Worth the price to upgrade?

[TenShoes]

Ok. I just read every reasonably applicable thread in this forum and Im still not sure. (Maybe I'm just slow....)

I just upgraded my TV from an old 31" Panasonic to the Hitachi 51swx20b (LOVE it). Eyeballed the configuration (waiting for the S&V dvd from Amazon), bought component cables to hook up my older Toshiba SD2200 dvd (non-progressive).

Of course the new picture looks great, but I have noticed some scenes on several dvds (Insurrection, Clones, LOTR) that have pixelated areas or softened edges, especially on the panoramic shots. These aren't terribly distracting, but noticable if I'm paying attention.

I thought these might clear up a bit with a PS dvd player. After spending $2K on a TV I cant spend alot on a new dvd. I had the Consumer Reports 3/03 issue where they review dvd players and noticed the RCA model (which they rank 2nd) was on sale at Radio Shack for $99 (usually $149). Normally I don't expect much from RCA, but what the hell, it reviewed well and I wanted to test it out. Brought it home and hooked it up, and the picture was...okay. It didn't really look any better than my Toshiba (and at some points looked a little worse).

Is the only way for me to get a better picture going to be dropping several hundred dollars on a high-end player?

Sorry for the long post....

[57U]

Originally posted by TenShoes Is the only way for me to get a better picture going to be dropping several hundred dollars on a high-end player? Even spending several hundred dollars may not get you a much better picture. The Hitachi does excellent upconversion, which is part of the reason.

Money is no guarantee of good picture quality in a DVD player - see DVD shootout below:

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=5

I've heard that the new Panasonics are good and that the V-Inc Bravo D1 ($200) is excellent (when viewed via DVI - not via component) Recently reviewed in Sound & Vision.

I still have my old Toshiba for exacly the same reason - waiting for HD-DVD.

[mikehbkwm]

You might check out the new Panny S35. I replaced my Sony NS700P for the Panny and love the PQ over the Sony. This player doesnt have the Sage chip but it does present a beautiful pic for the money. I only paid $99 at BB. I called up Panny customer service last week and talked to a very knowledgable lady. Was very shocked at how informed she was. Anyway she told me the new Panny prog scan players now have a panny chip inside instead of the sage chip and while yes it doesnt present the best of the best pic that the sage did, it does a pretty good job. She was completely honest and said hey this new chip we produce almost is as good as the sage chip. I really liked her honesty. But again only paid $99 for a prog scan player which was unthinkable 2 years ago..........

[TenShoes]

57U, as always, thanks for the advice.

I had actually seen the Shootout at the beginning of my search. Frustrating since 2 of the top 3 players are the now-discontinued, hard-to-find Panasonics. The Denon-1600 obviously looks nice but at $500 I hesitate to spend the money for little improvement in picture. I hadn't heard of the Bravo, I might try and find that review.

If the $200 dollar range at this point isnt going to get me anywhere I will likely just wait and upgrade when its more worthwhile.

Thanks again.

[57U]

Bravo - May S&V, Page 61. It may not be available yet.

[TenShoes]

Thanks. Found the review online (gotta love Google).

Also, thanks mikehbkwm for the info on the S35. I had been wondering if the new Panasonics would be as good without the Sage chip (plenty of people talking about it on this forum), I might take a look at that too, there is a BB close to me so it would be easy enough to return if I didn't like it.

[9 inch guns]

I was in youe exact same shoes, tenshoes. I bought a 3 thousand dollar HDTV, and my obsolete JVC DVD player looked worse than a VHS player.

At first I wasnt sure what the problem was exactly, but after some troubleshooting, found that the quality of my DVD player was the culprit.

After some shopping around, I had it narrowed down to the Denon D-900 ($300 with the Faroudja chip) and the Harmon Kardon DV-25 ($250). I know the Denon likely would have outperformed the Harmon Kardon, but wife liked the aesthetics of the HK, and when we got it home and hooked it up, it was very satisfying.

I wasn't aware that DVD player quality mattered, but obviously I stand corrected.

[57U]

And here's another review of the Bravo D1.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/bravo_d1.htm

Note again, that you should only buy this unit if you've got a DVI connector. For whatever reason, the component video is not good.

