Hey there Axiom buddies...
I know this isn't about speakers, so I hope you won't care
In addition to my awesome Axiom speakers and Denon 2805, I also have a Sanyo Z2 WXGA projector. It has DVI and componant hookups. I was thinking about replacing my older Toshiba Prog. Scan player with one of the newer upconverting DVD players out there. Reading the posts on AVS gives me a headache, so I was curious if anybody on this site has one of the many players offering this technology. It would also be nice if I could find someone that has the Z2 so I can get accurate advice.
Randy
I don't have mine yet, but I plan on getting the Denon DVD-1910 when I get my projector. It has upconverting ability to give a native signal of 720p to the projector.
The Denon 1910 and 2910 (i believe) are also on my list of options. Some of the AVS owners have claimed though that the Denon will stretch 4:3 material when using DVI and you can't adjust that, even on the projector. I've heard the momitsu 880 deluxe will play 4:3 in its native format via DVI. Not that I watch a lot of 4:3 material, but when I do I would like it normal..... I believe Samsung is do to come out with a new HD941 model to replace the 931, which supposably has a black crush problem.
I have the Denon 1910 hooked up to a Sammy DLP (HLN series). I see a noticable difference in picture quality over the Denon 910 I have hooked up via component. My TV has only 1 DVI input, so I had to buy a switch, but I think it is well worth it. A well mastered DVD looks fantastic via DVI on the 1910.
Scott
Yes, that's always the key isn't it. Well mastered. Just like audio. The more you can see/hear the better or worse it is depending upon the source material.
Yes. The better mastered the source, the better the quality no matter what player. So far though, every DVD I have played in the 1910 via DVI looks better than the same DVD in the 910 via component. Image seems sharper. Even my wife has noticed a difference.
Scott
I have heard that many of these types of players DO come close to High Definition. If I get one I'll have to test that theory. I already own an OTA (over the air) HD receiver for my upstairs TV, and High Def is amazing, haven't had time to hook it up to my Sanyo at a 120" diag, yipee
I have a Samsung HD931 and the PQ is excellent, I don't really see any major issues with Black. I am looking to pickup a Denon 2910 since I want to go SACD/DVD-A and also the PQ is supposed to be even better... I dunno how, its already Awesome!
What is your price range? The Denon 1910 is supposed to have Macroblocking issues.... Seems like nothing is perfect.
I have read a ton on the macroblocking. I am still not certain exactly what it is. If I have it, I do not know it. I have looked for it on numerous DVD's, but have not seen anything noticable. I will say that the new Star Wars Trilogy DVD's look awesome. As near hi-def as I have seen from a DVD. I have only viewed them on the 1910 via DVI. I want to compare them using my Denon 910 via component. See how much of a difference.
Scott
Those Star Wars dvd's were prepped by a company out here in SoCal called Lowry Digital. They've done the work on a few other re-releases and my god the stuff they do is amazing. If you like Sergio Leone movies, grab the new remastered "Once Upon a Time in the West". Wow...it looks like it was filmed yesterday. I have a couple of friends that work there, so I'm always digging for info on any new projects they start on.
Heck I think the Star Wars Trilogy looks awesome using my Progressive Scan Toshiba player, I can't imagine it getting better, but it sounds like it does. On the 1910 is it true what I've heard about viewing DVD's that are in a 4:3 ratio, that they get stretched to fill the screen? I've heard some of the other players don't do this (momitsu, bravo, and Zenith)
"Let me tell ya what Melba Toast is packin"
To be honest, I don't know. I have not tried any 4:3 material. I have had my 1910 for about a month and have been rewatching alot of movies in my DVD library to see how they look. I will try to get some 4:3 and let you know.
Scott
thanks Scott, that would be great...On another note how long of a DVI cable are you using. I'll need to go about 15-18' to get to my projector, hopefully that is not an issue.
I have a 3m going from DVD player to a Geffen DVI switch. Then another 3m cable from the switch to the TV. The cable from the DVD to switch is made by Geffen and came with the switch. The cable from the switch to the TV is a Monster DVI cable.
Scott
So is there anybody else out there that can comment on their experiences with upconverting DVD players? (samsung, toshiba, momitsu, bravo, zenith, denon)
Pretty Please with sugar on top.....
