I understand the difference between 480, 720, & 1080 lines of resolution. 480 looks bad on a 1080 set. The larger the set, the more pronounced the difference gets. Yet, there are inexpensive upscaling dvd players that make 480 dvds look at least passable on HD sets. The picture can be displayed at 1/2, 1/3 or 1/4 size. I've seen advertisements on HD channels that are being shown at reduced size also. So, are there any HD sets out there that allow one to shrink the picture size to a point where SD looks okay?

480 looks bad on a 1080 set.... So, are there any HD sets out there that allow one to shrink the picture size to a point where SD looks okay? The only thing I have found that works is to sit furthur away trom the TV. It works wonders!!

I've heard tell that HD CRTs are the least unfriendly to low def. I can neither confirm nor deny that from personal experience. It might only be due to the limited size of those sets. But shrinking the picture makes no sense to me.

Shrinking the SD picture works. I've loads of old dvds that do look better on a HD set if they are shrunk, typically I use 1/3 size. 1/4 size yields the best picture of course, albeit smaller. My point is that inexpensive items, built into the set, could make SD a less "unwatchable" experience for many.

It's too bad cheap upscalers only have outputs with no inputs, and I do realize good upscalers cost hundreds and really good ones cost thousands.

I understand the difference between 480, 720, & 1080 lines of resolution. 480 looks bad on a 1080 set. The larger the set, the more pronounced the difference gets. Yet, there are inexpensive upscaling dvd players that make 480 dvds look at least passable on HD sets. The picture can be displayed at 1/2, 1/3 or 1/4 size. I've seen advertisements on HD channels that are being shown at reduced size also. So, are there any HD sets out there that allow one to shrink the picture size to a point where SD looks okay?

HD TVs of necessity upconvert any input to the native resolution of the display (unless the input equals the display resolution). How well they do it is the question. Any competent review of a particular model (Consumer Reports, C/NET, etc.) includes information if not ratings on this important aspect of the set's performance.

Indeed, some HD TVs are more friendly towards SD than others.

Dana

This is definitely one area where "you get what you pay for" applies. A 1080p plasma or LCD with a good video processor (which costs money) can do great things with SD signals. I have a Pioneer 5010 (Kuro), which is ISF calibrated, and 480i from both DirecTV and OTA look great, as good as our 480-native TVs that we still use. I also have a Toshiba 52hm84 720p DLP rear projection monitor, also calibrated, and it did a very passable job with 480i/480p signals. The Kuro does better, even though it's 1080p vs. 720p. So don't just assume that 1080p automatically looks worse with 480i/p because it's got more pixels to fill. Of course, the sub-$1500 flat-panels out there, while decent, are going to be sacrificing some of the internal hardware to keep the prices low, and a high-quality video processor is one of them (or, at least one that's properly implemented into the specific display).

I feel that, even though the number of HD feeds is growing, reviewers should always assess 480i/p processing capabilities of a display. We've got two young kids, and therefore watch a good bit of SD television, and so this requirement is fairly important to us.

I still feel that a shrink picture option should be offered to everyone, if the black lines won't cause permanent damage to picture. Broadcasters and advertisers are doing it. If you are not satisfied with SD picture on your HD set OTA, watch one of your locals with a weather subchannel. Make sure the primary channel is showing SD and compare that with the picture on the weather channel. That's about 50% of the screen where the national forecaster is talking and looks o.k. in my opinion.

Shrink would be a cheap add-on which could make future HDTV buyers much happier overall. The kids could sit closer to the set.

My Olevia has a 1:1 aspect option that will accomplish that, but I usually find it's adequate to leave the TV in "Aspect" mode - the TV seems to do OK on upconverting. I usually watch from 5 feet out to 11 feet. The Aspect with a 4:3 picture is about the same size as a 4:3 26 inch TV on 4:3 programming.

It's also worth pointing out that SD DVDs are often significantly higher quality and less compressed than many digital SD broadcasts, and also usually free of any composite artefacts that an SD analogue composite source will have (such as analogue cable or analogue OTA)

While I agree with that sneals, SD DVDs are also often plagued with excessive edge enhancement....and their mastered transfer quality often leaves much to be desired.

