I have read, and read….and read…….and read read read the forums. Too many hours, too much $$$, I’ve done my research, who can advise me now?

I simply cannot find a simple DVD player to compliment my HLS5687W. For the life of me nothing seems to make it shine. The TV is not professionally calibrated and has not been adjusted in any way in the service menu. I have tried five different DVD players, and with each I painstakingly re-calibrated user settings with Aiva and DVE.

Keep in mind that with every DVD player, a high quality HDMI cable was used and the picture looked best 480P from the player, not 720P/1080i/1080P.

Samsung HD850, Sony DVPNS71, Oppo HD981, Denon DVD757, Toshiba HD-A1. Of these five players, the best looking picture, believe it or not, was the Sony. I loathe Sony…

I was very disappointed in the Oppo because it was by and large the most cosmetically eye-friendly unit.

I’m a nursing student struggling to make it through school and this hobby is my only relief, as such, I cannot yet afford a professional calibration, nor a $1000 DVD player. Can someone please recommend something for me? $300-$500 is my cap, but please recommend more expensive units as well (sometimes prices fall, or patience pays off).

Try the Samsung 1080p7 it just came out and does a good job. I bought one last week.720p/1080i/1080p.Also $99.00

I have read, and read….and read…….and read read read the forums. Too many hours, too much $$$, I’ve done my research, who can advise me now?

I simply cannot find a simple DVD player to compliment my HLS5687W. For the life of me nothing seems to make it shine. The TV is not professionally calibrated and has not been adjusted in any way in the service menu. I have tried five different DVD players, and with each I painstakingly re-calibrated user settings with Aiva and DVE.

Keep in mind that with every DVD player, a high quality HDMI cable was used and the picture looked best 480P from the player, not 720P/1080i/1080P.

Samsung HD850, Sony DVPNS71, Oppo HD981, Denon DVD757, Toshiba HD-A1. Of these five players, the best looking picture, believe it or not, was the Sony. I loathe Sony…

I was very disappointed in the Oppo because it was by and large the most cosmetically eye-friendly unit.

I’m a nursing student struggling to make it through school and this hobby is my only relief, as such, I cannot yet afford a professional calibration, nor a $1000 DVD player. Can someone please recommend something for me? $300-$500 is my cap, but please recommend more expensive units as well (sometimes prices fall, or patience pays off).

Have you tried 1:1 pixel mapping? http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10228310&&#post10228310

-Bill

Thanks for the tip Bill. Unfortunately my TV was manufactured June 2006, so no sticking with the OVERSCAN "off". I might be getting it swapped though because I have a huge service history with this TV. Samsung tech comes out tommorow for my FOURTH service call (all legitimate) on my THIRD HLS5687W.

Also, will someone win this damn format war already!

use a Playstation 3 ... so far it is the best DVD player I have seen.

Specs wise, your TV seems up-to-scratch but I had the same issue with a Toshiba DLP Rear Pro TV ... I changed to a 1920X1080 Sony LCD Rear Pro (can't remember the model) and I can tell you now...from my experience as an installer of home theater, nothing will make a DLP shine. If you have a service history with it - check your options.

The DVD players you have tried may not have had good up-scalers in them because 1080 line output should be your best, given that your TV is a 1080 line TV.
I would start at the TV - I think DLP has always been an inferior technology...most will disagree but then most people only read reviews and other peoples opinions...side-by-side an LCD is the superior rear-pro technology at the moment (on paper it may not be but in actuality it always will be) ... laser rear-pros should take over from that.
The Playstation 3 is by far the best DVD player I have seen to date, and has a Blueray player in it which should be the dominant format.
Don't worry about spending heaps on a high quality HDMI cable - they are all the complete same ...just sheilded 4pr. data cable - some just look nicer than others.
After all this, make sure that things like 'DRC' and 'NR' and all those other filters are off. grab your calibration disc and set up everything else.

Hi -- I went with a Toshiba HD DVD player. But if I went with a SD player -- it would be Oppo. Check them out.

use a Playstation 3 ... so far it is the best DVD player I have seen.
Wow. Although the PS3 is a great BD player, it is a poor SD DVD player that does not upscale and does not correctly handle film cadences. I would not recommend it for SD DVDs, especially to someone who is disappointed in considerably better SD DVD players such as Oppo.

And, from a non-pro's set of eyes, the Samsung DLP's look the best when next to an LCD. Hand's down, every time. My wife and I could pick them out of a line up before knowing which model was which.