Well, I have the Samsung 931 and I just got the Denon 1910. I picked up the Denon because the Samsung seemed slow to start, etc, and had some pixelation. So far, the Denon seems to be much smoother. Picture looks awesome on my Mitsubishi 65" RPTV through DVI...
Well since you specifically mentioned the brand, I've had both the Bravo D1 and Bravo D2. Both have FABULOUS picture quality via DVI. The D1 had build quality problems, but I was treated admirably by V, INC, which refunded my money after more than 6 months. I was one of the first in line for the D2. I haven't had one single problem with it.
If you lose power, or turn it completely off, rather than just put it into standby (the display reads "off" when it's it standby; it's blank when the unit is completely off) it will forget your settings and default to it's initial settings when you power it back up. But, there is a firmware upgrade available on the V, INC web site which fixes this, and I would suspect the current models come with the newer firmware. I got mine back in June.
I've heard that there can be problems with the D2 and long DVI cable runs to some (but not all) projectors. And, though I'm not certain, it seems to be a factor of the cable quality. I'm running a 3 ft. DVI cable to a Gefen 4x1 DVI switch, and a 9 ft. DVI cable from the Gefen to my Samsung HLN4365W HDTV. No problems. On occasion, the Sammy has trouble with the HDCP handshake, but that is a Gefen problem, NOT a D2 problem. It doesn't happen often enough to be a major annoyance.
The sound quality is as good as any player I've ever had.
All in all, I'm VERY happy with the D2.
Thanks a bunch Jack, the Bravo D2 is one of the players I'm considering for my Z2. I had also heard some of the bugs in the D2 have been resolved. As far as the Z2 goes I've heard the following on AVS: with the Samsung's there is a black crush issue, not sure if the newer 941 has this problem, for the Zenith's there is a pixelation problem around the border of the screen, with the Denon's 4:3 material is stretched to fit the screen, and finally the Bravo's and Momitsu's are supposed to be spectacular with the Z2. So maybe I've answered my own question.
As far as DVI goes, I think DVI-D high quality cable would be the way to go, I've viewed some very attractive deals on Ebay for supposably high quality cables. I need to measure but I think I need about a 16' cable.
On another note, I see your a Browns fan? Do you live in Cleveland? If so, have you ever heard of Hyland Software? They are one of the leading Document Imaging solutions in the industry. I am a System Administrator of their products at my company, The Principal Financial Group in Des Moines, Iowa.......
Anyway, thanks for your advice...Randy
Glad to help Randy. And yes, I'm in a western suburb of Cleveland. Haven't heard of Hyland Software. I'm only connected to the computer industry by the money I spend on my computer.
I've got a Sammy 941 on order from Amazon. There is a post on AVS stating "
The DVD941 will be shipping next week, according to the head of training at Samsung today (yesterday). Hopefully, assuming this is accurate, I'll be one of the first to get the 941. If I get one, I'll let you know what I think.
I have the Samsung HD841. PQ is excellent, although I am sometimes aware of the black crush problem if I really look for it (normally means the movie is not holding my attention!). One point to note is that the remote is useless, I need to be within 4 feet of the player and directly in front to make it work. By the way I have over 6 meters of DVI cable in my wall and no PQ issues. I am also thinking about an upgrade to one of the new Denon models, mmmmmm the 3910 looks good!
thanks expatbrit, sounds like my length of DVI should not be a problem, sounds like the Sammy 941 should be out soon, will be interesting to see if the black crush is an issue. Can you tell me if 4:3 material displays it its native format, or is it stretched to fit the screen like on the Denon 1910, not sure about the 2910.....
sirquack, it will play native 4:3 out of both component and DVI. Is it confirmed that the 941 has the back crush fixed?
There have been a few people over at AVS that have mentioned they believe that issues has been addressed, but I guess only time will tell. I am really anxious to explore one of these players, especially if they work well with my Z2. My OTA High Def receiver looks absolutely fabulous, you should have seen the Olympic volleyball matches, wow.....
I have a momitsu 880 combined with a Sanyo Z2 and love the PQ. I haven't had any problems at all. I bought it back in March and for ME it's a must have for a projector. The images it produces on well mastered DVDs is great and it makes poorly mastered DVD look good too.
Legairre, I have the Bravo D2 (had the D1, also), and like your Momitsu, It has been problem free with GREAT PQ.
