what are the best upconverting dvd players?

[rrr925]

i am totally new to hi-def and upconversion. in fact, the first upconv player i've laid my hands on is my newly aquired toshiba hd-a3. i was thinking that, with the format war and the way the economy is going, upconversion may be the poor man's hi-def for now, at least until hd players and discs come to the price level of standard players and discs. so how about if you guys start posting your opinions on upconv players you may have used? i read elsewhere that my hd-a3 is merely good, not great, at upconv so i'm curious about what's out there that i may buy to watch great upconversion of standard dvd's. thanks for your input!
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toshiba HD-A3
olevia 242v (42",1080i)
sony str-db840 receiver
nad pwr amp (c270)
focal bookshelf spkrs (707s)

[hoangpham1]

Right now HD-XA2 is the best hd-dvd player and upconversion.

[CaptainCanuck]

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the hd dvd players.
Both of mine have been great upconverters as has my blu ray machine.

[ccphilly1984]

any hd dvd or blu ray player because they also play true high def media, too.

[chris gerhard]

The best upconverting DVD player is still the Denon DVD-5910 based on everything I have read. According to Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity, the objective test results indicate the highest rated next generation player for standard DVD upconversion is the Samsung BD-P1200, slightly above the Toshiba HD-XA2.

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-b...h&articles=133

Chris

[holsty101]

I guess it all depends how much you wanna spend, I had a Marantz DV-9600, that was kick-ass but it also retails for $2000. (cheaper online of course)

[Collector]

I echo Chris' reply. The Samsung BD-P1200 and Tosh XA2 both have Reon upscaler chips, which are the best at the price point that can be considered "reasonable" by a large portion of consumers.

The higher end chip - I believe the Realta may be what is in the Denon - is generally found in only megabuck devices.

[Arkadin]

the best upconverting dvd player for the $$ is undoubtably the Oppo 981. Otherwise, like you say the Reon chipset ones.
and also like you said, the Realta is even better.
that definitely sums it up nicely.

[mrspeakers]

Of course, you can also just run any regular player with HDMI into any of the Onkyo 605 or up receivers, which all have the Reon chips, and pretty good audio for consumer products. That would also upscale your cable or sat. Kill two birds...

[jfcarbel]

Do the Toshiba HDs beat out the Oppo981?

[Aurora]

Originally Posted by mrspeakers

Of course, you can also just run any regular player with HDMI into any of the Onkyo 605 or up receivers, which all have the Reon chips, and pretty good audio for consumer products.

The 605, as does the 805, has Faroudja. Only the 875 and up have the Reon. Of course Onkyo's site is down when I actually want to look at it, but I think the only real differences between the 805 and the 875 are the Reon and an additional HDMI in.

[Arkadin]

[quote]

Originally Posted by jfcarbel

Do the Toshiba HDs beat out the Oppo981?

This is a good question. I have tried to find some reports from people that have both, but haven't really seen a lot. The difference apparently is negligible. The oppo is just an awesome all-around player. I can't even count all the amazing reviews I've read regarding this player. I have the Oppo 970 and I love it. It plays sacd and dvd audio, and has great audio clarity. It is a great universal player for sure.
You can also play Region 2 discs on it if you enter a specific code into the remote from what I have read.

[Blinx123]

If money is no problem this is obviously the best DVD Player money can get:

http://www.denon.de/site/frames_main...detail&Pid=268

Sorry about the German link but as I've stated before in this forums I have to live in Germany so I don't know the proper modell number of the US version. But maybe someone can find out which US model is superior.

[chris gerhard]

Originally Posted by jfcarbel

Do the Toshiba HDs beat out the Oppo981?

The Toshiba HD-XA2 beats it according to reviews I have read. The Oppo DV-981HD uses Faroudja FL2310 which causes a nasty error called macroblocking enhancement with some displays. My displays apparently are not affected by the issue, but some are and when it is extreme, it is very unlikely anybody would consider the Oppo DV-981HD usable, much less good. Oppo will likely offer an opinion as to what displays will suffer with the player and macroblock enhancement if asked and the Oppo DV-981H and Oppo DV971HD threads at AVSForum discuss the issue and many problem displays are identified. When that is an issue, the DV-980H is often a great choice and I prefer the DV-980H over the DV-981HD in any event. I love the Oppo players and it is too bad the Faroudja chip creates this awful error.

Chris

[Collector]

If anyone is still looking for comparisons:

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-b...h&articles=all