Which is the better scaler?

[giggsy1977]

Good day to you fine gents, ladies and the WHFSAV team.

Like many of you I am looking for the best sound and vision possible on my budget. I am looking at purchasing a Freesat PVR (review dependant in next month's mag) and hooking it up to my tele (46" pz81 at the moment, may be changing to a sony w4500 if my sis wants my tele) via the amp (likely to be a Yamaha 863). Or, should I be looking to send the pvr straight to the tele?

Basically is the scaler in either tele good enough or should I be looking to route the Freesat pvr (via HDMI) through the amp and then via HDMI to the tele? Is the tele a better scaler than the amp or not? I know the 863 upconverts to HDMI, but have heard it doesn't upscale via HDMI (although this seems to be in contrast with the review in this months mag - that's how I interpreted it anyway!) This may therefore be an issue as the only connections would be via HDMI. My head hurts! Can anyone advise me please? Thanks guys.

 

[Andrew Everard]

No, it doesn't upscale HDMI inputs - only those input via the analogue video socketry.

 

[giggsy1977]

B*gger! Thanks for the reply Andrew - much appreciated. Do you think that if I was able to find an Onkyo 875 or stretch my budget to an 876 I would see a better pic using the scaler in those amps, or would the tele connected to the Yamaha 863 produce a similar/better/worse pic? Sound is important, but picture quality is my biggest concern - esp on the standard definition channels. Thanks Andrew.

 

[Anonymous]

I use one of these!

 

[Gary233932]

I love my 875 I upgraded from the 606 and I don't think you will better it for £600 ..........Thanks Gary

 

[giggsy1977]

Gary233932 - would you say you see and improved pic with standard def tv pics if you send the signal through the 875, upscale it and on to the tele, or is the scaler in your panasonic as good/better?

 

[Gary233932]

I cant say if the TV pic is better though the 875 because the turner is in the TV, and I have no external turner (waiting for the Freesat PVR) but with DVD's it scales better the my Tosh 370 or my Arcam DV135 so would say it would do a very good job with standard def TV.....thanks Gary

 

[giggsy1977]

Thanks for the reply Gary 233932. I would be interested to see if it is a better scaler than the one in the FreeSat pvr (I gather the standard HD FreeSat boxes upscale standard def. Even if the scaler in the tele is better than the amp of the pvr, is it worth upscaling the standard def pic before sending it to the tele or not?