BUT! If you go over to the AVS forum, and read the threads about both products, you'd swear they were junk. The people with problems with a given product post their brains out, while those of us who don't just sit back and watch as the product, the company, and anybody who owns one is dismembered piece by piece.
Thus one has to take into consideration that the dissatisfied are going to be more vocal than the satisfied, creating an impression of the product which is seriously, and incorrectly, skewed toward the negative.
I found the same when inquiring about Axioms and my Denon 2805. Axioms are harsh, bright and Denons are mechanical. I don't mind some constructive feedback on possible negatives if the person gives valid points. But biased feedback with nothing to back it up really T's me off. My Axiom/Denon combination is fabulous for all listening.
Legairre, I have read many of your positive posts about the momitsu on AVS, and I appreciate the feedback. I'm really tempted to try one of the 880 deluxe models. I guess the only thing that I hesitate is customer service, if something goes wrong.....
Randy
Ajax,
I read the Momitsu and Bravo review/opinions at AVS for months before I bought mine and just like you decided that the dissatisfied will always be more vocal. People tend to only make noise when they are complaining and stay quiet when something works. If you listen to those reviews you'd never buy anything.
Just like your Bravo my Momitsu hase performed flawlessly. The Momitsu has completely changed the image quality of DVDs for me. DVDs that were hard to watch on my 104" screen are now good, and DVDs that looked good before look fantastic. The Momitsu connected with a DVI cable is the closest thing I've seen to HD thats not HD. It's not HD quality but it sure is close. In the past I would watch HD then switch to a DVD and feel like DVD was really bad. The Momitsu adds depth and detail to the image ALMOST like HD does. Note I said almst. I couldn't be happier with my purchase.
Legairre,
It's nice to hear good things about these units. I feel the same way about my Bravo D2. The DVI connection definitely makes a difference.
And remember, the Samsung 841 and 941 are some of the few upconverting dvd players that also do SACD and DVD-Audio. Exabrit, Can you comment on bass management and other audio properties of the 841?
But the 841 and 941 have issues with "black crush" where you can't see detail in dark areas.
Lagairre - that is a KILLER Home Theater!! Nice work.
The 941 has not been released yet, so there is no way to know if the black crush issue exists, or has been solved, on that particular model. We'll just have to wait and see. Since I have one on order, I'll be one of the first to "see."
I meant 841 & 931. Supposedly Samsung has delayed the 941 a bit. Lets hope they delayed it to fix the crush problems of the previous two models.
In reply to:
Lets hope they delayed it to fix the crush problems of the previous two models.
AMEN TO THAT! It was originally scheduled to ship in early July. I keep hearing, from various sources that the 941 will be shipping sometime between now and Thanksgiving. We'll just have to wait and see.
The 941 is definately one that will be on the top of my list for my Sanyo Z2. I hope they have fixed the crush issue. But the momitsu and bravo d2 are also a close second...oh yeah and don't forget the Denon's
Randy
FYI: Over at AVS (DVD Player forum) some guys have a thread about seeing the Samsung 941 on sale at Good Guys. Looks like it's finally starting to show up.
Yeah but.....one guy posted:
"
I just went to Good Guys and asked about the 941. They had no knowledge of it. So I showed them the picture of it in the flyer they were handing out at the front door. They said those were printed months in advance and that their computer said the 941 wasn't even in their warehouse.
However, the latest post says:
"
I heard it should be released sometime within Nov27th to Dec 5th...Only time will tell! If not released by these dates then I will pop for the Denon 2910.
I'm not gonna count on this unit until I get the "Your order has shipped" email from Amazon.
EDIT: Excuse me Legairre. Those posts were from a
thread that was started on Friday, not the one started today. Both threads are about the same thing.
Based on some threads over at AVS, it appears the 941 may be available for shipping at various etailers. However, there are a few on AVS that have already reported that the black crush issue is still common with this player. Looks like I may have to give the Momitsu some further thought, as many have said the Momitsu 880 deluxe and the Sanyo Z2 are a combination that is hard to beat...
