Upconverting DVD players

jlupine · « **on:** 7 Jul 2007, 12:34 am »

I have a 50" 720p plasma television. I see that the upconverting DVD players are now quite inexpensive. How much of an improvement would I realize by using one ?

Jan

zybar · « **Reply #1 on:** 7 Jul 2007, 12:41 am »

Quote from: jlupine on 7 Jul 2007, 12:34 am

I have a 50" 720p plasma television. I see that the upconverting DVD players are now quite inexpensive. How much of an improvement would I realize by using one ?

Jan

That depends on what you are currently using (both as your tv and dvd player).

Get yourself an Oppo dvd player and you will almost certainly see an improvement.

Here is a link to a ranking of dvd players:

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=all&type=&manufacturer=0&maxprice=0&deInt=0&mpeg=0

Here is a snippet of what they say about the Oppo 981HD

"Oppo has yet again delivered one of the best DVD player values you can find on the market today. I am excited to see what they will come up with next. It would be nice to see Oppo implement one of the newer video processing chips like the ABT, VXP, or Realta. I would also love to see something from them in a next generation HD format. Until then, the 981HD is highly recommended product as a high resolution audio digital transport and 1080p DVD player."

George

PhilNYC · « **Reply #2 on:** 7 Jul 2007, 12:47 am »

Make sure your TV has an HDMI input. All upconverting DVD players only output the upconverted signal via HDMI.

zybar · « **Reply #3 on:** 7 Jul 2007, 12:50 am »

Quote from: PhilNYC on 7 Jul 2007, 12:47 am

Make sure your TV has an HDMI input. All upconverting DVD players only output the upconverted signal via HDMI.

or DVI...like the Oppo 971H.

George

WGH · « **Reply #4 on:** 7 Jul 2007, 01:01 am »

A lot.
Like night and day.
It takes video viewing to a whole new level.

Actually it depends on the player you are using now. If you are currently using a Panasonic XP30 or RP82, maybe not too much difference, but if you have a $59 Walmart special, then you will be blown away at the clarity of an upsampling player. I use an upsampling Zenith DVB318 with an Infocus projector to a 60" screen and the picture is sharper than you will see at the theater or with a standard DVD player.

Secrets of Home Theater has excellent reviews, click on "Benchmark" in the "Master Index" toward the bottom of the page
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/main.html

AVS Forum has all your answers, but if you have a question you should search the archives first. They do not like replying to questions that have been asked and answered 100's of times already.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/index.php

Like everyone said, the Oppo is an excellent choice

SunnyDay · « **Reply #5 on:** 7 Jul 2007, 01:13 am »

For an affordable upsampling DVD player, the Oppo is good, but if you are more comfortable with well-known brands, then the Denon 2910CI is an excellent choice.

jlupine · « **Reply #6 on:** 7 Jul 2007, 01:18 am »

Right now, my display uses the component inputs; my DVD player is a Cary DVD 6.

The set does have an HDMI input.

Thanks for the helpful links.

Jan

JoshK · « **Reply #7 on:** 7 Jul 2007, 01:28 am »

Quote from: zybar on 7 Jul 2007, 12:50 am

Quote from: PhilNYC on 7 Jul 2007, 12:47 am
Make sure your TV has an HDMI input. All upconverting DVD players only output the upconverted signal via HDMI.
or DVI...like the Oppo 971H.
George

I just checked out the 971H into my 1080p plasma and it trumps the regular dvd player into my non-1080p plasma big time. The 971 has a DVI to HDMI cable included...that is what i used.

PhilNYC · « **Reply #8 on:** 7 Jul 2007, 11:25 am »

Quote from: JoshK on 7 Jul 2007, 01:28 am

I just checked out the 971H into my 1080p plasma and it trumps the regular dvd player into my non-1080p plasma big time. The 971 has a DVI to HDMI cable included...that is what i used.

Have you tried the 971H into your non-1080p plasma? (I assume your non-1080p plasma has a max of 720p?)

John Casler · « **Reply #9 on:** 7 Jul 2007, 02:07 pm »

in case it makes any difference, the 971 has been replaced by the 970, and is no longer available thru OPPO.

Might be found from dealer stocks however.

zybar · « **Reply #10 on:** 7 Jul 2007, 02:14 pm »

Quote from: John Casler on 7 Jul 2007, 02:07 pm

in case it makes any difference, the 971 has been replaced by the 970, and is no longer available thru OPPO.

Might be found from dealer stocks however.

