Q. Are there any differences in image quality between an upscaling Blu-ray player and an upscaling DVD player when DVDs are viewed on a 1080p HDTV?
I'm mainly pondering if I should grab Panasonic DVD-HTIB SC-PT480, or Panasonic Blu-ray-HTIB SC-BT230. The price difference here is about $200 ($250 vs. $450). I know there are other considerations, such as possible price parity of movie releases on both systems in the future, which would make buying Blu-ray movies more attractive option, but for the purposes of this question, I'm mainly interested if the results are identical on DVD upscaling.
Answer
No - the results are NOT the same.
Look - The video on a DVD was frozen in 1948 when the TV was imagined as a nine-inch tube in black and white. We have been stuck with this video for 70 years while nearly everything else around it went through generations of advancements.
Up-converting needs to do 3 different things to the video. Most up-converting DVD players cheap out and do one or two and poorly. (The Oppo DVD players are the exception) But in no-way-shape-or-form can it put information into the picture that is not already there.
Your TV already up-converts things. To see the effect, try this:
* Watch a major show tonight on an HD channel.
* Mid way through the show, switch to the standard-def version of the channel
The standard-def channel will already be up-converted by the TV. How good does it look?
(Hint: get the BluRay player. Unlike many of it's brethren, it has 2 spare optical inputs to let you hook other things up to it.)
Where can I get the best deal for Pioneer DV-410V-K Multi-Format 1080p Upscaling DVD Player...?
uptrend
...Featuring HDMI
Where can I find a really good deal online for Pioneer DV-410V-K Multi-Format 1080p Upscaling DVD Player Featuring HDMI
Answer
$99.96
+ $7.49shipping
New
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Seller: Transformersandgsmphones
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Rating:86% positive over the past 12 months (7 ratings.) 7 lifetime ratings.
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Shipping: In Stock. Expedited shipping available. See Shipping Rates. See return policy.
echnical Details
* HDMI Terminal for Digital Audio/Video Out
* HDMI Upscaling (to View on 1080p) WMV (Windows Media¿¿¿ Video) Compatible
* HD JPEG Playback JPEG PhotoViewer (Fujicolor CD) Video Adjust Func
* PureCinema 2:3 Progressive Scan
* 1 HDMI Terminal ,1 USB Input, 1 Coaxial Digital Output, 1 S-Video Output, 1 Audio/1 Video Output, Component Video Output (DVD, Video CD)
# Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 16.6 x 1.9 inches ; 4.2 pounds
# Shipping Weight: 6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
# Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
# Note: Gift-wrapping is not available for this item.
# ASIN: B0014UOJM0
# Item model number: DV-410V-K
I purchased Pioneer DV-410V dvd player to replace a low-end Sony model that I have been using for a year. The Sony DVD player does not have a HDMI port, so I have been relegated to watching my Panasonic LCD TV via component video cable. I narrowed my choice between Pioneer and LG DN898 players. They are the two top rated DVD players according to Consumer Reports. Pioneer, with the score of 86, tops LG player (which gets 82). I saw no reviews for LG DN898 on the Amazon web site; Pioneer (Amazon's second bestselling upconverting DVD player; LG was #7) got 15 mostly positive reviews. So I went for the Pioneer player.
Pioneer DV-410V has a very handsome form factor. There are more controls in the front panel of the player than most other DVD players (even though I probably would not use any of them). Disc tray is very solidly made. The display is easy to read. Pioneer comes with plenty of connection options. Composite A/V, S-video, component video, HDMI, plus coaxial digial audio out. The notable omission is the optical digital output (fortunately I do not need it), which is available in Pioneer's higher-end models. The set up was very easy. Connect the HDMI cable, went through various settings in the Home Menu, and I was ready to watch my first DVD.
The Home Menu is a model of efficiency. It is divided into five major sections: Audio Settings, Video Adjust, Play Mode, Disk Navigator, and Initial Settings. It is very easy to navigate through each section using cursor buttons. I especially like the Video Adjust Menu, which give you control over such settings as Sharpness, Brightness, Contrast, Gamma, Hue, and Chroma Level. This may be redundant with many TVs, but my Panasonic LCD display has minimal picture settings, so some of those settings are still useful.
The picture quality is much better than what I have been used to with the Sony, at least due to using HDMI instead of component video cable. The picture is more lively and rich than what I have been used to. The picture quality difference was most evident when viewing JPEG photo files. They were like viewing them on my computer display, except on very large scale. I gave up watching JPEG files with the Sony because the images were so pixelated and the resolution was so terrible.
Audio was very rich and clear, although this only happened when I disabled surround and other special audio features. Sometimes less is more. Too many special settings actually have opposite effect. The player remembers last five discs, and it resumes the play automatically. When I stop a DVD and then press play there is no delay; on my old Sony there was a considerable delay
So why only four stars. Any man-made product has at least a bit of imperfection, so this DVD player is no exception. My major gripe is that Pioneer is noisy. It is not a problem when I am watching a DVD, but when I first turn on the unit or when I pause or stop the noise level is perceptible. Next, the display in front of the unit is fixed at displaying chapter and elapsed time (for DVDs). I rather have the flexibility to change it to the remaining time, which is more useful to me. I can view the remaining time and other informations by pressing Display button on the remote (and I have to press the button two more times to get rid of the onscreen display), but that's not as convenient as just looking at the unit's display. Time format is in minutes and seconds, so 1 hour 25 minutes will show up as 85:00, instead of 01:25:00 which I am accustomed to viewing. The remote control is not a universal remote, so I cannot control my TV with it. It does not even have volume or mute buttons. This is no problem for me because I use Sony RM-VL600 8-Device Universal Learning Remote, which I would recommend very highly. Lastly, it only comes in black, if anyone cares.
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