However, I havent made the switch to Blu Ray, and am satisfied with DVD quality in general.

Given a half-way decent SD signal, 480i doesn't really look bad on my 64" year-2000 1080i CRT HDTV. For several years initially I used its built-in 480/60i=>480/60p Genesis converter and S-video, viewing at the same 8' distance recommended for true-1080i images to obtain a 33-degree-wide picture width. Also stretched images--most of the time--from 4X3 to 16X9. When cable STBs improved I switched to upconverting 480i to 1080i and using STB component outputs. All-digital cable signals here (NYC's TWC) helps. While HD acquisition seems to automatically imply fixed-pixel displays these days, a visit to the RPTV (or direct-view CRT and CRT front-projector) forums shows lots of members are still viewing SD/HD with CRTs. -- John

"you get what you pay for" This is a key statement.

My Vizio has better than average SD video processing. One all Mediatek and one Mediatek plus Genesis DCDi.

You get what you pay for.... ;)

Yeah, LG guts and Genesis DCDi should make a difference, for sure.

Actually, I spoke too soon. Age of the display and source quality is more important.

Most newer displays have decent scalers in them. Even my absolutely at-the lowest-possible-end-of-the-price-spectrum bedroom Dynex does a bang-up job with SD, provided the source is good.

CRT HDTVs are (were) very SD friendly.

I still feel that a shrink picture option should be offered to everyone, if the black lines won't cause permanent damage to picture. Broadcasters and advertisers are doing it.Uh, no, they're not. The only thing they're doing is pillarboxing: Taking a 4:3 SD picture and adding black bars on the sides to preserve the aspect ratio when it's upconverted to 16:9 HD. If that's what you meant by "shrinking", then yes, almost all 16:9 TVs do have a way of doing that already (and you're misusing the term "shrinking").

Sometimes a letterboxed SD program will be upconverted with pillarboxing, resulting in bars on all four sides. That still doesn't constitute "shrinking".

wmcbrine, FYI....

Some Vizios have a zoom option which allows you to shrink the image. Most Vizios have a 1 to 1 pixel mapping scheme which show 16:9 SD material with black bars all around....like anamorphic SD DVDs.

I get my TV OTA, and I get SD 16:9 ratio stuff broadcast which is shown with pillarboxing all the way around. This isnt "upconverted."

Deltaguy, in answer to your querry...here are some guidelines etc

Smaller is better than bigger.
CRT is better than Plasma and LCD.
Plasma is better than LCD.
720p is better than 1080p.

Good processing helps. With SD DVD players you can do this in the DVD player....but for broadcast you are generally stuck with the TVs internal scaling and processing....unless you spend big bucks for and off board processor...though some decent implementation of good chipsets can be found in A/V Recievers.

The Best SD processing Flat Panels are....

Olevia 747i 47" LCD with Silicon Optix Realta
Vizio VP505 50" Plasma with Silicon Optix Reon

NBC Weather Plus still constitutes a shrunken picture. I forget the company, but Universal HD featured an ad that was not only pillarboxed during the Olympic Trials this past weekend. The picture occupied a space much smaller than the weather subs picture. I believe it was for insurance. This would make sense as all ads are not created equal.

When I got into this in 2006, I did my homework and wound up with a 19" Samsung LCD and a 42" Panny plasma. Both were rated highly. I must say I don't remember seeing much on SD picture in the reviews. I didn't think of it too much at the time really, but think those considering HD should. I gave HD a no confidence vote just the other day. It was easy. He wants sports in HD. She watches daytime tv and reruns alot. I told her you'll pay more for HD and your shows will look worse. I proved it with the plasma set and the PQ it gives for one of her SD favorites.

During the 10:00pm news on channel 13 tonight, Kaiser Permanente. I was watching via a Zenith 900 with cropped as the viewing option. Not only did it become pillarboxed, but the top and bottom of the cropped screen became pillarboxed as well. It was the bad boy ad.

Deltaguy, in answer to your querry...here are some guidelines etc

<cut>

The Best SD processing Flat Panels are....

Olevia 747i 47" LCD with Silicon Optix Realta
Vizio VP505 50" Plasma with Silicon Optix Reon

Where did you find/read that these 2 TVs are rated as the best SD processing flat panels?