Oppo's website actually says that the 981H is the replacement for the 971H:

http://www.oppodigital.com/opdv971h-dvd-player.asp

George

samplesj · « **Reply #11 on:** 7 Jul 2007, 02:17 pm »

What about a HDDVD player instead of just an upsampler? I replaced a Denon 3910 with the HD A1 and don't feel like I lost much at all. I'm not the only one either. If you look around there are lots of people that posted the same thing. The newer Denons are probably better because they have a better scaler chip, but the Toshibas are a pretty good scaler for normal dvds + greater than 720p real NOT upscaled resolution at a lower price. I'm not saying HDDVD will win, but only that it is cheaper now (a PS3 or Sony blu player would work too just more $) and even if HDDVD stopped production you'd still have a normal dvd upsampler and whatever discs you already owned..

John Casler · « **Reply #12 on:** 7 Jul 2007, 02:20 pm »

Quote from: zybar on 7 Jul 2007, 02:14 pm

Quote from: John Casler on 7 Jul 2007, 02:07 pm
in case it makes any difference, the 971 has been replaced by the 970, and is no longer available thru OPPO.

Might be found from dealer stocks however.

Oppo's website actually says that the 981H is the replacement for the 971H:

http://www.oppodigital.com/opdv971h-dvd-player.asp

George

Thanks George,

Point being the 971 is discontinued, and only the 970 and 981 are available.

nature boy · « **Reply #13 on:** 7 Jul 2007, 03:24 pm »

I have recently purchase two Oppo 970HD players, my most recent purchase is paired with my new 32" Sharp Aquos LCD monitor.

Here is a comparison of the 970HD vs. 981HD from an Oppo service technician:

Quote

For your screen size either the DV-981HD or the DV-970HD product. The reason why these two units are interchangeable is due to the size of your television and your viewing distance. The DV-970HD will produce a sharper, more saturated picture, while the DV-981HD will be more film-like (software) and produce less visual errors.

Happy hunting. I am VERY happy with the Oppo 970HD, particularly CD play back and upscaled DVD at 720P.

NB

P.S. if you purchase through Amazon.com, you get free shipping. Amazon has a warehouse in Harrisburg, PA so mine to two days to ship.

fajimr · « **Reply #14 on:** 24 Jul 2007, 02:59 pm »

timely thread as I was just going to post a question. I've finally got my HT system together after finishing a DIY screen (frame + blackout cloth). Now I want to start tweaking. I've got the Oppo 971 and an Optoma H31 connected with a BJ DVI cable (fyi: I run the sound through my 2 channel system).

Question about upsampling: What does this actually do? I didn't really notice that much of a difference last night as I went through the (not certain of each of the numbers?) 480/520/720/1080 upsampling options although each time I had to stop the video and then try to go back to the same frame- not the optimal way to test. Note: I was using an older Joni Mitchell DVD so I am not sure if that makes a difference or not.

In general should I just set it at the 1080 and leave it alone or are there drawbacks to changing the upsampling? I believe the native resolution of the projector is 480. I am also wondering about optomizing the projector but might ask that in a separate thread (and yes, I've been to AVS but I find it difficult to search and get around).

thanks
jim

zapper7 · « **Reply #15 on:** 24 Jul 2007, 03:13 pm »

I have a component non-HDMI/DVI projector and am a little confused.

There are apparently no upsampling DVD players that use the component for the 720p, while the Directv receiver I have does use the component to get the HD channels. Why can the Tv receiver use component while the DVD players cannot? I don't want to get a new projector now, but my older DVD player is freezing up from time to time now.

What, aside from a new projector, are my choices for upsampling DVD players

zybar · « **Reply #16 on:** 24 Jul 2007, 03:19 pm »

Quote from: zapper7 on 24 Jul 2007, 03:13 pm

I have a component non-HDMI/DVI projector and am a little confused.

There are apparently no upsampling DVD players that use the component for the 720p, while the Directv receiver I have does use the component to get the HD channels. Why can the Tv receiver use component while the DVD players cannot? I don't want to get a new projector now, but my older DVD player is freezing up from time to time now.
What, aside from a new projector, are my choices for upsampling DVD players

There is an upsampling dvd player that uses component. Search over at hometheaterhifi and their dvd results for which make/model.

George

zapper7 · « **Reply #17 on:** 24 Jul 2007, 03:34 pm »

Thanks George, will do.

tex-amp · « **Reply #18 on:** 30 Jul 2007, 04:51 pm »

Oppo announced a new 980H model last week that will upconvert any movie without the flag enabled over component. Which really means any movie since you can copy DVDs without copying the flag restriction. http://www.oppodigital.com/dv980h/default.asp

fredgarvin · « **Reply #19 on:** 30 Jul 2007, 09:42 pm »

There is an adaptor sold on ebay, the VisionFC4, which enables one to upsample using HDMI from your player to the adapter and then component to your monitor. Runs about $190 and the folks at avsforum give positive reviews