AVS › AVS Forum › Video Components › DVD Players (Standard Def) › Upconvert DVDP or BluRay
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Upconvert DVDP or BluRay

post #1 of 28
9/1/08 at 8:21pm
Thread Starter 
Hey guys,

This kinda falls into the sd and hd video categories so i didnt know where to post this. I also did a search looking for a similar question but couldnt really find one that nailed it down.

Now for the thread title.

My mother recently picked up a 32" sammy lcd and i gave her my upconvert dvdp as hers sucked at the job now that she has a good tv. Thinking to myself, it doesnt matter since my xbox360 will do just as good as a job so i really dont need it anymore.

Onto my dilemma. well as you all know, the 360 sucks at playing dvds. A search on here even said that as well which i didnt think of doing in the first place. I also dont want to tell her I want it back as she loves the picture quality above her older pos toshiba player. Now i was looking at the Oppo DV-981. But the thing Im wondering, for a few more dollars id probably just pick up a sammy bd-p1500. Will the upconversion of the bd-p1500 be on par or close with the dv-981? yeah, ill start buying the br version of the newer movies if i do get it, but i also dont want my older sd movies looking like crap either.

Thanks guys
Reply
Reply

Gear mentioned in this thread:

post #2 of 28
9/1/08 at 8:27pm
I say go pick one up at a CC or BB and try out the BR player on SD DVDs and see if it looks good. If it does look good, you won't have to worry about trying out the Oppo since you'll have BR playback capability. If it doesn't look good, take it back with no questions asked and order the Oppo.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 28
9/1/08 at 10:43pm
On 32 inch you can get away with most upscalers. Its more the important that you calibrate the display.

Also dont expect BDs PQ to to obvious on a small device like that. While I can see that its an improvment on mine, I dont see the same improvment as when I go up to 100 inch.

But if you soner or later plans to upgrade your display, its noce to start and collect today.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 28
9/2/08 at 8:14am
Thread Starter 
My tv is a 46" samsung HLT4675s. (Thought i put that in the first post.) My mothers is the samsung 32" lcd. Dont remember the model number. but ill probably give the buy/test/return or keep thing a try.
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 28
9/2/08 at 6:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ophidia31 View Post

My tv is a 46" samsung HLT4675s. (Thought i put that in the first post.) My mothers is the samsung 32" lcd. Dont remember the model number. but ill probably give the buy/test/return or keep thing a try.

Have you considered a PS3? Blu-ray, decent upconverter, and plays games.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 28
9/3/08 at 7:22pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by HDMI Guy View Post

Have you considered a PS3? Blu-ray, decent upconverter, and plays games.


actually, no i havent. i didnt even think about that to tell you the truth. i work at BB and it never even crossed my mind. add that to the list of things to think about. thanks.
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 28
9/3/08 at 8:36pm
32"? Get the Toshiba XDE DVD player and enjoy DVDs now. Later, when the price of Blu-ray players comes down, get a bigger TV and a Blu-ray player, maybe the movies will be cheaper by then too.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 28
9/3/08 at 8:39pm
Sony is rumored to be dropping their prices Sept 28 on their new players to spike the market. I will be looking at the s550 that can do all the new HT audio formats. It should retail for $400. The S 350 which is $400 now will drop to $299. I se no reason to upscale now that the war is over and BD will only get cheaper with a better picture ! Even with standard DVD. Lossless audio is key !
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 28
9/3/08 at 8:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MidnightWatcher View Post

32"? Get the Toshiba XDE DVD player and enjoy DVDs now. Later, when the price of Blu-ray players comes down, get a bigger TV and a Blu-ray player, maybe the movies will be cheaper by then too.

His TV is 46". His mother's TV is 32"
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 28
9/4/08 at 7:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ophidia31 View Post

Hey guys,

This kinda falls into the sd and hd video categories so i didnt know where to post this. I also did a search looking for a similar question but couldnt really find one that nailed it down.

Now for the thread title.

My mother recently picked up a 32" sammy lcd and i gave her my upconvert dvdp as hers sucked at the job now that she has a good tv. Thinking to myself, it doesnt matter since my xbox360 will do just as good as a job so i really dont need it anymore.

Onto my dilemma. well as you all know, the 360 sucks at playing dvds. A search on here even said that as well which i didnt think of doing in the first place. I also dont want to tell her I want it back as she loves the picture quality above her older pos toshiba player. Now i was looking at the Oppo DV-981. But the thing Im wondering, for a few more dollars id probably just pick up a sammy bd-p1500. Will the upconversion of the bd-p1500 be on par or close with the dv-981? yeah, ill start buying the br version of the newer movies if i do get it, but i also dont want my older sd movies looking like crap either.

Thanks guys


There were deals over the last week for the Pansonic BD30K for $249-$267 in FRY's B&M. COSTCO had the Sony s300 for $213.

