AVS Master Thread: Discussion of Blu Ray Player's Upconversion Performance - Page 4

Originally Posted by ohcello

Thanks for the comments. How about getting a model with source direct (I think most of the new sonys have an 'original resolution' option, which I think is the same as source direct) and letting the JVC do all the upconversion? The JVC has a Silicon Optix Reon-VX processor...not sure where that ranks among the newer oppo blu-ray players of the world(?)

Originally Posted by ohcello

Thanks for the comments. How about getting a model with source direct (I think most of the new sonys have an 'original resolution' option, which I think is the same as source direct) and letting the JVC do all the upconversion? The JVC has a Silicon Optix Reon-VX processor...not sure where that ranks among the newer oppo blu-ray players of the world(?)

Originally Posted by wmcclain

If you've tried 480i into the display and like what it does, then a Source Direct option would work well for you.

-Bill

Originally Posted by rdgrimes

Depends on how important DVDs are to you. The Reon is quite good at scaling but falls a little short in de-interlacing compared to the ABT-based players. The Oppo BDP-80 will serve you well, as will any player with true source-direct. The BDP-83 is still the most bang-for-buck for top-flight DVD upconversion.
Screen size and viewing distance are also factors.

Originally Posted by rdgrimes

Might be worthwhile to first confirm that the display can accept 480i over HDMI.

Originally Posted by ohcello

DVDs are pretty important, but not to the point that I'd spend $299 for the cheapest Oppo vs. $120-$150 for a decent Sony with source direct. Are there any other players that use the ABT-based chip that are cheaper than $299?

Originally Posted by ohcello

DVDs are pretty important, but not to the point that I'd spend $299 for the cheapest Oppo vs. $120-$150 for a decent Sony with source direct. Are there any other players that use the ABT-based chip that are cheaper than $299?

Originally Posted by ohcello

I checked =)... yes it handles 480i from my cable box no problem and it seems to do a pretty good job. it's a bit soft at 114" diagonal, but to be expected. DVD's look pretty good now, but I guess I'm really pushing the limits when you get a bad transfer DVD on that large a screen

Originally Posted by rdgrimes

Yes. 114" + DVD = Oppo BDP-83 in my book. But if you're happy with the image you get from a 480i input, then anything with 480i output will do. Unless you also want SACD, DVD-A, file playback and DNLA functions in the same package.
The main difference will be on crappy DVD transfers, where ABT really shines. Old TV shows and the like, with interlacing errors all over the place, will separate the 2 very quickly.

Originally Posted by ohcello

Well it's a good thing that the $500 oppo is not a waste of money.....good to hear....however I cannot spend that much on a blu-ray player right now (or ever perhaps).

That's disappointing that the S570 was noticeably worse than the Oppo 83 even with blu-ray.... the S470 and S570 were on my 'lower end short list'....

Originally Posted by wmcclain

The general forum consensus is that all blu-ray players produce very similar images from blu-ray sources. Display calibration may need to be tweaked slightly for different players.

-Bill

Originally Posted by FORMULA11

i had a panny BD85 its DVD performance was very poor compared to my oppo 970 DVD player

Originally Posted by rdgrimes

Might be worthwhile to first confirm that the display can accept 480i over HDMI.

Originally Posted by ohcello

Well it's a good thing that the $500 oppo is not a waste of money.....good to hear....however I cannot spend that much on a blu-ray player right now (or ever perhaps).

That's disappointing that the S570 was noticeably worse than the Oppo 83 even with blu-ray.... the S470 and S570 were on my 'lower end short list'....

Originally Posted by Spoffo

I agonized at some length between the Oppo 83 and 80 earlier this year, but ultimately decided that the upcharge for the 83 was too much for what even Oppo admits is a very subtle difference, visible mostly on very large screens.

When I subsequently upgraded my ancient plasma to a Panny 54VT25, I thought I might be pushing my luck with the Oppo 80, but after a month of pretty critical viewing, I am still amazed at how good my old DVDs look. With the Oppo outputting 1080p, I often find myself checking the bitrate off the disk because the PQ looks so close to BluRay.

If you're feeling budget constrained on going for an 83, I'd say you can't go wrong with the 80.

Originally Posted by Spoffo

I agonized at some length between the Oppo 83 and 80 earlier this year, but ultimately decided that the upcharge for the 83 was too much for what even Oppo admits is a very subtle difference, visible mostly on very large screens.

