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Comparing HDMI and component PQ

577 Views 4 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  jawatkin, 
M
As you can see, I'm as newbie as newbie can be. First post.

I'm leaning toward purchasing the Zenith Z50PX2D over the Panny TH-50PX60U because of:

a. $900 price diff.

b. pc input

c. $900 price diff.

One drawback the Z50 has is having only 1 HDMI slot, compared with 2 for the TH-50.

I was just wondering if anyone could tell me how significant the PQ reduction will be by abandoning HDMI for component or s-video with a DVD player (likely the Oppo 971H)?

Will I sadly feel like I'm still watching a DVD on my 13-year-old Sony Trinitron or will upconverting to 720 or 1080 -- even through component -- be the mindblowing experience I'm salivating for?

Thanks in advance for your reply.
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wmcclain
Quote:
Originally Posted by merkinball
As you can see, I'm as newbie as newbie can be. First post.

I'm leaning toward purchasing the Zenith Z50PX2D over the Panny TH-50PX60U because of:

a. $900 price diff.

b. pc input

c. $900 price diff.

One drawback the Z50 has is having only 1 HDMI slot, compared with 2 for the TH-50.

I was just wondering if anyone could tell me how significant the PQ reduction will be by abandoning HDMI for component or s-video with a DVD player (likely the Oppo 971H)?

Will I sadly feel like I'm still watching a DVD on my 13-year-old Sony Trinitron or will upconverting to 720 or 1080 -- even through component -- be the mindblowing experience I'm salivating for?

Thanks in advance for your reply.
The Oppo 971 is recommended for its DVI port only, not component or s-video. The 970 has good component output (and HDMI) but, like most players, does not upconvert copyprotected material over component. (This is a licensing, not a technical issue). There is an unsupported firmware hack to get around this.


As for DVD quality: I am very pleased with my Oppo 971. Standard definition DVDs have a level of detail many people are not used to seeing and the results can be very impressive with a good player. HOWEVER: SD-DVD contains only 480 vertical lines of resolution and there is no way this can compete with the 720 or 1080 lines of HD sources.


Mindblowing? I would say "pleased that I am getting everything the format allows".


As for the general issue of component vs HDMI: they should be of comparable quality (it depends on the specific hardware) but component sources are being restricted for purposes of Digital Rights Management.


-Bill
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M
Bill, thanks for the feedback.

I didn't think about this before but if I wanted to take advantage of the HDMI that the 970 offers, for under $100 I could get an HDMI switcher, making it a moot point that the zenith only has 1 HDMI port.
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TomHuffman
Sometimes using the HDMI connection improves picture quality. For example, the Toshiba HD DVD player gives a somewhat sharper/more detailed image over HDMI than over component. However, with regular DVDs it generally doesn't matter much, so long as the player has good component performance (not all do). In fact, component sometimes looks a little better.


No, upconverting SD DVDs will NOT blow your mind. In fact, you may not even be able to tell a difference. I always recommend the Panasonic S97 for component performance.


Not a lot is known about the picture quality of this Zenith plasma. I've never seen one. The Panny, on the other hand, is well-known as one of the better performers.
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J
Quote:
Originally Posted by merkinball
As you can see, I'm as newbie as newbie can be. First post.

I'm leaning toward purchasing the Zenith Z50PX2D over the Panny TH-50PX60U because of:

a. $900 price diff.

b. pc input

c. $900 price diff.

One drawback the Z50 has is having only 1 HDMI slot, compared with 2 for the TH-50.

I was just wondering if anyone could tell me how significant the PQ reduction will be by abandoning HDMI for component or s-video with a DVD player (likely the Oppo 971H)?

Will I sadly feel like I'm still watching a DVD on my 13-year-old Sony Trinitron or will upconverting to 720 or 1080 -- even through component -- be the mindblowing experience I'm salivating for?

Thanks in advance for your reply.
Also, check the various online retailers (reputable ones, like forum sponsors) and you might find that there is much less than a $900 price difference between the Zenith and the Panasonic....


Justin
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