in Ontario, Canada. Lol!

http://www.onlybestrated.com/oppo-opdv971h...utput-p-45.html

Official canadian reseller From oppo's website.

According to a user review in June 2005 in that site, this DVD player upscales to DVI only and not to component. Has that been fixed with firmware upgrade now? Can it be? There could be a hardware limitation. I noticed other players such as the LG upscales to both HDMI and component.

I don't think any player I've seen upscale on the analog component connections. What LG model are you looking at?

The LDA-531.

I got that information from the same site that sold Oppo in Canada. Here is the page.

LG Canada website also has that in the specification.

I have not read and still looking for the manual, just to confirm. I tried downloading it from LG Canada website, but when I click on the link it pops up a message window saying I was not authorized because the request did not come from the LG sites or the request information is empty.

This player is available from Futureshop, but it is out of stock at the moment. Probably due to boxing week.

Actually, knowing you work for an electronics retailer, I was surprised you have not seen a player that upscales over analog. It suggests that there are probably not many players that do, and it just starting to appear now for component. There are a number of HDTV's without any DVI or HDMI connector out there. For example, the Panasonic models smaller than 26" only have up to component input. Those who have these models will be quite upset if they know that they can only upscale DVD via a connector that their TV's do not have.

I got a New HDTV + HD DVD player thats supposed to convert old style dvds to the new hd format....
Its This one Here..


Picture does look very nice =D

I did have to buy a cable for it though, My Tv did have the input the dvd wanted so had to buy a transformer...
Not sure if its any use to you, only around £80 though

The xbox does (modded of course). Then again it's not a dedicated dvd player (thus quality isn't as good as a good brandname upscale dvd player).

I was talkign about this with some fellow best buy associates from around the country today and one guy mentioned how, in the manual, it states it only does upconversion over component video for DVD-R. While this sounds a little bogus, it may be something to keep in mind.

I found a site with several user reviews that mentioned that also: upconversion over component only if you backup the original (silver, pressed) DVD-ROM, i.e. backup copy upconverts over component, original upconverts over HDMI. I was not quite sure what to make of that. What I think was maybe: 1. because of a bug, or 2. because LG or the upconversion chipset maker does not want to upconvert content protected DVD-ROM over component (analog). I was leaning towards #2 because I thought a bug this big is not likely to pass through QA and now you wrote that it is stated in the manual, so that 'feature' was intentional.

Note that an original DVD-ROM is encrypted and if I burn a backup copy of it with DVD Shrink, DVD Fab, etc. it is decrypted and is no longer a content protected material. The only way for a DVD player to know whether a DVD is content protected is through whether it is encrypted. So I think this is their way to let you to be able to upconverts home made movies on DVD and at the same time honour content protection.

I'm pretty sure you can still do upscaling if you use the dvi to hdmi converter which Oppo includes with the dvd player. Or am I wrong to assume this?

I am sure it would upscale. However, what I want to do is upscale over component, not DVI or HDMI. This is to give an option for some smaller screen HDTV's which only have component (no DVI nor HDMI). There was a user review in the site that said that the Oppo does not upscale over component.

Another option is perhaps a DVI or HDMI converter to component, but is there such a device and is the quality better than if the DVD player upscales to component directly?

The OPPO does not upscale over component.

Due to the Requirements for whoever governs the dvd manufactures

NO DVD player can be sold that DOES upscale over component.

But people always seem to find the hidden menus or disable it

But the quality on upscaling over component is horrible, since the scaling chips do there best work on the digital domain and the dvd players weren't designed for the best picture to be over component.

Hi everyone from Mexico City, i just found this forum and its a lot of help reading about this topics.

I just want to tell that you're wrong. DVD players CAN upscale over component. I came in trying to find dvd models that do that cuz the only ones ive found are a little bit expensive, check them out here:

www.neodigits.com

Their dvd players upscale in every possible connection. As a matter of fact, they can upconvert to 1080p only through component, HDMI>DVI just 1080i.

The only diference between component and DVI is that component is analog and dvi digital.

There are also cable topsets that deliver high definition signals through component, the Xbox 360 delivers high definition through component, so why not dvd's? Actually i've read that some people prefers the image quality through component rather than DVI, some others dont. Experts say its all about the TV you're using.

To end this msg, ive heard that TRUE high definition will only come with blue ray discs or HD-DVD. Both formats are still fighting to see which one will be the good one! LOL But im not expecting this to happen in the next 3-5 years...i mean to be commercial and afordable. You can try looking for "blue ray" (actually blu ray) at ebay and see the prices!

This dvd player is HORRIBLE

Read reviews on it, its Brutal, Doesn't even touch the OPPO.

Basically its a POS.

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/sho...Player%20(HDMI)

51/100

WOW

OPPO 98/100

Hmmm

I heard that too.

I guess my vote would go to oppo, since they seem to frequently update their firmware to fix bugs and add features.

Hi, glad to hear that. I didnt know tis performance. The reason im here is, as i said, im looking for an upscaling dvd but i need component output since i dont have hdmi.

I found that these 2 models support high definition upscaling through component:

Samsung HD841
Zenith DVB318

Any comments about them? Or any other model that does it component?

hd841 is an older model and had quite a few software issues with it. I don't know anything about the zenith model.

Does your TV have DVI?

Hi, no i dont have dvi or hdmi, thats why im looking for component. I bought my tv about 3 years ago and i havent seen high definition yet!

Ive found the Samsung HD950. With a simple hack it can upscale through component, any comments about this player?

i've been looking at the philips DVP5900/37. it's an upgrade to the very popular DVP642.

it has HDMI upscaling. unfortunately, i have an older set that doesn't support HDMI, so i'm kinda screwed...