When I subsequently upgraded my ancient plasma to a Panny 54VT25, I thought I might be pushing my luck with the Oppo 80, but after a month of pretty critical viewing, I am still amazed at how good my old DVDs look. With the Oppo outputting 1080p, I often find myself checking the bitrate off the disk because the PQ looks so close to BluRay.

If you're feeling budget constrained on going for an 83, I'd say you can't go wrong with the 80.

Originally Posted by ChrisW6ATV

There is plenty of discussion of the DVD upscaling and/or deinterlacing performance of many Blu-ray players, but I don't remember ever seeing an actual description of what poor performance from a Blu-ray player will look like. I am referring to actual scenes in regular movies. Again, there are many comparisons of results with HQV or other test discs, but are there any lists of specific movie DVDs with scene times that will really show an obvious difference between a good (or great) player and a poor (or average) one, on normal Hollywood content?

Also, here is a general question about the performance differences. How will good versus bad upscaling differ compared to, say, the difference between the original and remastered Gangs Of New York Blu-ray discs, or the obvious problems with the Lethal Weapon 2 Blu-ray disc and similar ones, or between an anamorphic and non-anamorphic DVD of a movie?

Thank you to anyone who can point me to discs/scenes I could use to compare among players I own, or compare to other players.

Originally Posted by joeriz

Hello all,

I just purchased a Samsung PN58C550 Plasma. So far, it appears to be a fabulous display: fantastic picture, no "buzz" issue. I've done searches on this subject but haven't come to any conclusions yet so thought I'd start a new thread.

I have a decent collection of DVDs and I'm about ready to take the plunge on a Blu Ray player. I'm wondering what the general consensus is on the best way to view regular DVDs on a high-def display. My searches thus far have led me to believe that using a Blu Ray player with good upconversion is the way to go in the more reasonable (say, up to $500) price ranges.

Right now I'm leaning towards the Panasonic DMP-BD85 which seems to be fairly well respected and has all of the features/flexibility I would like. I'm also considering the Oppo BDP-83 as it sounds like the "cream of the crop" for reasonable money. However, it lacks many of the features of newer players (mainly the wifi stuff). The Samsung display does have wifi capability, however, so perhaps this is not an issue. I assume I can use that for streaming Netflix, YouTube, etc. Is that a correct assumption?

In any case, any advice would be greatly appreciated as to how to get the most out of my DVDs with the new display. My current DVD player is a Denon DVD-2910. Is there any scenario under which the Denon might be a good choice (e.g. just change some internal settings on the Denon and connect right to the Samsung via HDMI or some such arrangement)?

Thanks very much,
Joe

Originally Posted by Jacob305

I own the oppo blu ray player and also the oppo 971 dvd player. the 971 dvd player is very decent is probably better with dvds then the panasonic. my problem is that the oppo share the same remote. I placed the 971 upstairs in the computer. should be fine there.

Jacob

Originally Posted by Jacob305

I tried that.. it didnt work well for me.
I am using the harmony remote.
Jacob

Originally Posted by welwynnick

I've had lots of DVD, HD DVD and BD players, and processors, and the ones I prefer use HQV processing.

However, my LG BH200 really holds its own with everything - QDEO processing, which I really rate.

I currently own:

Denon DVD-A1UD
Denon DVD-5910
Denon 3800BD
Denon 2500BD
NuForce Oppo BDP-83
Toshiba EP35
Toshiba XA-2
LG BH200
Pioneer DV79
DVDO VP50
Denon DVP-602

I guess its time to rationalize!

Nick

Originally Posted by joeriz

OK...I wound up purchasing the Panasonic BD85K Blu-Ray player for use with my Samsung PN58C550 plasma. As I'm trying to figure out what setup offers the best picture quality with regular DVDs, I have the Panny hooked up to the Samsung via both HDMI and component cables. This way I am able to switch back and forth between inputs to see which looks better. So far, I think I prefer the component connection in terms of picture quality. It just looks 'smoother' overall while the image from the HDMI input looks a bit like it's 'trying too hard' to be HD when it really isn't. I suppose this could be attributed to one (or more) of several things:

1) My TV does a better job of upconverting the DVDs than the Blu-Ray player.
2) The inputs on my TV have not been sufficiently tweaked/optimized for the signals they are receiving.
3) I need to alter some settings on the Blu-Ray player to get the best from it's internal upconverter.
4) something(s) I haven't thought of yet...

Any thoughts or advice on how to proceed from here would be helpful.

Thanks!
Joe