I don't care about upconverting or not. I don;t care about SACD or DVD-Audio. Just straight DVD. Which is the BEST DVD player up to $300?

Thank you

Sony DVP-NS700H, its under $80.

For $399 you can get the Oppo 983 and not have to worry about buying another player!

I don't care about upconverting or not. I don;t care about SACD or DVD-Audio. Just straight DVD. Which is the BEST DVD player up to $300?

Thank you
Ditto the Sony DVP-NS700H (http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665393601) (<$100) and also consider the Pioneer DV-410V (http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Products/HomeEntertainment/Blu-rayDisc+DVD/PioneerDVDPlayers+Recorders/ci.DV-410V-K.Kuro?tab=D) (also <$100) if you desire a component or HDMI connection at 480i for direct transport of the signal for de-interlacing/upscaling by an external video procces or by your display. The Sony will only permit 480p via HDMI.

In addition, the Oppo 980 (http://www.oppodigital.com/dv980h/default.asp) ($169) will also output everything from 480i to 1080p and is easily modified to 'region-free' with a simple web search.

That said, the Oppo 983 (http://www.oppodigital.com/dv983h/default.asp) rules if upscaling matters. It may be the perfect DVD player for most folks...but at a price premium compared to those listed above. (full review (http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cd-dvd-player-product-reviews/dvd-players/oppo-digital-dv-983h-dvd-player---a-secrets-dvd-benchmark-review.html)) ;)

I don't care about upconverting or not. I don;t care about SACD or DVD-Audio. Just straight DVD. Which is the BEST DVD player up to $300?

Thank you

Try the Oppos in your price range (980) and the new Toshiba XDE. I find the Oppos are the best value for traditional SD DVD upscaling, whereas the Toshiba XDE enhancements have more of a PC type upscaling that you get with WinDVD9 Plus or PowerDVD9.

However, another option is to look at the new Samsung BD 1500 is a good DVD upscaling product and you get a Blu Ray player as well. Having that option is a plus in my opinion :)

@OP,

I like the Oppo players myself for the money. Woot has had both the 980 and 981 for $99. Keep your eyes open in Q4 for a deal. The Sony DVP-NS700H is a decent player for the money and the new Toshiba XDE player may be worth a look.

Oups - I forgot to mention something important. I do already have a PS3 that I am using as a DVD player. The point is is there anything out there bettering the PS3 for under $300?

For what matters the display is a Pioneer PDP-5080HD.

Minor correction,

The Sony NS700H does 1080p via HDMI. It only does 480p via component.

I own one :D

I have a detailed albeit subjective evaluation here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=14626449&postcount=8





Ditto the Sony DVP-NS700H (http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665393601) (<$100) and also consider the Pioneer DV-410V (http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Products/HomeEntertainment/Blu-rayDisc+DVD/PioneerDVDPlayers+Recorders/ci.DV-410V-K.Kuro?tab=D) (also <$100) if you desire a component or HDMI connection at 480i for direct transport of the signal for de-interlacing/upscaling by an external video procces or by your display. The Sony will only permit 480p via HDMI.

Panasonic S97

Minor correction,

The Sony NS700H does 1080p via HDMI. It only does 480p via component.

I own one :D
Thanks!!

I was trying to say it cannot do 480i via HDMI and obviously ended up with a very confusing statement.

Oups - I forgot to mention something important. I do already have a PS3 that I am using as a DVD player. The point is is there anything out there bettering the PS3 for under $300?

For what matters the display is a Pioneer PDP-5080HD.
That is sort of the key statement. ;)

I think you would be hard pressed to find a sub $300 unit that does a "better" job than the PS3 unless you require analog audio outputs or IR control.

There are units that offer excellent picture quality, but of course that gets into the subject of upscaling (again) with secondary video processors with prices >$300.

Your Pioneer display has excellent de-interlacing/scaling built-in, so for viewing standard definition DVD's just feed it a native 480i signal from the Oppo 980 or Pioneer DV-410V and call it done. Let the TV do all the work as it's performance will far outshine all the 'discount' upscaling DVD units out there. Just don't expect to see an significant difference with a PS3 running current firmware.

Going to a dedicated DVD player would simply allow you not use the PS3 for viewing DVD movies.

The PS3 is a nice SD player. Possibly your Pioneer display may deinterlace slightly better than the PS3 and I believe you would need a different player to output 480i and let your TV do all the work. I don't think the PS3 can output 480i correct?

I would read this (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=614206) thread. Find the best price/performance player that can output 480i over HDMI. Like someone else stated the Pioneer 410 player can output 480i and is a very nice unit at $99.

Oups - I forgot to mention something important. I do already have a PS3 that I am using as a DVD player. The point is is there anything out there bettering the PS3 for under $300?

For what matters the display is a Pioneer PDP-5080HD.
If you have the PDP-5080 you might be best with a 980 with 480i. That plasma can de-interlace and scale better than the PS3. OPPO usually sells 980 refurbs for $129 if you call.