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-BDP-S300-...&s=electronics

If your leaning to a blu player look around for deals that are popping up from several MFG's. New models are poping up in the next few weeks so sales and prices reductions are happening right now.

I'd recommend to stay away from Samsung blu players. There FW updates are slower that most of the other MFGs.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 28
9/4/08 at 7:28am
Your mother may find it easier to work with an SD DVD player like the Oppos. The Blu Ray players I have seen are pretty slow and you'll have to decide if the PS3 is appropriate for her. So, if she is fine with DVD, I'd say a DVD player will work well for her. You can pick up DVDs almost anywhere today. Blu Rays are still limited.

At this point, Blu Ray disks are quite expensive and the selection quite small. The cost may not justify the benefits of the slightly better image quality. However, if money is not a problem you could pick up a Blu Ray player since it's good to have choices
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 28
9/4/08 at 7:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by av.pallino View Post

Your mother may find it easier to work with an SD DVD player like the Oppos. The Blu Ray players I have seen are pretty slow and you'll have to decide if the PS3 is appropriate for her. So, if she is fine with DVD, I'd say a DVD player will work well for her. You can pick up DVDs almost anywhere today. Blu Rays are still limited.

At this point, Blu Ray disks are quite expensive and the selection quite small. The cost may not justify the benefits of the slightly better image quality. However, if money is not a problem you could pick up a Blu Ray player since it's good to have choices

Read his post again. It is not for his mother. It is for him and he has a 46" Samsung Slim DLP (720p).

@OP. I would suck it up for a month or two and get a BD player. Sony is rumored to be dropping the price of the S350 to $299 at the end of September. Since you work at Best Buy, you should be able to get a discount on top of that, no? Do you game? The PS3 should also be on your list as it is an amazing BD player, a good upscaling DVD player, and will play games.
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 28
9/4/08 at 2:09pm
+1 for the PS3
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 28
9/4/08 at 5:13pm
In that case, with a 46" then Blu-ray will look quite good. The PS3 is still the best all around Blu-ray player, but it's an ugly machine to look at imo. Maybe the Sony S350 will suffice, especially after the expected price drop later this month.
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 28
9/5/08 at 1:09pm
Thread Starter 
wow, that was alot of replies, and a little confusion, in a short time. lol

after thinking about it for a few days, i went and ordered up the oppo 980.

i went on a few deciding factors:

it "should" look better than the samsung player i had and i "know" it will look better than the 360.

i dont really have a need to buy the ps3 for the few games i want to play. all of the games i am looking forward to are on the 360.

the price is more than a regular bdp and even more so than the oppo.

bd movie prices are still too high for my taste to buy so id in essence be buying a $400+ dvd player.

but i think ill wait until theyre around $200 or so to pick up a bdp. if that may take a year, so be it. maybe the movie prices will drop too.

thanks for your suggestions and help guys.

oh yeah, we unfortunatly dont really get too much off the bdp's at BB. they dont mark them up too much the way it is.
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 28
9/12/08 at 3:31pm
Thread Starter 
Got it today and all hooked up outputting in 720p. I was a first a little disappointed as it was only a touch better than my old sammy upscale dvd player. I then decided to put in a movie favorite that Im very familiar with (House on Haunted Hill remake) and all i can say is wow. There was ALOT more detail in the begining when the mental patients start killing everyone. I cant wait to get the new release of Event Horizon. Should be here Tuesday and Im excited to see how well it is against my original copy.
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 28
9/12/08 at 4:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MidnightWatcher View Post

32"? Get the Toshiba XDE DVD player and enjoy DVDs now.

But that player lacks one of the basic functions of a DVD player..... resume play. $150 & no resume play for a upconvert player.
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 28
9/12/08 at 4:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ophidia31 View Post

Got it today and all hooked up outputting in 720p. I was a first a little disappointed as it was only a touch better than my old sammy upscale dvd player. I then decided to put in a movie favorite that Im very familiar with (House on Haunted Hill remake) and all i can say is wow. There was ALOT more detail in the begining when the mental patients start killing everyone. I cant wait to get the new release of Event Horizon. Should be here Tuesday and Im excited to see how well it is against my original copy.

Also keep in mind that most older films won't upconvert so nicely like newer titles/releases.
Reply
Reply
post #19 of 28
9/12/08 at 4:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 42Plasmaman View Post

But that player lacks one of the basic functions of a DVD player..... resume play. $150 & no resume play for a upconvert player.

None of the Blu rays I own have resume play either. I believe no player can make you resume a Blu Ray disk without starting from the FBI warning once you hit stop!

That is a step back if you ask me for a next gen format
Reply
Reply
post #20 of 28
9/12/08 at 4:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ack_bk View Post

Read his post again. It is not for his mother. It is for him and he has a 46" Samsung Slim DLP (720p).

@OP. I would suck it up for a month or two and get a BD player. Sony is rumored to be dropping the price of the S350 to $299 at the end of September. Since you work at Best Buy, you should be able to get a discount on top of that, no? Do you game? The PS3 should also be on your list as it is an amazing BD player, a good upscaling DVD player, and will play games.

