DVD/Upconversion, anyone?
 

Waiting for the new Sony Blu/Ray player coming this summer, in the meantime, anyone using an upconvert DVD with their HD tv plasma or lcd. Just got new lcd from panny and wondering if it is a better picture than the normal DVD player with YpBr cables? Worth the $150 for the player or not......Did you see a difference in picture or sound?

I have a 65" 1080i television and bought a Samsung upconverting DVD using HDMI and I really can't tell the difference between that and the Sony progressive scan I replaced. IIRC the HDMI cable (Monstercable) was near $100.

I am pretty up to date on this stuff, but can anyone really give a good example/reason (other than having to only use one wire, hdmi, for picture and sound) why an upconverting DVD really does anything better than a regular player? I am really thinking this is a scam for more player sales...

I have a Sony 52 LCD and with my OLD DVD player it wasn't the greatest. But after I got a Sony upconverting DVD player ( http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Sony-DVD-Player-DVP-NS75H/sem/rpsm/oid/146242/catOid/-12873/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do )with the HDMI cable it is SWEEET! I noticed a difference. BTW don't EVER buy 'their' (bestbuy, circuit city, etc) cables.

Go here and save a TON!
http://www.monoprice.com/home/?style=

No affil, just a happy customer....

Oh, if you can't wait I'd recommend at least looking at the PS3 that has the BluRay player. Plus you can play video games, store photos, etc.. Does more then just a player.

The larger your picture, the more your eye can detect the difference in resolution. The upconverting technology synthesizes what 'would' have been in the 'gaps' and fills them in so the picture should be sharper and smoother. In theory.

The cable is no biggie. Since I have use mine in a home theatre I use the fiber optical digital output of the DVD to my preamp for sound so the HDMI 'one-cable' thing is irrelevant.

I use the optical for sound as well,very nice. I have the hdmi cable from Philips for only $30. Waiting for a few more pros and cons from people but I may just pick an upconvert for fun this weekend to see any difference. Thanks for the info guys.

Will I see a difference from a Sony Progressive to an upconvert on a 9 foot projection HD setup?

I have an old dvd player/burner. My new upconverting Sony Amp did a very good job - until it just quit upconverting at about 45 days old. Of course, I bought the extended warranty - but it still has to be sent from here (LA) to Texas to be fixed. I am not very happy about this.

I switched from a cheap progressive scan dvd connected using component cables to a Denon upconverting DVD going HDMI through my upconverting Pioneer Elite receiver back through HDMI to my 46" Mit LCD and the difference was stunning.

Any picture quality improvements are based mostly on the quality of the original DVD player. They are not all the same.

Wow, I'm amazed some did not see a difference. Regualr DVDs are pretty low quality on a nice big new HDTV. Mine looked ass-tastic with the regular player... I got a $100 Oppo upsampling unit and they are now watchable... Not as good as blue ray or anything, but same as before on the smaller TV, tolerable ! Definitely worth it to me...

Oppo is reportedly a fantastic unit, esp for the price.

It's good for the price, but now and then it loses sync between image and sound by a 1/2 sec or so... Annoying, but you just pause and it's OK again. No free lunch ;-)

All I know is I am no shelling the $$$ to fund the stupid HD-DVD/BlueRay war, the price of readers + DVDs is outrageous !