Looking for recommendations for Upconvert DVD player

[ChineseGuy]

I've been trying to find a DVD player that can output 720p or 1080i over component out. So far I was only able to find those that can do what I need via HDMI, and the best I've seen with component is 480p, which is not really up convert at all.

Any recommendations?

Preferably one that can do PAL and NTSC discs

 

[Shawn]

I don't know of any that can.

 

[ChineseGuy]

Hmm, don't know why this never came up on my previous google searches... But I found this page with google this time around...

http://www.bigpicturebigsound....pconversion-1251.shtml

In the site, it linked me to look into helios...
http://www.helios-labs.com/us/...h4000_tech_Specs.shtml

I went ahead and ordered one online, so we'll see how this holds up.

 

[biggestmuff]

What's the native resolution of your display panel?

 

[techwanabe]

Originally posted by: ChineseGuy
I've been trying to find a DVD player that can output 720p or 1080i over component out. So far I was only able to find those that can do what I need via HDMI, and the best I've seen with component is 480p, which is not really up convert at all.

Any recommendations?

Preferably one that can do PAL and NTSC discs

What I'm wondering is how can you take a source that is 480 lines of resolution and magically make it more. That doesn't seem possible. Is there something I'm missing? You can't take a 640x480 pixel digital photograph and make it 1080x768 either.

 

[ChineseGuy]

Originally posted by: biggestmuff
What's the native resolution of your display panel?

I think it's only 800x600 (it's a projector)

 

[ChineseGuy]

Originally posted by: techwanabe

Originally posted by: ChineseGuy
I've been trying to find a DVD player that can output 720p or 1080i over component out. So far I was only able to find those that can do what I need via HDMI, and the best I've seen with component is 480p, which is not really up convert at all.

Any recommendations?

Preferably one that can do PAL and NTSC discs

What I'm wondering is how can you take a source that is 480 lines of resolution and magically make it more. That doesn't seem possible. Is there something I'm missing? You can't take a 640x480 pixel digital photograph and make it 1080x768 either.

Digital photography is an excellent example. This is sorta off topic, but just couple months ago, I had to make some posters for a band, and all the pictures they provided are tiny (something like 640x480) As you can imagine if I just had the image stretched out to 11inx17in at 150dpi... that would be 1650x2250, thats a lot of magical pixels. I used a program call Genuine Fractals which resamples the image and gave me the pixels I needed. The poster that was printed looked very good. It's not crystal clear compared to lets say an 8MP source with some real pixels, but with the proper technique, magical pixels can go a long way.

 

[ChineseGuy]

OK, so I just got an email from the vendor, apparently its out of stock. So I just canceled my order. Upon further digging in a few home theater forums, the player Oppo DV-970HD is recommended at lot. It seems like it will work, but it just needs a firmware hack. So now I am hunting for one of those now...

 

[biggestmuff]

Originally posted by: ChineseGuy

Originally posted by: biggestmuff
What's the native resolution of your display panel?

I think it's only 800x600 (it's a projector)

You won't see any appreciable benefit from an upconverting DVD player. Save your money for an HD-capable projector or television set.

 

[ChineseGuy]

Originally posted by: biggestmuff

Originally posted by: ChineseGuy

Originally posted by: biggestmuff
What's the native resolution of your display panel?

I think it's only 800x600 (it's a projector)

You won't see any appreciable benefit from an upconverting DVD player. Save your money for an HD-capable projector or television set.

That would be next on the list to buy. I was planning to upgrade the dvd player first, then the projector. But I have ran 720p content on that projector before through my xbox, and it looks a lot better than the 480p content.

 

[techwanabe]

Speaking of upverting...

I am getting a 46-inch 1080P LCD HDTV. I have a Panasonic DVD player with progressive scan ability. I heard that Lord of the Rings will not be out in HD until 2011. How will that movie look on my new HD TV played on a progressive scan DVD player?

 

[ChineseGuy]

Originally posted by: techwanabe
Speaking of upverting...

I am getting a 46-inch 1080P LCD HDTV. I have a Panasonic DVD player with progressive scan ability. I heard that Lord of the Rings will not be out in HD until 2011. How will that movie look on my new HD TV played on a progressive scan DVD player?

How are you connecting your Panasonic DVD to your HDTV?

 

[dainthomas]

Originally posted by: techwanabe
I heard that Lord of the Rings will not be out in HD until 2011.

Sweet! By then bluray might even be as cheap as what I paid for my A2!

 

[techwanabe]

Originally posted by: ChineseGuy

Originally posted by: techwanabe
Speaking of upverting...

I am getting a 46-inch 1080P LCD HDTV. I have a Panasonic DVD player with progressive scan ability. I heard that Lord of the Rings will not be out in HD until 2011. How will that movie look on my new HD TV played on a progressive scan DVD player?

How are you connecting your Panasonic DVD to your HDTV?

I have component cables. If that is the proper cables for the best picture then that will be all set.

My question was how do DVD movies look on a 1080P LCD TV played on a progressive scan DVD player?

 

[ChineseGuy]

Originally posted by: techwanabe

Originally posted by: ChineseGuy

Originally posted by: techwanabe
Speaking of upverting...

I am getting a 46-inch 1080P LCD HDTV. I have a Panasonic DVD player with progressive scan ability. I heard that Lord of the Rings will not be out in HD until 2011. How will that movie look on my new HD TV played on a progressive scan DVD player?

How are you connecting your Panasonic DVD to your HDTV?

I have component cables. If that is the proper cables for the best picture then that will be all set.

My question was how do DVD movies look on a 1080P LCD TV played on a progressive scan DVD player?

I don't claim to know the exact answer, but this is what I think it is.

It depends on the dvd player, component is technically able to carry 1080p signal, but due to copyright protection stuff, most dvd player manufacturer would only limit 480i/480p, very few manufacturers will do 720p or 1080p. That's what I found out through my research. But good news, there are dvd players out there that can do 720p or 1080p via component, some are from "sketchy" china companies, others require firmware hack.

To answer your question, progressive scan player doesn't tell me much because it could just be playing your dvd at 480p, which is really not all that impressive. From what I read online, dvd players that upconvert to 720 or 1080 resolution does improve the picture quality, some claim that it looks comparable to blueray or hd-dvd, which I am kinda skeptical, but that's what I read. It's a two part question, one is due to the player, one is due to the display. even if your display can handle 1080p, it might not be getting a 1080p signal.

I was going to order a Helio H4000 to try, but was unable to find a vendor that has it in stock. Now I placed an order for an Oppo DV-970HD, which doesn't upconvert out of the box, but with firmware hack, it will do 720 and 1080 via component. It was also hard to find a vendor for this player, so hopefully the one I placed an order with has it in stock.