Prices drop for DVD upscalers - any point in buying?

[admin_exported]

Hello all,

It's clear that prices are cumbling for ''universal'' (i.e. ''standard definition"') DVD players, most of which are good at upscaling SD picture to 1080i or 1080p. For example, the Denon 1740 is moving closer to £120 on Amazon, and the Toshiba HD-DVD EP30 is only £77 now on the same site.

To this end, when I get my Panasonic 32 or 37" telly, is it worth investing in one of these to upscale Virgin media SD broadcasts and my DVD collection? I've carfully read through threads here, and it seems there is a split between those who believe decent HD TV's upscale well on their own, and those who believe an outborard upscaler is best.

Given the price drops, it seems that buying a once high-end DVD player (or indeed HD-DVD player) is now quite reasonable, and I would like opinions on whether it's worth it, and perhaps at what point it's worth it. I am secretly hoping that someone who knows the details of Panasonic onboad upscaling technology and is able to compare it to good priced DVD/HD-DVD players is able to give some advice.

I expect only to use it for about a year, unil Blu-Ray players become cheaper and the format has solidified as the main standard.

Any thoughts?

Cheers,

Tom

 

[John Duncan]

I think you're on the right lines here in plumping for an upscaling DVD player (of which the Tosh is a good one, they say on here, and now spectacular value, but will probably seem slow in operation compared to a DVD-only machine - investigate also their DVD-only machines), but I wanted to check that you know that an upscaling DVD player is not going to upscale your Virgin TV signal?

If you have their V+ box it will upscale SD broadcasts - not having an HD TV myself I can only comment on my experience of my friend's V+/Panasonic combo - where choosing to upscale from either the V+ box or the TV made a difference in what I can only call 'tonality', but one was not necessarily 'better' than the other.

Otherwise, you're SOL - a receiver like the Onkyo 875 needs component inputs to upscale (which I don't think the standard Virgin/Telewest box can do), and I suspect you wouldn't see a great deal of difference between that and internal upscaling on either a V+ box or a 32/37 inch tv (on the admittedly limited evidence I've seen).

 

[Anonymous]

Forget about externally up-scaling your Virgin stuff, leave it to the telly.

For a 37" I wouldn't be spending too much on a DVD up-scaler, if anything. I'd be getting the TV first and then deciding if I needed it. Having perhaps decided that I needed it, I'd then get the EP30 and throw it away after a year or two.

 

[D.J.KRIME]

Do a little reasurch into what the tv uses to upscale and what your intended dvd player used for example the Denon 1940 used the Faroudja DCDi FLI-2301 chipset which may or may not be superiour to that of the onboard scaler within the tv.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone. Looks like the best bet is to get the TV and then maybe borrow a DVD player and see if it upscales DVDs to decent quality compared to the TV set.

Getting a V+ (or Sky HD) box is a separate decision, I suppose!

Thanks all

Tom

 

[Anonymous]

I don't think that it's possible to use an upscaling DVD player to upscale external sources, such as Virgin tv.

Also, the Denon 1740 DVD player has never been a 'high-end' DVD player. More like a quality, entry-level player. It only costed £150 to start with so Amazon selling it for £120 is not a huge price drop. As for Toshiba's HD-EP30 - the reason why this player has had such a drop in price is a result of the HD DVD format's demise - not really anything to do with upscaling DVD players becoming more affordable. It has been possible for quite awhile to buy an upscaling DVD player for less than £70.

Which is best - a tv's onboard upscaling or an external upscaler such as on a DVD player? With for example, a £70 DVD player and a Pioneer 428XD, it's probably safe to say that the Pioneers tv's own upscaling capabilities will outperform the DVD player's offerings. With a budget tv and a DVD player with HQV video processing then I would imagine that the DVD player would be the better upscaler.

 

[Andy Clough]

[quote user="tommy_sleigh"]

Getting a V+ (or Sky HD) box is a separate decision, I suppose!

[/quote]

Yes. And if you do decide to go for HD TV, I'd urge you to go for Sky HD (and I say that as a V+ subscriber!). Read the latest news from Sky HD, and you'll understand why.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks all - that's really helpful stuff.

It got me thinking: there is definitely something to be said for small friendly shops (like I have near me!) that will let you borrow a DVD and see if it makes any difference to DVDs on a telly - one of the benefits over internet shopping, I guess.

This forum is fab. I am amazed at the detailed responses to my questions, from other consumers, and have found it incredibly useful. What a great site and forum!