good DVD player with YCbCr out

[ntt]

Hi guys,

I need an advice on getting a new DVD player.

I currently have a projector and connect to it using a 50ft component cable. I was puzzled for a long time by the fact that DVD picture from my Playstation2 is visibly better than that from my Samsung HD841. A friend recently told me that the PS2 outputs the component video using YCbCr format which is digital, while the Samsung uses YPbPr format which is analog (this explains why the HD841 cannot do upconversion over component output). For 50ft cable, the analog signal loses its fidelity much more than the digital signal.

The only way to output digital video on the Samsung is using the DVI out. However, a DVI connection is out of question (PS2 doesn't supports DVI, 50ft DVI cable + switch box is expensive, no clear advantage over digital component YCbCr ...). So I'm looking to replace my Samsung with a DVD with YCbCr digital component out. My budget is around $200 dollar. Does anybody know a decent DVD players for this purpose ?

Thanks a lot,

Toan

[Kevin P]

All DVD players with component outputs output YPbPr (analog signals). YCbCr doesn't exist except inside the digital guts of the player and is always converted to analog before reaching the outputs.

Component inputs and outputs on some devices are labeled with the "Cb" and "Cr" designations but it's incorrect. It's always Pb and Pr.

The only way to get digital video from a consumer DVD player is via DVI, HDMI, or (with some players, or a modded player), SDI.

Also, the PS2 outputs the same YPbPr that your DVD player outputs. If you're seeing a difference in quality, it's for a reason other than the signal type. It's interesting that you think the PS2 has a better picture than a standalone DVD player. I would think the Samsung would look better. In what way do you feel the picture looks better on the PS2? Maybe something needs to be tweaked.

At 50 feet, you should use high quality component video cables. Cheap cables could be the culprit as well.

[ntt]

No, the PS2 definitely outputs YCbCr. It's not compatible with one of my old TV which acccept YPbPr only.

As I read at the tutorial on Optoma website (I have a H31 projector), DVD itself is encoded in YCbCr format, for which the PS2 simply send the signal straight to the component output after decoding.

The image quality difference between the PS2 and the Samsung is quite visible. The samsung picture looks washed out compared to the PS2 picture. I will take the screenshots when I get home. The only reason I keep the Samsung is because it plays VCD, SVCD, DVD-A, SACD, Mp3 and Wma while the PS2 doesn't.

Bests,
Toan

[Kevin P]

If the PS2 actually output YCbCr, it wouldn't work on any consumer TV's analog component inputs.

What set was it that the PS2 was incompatible with? Perhaps it was the format (480i vs. 480p vs. 1080i) that the set was incompatible with, not the YCbCr vs. YPbPr. For example, the 1999 model Mitsubishi HDTVs (the xx803/xx903 series) couldn't accept 480p via component inputs without a service mode tweak.

Interesting that you find the Samsung is washed out. Did you calibrate the set/PJ with Avia or VE/DVE? Some DVD players have more than one "black" setting, such as "Enhanced Black". If the PS2 has this on and the Samsung has it off, and you calibrated the set using the PS2, it's possible that you could get a washed out pic with the Samsung. Are you using the same input on your PJ for both players? If you're using two component inputs, it's possible that each has its own settings for Brightness, Contrast etc. and you only have one of them calibrated properly.