Is it worth upgrading to HD DVD with only a 720p 42inch set

yes, you'll see a noticeable difference (depending on seating distance). i have a 32" set and bd/hd is noticeably better on my tv.

I notice a significant difference with my 42" 768p set. It depends on the title and the viewing distance, but one of the things to remember is that you're much less likely to get serious artifacting on HD DVDs. Artifacting seems much more common in DVDs, and at this resolution and TV size may in fact be the more important consideration.

You'll notice a difference. Just pop in Hot Fuzz and you'll be amazed.

IMO it's worth it even on a EDTV.

I have a 720p 56 incher and the difference is day and night in most cases. So yes, its worth getting the HD-DVD player in your case.

YES from me also with a 768 rear pro

52" and 32" 720p sets and I can notice the difference.

42" 768 plasma and never been happyier.

I find posts like this one sad. Electronics companies have through their touting of "Full HD" or what ever nonsense they call 1080p, have caused people with HD sets to question whether they are good enough or not. I wonder how many people have contemplated buying a player only to refrain because their TV isn't "True High Definition".

Most definetly yes. Go for it and enjoy.

HD DVDs and upconverted DVDs looked noticeably better on my 720p 46-incher when I upgraded to an HD DVD player from a $70 DVD player.

If HD looks better than SD on your set, then HD DVD will look better than DVD. The HD DVD signal is basically an HD signal from cable or OTA, that doens't have compression artifiacts.

Adam

Ya I know, but that's marketting you know. Convince people they need to upgrade their perfectly working TV for a more expensive model. A buddy of mine is all 1080p 1080p. He's going to be shocked when he realized he paid a premium for not much better PQ.

Yes.

Well, the the truth is that 1920x1080p native display sets do have a potential advantage over 720p/768p screens, especially when you are talking about larger sizes (like 60" and above). And it depends on your viewing distance, of course. If you sit relatively close to even a smaller 1080p display, you will probably see some additional detail that might not be visible on a lower resolution display with good 1920x1080 HD source material. Still, at normal living room viewing distances (like 8 to 12 ft), it is impossible to see any resolution difference between a 42" 1280x720p display and a 42" 1920x1080p display (assuming all other PQ attributes like color, black level/contrast, etc. are basically equal).

Bottom line is... get the HD DVD player! You will be knocked out by the PQ.

Agreed. I was at a retailer this weekend that I used to think hired knowledgeable salespeople who gave good advice-a retailer I've been going to for the past 10 years buying everything from a VCR to a plasma TV to my HD-A1.

Anyhow, I was looking to buy a new bedroom TV in the 20-27" range and he had the audacity to tell me that nobody made an HDTV in those sizes. I asked him what he was talking about, as several manufacturers made HDTVs in that size and he said that the best you could do at that size was 720p.

Er, yeah. 720p is an HDTV standard, and at any reasonable viewing distance I challenge anyone to show me a difference between that and 1080p on a TV that size.

Sorry, that just annoyed me. I guess Best Buy moving in a few years ago has hurt these guys so badly that they can't afford to hire salespeople who know what the hell they're talking about.

Resolution is not the only factor that makes watching HDTV so much better. With a 720p set, you are also getting the benefit of the better color and less compression artifacts that come with HD-DVD, equally as important as resolution I think. As has already been stated, you might not even be able to tell the difference between 720 and 1080 at that size, depending on your seating distance. If your tv is an HDTV, 1080 or not, it's definitely worth upgrading your player to HD-DVD.

Yep, way worth it.

I used to have a 42 inch 768p Sony rear projection LCD and I say unequivocally that it was worth it to buy HDDVD. You will without a doubt notice the difference at the seating distance you mentioned.

Definitely. I have a 42" plasma with 1024 x 1080 resolution (1080i), which is closer to 720p than it is to 1080p. In my experience, the best DVDs are comparable to the worst HD DVDs at normal viewing distance (10'). But the best HD DVDs are significantly better at any distance. I find myself wanting to sit closer to get the full effect.

Also, do not discount the improvement in audio, which is half of the experience.

I have a 42" Panny EDTV Plasma and couldn't be happier. I was much like yourself...pretty skeptical...at first. But no worries now. I watched Hot Fuzz last night on mine and WOW...very nice.

Don't think twice...dive in!

yes get one, I can't stand SD tv and movies now that I have Hd. Also I noticed your going with a 84 inch screen, is this because of room size? I would hold off on getting a screen until you can project it onto your wall. I did it this way and found 84 way to small. projecting onto a wall looks really good, so don't be afraid to try that.