Thought I would revive this older thread to see if there is any updates from anyone. Is the 941 out yet, and what about the black crush problems of the earlier models. Also, is there any new kids on the block in upconverting DVD players that would be worth a look? My main concern is that I want to use it for my Sanyo Z2 (DVI), or Z3(HDMI) if I buy one soon as it has some better specs. I have also heard about LG having a HD Receiver/Upconverting DVD combo unit. I know that the Momitsu 880 deluxe and Bravo D2 have done well with the Sanyo combination.
Oh well, lets see if anyone has any updates...Randy
The 941 is out. The Denon 2910 does upconvert...the 3910 and 5910 too.
I am a real newbie in the audiophile area, but have been a "wannabe" videophile for awhile now.
For those of you who have HD capable tvs and don't have an upconverting player, you need to get one soon. They are relatively inexpensive, usually $200-300. They are quite remarkable. A solid DVD transfer played on an upconverting player is I would say, about 75-80% of what a true HD image looks like. I throw in the Star Wars trilogy (granted three of the best transfers out there) and I simply sit there in amazement. It looks fantastic! In comparison a 480p signal is perhaps 50% of a true HD image, so there is a definite increase in PQ. Even with my small 36" tube tv, I notice a significant difference in PQ via the component connection on my Zenith 318 upconverting DVD player. Those with plasmas, DLPs, and LCDs will notice a big improvement with a DVI/HDMI upconverting player.
Now I just need a nice home theater system to make the audio as good as the video.
FWIW, the players I hear about as having the best reputations are the Momitsu 880, Sony NS975, and the Panny S97. I personally would like to try the Panasonic eventually, I have heard it is an excellent player. I thought about going with the Momitsu as I have heard it has tremendous PQ, but I was a bit wary of the build quality. The Samsungs don't seem to get good marks, but I have not seen any personally.
Yes I realize this, the problem is that previous versions of Samsungs, 841, 931, had a black crush problem, curious if the 941 suffers from this also.
Some of the Denons 1910, 2910, supposably had issues with no option to watch 4:3 material without it being stretched.
I'm with you TNTguy, my problems is that some of the players you listed have compatiblity problems with some Front Projection systems. For ex, the 318 is know for cropping pixels around the border of the screen. Also, it used to be region free, but is no longer, only Momitsu and Bravo have this option. The Samsungs have had a bad black crush problem, which is not good when your trying to get good blacks/contrast. I'll just have to do some testing soon and pick up one of these babies, as the word is that they are tremendous if you find the right model...
Quite true. If you can match a player that works well with your particular type of display, the results are awesome. For me, I have been told with my direct view tube tv, going the DVI/HDMI route won't give me improved results over a component connection just because my display will have the digital-analog-digital conversion regardless. But for those who have digital displays, DVI/HDMI will improve the picture much over a component connection. Good luck in your search.
Thanks TNTGuy
Anybody on this website using the Panasonic S97S Upconverting HDMI player? Based on current information I'm following on a few AVSforum threads, it sounds like this player does not suffer from the black crush, pixel cropping, macroblocking, etc...problems that Samsung, Zenith, Denon, etc. have experience with some of their models? Even the people with DVI front projectors that use HDMI > DVI adapters have experienced flawless performance, unlike some of the other brands....
Hey Sirquack, if you wait a good month, I am hoping to have my Z3 and the S97. I have heard very good things about this combination as well so I thought that I would give it a whirl...
It all comes down to tax return funds. My wife started her own business last year, so doing our taxes is taking forever, but I am hoping to get them done tomorrow night and get them sent out, then it is just waiting for the check in the mail, which should come about the same time as my bonus from work (found out that I am, because I am a manager, getting 14.8% as a bonus). I've never worked at a place that actually gave out bonuses, so this is awesome! Between thge two, I can pay off all of my debt (except house), get the Z3 and S97, and have money left over for vacation and Christmas. It is about time too. I am tired of paying credit card bills. I've had significant debt since 1993, so this will be a nice change.
If I happen to get everything before you end up buying, I will let you know and set up a quick demo. If you end up getting the S97 first, let me know your thoughts as well.
cool nick that sounds good, yep I've been studying up on all the upconverting DVD's and the S97S has performed as well as some costing close to a grand, for $300 or less, you can't beat that deal. I'm trying to find out who has it locally though. Where are you planning on getting your Z3 from, I got my Z2 at a place near Chicago. I'm still considering the Z3 also, as I have a buddy interested in my Z2 as it is still like new. A demo at some point would be cool, as I could see if my Axioms sound better than yours
We could test the Axioms to see just how good their manufacturing process is.
