best upconverting DVD player

[sirbogey]

I'm looking for a decent upconverting player to replace my RDV-1060. Can be a bluray player, but doesnt have to. I don't own one single bluray DVD yet :P . I do own a huge DVD collection though, so I want the best upconverting 1080p 24fps player there is, max $700. thanks....

[Hdale85]

Just get a Blu-ray player Honestly the Oppo BD player is one of the best up converting players. There is another new Blu-ray player that is very good too. Point is you can get an amazing DVD player out of these Blu-ray players and a lot of them are moderately priced around 300 bucks.

[George Bellefontaine]

I own the Panasonic BD35, which has been replaced with newer models, but I understand there are a few BD35s still out there at a bargain prices well under the $200 mark. If you see one buy it and don't look back. Not only is it a great BD player but it makes dvds look close to hi-def, too. On the other hand, if you can afford $499 US, then go for the new Oppo 83 as it appears to be a winner.

[Hdale85]

Yes the Oppo seems to be amazingly great. I'm not sure there is a stand alone upconverting DVD player that beats its performance....maybe matches it at around or more then the Oppo. And then you also get the ability for Blu-ray as well as SACD and DVD-A.

[sirbogey]

thanks for the recommendations. From what I understand, the Oppo BD is not available at the moment. At least that's what it said on their website last weekend.

I'll take a look at the Panny BD35 as well...

[Blindamood]

thanks for the recommendations. From what I understand, the Oppo BD is not available at the moment. At least that's what it said on their website last weekend.

Look again! Changed just a couple of days ago. Definitely one of the best 'universal' options available today. Mine is arriving Friday...

[Hdale85]

Yeah says it'll ship July 1st-3rd.

[sinreling]

with my six years experience with home theaters as an installer. I know that Integra will give you the best blu-ray or 1080p DVD player. they are not cheap, but if you want the best, that is the only company that i recommend

[gianni]

with my six years experience with home theaters as an installer. I know that Integra will give you the best blu-ray or 1080p DVD player. they are not cheap, but if you want the best, that is the only company that i recommend

????? Never heard any experienced installers make absolute recommendations. Can you elaborate what it is about the Integra that makes you feel they are the best?

[ThomasW]

I'll take a look at the Panny BD35 as well...

Excellent upscaling chipset in that player and low prices make it an absolute steal....

And yes I have one ...

[Alaric]

????? Never heard any experienced installers make absolute recommendations. Can you elaborate what it is about the Integra that makes you feel they are the best?

Damn fine question. Also a very astute response/observation. In the "not cheap" category , there are some damn fine players out there.

[George Bellefontaine]

There's only one post from "sinreling" so he could be a dealer. It's really unusual for installers to make recommendations. We mods will be watching him closely.

[Hdale85]

I can't imagine the Integra beating out the new Oppo (as far as both features and picture/sound quality). The panny is very nice as well though but I believe the Oppo is on top and will be for a while. I've also been hearing from a lot that the Oppo makes a very nice CD player as well.

[littlesaint]

I replaced my BD35 with the Oppo. The big difference is DVD playback. The Anchor Bay solution in the Oppo is top-notch and much better than the Panny IMO. Blu-ray differences are marginal. Blu-ray is pretty much Blu-ray unless you start getting into 24p capabilities and here again I think the Oppo excels. The Oppo is a fantastic CD transport, and the 2Ch analog output is not bad either.

Nothing against the BD35 at all. Great BD player, and DVD is very good. Certainly a great buy for what they can be found for online.

[Azeke]

I've been reading some very good reviews for the OPPO BD-83, it seems even the EAP (Early Adoption Program) participants are raving, minus a few firmware updates. If I didn't own the Sony 550 Blu-ray, I would have certainly waited on this exquisite piece. I recommend OPPO DVD players, you get what you pay for and great bang for the buck. Anyone want to by a Sony 550?

Peace and blessings,

Azeke

[sirbogey]

There's only one post from "sinreling" so he could be a dealer. It's really unusual for installers to make recommendations. We mods will be watching him closely.

Geroge, funny you bring that up, I was thinking exactly the same thing...

Oppo's are surely awesome, the only thing that is missing is the region free coding... which I really need.

I will most likely shoot for the Panny 35...

[George Bellefontaine]

I will most likely shoot for the Panny 35...

