let me start off by saying om a newbie to AV. I recently got a Denon 2308ci that does video upconversion with a Faroudja chipset i believe. My question is since the receiver can handle all the upconverting will an Oppo 981HD dvd player (which i am looking at getting) make any difference since i believe it has the same chipset on board? Will my regular cheapo upscaling dvd player look the same (because in the end the receiver is upconverting everything). Do i setup the dvd player not to upconvert and let the receiver handle this or is double upconverting fine. Supposedly the receiver i got will upconvert on all inputs , component, composite, svideo , etc. Looking for some help. I have a large DVD library and would like to enjoy them to the max. My display is a 52" Sammy A530. Thanks! Love the knowledge found on the forums here BTW :)

let me start off by saying om a newbie to AV. I recently got a Denon 2308ci that does video upconversion with a Faroudja chipset i believe. My question is since the receiver can handle all the upconverting will an Oppo 981HD dvd player (which i am looking at getting) make any difference since i believe it has the same chipset on board? Will my regular cheapo upscaling dvd player look the same (because in the end the receiver is upconverting everything). Do i setup the dvd player not to upconvert and let the receiver handle this or is double upconverting fine. Supposedly the receiver i got will upconvert on all inputs , component, composite, svideo , etc. Looking for some help. I have a large DVD library and would like to enjoy them to the max. My display is a 52" Sammy A530. Thanks! Love the knowledge found on the forums here BTW :)

We try to minimize unnecessary processing such a double scaling, although in practice it is best to try the available combinations and use what looks best to you.

Your cheap player: it depends on it's quality and how you are using it. If you are generating 480p or any upscaled signal then the deinterlacing ability of the player is important. If you are producing 480i there are still differences in the quality of the signal between players.

If you want your receiver to do the video processing, then 480i over HDMI from the Oppo 980 ($169) is a better choice than the 981.

Note that your display, even without the receiver, will deinterlace (if necessary) and scale (if necessary) any supported input signal to its native resolution.

Are you using a calibration disc? I advise doing that before spending money on new gear; it can make a bigger improvement.

-Bill

I guess im a bit overwhelmed with all the new things available today. I don't mind using my receiver to video process as long as its as good as what i can buy. I wanted the oppo for upscaling and the good feedback about them on the forums but if the cheap phillips hdmi player i have can do the same job then why pay except my phillips player doesn't match (colorwise). Basically i can set the dvd player to output the "normal" 480i signal, and let the denon handle the rest?

PS: What disc for calibration do you recommend for a newbie. I followed a guide here for my A530 for movie mode, which looks good. I just need to get it tuned for my 360 and TivoHD.

Basically i can set the dvd player to output the "normal" 480i signal, and let the denon handle the rest?



You can. Or also try letting the display do it.

Basically, the DVD player, receiver, and display all upscale/deinterlace. It's just a question of which does what best, so it might be beneficial to try all the possible combinations your equipment can do. Unless someone has your exact setup or is at least familiar with your models, it's hard to guess which does what best.

Basically i can set the dvd player to output the "normal"
480i signal, and let the denon handle the rest?

Yes, that will work. You can try all sorts of other combinations, although the differences can be very subtle. It's the sort of thing where it all looks the same at first, but as you become more experienced you'll see greater differences. Trying the different settings, and different players if you can, is good training.

What disc for calibration do you recommend for a newbie.

I have brief notes here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9889995&&#post9889995 . I started with THX Optimizer, which you probably already have on some of your discs. I now use the downloadable GetGray disc.

-Bill

Ok so i tried hooking up my phillips upscaling player and setting the resolution to 480. The receiver is not upconverting it. Is this becuase i have the player hooked up via hdmi? Do i need to use component cables in order to let the receiver do the upscaling? I also tried setting my xbox 360 resolution to 480, 720, etc. and the output is still the native resolution of the device even though i have upconvert on (for that input) via the receiver. I would think hdmi to hdmi could convert. I am a bit confused. Also my receiver is the denon 2309ci not the 2308ci. Thanks again for all the help.


Update: Hooking up a regular dvd player with component cables works fine. The receiver outputs 1080p. Now is this due to HDMIs DRM screwing with upscaling? Are component cables still the best choice for input to receivers? It seems if i want the receiver to handle the up scaling of anything i can not use hdmi. For audio if the player supports bitstream the receiver can handle the decoding of audio just fine.

Ok so i tried hooking up my phillips upscaling player and setting the resolution to 480. The receiver is not upconverting it. Is this becuase i have the player hooked up via hdmi? Do i need to use component cables in order to let the receiver do the upscaling? I also tried setting my xbox 360 resolution to 480, 720, etc. and the output is still the native resolution of the device even though i have upconvert on (for that input) via the receiver. I would think hdmi to hdmi could convert. I am a bit confused. Also my receiver is the denon 2309ci not the 2308ci. Thanks again for all the help.


Update: Hooking up a regular dvd player with component cables works fine. The receiver outputs 1080p. Now is this due to HDMIs DRM screwing with upscaling? Are component cables still the best choice for input to receivers? It seems if i want the receiver to handle the up scaling of anything i can not use hdmi. For audio if the player supports bitstream the receiver can handle the decoding of audio just fine.

If you are seeing different results when directly connecting the player to the display vs when the receiver is in the middle, you should find a thread for your receiver and ask there.

How do you know it is not upconverting? Does the receiver have a readout or are you looking at the display readout?

HDMI vs component: most people report the reverse. HDMI allows upscaling and component doesn't. Although many component devices allow upscaling of non-copyprotected titles (ie: rips).

-Bill

it appears my receiver is just pass through for HDMI. It upconverts all analog signals to digital via hdmi out to the lcd. This is why when i put the dvd player on component it was upscaled by the receiver via HDMI it would only pass thru thus using the dvd player for the processing. I will find a matching black cheap dvd player to use with my setup. I'll hook it up via component and optical for audio. This should do the trick :) Thanks!