Of course, we would have to ignore room differences, receivers, source media, who serves the best snacks and drinks, and so forth...
I just got done reading Projector Centrals review of the Z3, and they are basically saying the onboard scaler on the Z3 is so good, that you don't need DVDO or an upconverting player. Hmmmm, maybe just finding a nice DVD-A, SACD DVD player and letting the Z3 do the scaling will do the trick.
Well, it happened. Sony came out with a 400 disc upconverting DVD player. Saw it over at AudioHolics web site...
Sony DVP-CX995V
http://www.audioholics.com/news/pressreleases/SonyHDMIDVDplayers.php
Uses HDMI for upconverted image. Looks like it will run about $385 street price...
But STILL no DVD-A. Gah. I understand why, but it's frustrating from a customer viewpoint.
So are you thinking about that over the Panny Nick?
Nope, still looking at the Panny S97. I like the idea of something like the Toshiba XS52 DVD recorder with hard drive and HDMI, but I don't know anyone that has one and can inform me how the PQ is on a projected screen. A few people over at AVS have one, but they all seem to be using it with plasma screens. As you know, a 100" screen shows any artifacts and upconverting problems way more than a 55" plasma...
I will be buying stuff this week, so I think I will just stick with the Panny S97, and leave the DVD writing to my PC... Don't need the hard drive either since I will be using my Dish DVR. I guess that it is last minute gitters. Kind of like when I bought my Axioms. I had it all planned out and just wanted to make sure that I was doing the right thing. The Axioms were a big success, so I am guessing that the S97 will be too (when matched with the Z3)...
I see this thread is still active...and I just purchased an LG DV7832 (Canadian model...same as Zenith 318 in the US) on the weekend.
My initial impressions (keep in mind that I'm upgrading from a 5 yr old Sony progressive!!) are VERY positive. I connected to my LG DLP with the supplied DVI-D cable. Upconversion is a noticable improvement...especially the leap from 480p to 720p (720p to 1080i is not so noticable). So far, I've left it at 720p.
Watched "Ray" on the weekend...the first hour on the old Sony, then the rest on the new LG. There's a lot of dark scenes and did notice some black crush. But still better than before.
One HUGE improvement I noticed was the layer change. When the old Sony changed, sometimes I'd wonder if it had died (OK, OK, it was more that I'd WISHED it would die!!). On the LG, if the receiver display hadn't flashed from DOLBY DIGITAL to Neo: 6, I would never had known!! Boy, this 21st century stuff is the cat's a$$.
I still have to mess around it, though. I've found different firmware revisions to fix various problems (white crush being the most common). Even though I noticed the white crush, it certainly was a lot better than what I had before!!
And I want to compare the DVI output to the component output (supposedly, it upconverts even component output!). So I'll keep you guys posted.
A friend just bought the same LG dvdp and is using the component video to 'upconvert' on his Toshiba rptv.
Not surprisingly, the image change was extremely mild and was about the equivalent of turning a 72dpi jpg into a 200dpi jpg. Edges were rounded and the image took on more of a soft film quality, but as for 'higher resolution', not a chance.
The upconverted image doesn't hold a candle to a 720p HD image. It did cut off an inch or two of picture at the bottom though.
I can't say what the quality would be like for any front projectors. It still comes down to the upscaler and it ability to take a lesser resolution and format it to fit the projector output. Using something like the LG may produce better results than the upscaler onboard the projector but from what i've seen, it is not anywhere near as good as people are reporting. Upscalers are limited to the information in the original lower resolution material and that is the bottom line.
I have the 318 that Alou mentioned. It is an awesome player for $200. My biggest gripe is full screen material is stretched. But I use another DVD player for full screen material so it isn't a problem. Results vary from display type and typically most users have found that the 1080i gives the best PQ over 720p on the Zenith (I can attest that 480p is quite poor). However, if your display is native 720p and you have the Zenith/LG you might as well use the 720p. Mine is one of the older ones that upscales over component. The new Zeniths have this feature disabled (gotta love Hollywood). The more recent ones produced only upscale over DVI/HDMI. Most people think that PQ on the Zenith over component is better than with DVI, although I remember Kris Deering's Secrets showdown said otherwise. Chess, you might double check to make sure that your friend's unit will still upscale over component. His might not.