I am currently searching high and low for a review/comparison thread but nothing comes up.

Thanks in advance...

In the LCD and Plasma forums. The Silicon Optix are the best chipsets currently available in Consumer Flat Panels for SD video processing, bar none. Note that the big name manufacturers like Sony, Samsung, and Sharp all use in house video processing solutions. Also note, that panel performance is much better on the big 3 as regards image quality, blacks especially. However, they will not for some reason outsource video processing to specialists, like Silicon Optix and Genesis Faroudja DCDi, which have much more experience in this area. Silicon Optix uses an industrial pro commercial broadcaster developed Teranex algorithms. Its top notch....and it also addresses broadcast anomalies, not just video scaling and motion.

The Best SD processing Flat Panels are....

Olevia 747i 47" LCD with Silicon Optix Realta
Vizio VP505 50" Plasma with Silicon Optix Reon

EV is right, but unfortunately, there are problems on both of these fronts:

Olevia's parent company, Syntax-Brillian, just filed chapter 11 this week. Hopefully, someone will pick up where they left off with the Realta equiped 747i and 265 LCD sets.

The Vizio still appears to be vapor ware, as their 50" and 60" Reon equiped plasmas were to be released last month. I was awaiting their release and when Vizio dumped the non Reon vp504 on the market in late May, I gave up on them.

Even knowing that S-B was on the ropes financially, I purhcased the Olevia 747i in early June. At 8 foot viewing distance, SD over cable in 4:3 pillar box format looks very good. SD DVD's look spectacular. Take a look at the official 747i thread in the LCD forum for more info, and check tigerdirect dot com if you're brave (or dense) enough to buy a great TV made by a bankrupt company.

In the LCD and Plasma forums. The Silicon Optix are the best chipsets currently available in Consumer Flat Panels for SD video processing, bar none. Note that the big name manufacturers like Sony, Samsung, and Sharp all use in house video processing solutions. Also note, that panel performance is much better on the big 3 as regards image quality, blacks especially. However, they will not for some reason outsource video processing to specialists, like Silicon Optix and Genesis Faroudja DCDi, which have much more experience in this area. Silicon Optix uses an industrial pro commercial broadcaster developed Teranex algorithms. Its top notch....and it also addresses broadcast anomalies, not just video scaling and motion.

@EV, Thanks for the detailed clarification. So, which of the big names in your opinion will have the better upconversion/upscaling ? I understand that there will be lots of other peoples opinions etc etc, but I am simply just asking for your researched/read take, since you've obviously been deep into this subject.

@scrappy, Thanks for the heads up on the Olevia situation... unlikely I will purchase from a bankrupt company, but if the price is too good to be true, perhaps I may cave in... Also, I am asking if you can chime in on your take on the best of the big names for upconversion/upscaling.

I am simply trying to narrow down the field so that I can take a closer look at 2-3 HDTVs. Right now, I don't even know where to start.

Thanks y'all! Much appreciated...

I like Samsung, Sharp, and Vizio, for LCDs. Panasonic, Samsung, and Vizio for Plasmas.

The Olevia 747i is a steal at its current price. It debuted last year at 3 grand. Its one major drawback is that it has a glass front, which is reflective like plasmas. Its panel doesnt produce the deepest blacks either.....but its a winner at the current price.

Note, Samsung LCDs also have highly reflective screens, this helps to achieve better blacks. I much prefer the matte screens on the Sharps which produce their own panels and Vizios which use LG made panels. The Sharps produce deeper blacks on par with Samsung/Sony, but the Vizio's have better video processing and great tuners. I own 2 Vizios, a GV42LF 1080p which I bought brand new last year, and a GV42L 768p which I bought used this year and was a brand new release 2 years ago. If I was going to purchase another at this time(since I already have a Vizio), I would be looking at the Sharps and Samsungs....probably heavily leaning to the Sharps because of the matte screens. Samsung had a couple of nice matte screen 1080p's last year, the 40" and 46" 61 series and the 40 and 46" 69 series(which were 120hz).

