[mortys1]

I have a 42 PWD6UY coming next week ! (Good News)


I am looking at getting the Samsung 931 DVD player that has DVI output and Faroudja DCDI. ( on DVI out only...bad news)


I would also need to order the Panny DVI "blade" / card ( $200.00 ).


Because this is the non HD model, is this waste of money?


Should I just get another good DVD player and save on the cost of the card?


Is a progressive scan player a waste also, since it is a non HD panel?




Thanks for the feedback!

 

[blackbody]

I have pwd6uy and also the dvi card. I just picked up the hd931 and was ready to be blown away by the PQ of all-digital setup.


I must say I'm somewhat dissapointed. The PQ is marginally, if at all, better than my component setup with JVC dvd player and blue-jeans cable.


I did go through AVIA trying to calibrate hd931 and had trouble with contrast setting. No matter how I change the level of contrast, the moving bars at the bottom half of the screen did not change at all. In the end I set the contrast while setting brightness ...


Considering the total cost of DVI setup ran close to $500 it may be more economical to go with a good quality component DVD player and good cable instead.


All in all, PQ of DVD seem vastly inferior to PQ of good HDTV feed (eg. PBS HD loop) even for the latest ones like two towers. Throw in poorly produced DVD (eg. 1941), it is almost unwatchable to these eyes now exposed to HDTV.

 

[Joe Murphy Jr]

#1 Read the WidescreenReview article on the Samsung HD931 by Greg Rogers. There are some issues with the DVI output on this player. It doesn't pass below black or above white (ie, you're not getting the entire video signal via DVI). This is why many people find it difficult to use test patterns to calibrate Brightness and Contrast on the HD931. However, because a different chip is used for the analog outputs, you get the full video signal via analog.


#2 Search the DVD Hardware forum for information on this player. Plenty of info on the pluses and minuses.


#3 If you want a good pattern for setting contrast ratio on a plasma, use the Snell&Wilcox test signals on VE and DVE (the white box is actually a box within a box) or the pattern at c13 t2 on DVE (same white box type of setup as the Snell&Wilcox pattern, but bigger boxes). Unfortunately, I haven't seen the Avia disc, so I don't know what patterns it uses for this part of the calibration.

 

[cheridave]

blackbody posted:


"I must say I'm somewhat dissapointed. The PQ is marginally, if at all, better than my component setup with JVC dvd player and blue-jeans cable."


What you have just experienced is a normal phenomenon of the "DVI vs. Component" input. There are only a few advantages of DVI---


1. 1 cable vs. 3.


2. Less A/D Conversion.


3. None or less Picture Artifacts, Noise, etc.


Most people have claimed that the PQ differences are negligible.


But don't be disappointed, you are Copy Protected.


Dave