Chess I agree with you under certain circumstances. On a large display (I have only a 36" tv) upconverting will probably not approach HD. With high quality DVD transfers (that sounds strangely familiar on this forum
) I would say the image on my tv is roughly 80% what true HD looks like. But again it depends on screen size and tv display type. So results will vary. One of my roommates was watching "V: The final series" on DVD last night, and I was impressed with how clear it looked. For a lower budget tv movie from the 80s, it sure looked sharp.
I was talking with Kris Deering of Secrets about my Zenith. He likes the PQ but does suggest I look at the Panny S97s. So perhaps when my budget recovers from this HT purchase, I might look at upgrading that. By the way, Kris says he likes the Axiom speakers. He says pretty much what everyone on this board says about them. Somewhat bright on certain material and room acoustics makes a difference but he thinks they are a solid speaker.
Yes, I've read many comments about user's not pleased with the results of upconverting throught the components. I can tell you that through the DVI connection, I've experienced none of the problems your friend has...the image is sharp and crisp and it didn't cut off any of the picture. But keep in mind that I'm upgrading from an ancient Sony, so your mileage may vary...
I will do some tests running through both DVI and the components and let you know the results...and just for fun, I'll keep the ol' Sony as my "reference" player.
And I suspect that my happiness with 720p is the fact that my DLP's native resolution is 720...1080i would most likely be downconverted to 720("i" or "p"?).
Also, there are many firmware upgrades out there that fix a variety of symptoms...but none that fix ALL problems...for both DVI and component outputs. See this
link for further info.
Gentlemen,
I quickly scanned the recent posts to this thread and noticed discussion about upconverting across the component inputs. My understanding is that the majority of upconverting DVD players out there will not pass the upconverted signal across the component outputs. They will only do so across the DVI or HDMI outputs. There are exceptions, such as the Momitsu models, but they are not the norm. It all has to do w/ the movie studios wanting to maintain control over the content and whether it can be captured in a higher res than 480p.
I learned this from reading over at the
AVS Forum Thread on these players.
Your right Turbo, the Zenith at one time when it first came out had this ability, however, new models are restricted. Unless you can get an older firmware, your out of luck. As far as I am aware, the Momitsu, maybe the Bravo, and a few other Asian built off-name models will allow this conversion.
Yes. The present day dvd players do not upconvert over component vid, however one or two early models did. My friend bought this LG as it was listed as having the 'old' firmware which did do upconverting via the component cables.
Several ppl with older front projectors with only component in have long sought after these units for this reason.
It is possible that his unit was sold to him w/o this feature (hence fraud) but there is a slight difference in the picture quality, so i'm doubting it.
I would love to see one of the newer dvdp do upconverting via the dvi or hdmi connection. My own rptv has the dvi onboard so i can test this myself...if i buy an upconverting player anytime soon.
Nick i await your impressions on the panny i am thinking about getting that one as well soon.
Jake
hi i have a z2 whit goosystem , play movies via componant whit a denon 1710, picture pretty amazing. i try whit dvi via samsung dvd , i return the samsung , dont see the difference !, so i return the samsung, and go whit componant via my denon 1710, happy guys.
I am one of those w/ an older projector w/out HDMI or DVI. I was pretty disappointed to find out that most of the upconverting players will not output this via component. I will probably end up just playing around w/ my HTPC and the different resolutions it can output to see what I can get. I also played around w/ the idea of a cheaper stand-alone upconverter made by
ADS, but I've read mixed reviews about the actual quality of the output. Oh well.....
Turbo,
It is an unfortunate consequence of having 'upgrades' to the electronics standards so frequently. What some consider upgrades, others consider a pain in the ass. The consumers have to constantly buy new components to interface their electronics for compatibility literally on a year to year basis. As much as i like the HDtv concept, front projectors, dvd quality or larger capacity discs and so on, if i had a hot cattle prod to place in appropriate areas for the electronics designers and digital media protection mongers, i would likely use it. If one can send a HD signal via a computer & component vid to a tv, then who the hell cares if using component from a run of the mill dvd player could do the same thing as well?
Pick a damn format, quit the damn squabbling and quit trying to shoehorn consumers down a 100%, protection proof path.