Right now i have a Samsung CT32Z7P CRT television and a Marantz dvd. My tv has no hdmi or dvi, just component tough its ready for 1080i resolutions. with the Marantz dvd i get 480i.....do you really think it would be a significant better picture if i use the Samsung HD850 upconversion through component?

I hope the answer is YES cuz i dont want to buy a new tv with hdmi connections!

By the way, whats better for high resolution? CRT, Plasma, LCD??

There are NO good Upscaling DVD players for component, ONLY DVI/HDMI

get yourself a good 480p player and ride it out until you buy a TV for HD DVD's.

cause 480i and 480p are a big jump.

I guess the only way then to get hi-def component output for DVDs is to use a computer with a gfx card with component out.

Ok i get the point, my question is.....even if theres no "good" upscaling dvd players over component, the image wont be better in my CRT 1080i tv?

Marantz is an excelent dvd player tough its only 480i. I hooked up an awfull dvd player ($28) which is 480p and there´s no comparisson! The Marantz looks muuuch better even being 480i.

Im trying to sell my tv and buy a new one with hdmi, but in the mean time if i can get a better picture with the upscale id buy it right now and not waiting untill i have a new tv. Ive seen on bestbuy there´re already HD DVD and Blu Ray dvd players....but those ill wait for the prices to low down! (HD DVD $499 - Blu Ray $999)

That's the only way so far. We'll see how good/bad the quality is with the new HD DVD and Blu Ray.

I had tried the LG upconverting DVD player (LDA-531) and I don't think the price is worth it to use it with component. I see some resolution increase but not much. I would've kept the LDA-531 if the picture quality is better, but there is this annoying contrast (dynamic range) problem. It is as I am watching the TV through a thin layer of fog/smoke. Turning down brightness in TV helped a bit but does not eliminate it.

This is what ive understood for what ive read. Analog and digital (component/hdmi) should have exactlly the same picture quality since they're HD capable signals. The industry in makeing all HD devices through digital because of HDCP. HDCP works only with digital signals, not analog.

Now....the reason ive found that there is no good upconverting dvd is simple. For example, samsung HD-931. It uses the Faroudja for digital upconversion...but when it comes to analog it uses a poor chip instead of faroudja.

I need a little help understanding something. Video DAC. 12bit/54Mhz This i dont understand. I think the mhz thing its the speed it converts digital to analog...not too important in picture quality right? What about the bit thing?? ive seen 8bit to 16bit. What is it about?

there's no reason why that should hold you back. the dvi and hdmi signal is the same for video. the only difference is that HDMI carries audio as well...and if you have a nice setup, you're not playing audio through your TV anyway and chances are that your receiver doesn't support HDMI input anyway.



by default, yes it only upconverts to 1080i through HDMI, however...there are codes online to turn off macrovision and hDCP so that you can get 1080i through component if your TV doesn't have HDMI input.

Also, the 531 was renamed to SDA-511 or something like that.

The bit part is the accuracy of the conversion; the higher the bit number, the more accurate. However, higher bit generates more data.

It makes sense if it uses another (not Faroudja) chip that converts poorly for analog. The problem with contrast that I mentioned was not limited to HD res, it is on all the resolutions (480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i). Even a $69 Koss 5121-2 DVD (480p) shows better contrast, even though the LG has better resolution at 720 and 1080 (It had better be!). I think I made the correct decision in returning it. I'll wait until the chip gets better and the price to drop or use a PC with HD-DVD / Blu-Ray drive and component output.

Here's the DVD player I mentioned. It may only be available in Canada. The version that I tested came with the new firmware and to hack it no firmware upgrade as was reported in videohelp.com was necessary. I was able to turn off Macrovision, HDCP, etc. right out of the box and it was already region free.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetai...10061641&catid=

So i guess LG is not a very good player right? Good to know so i dont buy it. Im very happy with my marantz. Id like to buy a new upconversion model, but they're too expensive! So, let me get this right...the mhz thing is the speed of converting digital to analog, acording to some reads, for progresive scan 54Mhz is enough...what about 108mhz or even 216mhz? Is it a waste of technology just for 480p? Now, the bit thing. For progresive scan, or any...the higher the bit the better the image quality?? Or not so important?

I want to be sure cuz ive seen some strange things. My marantz is 10 bit / 27Mhz (480i) and the quality is great. I hooked my parents sony dvd 12 bit/54mhz (480p) and i get better picture quality with the marantz. So, whats the deal here? How can i know which one's a good dvd player when i buy one?

I just found this.

NeoDigits launches new line of upscaling DVD players

The press release says it can upscale on component output.
I don't know about quality though.

If you want to go all out. I would go with the Pioneer Elite series. There really is no better player on the market.

Pioneer Elite Series DVD Players

Hey GRex, actually thats a very good player, but for the price i would rather buy this one

Sony Blu-ray

or even this one

Toshiba HD-DVD

I hear the sony should be pretty good and is comparable in price but not yet available. Not sure about the Toshiba.

I have installed many of the Pioneers and then never disapoint.

I've heard alot about http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetai...10061641&catid=

Is this LG player good?

Why doesnt anyone mention Oppo?

The LG is HORRIBLE

http://www.oppodigital.com/

can be had for 235 cdn

best upscaling DVD player in its class right now for the money.

plays everything

Don't believe me

google it and see for yourself.

The Oppo still uses DVI. They need to upgrade their hardware. LG has a few good units, but I like the Sony DVP-NS750H. What it lacks in extra format support, it makes up for with good picture quality.