You won't regret it. Great little player :T

[bigburner]

Oppo's are surely awesome, the only thing that is missing is the region free coding... which I really need.

If OPPO can do it for New Zealand they can do it for other countries. Perhaps you simply need to talk to them under the cone of silence?

http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php4?t=34013

Nigel.

[sirbogey]

I already replied to that one... yes, they do.. but at this price?

[mackintire]

Everything by Oppo digital, hands down.


I have a DV-980H for my plasma TV but I also use it for its fantastic audio decode abilities.

[Hammie]

Oppo FTW, especially if you like/need to use the analog outs. You get BD, DVD, DVD-A, SACD, and CD all in one nice unit.

You won't be sorry with this one, especially if you were already considering spending $700.

[ryan.devry]

I have the OPPO DV-981H and it is amazing. I will be getting the OPPO blue ray player sometime in the not to distant future............Until then I will keep on using my increadably slow loading sony..........

Here is a link on home theater mag

http://www.hometheatermag.com/discplayers/oppo_bdp-83_universal_blu-ray_player/index.html

[BW4me]

My original question had to do with whether or not there was a difference between upscaling DVD players and BD players, but after reading through previous post it sounds like there is.

My main interest at this point is getting better quality from DVD's. Even though I recently purchased a 1080p LCD I'll be watching more regular DVD's than BD.

So my question is what is a good choice in the just over $200 range of BD players? (I just can't swing the $500.) And will I still be able to get much better quality than over the upscaling DVD player option?

Thanks for the help.

Steve

[littlesaint]

My original question had to do with whether or not there was a difference between upscaling DVD players and BD players, but after reading through previous post it sounds like there is.

My main interest at this point is getting better quality from DVD's. Even though I recently purchased a 1080p LCD I'll be watching more regular DVD's than BD.

So my question is what is a good choice in the just over $200 range of BD players? (I just can't swing the $500.) And will I still be able to get much better quality than over the upscaling DVD player option?

Thanks for the help.

Steve

The Panasonic BD60 is a good player in that price range and on sale at Amazon for an great price.

[BW4me]

I just ran down to Costco for the Panasonic BD605 and tried it out in comparison to a $50 Phillips upscaling player and I don't really see a difference between the two using the DVD Bolt. Maybe this has something to do with my TV which is a Samsung LN40B540, maybe there's no quality difference between the two, or maybe I just can't see it (which in this case wouldn't justify the cost difference).

Any thoughts or suggestions?

[Hdale85]

Try something that's not animation. Animation are one of the easiest things to upscale.

[Hdale85]

Of course it'll depend on the scaler used in the player too. I'm not sure which that panny uses.

[BW4me]

Here's my next question: Is spending more on something like the Oppo BD83 only going to show a difference on a better display? If so, why spend more. Also, I'm not sure what the difference is between the panny 35 (mentioned above) & the 60. Both retailed the same at my local costco but the 60 had $80 instant rebate. My current is
Samsung LN40B540
specs
1080p
60mhz
6ms
60000:1 contrast

If I could realize a true quality difference on my tv then it would be worth the wait and saving. I'm also wondering if I need to fine tune some adjustments on my samsung to improve quality.

[BW4me]

Ok, my search is evolving as I'm getting a better picture of what I could be enjoying. I stopped by a local retailer and asked some questions and talked about their better players - the pioneer BDP320 and pioneer elite. Besides having better video processor I was told about the analog audio outputs on better players which would provide better uncompressed audio than optical. Since I'm currently running a Rotel RSX-1067 with B&W CDM7NT series I now thinking it make sense to get a better player as audio is more important to me.

Any opinions on the Pioneer BDP320 or is there another option in that price range? Or maybe I should just go with the Oppo BD83.

[ryan.devry]

Just MHO however, the OPPO will not dissappoint in any area of performance. Also load times are great, it handles all media you can throw at it, it looks very nice, and the DACs are descent. My personal favorite about OPPO are the various playback modes, and user calibration.

[Hammie]

It really depends on how "high-end" you want to get. For most of us, the Pio Elite and Oppo BD players have great DAC's for the analog out. However, if you really want to get crazy and maximize your audio quality, you will need to step up into the $2K+ range. I think the new Denon is the only real BD player that comes to mind.

[BW4me]

The oppo is about as high-end as I could go. I just downloaded manuals for oppo and pioneer to check out analog set up features and differences. I had heard there may be some limitations with speaker controls