I just bought a new HDTV and have tons of DVD's. I've been doing some research on these Upscaling DVD-players... Do they really work? Is it worth the $100 to get one?

Anybody have any thoughts or use one?

Thanks...

It kinda depends on what DVD player you already have and how good your TV is at scaling a 480p signal. If you have a good progressive scan DVD player and your TV is good at scaling then you are set. If your TV is not good at scaling OR you don't have a decent progressive scan DVD player then buying a decent upscaling DVD player is worth it.

Remember, the (SD) DVD is encoded at 480i, so up-converting the image (in the display or DVD player) doesn't really "add" any information (it can't). However it does improve the apparent appearance of the image of good video transfers (no help for poor ones). Both my HDTV and my front projector do a good job of scaling so there is very little, if any, difference between a 720p/1080i source and the 480i/p image from my (good quality, about $120) DVD player. I'm cataloging my DVDs and I "discovered" that I have over 325 DVDs.

NOTE: My DVD player also is an up-converting one (Sony NS75H). The only advantage of an up-cnverting player is the capability of eliminating the digital to analog conversion step (when using the HDMI/DVI connection only) with a digital (LCD or plasma HDTV, or a HD LCD or DLP RPTV only). A CRT HD display doesn't have that advantage (depending on how it processes the video prior to sending the video signal to the CRT tube(s)).

This is asked a lot, so the search function will give you a lot of info. In general, yes, upscaling players will likely give better PQ than non-upscaling players, but it depends on the specific equipment (there are cheap, mediocre upscaling players that will not deliver the goods). And no upscaling player will be as good as a true high def player (HD-DVD or BD). Most $100 upscaling players, IMO, are not worth it (you're better off getting a better one, such as an Oppo).

There's a whole sticky thread at the top of the forum that talks about upconverting DVD players.

larry