There's my 2 angry cents.
Amen to that!!!! I bought the damn content, so let me do with it whatever the hell I want.
In reply to:
Pick a damn format, quit the damn squabbling and quit trying to shoehorn consumers down a 100%, protection proof path.
There's my 2 angry cents.
Amen brother... and we have to quit being braying sheep and allowing them to keep 6 different standards open, essentially still making money on a product that will be obsolete when a standard finally comes down.
Bren R.
Hey Turbo....
It gets worse. Early word is that both HD-DVD and Blu-ray players will not support component outputs. So early adopters of the HDTV format are continuing to get screwed. Alot of upset consumers on this one, and I completely understand why.
I say screw 'em. I'm not buying until they figure this stuff out. I'm still not quite sold on SACD/DVD-A. Pick ONE! Isn't that what our parents always used to tell us?
HDTV is the worst case, but HD-DVD/Blu-Ray is not far behind.
I can't wait until people with "HDTV" now (720p) find out that the standard is 1080p in a few years. There's a-gonna be screaming hissy fits.
Well, after VHS beat out the much superior Betamax format, seems like manufacturers are hoping for the same result in every new technology. Throw enough sh*t at a wall, some of it will stick. They just hope it's their sh*t.
I won't even cheer for a specific flavour of HD... I like 1080i, but I'm sure it'll be a progressive flavour that wins out. People like that flickery film look, and means studios and stations can hire kids too dumb to understand interlaced video to build their effects and crawls then.
Soon your TV will just play Shockwave/Flash. That's the day I find a loooong rifle and a tall book repository.
Bren R.
In reply to:
I can't wait until people with "HDTV" now (720p) find out that the standard is 1080p in a few years. There's a-gonna be screaming hissy fits.
Not from me. I'll have had the benefit of enjoying an excellent picture while the others are just waiting and waiting....
IMHO, there's not a HUGE difference between 720P and 1080P.... not near as much as the jump I made from 480i to 720P. Besides, the broadcasters need to get their ducks in a row, and they've been proving how long
that takes. After gearing up for 720P and 1080i equipment, how quick do you think they'll rush to upgrade everything again?
Mark - all the new "HD Gear" is all modular - ran through the new line of HD switchers and routers from Ross and Talia... swap out a module to change formats.
The broadcasters shout "Hoorah!"... the end user realizes Circuit City is going to own his arse from having to upgrade his television on a monthly basis.
Bren R.
i agreee Mark just like pc's if you keep waiting for the next plateau you will just keep waiting. just pick your spot when you want it or can afford it and go from there.
Jake
I read in the perfect vision that Blu-ray or HD-DVD (I can't remember which one) will replace SACD. So if you haven't jumped in the SACD bandwagon yet, I guess you never are...
I also will not buy until everything is figured out (that includes Blu-ray vs HD-DVD and 720p vs 1080i vs 1080p). Fortunately for me, I won't be out of college and have the funds to make big purchases for another 2-3 yrs. By then, the whole thing should be settled or close to it.
In reply to:
I read in the perfect vision that Blu-ray or HD-DVD (I can't remember which one) will replace SACD. So if you haven't jumped in the SACD bandwagon yet, I guess you never are...
It is probably Blu-Ray since that is the format backed by Sony. If that is the case, then it looks like Sony is pulling the forced obsolence thing on SACD.
You are right sir. The writer said that Sony will push SACD onto the Blu-ray format because it can more easily put all the "hi-rez" info on that disc whilst discontinuing SACD, plus there are apparently more possibilities with this new technology than there are with DSD. This is the only reason I hope Blu-ray wins the format war (because I love my SACDS!). Other than that, I hope HD-DVD wins because it appears there will be a smoother transition from DVD to HD-DVD as well as being cheaper to buy units and discs alike.
Just wanted to let anybody know that has been looking for the new Panasonic DVD-S97S HDMI player, it has been hard to find. I just ordered one from
http://www.vanns.com as they just got a large shipment. I guessing they won't last to long. I got mine for 279 us $, and free shipping. As most of you know, a lot of the HDMI or DVI upconverting players have had issues with macroblocking, black crush, etc.... So far this player has received rave reviews by many happy owners. Nickbuol on this website owns one and so far is very pleased with the performance.... I luv upgradeitis
sirquack have you heard about the s77? if you did why did you choose the s97?