One more note, the 46" Vizio LCDs use Samsung/Sony panels, and the increased black levels are visible(as well as the more reflective screen). The 42" and 47" Vizios are LG panels, and they also have improved Contrast Ratios(vis a vis Black Levels) though not quite up to the 46" version, but they have matte screens.

Vizio is an American upstart in California, by computer monitor mogul William Wang of MagInnovision fame. It has close ties with Taiwanese manufacturer AmTran, which also assembles sets for Samsung.

They dont call me the Viziologist for nothing. ;)

The 46" Vizio at Wal*mart is also a good deal.

In fact a trip to WM may be in your best interest as a learning experience. They have Sonys which are nice, but they use the same Samsung/Sony panels as Samsung, and you can see the reflections are near plasma like.

WM also has a couple of plasmas right there to do a comparison. Also check out the great little Vizio 32" plasma. Fun little set....the smallest commercially available plasma, currently.

Additionally, they have some Sharps, probably right next to the Sonys so you can see their matte screens are less reflective. Along with the Vizio 42" 46" and possibly a 47" 1080p LCDs, to check out as well.

They also have a nice 42" Vizio plasma, which has the great tuner and solid video processing that Vizio is famous for, and its a good deal as well.

I agree that the Samsung LCD is a straight-on set. Move 4 or so feet to the left or right of it and you see reflection of light. For a single viewer, there's no problem with that.

Another easy way to see the benefit of a smaller SD picture for satellite viewers is just push the guide button on the remote. With Dish, the picture is about 20% size in the top right corner. While that's too small, it does look better than full-sized SD.

No matter what TV you buy, SD is never going to look as good on an HDTV as it did on a good SD CRT. Even the highest quality DVDs won't look as good, because rescaling will always reduce sharpness somewhat.

Bottom line: the move to HDTV is a disaster for those of us with large DVD collections.

No matter what TV you buy, SD is never going to look as good on an HDTV as it did on a good SD CRT. Even the highest quality DVDs won't look as good, because rescaling will always reduce sharpness somewhat.

Bottom line: the move to HDTV is a disaster for those of us with large DVD collections.

Not in my house. I have an OPPO 983 upconverting DVD player connected via HDMI to my Westy LVM-47w1 47" 1080p LCD monitor. My SD DVDs - both NTSC and PAL - display remarkably well. Very close to Blu-ray.

Dana

My understanding is that most people think that an upscaled DVD looks very good on an HDTV.

No matter what TV you buy, SD is never going to look as good on an HDTV as it did on a good SD CRT. Even the highest quality DVDs won't look as good, because rescaling will always reduce sharpness somewhat.

Bottom line: the move to HDTV is a disaster for those of us with large DVD collections.

I couldn't disagree with your bottom-line statement more. I have a large SD-DVD collection, as well as a large HD-DVD and BD collection. I also have a 52" 720p DLP, a 50" 1080p Pioneer Kuro, and a 1080p Panasonic ae1000u front projector throwing onto a 106" Da-Lite. Of course HD sources and discs look better, but in no way do SD-DVDs look "disastrous". Quite the contrary, I'm actually impressed by how good they do look, considering the 720x480 resolution, and what the source/display is having to do to render them to their native resolution. I would much rather watch my SD-DVDs on a bigger screen that does a very good job at displaying them, then settle for a sharper image on a much smaller display. It's always going to be a trade-off to some degree. FWIW, I use either a PS3, a Toshiba HD-XA2, or a Toshiba HD-A35 (depending on display/mood, etc.) as my sources, in addition to DirecTV HD DVRs.

Of course HD sources and discs look better, but in no way do SD-DVDs look "disastrous". Quite the contrary, I'm actually impressed by how good they do look, considering the 720x480 resolution, and what the source/display is having to do to render them to their native resolution. I would much rather watch my SD-DVDs on a bigger screen that does a very good job at displaying them, then settle for a sharper image on a much smaller display. It's always going to be a trade-off to some degree.

I have a 32" LCD and a 36" SD CRT with a 16X9 mode, so for anamorphic DVDs, the image size is roughly the same. Comparing anamorphic DVDs side by side on these displays using the same DVD player and cables, it's obvious that the tube produces a far more *photo-realistic* image, with better contrast and sharpness, and more natural colors. While I wouldn't say that DVDs are totally unwatchable on the LCD, the picture often looks soft and washed out, especially during dimly-lit scenes. This degradation in PQ is undoubtedly due to the upscaling, and since there's no getting around upscaling on an HDTV, your DVD collection is never going to look quite as good as it could on a SDTV. For anyone who wants the most out of their DVD collection, the end of SD CRTs is in fact a disaster of sorts.

