Jamie88 Posted June 16, 2008 Posted June 16, 2008 (edited) Since i got my new LCD i have been pretty disappointed with the quality of DVD's. Just wondering if i purchased a DVD player with HDMI will this help to improve the quality of the DVD? Samsung HDMI DVD recorders can be had for about $100 off ebay http://cgi.ebay.com.au/SAMSUNG-DVD-RECORDE...1QQcmdZViewItem EDIT: I understand that DVD won't be crystal clear, i just want to know if i purchase a HDMI DVD player i wont be wasting money. Edited June 16, 2008 by Jamie88
The D-Train Posted June 16, 2008 Posted June 16, 2008 If you get a good quality DVD player that has an upscaler (only available via HDMI) it will improve the picture. just how much depends on the player you buy. Bang for your buck the Oppo range would give you the best results. You can purchase them direct from the US or here http://www.merlinaudiodesign.com.au/First_frame.html
Inego1503560167 Posted June 16, 2008 Posted June 16, 2008 Got an Oppo 980H from Ken at Merlin last week - great price, although not near the level the OP was talking about. I've very happy with service, price and the PQ improvement over my old Marantz player. To the OP - maybe look at the threads on Pioneer DV400 and 600, and similar from Philips and Sony - search "upscaling DVD players" Regards kent
Jamie88 Posted June 16, 2008 Author Posted June 16, 2008 Thanks guys ill look into them, did a little searching seems like alot of people are happy with them. I just realized the PS3 will upscale DVD's, im going to give that a try tonight if the results are satisfactory then i'll be purchasing a HDMI DVD player.
momaw Posted June 16, 2008 Posted June 16, 2008 Got an Oppo 980H from Ken at Merlin last week - great price, although not near the level the OP was talking about. I've very happy with service, price and the PQ improvement over my old Marantz player.To the OP - maybe look at the threads on Pioneer DV400 and 600, and similar from Philips and Sony - search "upscaling DVD players" Regards kent Are you saying you don't like the oppo or it is too much for the OP? To Jamie88, my sister had the same problem. She put up with awful DVD images for a while because she was to embarrassed to tell me she was unhappy with her new TV. I saw it and said "Thats bloody disgusting" at which point she was relieved it wasn't just her. I gave her my old HD-E1 and while it isn't a brilliant upscaler, it's better than most average dvd players and she was ecstatic with the results. I'm now an oppo junkie after owning players from all the big brands (Pioneer, Sony, Yamaha, Denon, Harmon Kardon, Onkyo to name a few) and depending on what you want they have a model that should suit. For good cheap upscaling grab the 980 for around $250 delivered from Merlin. I am on my second Oppo and they are hands down the best DVD players on the market. Depending on your panel (ie if it's a nice big expensive one) you may want to get a better model. The 983 is unbeatable and one of the best players on the planet without spending '000's.
Volunteer Kazz Posted June 16, 2008 Volunteer Posted June 16, 2008 The 983 is unbeatable and one of the best players on the planet without spending '000's. I agree with that wholeheartedly, I also have the Oppo 983 and it is brilliant. Jamie88 I wouldn't put your hopes on the upscaling abilities of the PS3 though, while it's a good Blu-ray player a good upscaler such as the Oppo 983 will beat it hands down for upscaling SD, and if you've spent good money on a panel then you might as well spend a little more on a good upscaling DVD player instead of just an average one.
momaw Posted June 16, 2008 Posted June 16, 2008 Check out kwarriors experience with calibration after he thought the oppo and the Pioneer LX70a were pretty much even: Hi all...Going to take this thread to a slightly different direction..."CALIBRATION" !!! On Wed 11th, I had Aaron from Avical come over and help with my Pio KURO Calibration.... Now, briefly, here is what I have in my setup... - The Oppo 983 - The Pio LX70A Blu Ray - Digitalview DVR 810 - Yamaha 3800 AVR - And the KURO 50" Plasma... First..Aaron asked me to disconnect my Oppo Video (HDMI) from the Yamaha...and connect it directly to the Plasma on Input 3. Previously, I only had a singly HDMI input on the Plasma, coming from the Yamaha... Aaron's reasoning was...the Oppo is an excellent Scaler / deinterlacer and we should give it a chance to do its job...and so that he could calibrate the TV for the Oppo...which he eventually did... And Aaron also did the same with the LX70A ...calibrate it, I mean. And whilst doing that, using his Calibration discs, it was pretty obvious, that the LX70A just didnt have the quality to interpret SD DVDs... Because the Kuro is such a good scaler too....it masks some of the LX70As inadequacies... So, now, I have the Blu Ray (and the advise was to use it only for Blu Rays!!) on Input 4 HDMI (via the Yamaha) and the Oppo Video on Input 3 (HDMI)...on the Kuro.... And the TV is now calibrated....and looks terrific !! So all of you, who are contemplating calibrating your Plasmas...I would suggest go for it...it was worth its money, no question... Also, for us who own both the Oppo and the Pio LX70a, try connecting the video out from the Oppo to the TV directly (rather than via an AVR)...you will now be able to appreciate (if not already) the quality of the Oppo.
Jamie88 Posted June 16, 2008 Author Posted June 16, 2008 I agree with that wholeheartedly, I also have the Oppo 983 and it is brilliant.Jamie88 I wouldn't put your hopes on the upscaling abilities of the PS3 though, while it's a good Blu-ray player a good upscaler such as the Oppo 983 will beat it hands down for upscaling SD, and if you've spent good money on a panel then you might as well spend a little more on a good upscaling DVD player instead of just an average one. I didnt set my hopes on the PS3 just used it to see the differene between the dvd player and a dvd thats been upscaled. Having said that i just tried it out, im really happy with the improvement by far its not blu ray quality but the ps3 upscaled it to 1080i and it looked alot better. Now heres another problem, my dvd player is also my 5.1 surround (do a search on the lg in my sig) it only has Video L/R audio in (for tv/ps3 ect) Is there a fairly cheap 5.1 that would be suitable for a bedroom, i dont need anything loud or big. Can anyone point me to a shop other than domayne harvey norman ect ect
Volunteer Kazz Posted June 16, 2008 Volunteer Posted June 16, 2008 I didnt set my hopes on the PS3 just used it to see the differene between the dvd player and a dvd thats been upscaled.Having said that i just tried it out, im really happy with the improvement by far its not blu ray quality but the ps3 upscaled it to 1080i and it looked alot better. Now heres another problem, my dvd player is also my 5.1 surround (do a search on the lg in my sig) it only has Video L/R audio in (for tv/ps3 ect) Is there a fairly cheap 5.1 that would be suitable for a bedroom, i dont need anything loud or big. Can anyone point me to a shop other than domayne harvey norman ect ect You could have a look at the lower end Yamaha's you should find what you are looking for.
Inego1503560167 Posted June 16, 2008 Posted June 16, 2008 (edited) Are you saying you don't like the oppo or it is too much for the OP? Mo - didn't realise I was being unclear, and the thread got away from me (I was at a rehearsal last night, so not online). The OP had talked about the Samsung on ebay for $100. If he could push to the mid-$200 for the oppo (contact Merlin audio for current price) he couldn't do better!! Significant waf on the price/quality combination! Kent PS. If 983 had been available immediately, may have gone for it, but v happy with the 980..... Edited June 16, 2008 by Inego
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