This has probably been discussed somewhere, but I couldn't find it. Briefly:

My 3-year old non-upconverting DVD player needs replacing. It will feed a 26" 720p Sony Bravia HDTV (KDL-26S3000.) Would a Blu-ray player produce a noticeably better picture than a upconverting standard DVD player when connected to this 26" 720p monitor? Yes, I use HDMI. Any opinions on the Sony DVP-NS700H/B player? Thanks.

At 26", you will probably not be able to see much difference between the two, especially if the set downconverts Blu-ray to 720p. There will be some difference, just not nearly as much as if you had a larger 1080p set.

It all depends on the distance between the viewer and the tv. While I have no numbers I would think that at distances < 2 m / 6-7 ft. there should be a difference while at 3-4 m / 10-12 ft even the trained eye hardly can make out differences.

Ignoring the resolution aspect, a Blu-ray movie will have less compression artifacts than a DVD will and a good BR player like the Panasonic "35" will have good noise reduction, etc. and will also play standard DVDs quite nicely as well. A good BR disc just looks cleaner (IMO) than a good DVD.

Resolution is not the only factor involved in what makes a better picture. :)

Ignoring the resolution aspect, a Blu-ray movie will have less compression artifacts than a DVD will and a good BR player like the Panasonic "35" will have good noise reduction, etc. and will also play standard DVDs quite nicely as well. A good BR disc just looks cleaner (IMO) than a good DVD.

Resolution is not the only factor involved in what makes a better picture. :)
Agreed. The Panny "35" and the Sony "350" are both less than $230 now. Any trouble with the Panasonic playing regular DVDs (freezing, etc.), or was that just a PS3 thing?
I'm just wondering if a 26" 720p monitor would benefit much from Blu-ray. It's only money, I guess.

Ignoring the resolution aspect, a Blu-ray movie will have less compression artifacts than a DVD will and a good BR player like the Panasonic "35" will have good noise reduction, etc. and will also play standard DVDs quite nicely as well. A good BR disc just looks cleaner (IMO) than a good DVD.

Resolution is not the only factor involved in what makes a better picture. :)

Yes but, again, at 26" the human eye will have trouble picking up things like that.

I love Blu-ray, but my advice would be to save up your money for a new TV first and then add Blu-ray later.

Yes but, again, at 26" the human eye will have trouble picking up things like that.

I love Blu-ray, but my advice would be to save up your money for a new TV first and then add Blu-ray later.

You may be right; I honestly have not looked at a 26" display for quite awhile. But to me anyway, the difference is noticeable even on a 32".

If he would get the Panasonic it, from all reports, would do an excellent job of playing his DVDs as well until he gets into Blu and or gets a larger display.

Or get a larger display first as you suggest; either way it's all good.:)

Hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving. Bring on the leftovers and more football!

How about on a 50" 1080i tv? I'm currently using an older standard def DVD player. Would Blu Ray be worth it for me, or should I just get an upconverting DVD player?

I'd just go with an upconverting DVD player for now if I were you.

You may be right; I honestly have not looked at a 26" display for quite awhile. But to me anyway, the difference is noticeable even on a 32".

If he would get the Panasonic it, from all reports, would do an excellent job of playing his DVDs as well until he gets into Blu and or gets a larger display.

Or get a larger display first as you suggest; either way it's all good.:)

Hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving. Bring on the leftovers and more football!
Most of my viewing is on standard DVDs as I view some of my neighbor's rentals before he returns them, but he is going to Blu-ray soon. I really want to stay compatible. It is of utmost importance, however, to maintain as good as possible standard DVD playback as many of his rentals will be standard DVDs. I found a good price on the Panasonic DMP-BD35K ($220 w/ shipping) or may still go with Pioneer's Elite DV48AV ($95) if things change and I stay away from Blu-ray for now. Sigh...

I don't think you'll see much difference, but two other things come to mind. You will be futureproofing yourself. Standard DVDs will work on the Blue Ray so if you ever move to a bigger set you're good to go. Also, Blue Ray as lossless audio and if you have a decent audio system to go with it you will get better sounding audio.

I don't think you'll see much difference, but two other things come to mind. You will be futureproofing yourself. Standard DVDs will work on the Blue Ray so if you ever move to a bigger set you're good to go. Also, Blue Ray as lossless audio and if you have a decent audio system to go with it you will get better sounding audio.
a) The cabinet in the room the 26" Bravia is in will accept a 26" or smaller set only.
b) The AVR connected to this player does NOT have a HDMI input, and the lossless codecs are on the HDMI output only.

Chappie, be careful.
If your "older" 50" 1080i TV does not have HDMI inputs, then an upconverting DVD player is of no use to you, since it will only produce an upconverted signal via HDMI, not component.

Blu-Ray, on the other hand, will give you a Blu-Ray 1080i signal over component, (and 480P for upconverted standard DVDs), so it may indeed be worth it to upgrade to Blu-Ray.

This is the exact dilemma I find myself in. I have a most excellent Sony 53HS10, 1080i but only via component. I believe I would certainly see the improvement of a Blu-Ray picture (and lossless audio), and if the 480P output of standard DVDs is a quality one, I won't lose anything there.

26"? No.

This has probably been discussed somewhere, but I couldn't find it. Briefly:

My 3-year old non-upconverting DVD player needs replacing. It will feed a 26" 720p Sony Bravia HDTV (KDL-26S3000.) Would a Blu-ray player produce a noticeably better picture than a upconverting standard DVD player when connected to this 26" 720p monitor? Yes, I use HDMI. Any opinions on the Sony DVP-NS700H/B player? Thanks.
12-28-08 update:

Got a DMP-BD35. Yes, it does a GREAT job of up converting. I see a LOT of difference, even on a 26" 720p monitor.