If it's for you. Get the PS3. Don't even think about it!
Reply
Reply
post #21 of 28
9/12/08 at 4:55pm
I used to own the Panny 30. I would not recommend it at all! The SD DVD is worse than terrible. The PS3 is a far far better product. I would avoid the Panny 30 even if it were $50!
Reply
Reply
post #22 of 28
9/12/08 at 5:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ophidia31 View Post

Got it today and all hooked up outputting in 720p. I was a first a little disappointed as it was only a touch better than my old sammy upscale dvd player. I then decided to put in a movie favorite that Im very familiar with (House on Haunted Hill remake) and all i can say is wow. There was ALOT more detail in the begining when the mental patients start killing everyone. I cant wait to get the new release of Event Horizon. Should be here Tuesday and Im excited to see how well it is against my original copy.

what 'new release of event horizon'? it's a favorite of mine.

anyone?
Reply
Reply
post #23 of 28
9/12/08 at 5:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 42Plasmaman View Post

But that player lacks one of the basic functions of a DVD player..... resume play. $150 & no resume play for a upconvert player.

If you press the stop button the movie stops and the player logo screen shows. If you then press the play button, the movie resumes where it left off.
Can you clarify what you are talking about?
Just finished watching War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise and was blown away by the picture and DTS sound quality. All at 24p just like the $$$ Blu-ray discs.
Well this title, as most others is only available on DVD.
Reply
Reply
post #24 of 28
9/12/08 at 8:40pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by 42Plasmaman View Post

Also keep in mind that most older films won't upconvert so nicely like newer titles/releases.

I had that in the back of my mind when I was watching them. The 2 first movies I threw in were Oceans 12 and Live Free Die Hard. My House on Haunted Hill copy was from 2000 which is why I was a little confused as to why it looked better than the new movies.

Quote:
Originally Posted by westgate View Post

what 'new release of event horizon'? it's a favorite of mine.

anyone?

http://www.amazon.com/Event-Horizon-...1276869&sr=1-2

Just out on tuesday.

I cant wait for December when theyre releasing a remastered The Day The Earth Stood Still.
Reply
Reply
post #25 of 28
9/12/08 at 9:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by av.pallino View Post

None of the Blu rays I own have resume play either. I believe no player can make you resume a Blu Ray disk without starting from the FBI warning once you hit stop!

That is a step back if you ask me for a next gen format

Who's talking about blu-ray?

I said DVD PLAYER, which is what the Toshiba XDE player is.

What I meant by resume play is if you stop the title & turn off the Toshiba XDE player, it doesn't pick up where it left off when turned back on.(A basic DVD player feature)
I actually tried this at Frys tonight with Star Wars Episode I(disc they were demoing with the player.)
I must say that the disc tray is quite flimsy/see-through/thin and I thought if I stared at it to long it might break.

Also, you can definitely see artifacts/blocking and edge issues.
Yes, I was 2 feet away from a "42 LCD but the PQ deficiencies were present.

Also with the large green late 80's looking 7 segment display, it looked out dated compared to those with high intensity florescent displays on DVD players at half the cost.
Reply
Reply
post #26 of 28
9/13/08 at 8:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ophidia31 View Post

http://www.amazon.com/Event-Horizon-...1276869&sr=1-2

Just out on tuesday.

I cant wait for December when theyre releasing a remastered The Day The Earth Stood Still.

thanks!
i have the older version ('06) of e.h. i didnt think there was anything wrong with that one. it's anamorphic, fairly clean transfer, imo. so why a new sd version?
a blu-ray i could see (and hope there is one, soon).
Reply
Reply
post #27 of 28
9/13/08 at 1:38pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by westgate View Post

thanks!
i have the older version of e.h. i didnt think there was anything wrong with that one. it's anamorphic, fairly clean transfer, imo. so why a new sd version?
a blu-ray i could see (and hope there is one, soon).

surprisingly enough it was sitting in my mailbox when i got home from work. actually its just the '06 release with the second features disc. the new one says '08 on the sleeve, but the inner says '06. Seems the only difference between the 2 releases is the the scratchy 3D cover on the sleeve. still looks better than my '98 copy though so im happy.
Reply
Reply
post #28 of 28
9/13/08 at 1:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ophidia31 View Post

surprisingly enough it was sitting in my mailbox when i got home from work. actually its just the '06 release with the second features disc. the new one says '08 on the sleeve, but the inner says '06. Seems the only difference between the 2 releases is the the scratchy 3D cover on the sleeve. still looks better than my '98 copy though so im happy.

whew, i was gonna start tearing my hair out trying to figure out how a new version got past me.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: DVD Players (Standard Def)

Gear mentioned in this thread:

AVS › AVS Forum › Video Components › DVD Players (Standard Def) › Upconvert DVDP or BluRay