Jake
Hey Jake, I have heard about the S77, but I believe the S97 has some more bells and whistles. It is also the one that is the most talked about on AVSforum and other sites. From memory here are what I think are some of the differences:
s97 has DVD-Audio
s97 has MPEG noise reduction
s97 has Dolby Surround PLII
Other than that, I believe they are very similar. Maybe Nickbuol will jump in here, he did a lot of research before buying his s97 for his Sanyo Z3.
Randy
some more things I just found:
s97 has:
4:4:4 Signal Processing
4:3 Shrink Function with Letterbox Zoom and Shift
Depth Enhancer
Variable and Auto Zoom
Picture Control: Brightness, Color, Contrast, Gamma Correction, Sharpness
Black Level Control
Not sure all of these features would be of use to people, but I've heard for front projection users, these tweaks really help.
I can tell you this about my S97 and a 104" screen. I LOVE MPEG Noise Reduction.
Like listening to a crappy mixed CD on your Axioms (you didn't notice it before, but now, with good speakers you can tell), on a good projector (not saying the Z3 is the best, but for the price...) with a large screen, you can tell the poorly transfered DVDs vs. the good ones. Just because a DVD is newer, don't assume that it is good transfer. Anyway, I've used the MPEG Noise Reduction to get rid of some graininess in some DVDs. You lose detail, but that is better than looking at a speckled image. On a good transfer, you'll never use that.
I have been using my S97 for a few months now and really like it.
One word of caution. There are a lot of settings that you can play with on the S97. I have had to reset back to factory defaults once because I had "tweaked" it too much and wasn't keeping track of the changes I was making and ended up with a lower quality image being sent to my projector. I went back to factory, and started with minor tweaks and after just a couple of minor setting changes (about 5 minutes tops) I had a better picture than anything I had gotten after hours of playing around. The big thing is that I wanted to see first hand what the settings did, got it really out of whack, but then knew what settings to change to get it paired up nicely with my projector and room.
nick do you know by any chance what firmware yours is?
Just got a confirmation from UPS, mine is on the way from
http://www.vanns.com in Utah, should be here in a few days. I also picked up a 25' HDMI to DVI certified cable from monoprice.com on Ebay for a little over $30 + $6 shipping. I talked to about 10 people on AVS that said the monoprice cables are very very good quality and they have had no issues with long runs for front projection, just jaw dropping performance. Vanns just got a bunch in from Panny, so they should be the latest firmware. All reviews I've read have been very positive.
You know, I don't recall what firmware it has, but I did update to the latest about 2 months ago, so if there isn't anything newer than that, then I have the latest.
The upgrade with so easy. I downloaded the file, it was an .ISO file, burned it to a cd-r, put the cd-r into the DVD player, turned on the player, and I might have had to hit play, but I don't think so. I just waited about 5 minutes, and shazam! (what a funny word) it was done.
shazam is pretty powerful stuff watch you dont put someones eye out.
After a ton of research I just purchased the Cambridge Audio 540D DVD player. My old DVD player was a Toshiba SD3109 which served me well, but it was on it's last legs. The new Cambridge was a huge upgrade when playing CD music. I haven't seen much of a difference in video quality, but it plays both PAL and NTSC movies. It plays DVD-A which wasn't a big deal to me as I don't own any or plan to buy any in the future.Build quality was first rate and it looks really good to boot. I can't say enough about the player as a CD player, it sounds fantastic. I had pretty much given up on CD's and listened to vinyl 99.9% of the time.
http://www.cambridgeaudio.com/summary.php?PID=16&Title=Azur+540D
Glad that your Cambridge is working out for you. I would have been a little worried since it seems like their more recent runs on this model are less than reliable, but you researched it more than I did (I just did a quick google search)...
Anyway, it should be noted that the 540D is NOT an upconverting DVD player. I just wanted to clarify that for anyone who is still following this thread.
Hey Nick, nice to see you around. I was curious about something on the S97S. I notice in the manual it talks about aspect ratio adjustment. Have you tried this with your Z3 on your 16:9 Carada screen to help the black bars?
Manual? What's that?
I'll have to check into it. Right now I am busy building a new arcade machine, and then vacation in a week, so I won't have time, most likely, until early August....