dirtysanchez

i bought a phillips dvd711 about a year ago. anyone know if it is progressive and if not, what will the difference be in playback? please help me i'm not bright. thank you

kevinw

No it is not,even though it has component outputs. I see no difference in picture quality between the S-video and the component connected to my Toshiba 50h81.

57U

There is not a major difference between progressive scan and non-PS. Many of the better DVD players without it provide a better picture than a cheap unit with it. Now if you buy a $500 PS unit, then you're likely to see a difference, but even then, the difference can be minor.

Many HDTVs do a pretty good job of upconversion, whether the signal is "i" or "p", that's why you don't always see a big difference.

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57U - Toronto, Rogers Cable, SA8300HD, 500GB HDD & Hitachi 61UWX10B HDTV, Yamaha RX-V1 A/V Receiver, Martin Logan Speakers. Photos --> 57U's HT

SA8300HD, 250GB HDD & KDL40W3000 (Upstairs)

Please don't PM me with questions that can (and should) be asked in the forum, thanks. Personal Question? Fire away.

ZeroDegreeK

I have to disagree with 57U on this point. I like the way DVDs look in progressive scan, and I can instantly tell whether a DVD player output is progressive or not. To me, even a cheap progressive scan DVD player (within reason) provides a noticeable difference over an expensive non-progressive unit, especially as the size of the tv gets larger.

kevinw

If your TV's line doubler is good you will not notice any major difference between progressive and non progressive.
A BETTER picture [B] is subjective. When your TV is calibrated for contrast, color and grayscale the better the picture.
Should you replace a non-progressive for a progressive? Probally not. If you are buying a new DVD player then get a progressive scan.

57U

Every magazine article I've read has disagreed with you and has agreed with me or with Kevin. A cheap PS unit (especially APEX) is not as good as a good quality "Standard" DVD player.

As Kevin states, and as we'll no doubt all agree, if you're buying new, get a half decent unit, preferably with Progressive Scan, but don't buy a cheap PS unit expecting the best picture. Many times these cheap units won't be able to properly track "rental" DVDs because they have scratches, fingerprints, etc. Picture quality may not be the only criterium. Operability, quality and reliability should also come into the equation.

__________________
57U - Toronto, Rogers Cable, SA8300HD, 500GB HDD & Hitachi 61UWX10B HDTV, Yamaha RX-V1 A/V Receiver, Martin Logan Speakers. Photos --> 57U's HT

SA8300HD, 250GB HDD & KDL40W3000 (Upstairs)

Please don't PM me with questions that can (and should) be asked in the forum, thanks. Personal Question? Fire away.

kevinw

All things considered, any progressive scan DVD costing more than 250 should be good. Forget about even considering Apex or Samsung.

ZeroDegreeK

That's why I said a cheap PS DVD player (within reason). I wouldn't even consider an APEX DVD player (other than it defeats MacroVision and lets you record DVD onto VHS).

You can still get an RP56 for $175. I consider that cheap for a DVD player and it gets outstanding results.

As for magazine articles disagreeing with me, it wouldn't be the first time. I don't give extra credence to someone else's opinion just because it is in a magazine. I have seen very expensive non-PS DVD players blown out of the water by relatively cheap PS players with my own eyes. A magazine article to the contrary won't change my mind. Picture quality is a subjective personal preference, and I prefer the picture quality of a PS DVD player.

If you feel your TV's line doubler is up to the task of providing a better picture than a PS DVD player through upconversion, that is your opinion and I respect that. But, why would you suggest if you are buying a new DVD player make it PS if there isn't a difference?

It also makes me wonder why this whole HDTV broadcasting thing is such a big issue. Just broadcast everything in 480i and let the line doublers upconvert to 1080i. Problem solved.

kevinw

Because you can get a PS player for the same price this year as you would have paid for a non-PS player last year. A new PS player is going to have comp. connections which is not true for the majority of non-progressive players.
I would not bother to replace a good non-progressive just to have minimal if any improvement in picture quality. Good means no Apex, Samsung or the anything like these.

57U

Even though we've talked around the issue somewhat, I think we do all agree about the major issues.

1. If you need a new DVD player, buy progressive scan.
2. Don't buy the cheapest ones available.
3. If you've already got a DVD player, there may/will be some better quality in going PS, so go ahead and throw some money around if you wish, but depending on the player and the TV, don't expect a huge difference.

__________________
57U - Toronto, Rogers Cable, SA8300HD, 500GB HDD & Hitachi 61UWX10B HDTV, Yamaha RX-V1 A/V Receiver, Martin Logan Speakers. Photos --> 57U's HT

SA8300HD, 250GB HDD & KDL40W3000 (Upstairs)

Please don't PM me with questions that can (and should) be asked in the forum, thanks. Personal Question? Fire away.

ineptabouthdtv

This might be a dumb question to all you experts.....but I'm a newbie and am doing my best to learn all this! Since it was "somewhat" brought up in this thread I'll ask here. My question is that I am in the process of purchasing an 50HX82 and currently own an x-box. You had mentioned that a GOOD regular DVD player is as good as a bad progressive scan......well, does anyone happen to know the quality of the dvd player for the x-box. I ask because there is only 2 component inputs - one of which will be occupied by the x-box, and I'm assuming the other will be occupied by whatever HD programming (which i'm still trying to get a "grasp" on) I subscribe to. So even if I did get a decent progressive scan DVD player.....I wouldn't have an input for it.....would I??? If what I'm reasoning here is right (which it may not be so PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong), what would be my best option? Thanks for all the help so far!!!

kevinw

Yech, X-box is not progressive. If you are going to get a new DVD player Get a new PS player. As for X-box, how many games are taking advantage of the better definition? Most don't that I know of. so hook up the X-box to a SVH connection.