Just bought the 56" Samsung LED DLP (1080p via HDMI) and need a DVD player. My old one isn't even progressive scan... definitely time to step up!

Now... here's my question. With a 1080p TV... will I notice a difference if I get a 1080p upconverting DVD player? or is 1080i the same? or is 720p the same?

I'm looking to spend as little $$ as possible... I see decent upconverting DVD players in the 60-70 range, will any of those work as well as the next one, or should I be looking for something in particular? This is gonna be hooked up as an HTPC, so I'm not really concerned about DIVX or USB or whatever... hell, the TV has a USB slot. ;)

Anyhow... any suggestions would be appreciated, I'd like to have the DVD player ready to go when the TV gets here!

Just bought the 56" Samsung LED DLP (1080p via HDMI) and need a DVD player. My old one isn't even progressive scan... definitely time to step up!

Now... here's my question. With a 1080p TV... will I notice a difference if I get a 1080p upconverting DVD player? or is 1080i the same? or is 720p the same?

I'm looking to spend as little $$ as possible... I see decent upconverting DVD players in the 60-70 range, will any of those work as well as the next one, or should I be looking for something in particular? This is gonna be hooked up as an HTPC, so I'm not really concerned about DIVX or USB or whatever... hell, the TV has a USB slot. ;)

Anyhow... any suggestions would be appreciated, I'd like to have the DVD player ready to go when the TV gets here!

It is hard for anyone to predict what you will see. Some people try all sorts of gear and claim to see no differences. There is no substitute for trying it out for yourself and trusting your own eyes..

For rather few dollars, the Sony - DVP-NS75H got a good review here: http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=133#SonyDVP-NS75H%20(HDMI)

I've been pleased with my Oppo players. The 970 would be best for your DLP and is $149.

Whatever you choose, use a calibration disc for best results: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9889995&&#post9889995

-Bill

Yeah, I've got the Avia setup ready to go.

That one seems like a good HDMI progressive scan player... but it doesn't say if it does 1080i or 1080p... and I still don't know if there's a difference.

This is gonna be hooked up as an HTPC, so I'm not really concerned about DIVX or USB or whatever... hell, the TV has a USB slot. ;)
What does the quoted section mean?

Yeah, I've got the Avia setup ready to go.

That one seems like a good HDMI progressive scan player... but it doesn't say if it does 1080i or 1080p... and I still don't know if there's a difference.

Difference between 1080i and 1080p?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1080i
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1080p

Presuming you have a 1920x1080 display, for a 1080i signal the display deinterlaces the signal to 1080p and displays it. For a 1080p signal it displays it as is, presuming the display has 1:1 pixel mapping and doesn't try to rescale the image.

Please note that DVDs are recorded at 480i; how well the original data is deinterlaced and scaled is probably more important than distinctions between 1080i and 1080p.

-Bill

What does the quoted section mean?
I will be hooking my TV up to my computer thru the VGA connection and showing at 1080p. HTPC = Home Theater PC.

Some DVD players offer a USB port so you can play pictures thru the DVD player... some are encoded to play Divx encoded files... but since I'll have the computer hooked up, I can handle any of that stuff on there instead of using the DVD player.

Difference between 1080i and 1080p?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1080i
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1080p

Presuming you have a 1920x1080 display, for a 1080i signal the display deinterlaces the signal to 1080p and displays it. For a 1080p signal it displays it as is, presuming the display has 1:1 pixel mapping and doesn't try to rescale the image.

Please note that DVDs are recorded at 480i; how well the original data is deinterlaced and scaled is probably more important than distinctions between 1080i and 1080p.

-Bill
Right. My point is that my tv claims it will upconvert to 1080p via the HDMI port, which indicates to me that it has a scaler built in. I guess my question is... would the scaler on my TV be better than the scaler on a $100 upscaling DVD player (new Samsung, etc)?

I will be hooking my TV up to my computer thru the VGA connection and showing at 1080p. HTPC = Home Theater PC.
I guess that's my question. If you're going to be using an HTPC, why would you want a DVD STB?

I guess I'm still confused as to your goals.

I guess that's my question. If you're going to be using an HTPC, why would you want a DVD STB?

I guess I'm still confused as to your goals.
Well, I was mostly going to use it for browing the internet, games, playing movies off files, music, etc. I hadn't really looked into its use as a traditional movie DVD player.

Will its output via VGA cable be enough to play the movie at 1080p? I assume so, since the output is...? Are there certain programs that people prefer using to watch standard movie DVDs?

I'd be more than willing to spend the $100 getting my computer to work as a DVD player proper instead of buying one!