[TenShoes]

Ok. So I was in BB and saw the Panasonic S35, thought, what the heck, and brought it home for a test spin. Again, not overwhelmed with the results. Granted it performed a bit better than the RCA (big shocker there), but still no better than my older Toshiba... and actually the PS picture isn't as nice. I think 57U was right in noting that the Hitachi's upconversion of the interlaced signal is so good that a cheaper (e.g. the S35) PS DVD player might not give a better picture.

So, before I give up on the whole PS DVD player bit (for now), I have 2 more questions:

1. do you guys have any recommendations for the best DVDs to test the quality of DVD players (side-by-side player comparison)? I've been using LOTR, Clones, Insurrection mostly.

2. Is there ANY chance that a slightly nicer (meaning the XP30) PS player is going to outdo my Hitachi's upconversion?

As always, thank you. I welcome any opinions:)

Oh, and 57U, I'm not ignoring your suggestion of the Bravo, but I did have a question. If I get the Bravo and hook it up to my one DVI input, what do I do when I get a HD box (cable/sat/OTA)? Is there a "DVI hub" (ala USB, ethernet) you can get?

[57U]

Originally posted by TenShoes Oh, and 57U, I'm not ignoring your suggestion of the Bravo, but I did have a question. If I get the Bravo and hook it up to my one DVI input, what do I do when I get a HD box (cable/sat/OTA)? Is there a "DVI hub" (ala USB, ethernet) you can get? I looked for that information earlier, anticipating your question. They make DVI splitters but:

1. They are expensive - $3-500 (for computers).

2. They may not yet be compatible with HDTV - that should only be a matter of a short time to "modify" them to work properly.

3. I'm sure someone will soon make an A/V receiver with DVI ins and outs...probably not cheap either...

4. With most STBs people have not noted a significant difference in PQ between Component Video and DVI, so I'd use Component cables for the HD box for now, weird as that may sound...

[kevinw]

The Pansonic S35 is a cheap player- entry level- Sold at Target Etc.
I NOW think a good progressive DVD player is an improvement compared to interlaced. I see a very noticeable difference between my Panasonic RP62 and My older Phillips 711.
Paid $259.00, 2 years ago for the Phillips and $95.00 for the Rp62. The Rp62 has the Farodja chip. I think that is what makes all the difference. If you search you can still get a RP62 but make sure it does not have a B in the serial number. If it does then it is the same as the S35.
Why bother with DVI for the player? save that input for the STB and use that old fashioned component .


I know Mikehbkwm, You think that the S35 is the bomb...compared to your old Sony it probally is...

[kojak light]

I just bought the Panny RP-62 online through Dbuys.com for $130 including shipping. They happened to call me to verify my order and I specifically requested a unit without a B in the serial number. (Thanks Kevinw!)

Well, it arrived Monday and the picture is AMAZING!!! Not that my Sony was a slouch, but it has been relegated to the bedroom.

[TenShoes]

kevinw

Correct me if I'm wrong...if I remember right, the XP30 has the same chip as the RP62, right? I noticed in the "shootout" (linked above) that the XP30 was rated the same as the RP82 and the Denon 1600 (at the top) and the RP62 somewhat lower (though still quite high). Are there any big differences between the RP62 and the XP30 that you are aware of? The reason I ask is that I can get an XP30 locally (thus easier to return if needed) vs buying over the net.

Thanks again for all the input.....any suggestions on good test DVDs?

[kevinw]

Xp-30 in a heartbeat.. if available get 2:D Xp30 is the Xp50 with out DVD-audio, Xp50 is the repackaged RP82.

[mikehbkwm]

I still love my S35... Now I understand that it is a entry level player but again it does display a better pic then my old Sony PS from 2yrs ago..... PS DVD players are coming down more and more as time goes on..... If I could go back in time and get a XP30, RP82 or the RP62 I would but those are pretty much gone and I dont regret what I got. Im very happy with the S35 and would recommend it to anyone...... Now when HDDVD players come out thats when Ill be spending the big money.... Hell Ill spend up to a $1,000 if thats what its going to cost when those suckers come out:p ............

[TenShoes]

Ok. So I got the xp-30. WOW. I was getting discouraged after seeing such mediocre results with the RCA and the S35. Moving up to the xp-30 really made a difference. Even my wife noticed (and she's not nearly as critical about these things as I am) and thought it was worth the extra $100 to upgrade.

Now, if I could only figure out which cables to get.....(jk);)