Is a up converting DVD player worth buying, does it work good with a HDTV?

Q. Is a up converting DVD player worth buying, does it work good with a HDTV?

Answer
Upconverting DVD players (or blu-ray players for that matter) are only worthwhile if you have a HDTV. They will do nothing to enhance your image on a regular TV.

Since blu-ray players will also upconvert DVDs on HDTVs, the only reason to buy just an upconverting DVD player instead of a blu-ray player is the fact that upconverting DVD players are under $50 whereas blu-ray players are about $150.

Questions about my tv and buying a dvd player?

sls.spec

I have a new big-screen HDTV that is capable of 1080p, on the way. Sony Bravia KDL-40V4100. My family is old-fashioned and way behind the times in technology. All that we have is a 4-head vcr and a ton of VHS movies. I got a huge discount on this tv through my employer (by the vendor), so I went ahead and got a flat screen 40" tv. It was $600 bucks after taxes. They probably never will get HDTV (at least not right now), but I wanted that option there if they ever do.

I'm planning on buying a combination 4-head vcr/dvd player. I figure that maybe I should just get a combo vcr/dvd burner while I'm at it (it's not much more in price). For one reason...just to save some space later on, I figured that we might want to record from VHS to DVD and ditch the clunky VHS tapes - while keeping the movies. I know that the quality from VHS will still be VHS - even if dubbed onto a DVD, of course. But I have a couple of questions: Can all DVD burners record onto a dvd directly from the tv? I know that many record from VHS to DVD and vice versa, but I've only seen one so far that said you could record directly to DVD from the tv.

Keep in mind that my family doesn't even have cable - they use regular tv reception with rabbit ears. I just wanted to get them a thinner tv that was larger and easier to see. A blu-ray player is definitely not something we'll be getting. So what is my best bet for a dvd player? Will 1080p 'upconversion' dvd players look better on this tv than the typical 480p or whatever it is that regular dvd players play? Or would getting an upconverting dvd player (to 1080p) be a waste of money?

Secondly...what exactly is 'upconverting'? Is it beneficial to have? I'm confused as to how one can see a "1080p" (or 1080i) picture from like a 480 (or whatever it is) picture quality from a regular dvd?

Answer
Upconverting dvd players just take the 480 and do a fill in the lines thing so when the picture is displayed on an HD tv it looks a little better. Any dvd player, when hooked into your new tv will be upconverted by the tv, as all HD tvs upconvert any signal received to their native resolution, in your case 1080p. Some regular dvds, newer ones, look pretty good if your dvd player has component (red/green/blue) cable output, if not, nothing will look good carried over analog cables. So you could get a new dvd player with component output if you don't already have one, but you don't need the upconverting ones as your tv will do that anyway.

Your VCR will look bad. Don't copy to dvds as it's a losing effort.

And when you get your tv, if you are close enuf to transmission towers, run a scan for available digital channels, you will come up with quite a few HD stations without cable. Check the owner's manual for the procedure, but many antenna people get some nice HD that way, for free. Someone else said you'd need a converter box, that is not right, you're getting a digital tv which should continue working without a box in Feb, and there should also be more free HD coming your way. (So maybe you guys may want to get a better antenna as you'll have better reception with a more powerful outdoor? antenna, or even an indoor antenna with power boost.)

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Title Post: Is a up converting DVD player worth buying, does it work good with a HDTV?
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