If you get a crappy scaling HDTV that doesnt reflect poorly on HDTV in general. Just as you can get crappy scaling DVD players and others with competent Scaling and Video Processing.

Your problem seems to be with CRT vs LCD, not SD vs HD.


SD DVDs can look dynamite on HD Flat Panels....video processing helps, but the DVD mastering quality is important, especially irritating is the Excessive Edge Enhancement(Sharpness), which was useful when people watched these on 20" -27" SD CRTs.

I have a 32" LCD and a 36" SD CRT with a 16X9 mode, so for anamorphic DVDs, the image size is roughly the same. Comparing anamorphic DVDs side by side on these displays using the same DVD player and cables, it's obvious that the tube produces a far more *photo-realistic* image, with better contrast and sharpness, and more natural colors. While I wouldn't say that DVDs are totally unwatchable on the LCD, the picture often looks soft and washed out, especially during dimly-lit scenes. This degradation in PQ is undoubtedly due to the upscaling, and since there's no getting around upscaling on an HDTV, your DVD collection is never going to look quite as good as it could on a SDTV. For anyone who wants the most out of their DVD collection, the end of SD CRTs is in fact a disaster of sorts.

Again, I don't disagree that a 720x480 native resolution disc will look better on a display that has a 720x480 resolution. But to dismiss the quality of video processing that is available in some of today's better displays simply because you compared your own 32" LCD to a 36" CRT is quite disingenuous. What brand LCD do you own? What's it's native resolution? How is it connected? Has it been calibrated, either by you with an Avia/DVE disc or professionally? These are all factors that need to be considered.

I have no doubt at all about what you saw in your comparison. However, I'd invite you to bring your SD-DVDs over to my house and watch them on my 50" Kuro or 106" front-projection system, and then tell me that it means that the move to HDTV's is a disaster to SD-DVD collections. In my opinion, you'll get much, much more than you ever would watching it on a 36" CRT, and you'll also have access to much higher resolution material, as well.

BTW, I've seen some SD-DVDs played on 36" SD displays that look washed out, with poor contrast and bland colors, and a soft picture. No matter what type of display you have, setting it up properly (and I'm not implying necessarily that you haven't) is always of highest importance.

DVDs look great on my DLP front projectors. Optoma H31 and Infocus 4805.

It would still be nice if persons who are gear-challenged could get better quality picture for SD. I don't think a shrink option would be a good idea for plasma sets as they might end up wearing the black bars, but think that CRTs and LCDs could probably handle it. This is based on my experience with the two sets here only though.

I've heard tell that HD CRTs are the least unfriendly to low def.You heard wrong. The reverse is true. CRT's will 'mask' imperfections better than new technologies. The worat were those Sony Smear-i-trons from the 70's. They didn't reveal anything.
LCD Flat Screens are the worse! They need 1:1 pixel mapping. DLP's are the better choice. Noisey cable channels are the worst with any technology.

You heard wrong. The reverse is true. CRT's will 'mask' imperfections better than new technologies.No, that's what I said.

Again, I don't disagree that a 720x480 native resolution disc will look better on a display that has a 720x480 resolution. But to dismiss the quality of video processing that is available in some of today's better displays simply because you compared your own 32" LCD to a 36" CRT is quite disingenuous. What brand LCD do you own? What's it's native resolution? How is it connected? Has it been calibrated, either by you with an Avia/DVE disc or professionally? These are all factors that need to be considered.

I have a Vizio VX32L (768p) connected via component to a Sony DVP-NS55 P/S player. The TV was calibrated by me personally, using the CNET settings (which aren't too far off the mark, BTW) as a starting point.

