High End DVD Players vs. Low End Upconverting DVD Players

[bambahtg9700]

hi i just bought a cheap upconverting dvd player for less than $150. it converts standard dvd to hd quality (780i and above) on my hdtv set. in my opinion the difference is day and night. amazing clarity and softness. i also own a high end dvd player that cost me around $1000 and the upconverting player is much better.

does anyone have any opinions on high end players that don't upconvert like rotels, arcam, meridian vs. much cheaper but upconverting players like denon, samsung, sony and toshiba?

[Andrew M Ward]

Huh?

hi i just bought a cheap upconverting dvd player for less than $150. it converts standard dvd to hd quality (780i and above) on my hdtv set. in my opinion the difference is day and night. amazing clarity and softness. i also own a high end dvd player that cost me around $1000 and the upconverting player is much better.

does anyone have any opinions on high end players that don't upconvert like rotels, arcam, meridian vs. much cheaper but upconverting players like denon, samsung, sony and toshiba?

A) First of all 480P looks a lot better than 720i (no question) and most DVD players deinterlace to 480P

B) 780i 0r 720i are not Hi Def (by definition) Hi Def is 720P and above

Put your DVD player in progressive mode (480P) and it will smoke virtually any interlaced image...

just my 2 cents

[hidefdvd]

I've gone from the LG7832 to a Denon 2900 and the PQ is better with the Denon. It just looks more film like.

[Brandon B]

720i?

[Shane Martin]

Put your DVD player in progressive mode (480P) and it will smoke virtually any interlaced image...

Some Infocus x1 owners would disagree with you. The deinterlacer in their projector was far better than most dvd players. Most of them that I know of are using 480I to the PJ. Also if you are trying to say that a progressive image is better than a interlaced image then I'd have to totally disagree.

And yes what is 720I?

The only ones I know of are...
480I
480P
540P
720P
1080I
1080P

When we are talking upscaling, there is alot of variables in play including what resolution the display will take and which ones will it scale.

does anyone have any opinions on high end players that don't upconvert like rotels, arcam, meridian vs. much cheaper but upconverting players like denon, samsung, sony and toshiba?

Most of the time the esoteric players like Arcam, Rotel etc don't fare too well as video players. The secrets tests generally bare this out. Just until recently did Arcam have a player than fared decently The main reason people buy them are many fold:
1. They want a better music machine for 2 channel and multichannel. Then again I'd get a better cd player for 2 channel if that was the case. I don't think there is enough hi rez multichannel dvd-a to justify the purchase of an Arcam.
2. Some folks just want the name and expect it to better.
3. Generally better build quality which really goes back to point #1.

Honestly, if Arcam and Rotel would build an SACD player, I'd suspect those fans will switch almost blindly. Right now if they want SACD, They need to buy one from someone else like Denon or Marantz.

[Andrew M Ward]

Also if you are trying to say that a progressive image is better than a interlaced image then I'd have to totally disagree.

WoW!
Yes, thats exactly what i'm trying to say!

Interlacing is done to save bandwidth as a compromise... (for example) 1080i is only laying 540 lines 60 times a second, where as 720P is laying 720 line 60 lines a second... and is instantly noticeable as a better picture (if you're not looking at a potted plant)

[Shane Martin]

WoW!
Yes, thats exactly what i'm trying to say!

I need to clarify my statement by saying that progressive is better most of the time but not all the time. Some displays have a better deinterlacer than the one in our players. If you want to talk about dvd only, then MOST of the time and display dependent, progressive is better but not all the time.

Also in my experience 1080I looks better than 720P does. I've seen them compared on a set that can do both. Every stations that uses 1080I looks way better than a native 720P station.

Native 1080I stations:
CBS
NBC
DISCOVERY HD
INHD
HDNET
INHD2
HDNET Movies

amongst others...

Meanwhile
ESPN
ESPN2
ABC
FOX are the big 720P stations. Nothing they have produced yet including sports have touched what I've seen on 1080I stations.

[Chris D]

Bambah, welcome to the Guide! :banana: I agree, that many budget upconvert players can produce a much better picture **OVER DVI/HDMI** than much more expensive non-upconvert DVD players. But a couple gotchas:
- Many of these budget players put out lower quality audio than nicer players, so it's a tradeoff--better picture for worse audio
- If you don't have a high-def video display with DVI/HDMI, you're outta luck
- Some budget players, even though they put out a crisp upconverted image, still have picture display problems like macroblocking and can not properly handle some DVD encoding issues, so your nice image gets messed up with dots, blocks, lines, etc.

[Shane Martin]

If you don't have a high-def video display with DVI/HDMI, you're outta luck

Not necessarily. Some upconverting players do upconvert via component. THey're not supposed to but they get away with it. They are a dying breed though.

The Zenith 318 and LG player comes to mind of recent vintage. the Samsung that Lex has is another.

[Andrew M Ward]

Also in my experience 1080I looks better than 720P does. I've seen them compared on a set that can do both. Every stations that uses 1080I looks way better than a native 720P station.

Native 1080I stations:
CBS
NBC
DISCOVERY HD
INHD
HDNET
INHD2
HDNET Movies

amongst others...

Meanwhile
ESPN
ESPN2
ABC
FOX are the big 720P stations. Nothing they have produced yet including sports have touched what I've seen on 1080I stations.

I happen to emphatically disagree, 1080i is a bandwidth compromise and looks like it every time i see it, unless there is no motion, with still shots 1080i is better but as soon as something moves ... 720P with it's 30% higher resolution becomes instantly a better picture.