Need help picking a DVD player to "hold me over" until the format war is over

IN the $150 or less category, the Sony NS75H (or it's Costco-exclusive cousin the 71H-I think) should do nicely. The Costco edition does include a 6' HDMI cable. Upscales to 720p/1080i via HDMI.

Of course any decent DVD player might look good on the Elite, since the TV will upscale ext video to native resolution. So a player with component outs may be all you need.

Many here love their Oppo's. They have more "bells and whistles" than the Sony (which, from what others post here, seems to be the Oppo units major price pont competetor) and get numerous firmware updates from the factory.

But if you just want a solid, inexpensive Region 1 player that can actually be found at a store near you, the Sony is very nice.

I own the Sony DVP-NS75H and I believe it is at the top of the heap for budget region 1 DVD-V playback that is available at Best Buy or similar stores. It doesn't do much, but what it does do, it does very well. If you need all-region, SACD/DVD-A in addition to the equal of the NS75H, and great service, the Oppo DV970HD is really a good value.

Chris

Just a quick FYI.....

The Sony NS75H just got a pretty glowing Benchmark review (link to it on the NS75H thread).

Reviewer claims it's the nicest p. scan Sony he's seen in some time.

The longer people wait to see the end of the HD format war...the longer the war will drag on!!!

If you sit on the fencepost and say...Well I'm gonna wait till the war is over...It might not ever end....

PICK A FORMAT AND SUPPORT IT!!! *SHEESH*

Don't you people realize that you are only prolonging this situation!

The only way the "war" will end is when the avg consumer is assured that one format will be supported industry-wide over a long stretch of time. Only then will consumers fully back one or the other.

Few want to dedicate their $$ to one format only to see it lose the battle in 6-12 months time. And even less can afford to support both.

BluRay will likely win (the software sales have surpassed HD-DVD 2 to 1 according to thedigitalbits.com), but the cost of players needs to drop to below PS3 prices before mass-acceptance kicks in.

Either way, the major loser in the HD format wars is us, the HD-hungry consumers. And from what I've heard about this, we all have HD-DVD backer Microsoft to thank for the war in the 1st place (but that's another rant altogether...)

The format war will not end for years, if ever, IMO, although waiting for more choices among universal players may be smart.

The format war is an unfortunate sideshow, but I bought one of each refurbished for $540 total plus $65 shipping, the HD-A1 and Samsung BD-P1000. I doubt if I ever buy another HD DVD player and hope to wait a couple of years for a better Blu-ray player. Both formats are great but with better hardware manufacturers and better studio support favoring Blu-ray, I wouldn't be concerned about buying Blu-ray now, it seems a clear cut winner at this time with no way for HD DVD to turn that around. Can both survive for years? Maybe, but HD DVD sure can't be a knockout winner early.

I don't know much about the LG player, but it isn't highly regarded as far as HD DVD design and functioning so I decided one of each was the better deal for me now. The HD-A1 is also a really good standard DVD player as far as video quality, but it is sure a clunky device to use. If I was only going to buy one now, it would be Blu-ray.

Chris

If the format war is to end, then companies need to make up their minds and all decide what they'll support. I mean, as much as I prefer the quality of HD-DVD and the format as a whole, I can't deny that many of the titles people would love to see in HD are on Blu-Ray, I mean... the Fox Studio titles alone...

Anywho, your situation depends. Have you had an upconverting player before? If not, then I suggest the Oppo 970, it's $150. The great price point here, is that it also includes its own HDMI cable. Those buggers are expensive in and of themselves usually. Oppo is good for the price, and just plain good overall.

As more and more dual format players come out, the "war"will be a moot point and you won't miss content. But this is all off-topic. To the OP, the Sony and Oppos are excellent SD DVD players to look at.

Why wait for the format war to be over when you can pick up an HD-A1 for < 300 which really not that much more than a good upconverting DVD player.
Why waste the capabilities of a great TV with anything less than HD discs for what, a little over a $100 difference in cost from a quality upconverting player
My 2cents
-Craig
HDA1 best $250 I ever spent

Well, yes, if you have a 1920 x 1080 screen that accepts a 1080p signal. But remember that standard DVDs only have 720 x 480 pixels, so there is only so much that can be done in scaling them to a larger screen.


That does not compute. Note that they send these guys to a special school where they learn to say things like that.


You can set the player to 720p and bypass that extra scaling.


That presumes the display is better at deinterlacing scaling than the player. People have an urgent need to believe this; I don't know why. It may be true...sometimes.


The PS3 has gotten pretty poor reviews for SD-DVD playback, so far. Of course, it plays Blu-Ray.

If you want an SD-DVD player I would recommend the Oppo 970 at $149.. You have the choice of 480i, 480p, 720p and 1080i over HDMI and 480i/p over component. Plasma owners sometimes report enhanced macroblocking with Faroudja-chip players like the Oppo 971/981; that won't happen with 970.

-Bill

Good luck! Use a calibration disc for best results: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...&&#post9889995

-Bill

What are the main differences between the Oppo 970 and the Sony NS75H? I'm sort of torn between the two of them.

Here are some test reports:

Sony: http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=all&type=&manufacturer=5&maxprice=0&deInt=0&mpeg=0#SonyDVP-NS75H%20(HDMI)

Oppo: http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=all&type=&manufacturer=68&maxprice=0&deInt=0&mpeg=0#Oppo%20DigitalDV-970HD%20(HDMI)

They score about the same. I went with Oppo (971 and 981) because I was impressed with their customer service and frequent firmware upgrades. I don't know about Sony's record in that regard.

-Bill

I have the Sony and really like it. The following post pretty much sums up the difference.


If you're a Costco member, they carry an "exclusive" version of the Sony, the NS71H. Same unit internally as the 75H, but comes packaged with a 6' HDMI cable for about $130. I paid about the same for the 75H on sale from BB and an 8' HDMI cable from Target.

I will soon be the owner of a Denon 4306 and need an "interim" DVD player just like the OP. We are finally making the jump to HD and will be adding a 56" Samsung LED DLP (HL-T5687S). Is there any reason not to look at the Denon 1730?

A few other small things. The OPPO does SACD and DVD-Audio and has 5.1 analog outs. The Sony has none of this. The OPPO also upscales DVD copies to 1080i -- and I don't think the Sony does. The Sony will be easier to integrate into a non-programmable remote since most have the Sony remote codes.

You purchased above average TV and AVR why cut yourself short with a low end DVD player? The Toshiba XA2 is the best SD DVD upscaler at any price and also plays HD DVDs. Do your setup justice and buy the XA2. It can be had for about $650-700 on line. You will not be disappointed.

I have both the XA2 and OPPO 970 and although the 970 is great price performance the XA2 will give you the HD video experience with DVDs. Sure you are not going to all the details of HD, but you get slightly "coarse grained HD" -- with the same beautiful colors, smooth solid areas and 3D look. Another way of saying this is that at enough distance from the display and you would have a diffficult time telling the difference between HD DVD and SD DVD. The XA2 is the best pricie performance SD DVD player in its price range (even ignoring the fact that it also does HD DVD).