Unfortunately, no matter what settings I tried, SD sources - including DVDs - always looked worse than they did on my 36" WEGA. This led me to believe the problem was the equipment - which admittedly is not top-of-the-line - and so I went out and demoed a number of other player and HDTV combinations. None of the equipment I tried - and I tried all the major brands - could handle SD sources as well as my tube. (Higher end HDTVs do produce slightly better black levels than my Vizio, but that's about it. All of the DVD players I tried produced pretty much the same image quality, far as I could tell.)

To be fair, high bit rate DVDs produced from quality film stock can look pretty good on an HDTV, and even poor quality DVDs will sometimes reveal more detail than they do on a tube. Overall, however, watching DVDs on an HDTV always leaves me with the impression of a picture that has been *blown up* slightly. Color and contrast usually look washed out, and the picture can often appear grainy and/or soft, especially during dimly-lit scenes. These problems often combine to destroy the sense of *photo-realism* that you get with a tube TV. Of course these effects get worse as the quality of the source goes down, and really it's the ability of tube TVs to make lower quality SD content look good that separates them from fixed pixel HDTVS. I suppose I could tolerate watching DVDs on an HDTV if they were all Criterions with an astronomical bitrate. Most, however, are not, and they are never going to look as good on an HDTV as they do on my WEGA, no matter now much I spend on high end equipment. Anyone who says they can are either lying or else they've never owned a quality tube TV. Personally, I wish I could just go out and buy a new large screen tube, but Sony and the other manufacturers want to extort everyone into buying Blu-Ray discs.

Get yourself an OPPO upconverting DVD player (link at top of page) for an outstanding experience with your Vizio HD TV. You have nothing to lose (30 day money back guarantee) and you will change your opinion about watching standard def DVDs on an HD TV. They are miles ahead of your Sony player.

Dana

Anamorphic wodescreen DVDs look great on my 20 inch Vizio HDTV. They look as good or better than FOX widescreen SD programs. Analog cable looks much better on my 1997 Sharp 25 inch tube tv. Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy (not available in HD in Bakersfield) look best on my Durabrand 13 inch tube tv with digital tuner.

I have a 42" Vizio LCD that displays up to 1080i.
For DVD's, I have a standard 480i player, a 480p player & an inexpensive Magnavox up-converting DVD player (up to 1080p with HDMI only).

Regular 480i programming looks ok, much better than I had thought it would.

Regular dvd's look ok, but drop the same dvd in the up-converting dvd player and it's as good as a 720p signal, sometimes almost as good as a 1080i OTA channel. Best $50 I spent in a long time.

I know someone who has a $4000+ Big Name 60"+ HDTV with HD satellite and his HD content looks worse than regular TV on my set.

If that Vizio is a GV42L 1366x768 model, its got pretty darn good SD Video Processing, especially for a TV.

My Vizio is a WV42L...something, 1366x768.
Great image quality for the price.
It looks much better than the other 42"+ $1500+ LCD's & Plasmas in the store.

I believe it's been replaced by a full 1080p version that's about $1000.

The only things I don't like are:
1. No signal meter for analog stations
2. PIP is a joke. You can't watch TV (cable or antenna) and any video input (vcr, cable box, dvd, etc.) at the same time. You can watch TV & something via the HDMI port.
3. Only one cable/antenna input means an A/B switch & a trip through the setup menu to switch from cable to antenna.

The thing I dislike most about my Vizio is that digital channels can only be added by a completely new scan. You can't directly enter the RF channel number, and there is no add-on scan option.

Nothing beats a CRT for SD and HD quality.

Nothing beats a CRT for SD and HD quality.

Unfortunately, you can't buy a new CRT anymore, at least not one over 19" or so.

One would assume that most people who own an LCD TV would've also owned a good CRT at some point, and would know - as I do - how much better the latter are for SD sources, and yet, everyone seems to think their DVDs look great on an LCD. When I watch a DVD on these things, it is immediately apparent that the image has been enlarged from a smaller size. I know people claim that SD sources are *rescaled* mathematically, and not merely blown up, but they always look blown up to me. On my Vizio (which is supposed to have fairly good video processing), if I hit the ZOOM button and reduce the image size to 1/2 normal, a DVD looks about the same as it does on my tube TV, which indicates clearly that *rescaling* from 720x480 pixels to 1366x768 pixels results in a effective loss of resolution. Why other people don't notice this effect, I don't know, because you would almost have to be blind not to see it.