AVS has an entire forum dedicated to HTPCs. Just about everyone uses their HTPCs to play DVDs (HD/SD). Without question, the cheapest way for you to go is using the HTPC to play DVDs.

If you have any kind of a modern video card, 1080p is like falling off a log.

My choice is Theatertek for SD DVDs.

BTW, I have a 56" Pioneer Elite 1080i CRT (via VGA) and a 56" Samsung 720p DLP (via DVI). I have never owned a DVD STB.

Without question, the cheapest way for you to go is using the HTPC to play DVDs.
I re-read what I wrote here and would like to amend it.

Using your HTPC to play DVDs will end up being the most expensive option.

Before long you will want a specific remote control setup. You will want the HTPC to become a PVR. You will want to squeeze that last bit and get yourself the newest/bestest video card. Don't get me started on automation.

The pursuit simply won't end. It's a disease. Cha-ching.

Right. My point is that my tv claims it will upconvert to 1080p via the HDMI port, which indicates to me that it has a scaler built in.

All (*) flat panels deinterlace (if necessary) and scale (if necessary) any supported input signal to the natiive resolution of the device. So the claims of your tv are certainly correct.

I guess my question is... would the scaler on my TV be better than the scaler on a $100 upscaling DVD player (new Samsung, etc)?

Hard to say. It depends on your viewing preferences, calibration efforts, how fanatical you are about your DVDs. Some people try all sorts of gear and claim to see no difference. How are we to know what you will see? Again, you have to try it.

If you are going to use a 1080i/p signal, make sure your display has a 1:1 pixel mapping mode. This has been an issue with Samsung DLPs: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10228310&&#post10228310

-Bill

(*) There are natively interlaced Hitachi panels.

I guess my question is more on the theoretical science of it.

If the DVD player de-interlaced and upconverted to say 720p (reasonably easy, not pushing it like a 1080p conversion would), and the TV then converted from 720p to 1080p... would this be more advantageous that making one do the full load? Or would it, in theory, produce worse results, since there's 2 instances of processing instead of just one?

I don't really understand this stuff, but I like to pretend I do. ;)

I guess my question is more on the theoretical science of it.

If the DVD player de-interlaced and upconverted to say 720p (reasonably easy, not pushing it like a 1080p conversion would), and the TV then converted from 720p to 1080p... would this be more advantageous that making one do the full load? Or would it, in theory, produce worse results, since there's 2 instances of processing instead of just one?

I don't really understand this stuff, but I like to pretend I do. ;)

In theory, scaling once is better than scaling twice. In practice: starting from a 480i DVD, sending 720p and 1080p to a 1920 x 1080 display, the results look very close to me. With 1080p you bypass the display's scaler, with 720p you use it for the 720->1080 step, so if the display's scaler is bad, you might see it.

Scaling to 1080 is no more difficult than scaling to 720. Deinterlacing is the hard task.

-Bill

In theory, scaling once is better than scaling twice. In practice: starting from a 480i DVD, sending 720p and 1080p to a 1920 x 1080 display, the results look very close to me. With 1080p you bypass the display's scaler, with 720p you use it for the 720->1080 step, so if the display's scaler is bad, you might see it.

Scaling to 1080 is no more difficult than scaling to 720. Deinterlacing is the hard task.

-Bill
According to my brother, since I'm using a computer, I should DEFINITELY be doing everything offboard. He said the graphics cards are designed to run 3d imaging and have lots more processing power/memory than your standard DVD player, so I'd be best off letting the computer do everything and just sending the TV a raw 1080p feed and turning off the overscan (apparantly reasonably simple)

Sound right?

According to my brother, since I'm using a computer, I should DEFINITELY be doing everything offboard. He said the graphics cards are designed to run 3d imaging and have lots more processing power/memory than your standard DVD player, so I'd be best off letting the computer do everything and just sending the TV a raw 1080p feed and turning off the overscan (apparantly reasonably simple)

Sound right?

I thought you were asking about DVD players. You should try the HTPC for computer issues.

-Bill

I thought you were asking about DVD players. You should try the HTPC for computer issues.

-Bill
Maybe try reading it again? I am talking about DVD players, and asking if it's true that your average computer video card has more processing power for upconversion than a DVD player (and/or the computer's upconverting processor).

Maybe try reading it again? I am talking about DVD players, and asking if it's true that your average computer video card has more processing power for upconversion than a DVD player (and/or the computer's upconverting processor).

Maybe make up your mind? Are you talking a standalone DVD player or HTPC? Methinks you keep using the two interchangably, and they are completely separate beasts.

Maybe make up your mind? Are you talking a standalone DVD player or HTPC? Methinks you keep using the two interchangably, and they are completely separate beasts.
Re-read posts 8 and 9, see if you can follow how the thread changes.