An anamorphic DVD should not look blown up. A letterboxed DVD will look blown up if it is zoomed. Buy only anamorphic DVDs to watch on an HDTV and boycott letterboxed DVDs.

Agreed! If you look around very carefully you might find NOS HDTV CRT sets like the Sony KD-34XBR960 and 970 around at very good prices. Also there are plenty of very clean used sets around for very cheap, practically give away, prices, too. Craigslist and ebay are good sources for clean, used CRT HDTV sets.

I'm the happy owner of the above mentioned 34" Sony sets :)

As the owner of a Sony 34XBR910 (no longer my primary display but still working well), I caution that you will probably want the stand that supports these sets - for stability if not looks - as they weigh about 200 lbs!

Dana

I caution that you will probably want the stand that supports these sets - for stability if not looks - as they weigh about 200 lbs!And that 40" XBR weighs over 300 lbs!

You'd have to go to the local zoo and borrow a couple of gorillas to move it.

An anamorphic DVD should not look blown up. A letterboxed DVD will look blown up if it is zoomed. Buy only anamorphic DVDs to watch on an HDTV and boycott letterboxed DVDs.

I was referring to anamorphic DVDs, and actually only a half dozen or so of the hundreds of widescreen DVDs I own are non-anamorphic. I'm not sure why you think DVDs shouldn't look *blown up* on an LCD. After all, the display is taking 720x480 pixels and smearing them out over 1366x768 pixels, a much larger matrix and one that isn't an even multiple of 720x480.

It's possible some people might not notice a loss of resolution because their display is small (26" or less) and/or they're sitting way back from the screen. I have a 32" LCD and a 36" flatscreen tube, and sit about 6-1/2 feet from both screens when watching DVDs. Since the 16x9 area is roughly the same for both displays, anamorphic DVDs ought to look the same, at least as far as resolution goes. Of course they don't, and having seen the same problem with HDTVs in stores, I remain doubtful that DVDs can look good on a large fixed pixel display.

A better quality TV might be the answer, but it seems unlikely - based on what I've seen - that any of the $80 DVD players you see in stores have better upconversion than my Vizio. An Oppo 983 might well produce a better image, but $400 for a DVD player seems rather steep to me. I would probably pay that though if I knew for certain it would make my DVDs look like they do on my CRT.

You don't need a 983. Just get a 981 for less than half the price. Almost as good.

A better quality TV might be the answer, but it seems unlikely - based on what I've seen - that any of the $80 DVD players you see in stores have better upconversion than my Vizio. An Oppo 983 might well produce a better image, but $400 for a DVD player seems rather steep to me. I would probably pay that though if I knew for certain it would make my DVDs look like they do on my CRT.

You don't need a 983. Just get a 981 for less than half the price. Almost as good.

As the owner of both an OPPO 981 and the OPPO 983, I agree with both comments. The 983 is a remarkable SD upconverting player, but the 981 is almost as good. Either one will beat the conversion capabilities of any HD display. A 30 day money-back guarantee applies to either one.

Dana

As the owner of both an OPPO 981 and the OPPO 983, I agree with both comments. The 983 is a remarkable SD upconverting player, but the 981 is almost as good.

Doesn't the 981 have problems with macroblocking?

Doesn't the 981 have problems with macroblocking?

I've never seen it but OPPO Digital says

When used with some rear projection TVs, especially those with DLP technology, the DV-981H may make encoding defects in video very noticeable. This problem is often called "Macroblocking". It can be avoided by carefully calibrating the display, but calibration is often time-consuming. To avoid the problem, the DV-983H or DV-980H should be used with such rear projection TVs.

OPPO Digital is very forthcoming in comparing its various players. More here http://www.oppodigital.com/dv981hd/dv981hd_comp.html

Dana

Correction:

I was thinking of the 980H when I said "less than half the price". The 981H is a little more than half.

Unfortunately, you can't buy a new CRT anymore, at least not one over 19" or so.

Hmmm, don't tell my local electronics store that has 50 to 57" CRT projections still available.

People are like sheep. It's too bad CRT projections have been discontinued but they certainly are out there and are far superior to any digital television. Only a blind person would think otherwise.