New dvd player with HDMI???? help

[mikej3131]

ok im getting a new 46" samsung flat panel lcd with dual hdmi inputs and definitaly wanna see this tv at its best with dvd's so i was wondering if anyone can help me out here.
Im looing for a dvd player with HDMI output that gives the user the option to either upconvert from the dvd player or not upconvert. The reason being is because this tv should have a good upscaler considering it was 4000 dollars and i might not even want the dvd player to upconvert for me as the tv would do it better.
Now with those specs said, can anybody suggest what is the best dvd player that gives the best PQ with those specs i stated?

[mikej3131]

EDIT : and another thing i need with this dvd player is the ability to play dvd-r's and dv-rw's very well

[manono]

Hi-

The Panasonic S77 and S97 are probably the best decently priced players with HDMI, unless you want to go for the $3500 Denon 5910, or the Oppo, which has only DVI, but which comes with a DVI2HDMI cable:

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=all&type=...nasonicDVD-S77

[mikej3131]

do these panasonic models play dvd-r's well?? and do they have the option of letting you "not upconvert" with the player and let the tv do the upconverting?

[mikej3131]

i dont see these players in the list of dvd players here at videohelp?

[jman98]

The Oppo is a player that many people on the forum practically masturbate about. I'm joking, but not by much. It costs about $200 US. A web search could probably find more info on where to buy it.

At $3500, I'm not surprised that the Denon 5910 isn't on the list of players here. Most modern players can play DVD-R or DVD-RW discs. I don't think the Oppo or Denon would have any problems. I assume the Panasonic won't either, but perhaps a web search could give more info.

[mikej3131]

i meant the panny isnt on this website. Does the models you mentioned about the panasonic give you the option of either upconverting or not?

[mikej3131]

the oppo only has dvi right? thats not good for me as i want hdmi cuz it sends audio to. dvi only sends video

[manono]

i meant the panny isnt on this website. Does the models you mentioned about the panasonic give you the option of either upconverting or not?

Of course they do. They have to. What if someone buys one and doesn''t even have an HDTV, or doesn't use the HDMI output. So, it'll output 480i, 480p, 720p, and 10801. There is such a thing as a Google search, you know:

http://www.panasonic.ca/english/audiovideo/dvdvcr/player/dvds77.asp

http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Panasonic%20DVD-S77S%20DVD%20Player:1992166898

As mentioned aerlier, almost all newer model DVD players play play DVD-R and DVD+R media.

[mikej3131]

any other recomendations?

[mikej3131]

on that first link you posted it looks like the s77 and s97 is getting bashed in the reviews. i think the rp82 would be the best value on that review?

[manono]

Geez buddy-

Those Home Theater And Hi-Fidelity reviews are very comprehensive and nitpick everything. Those are among the best DVD players made today. There aren't too many players that beat the 2 Panasonics I mentioned. The Oppo tops the list, and it has only a DVI out, although it comes with both a DVI2DVI as well as a DVI2HDMI cable. Oh, and by the way, although you can still track down the RP-82 at inflated prices, it's no longer made and doesn't have an HDMI out. That's why I didn't mention it. Here's the complete list. Knock yourself out:

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=all

[mikej3131]

is the panasonic s97 hdcp complient?

[mikej3131]

ok i read about all the errors and everything on that link and it looks like that s97 is a pretty good choice. on those tests, whats the difference between auto 1 and auto 2? and i saw that it had cropping issues, what are these cropping issues it has?

[manono]

is the panasonic s97 hdcp complient?

Yes it is.

HDMI Output Yes (HDMI-HDCP)

http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/vModelDetail?displayTab=O&storeId=...00000000005702

[mikej3131]

what are these auto 1 and 2 modes? and what are the cropping problems?

[manono]

The minor cropping issue means it crops, or cuts. a few pixels off of the sides of the video. You'll lose more than that to the TV set's overscan. Auto 1 fails 2:2 cadence while Auto 2 doesn't. 2:2 cadence mainly has to do with PAL DVDs, and a very few NTSC DVDs. It doesn't play PAL discs out of the box. I don't know if it can be hacked to play PAL discs, or if you even care.

[mikej3131]

is thsi the s97???

http://www.110220volts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=DVDS29

It says it is in the description of the product butthe product code says s29

[manono]

No, that's the cheaper S-29.

[mikej3131]

whats up with the macroblocking. look at this review

"Panasonic DVD-S97, a review cut short
The popularity of up-converting DVD players such as the Denon DVD-1910, Samsung HD-941, and Bravo D2 demonstrate the desire for DVD players that output 720p or 1080i. Owning one myself I have to say in the end, standard definition source material is just that, standard definition.

But until HD-DVD makes it to the shelves, ‘up converting’ DVD players may be the best we can get. I have to say I was a little surprised that, until recently, one such player flew under my radar, The Panasonic DVD-S97. At $499.95 (MSRP) it is quite a bit more than say the Denon DVD-1910 or any of the previously mentioned DVD players for that matter. What’s up?

The only features included with the S97, that aren’t present on some of the other players, are HDCD and WMA, neither of which are anything to get excited over. Unfortunately one thing it does have is macroblocking. I was able to get my hands on one recently for an install, I wish I hadn’t.

As soon as we finished the connections and fired up the Samsung HL-P6163W DLP it was to accompany, we quickly noticed macroblocking, to an almost annoying level. Given this we’re going to have to give the Panasonic DVD-S97 a ‘buyer beware’ notice at this time. This problem may not present it’s self on some displays, we however had bad luck our first shot.

Macroblocking rears its ugly head in several ways, as a blocky pixel artifact in poorly produced DVD’s or in some DVD players where ‘video noise’ or subtle shades of color next to one another, are over emphasized. Although this page is more about video conversion than software playback, it contains some excellent images of macroblocking (first image). Note don’t take this recommendation (or lack thereof) as any comment on Panasonic's level of quality in general. To the contrary they make many excellent video products, specifically the Panasonic PT-AE200U which by all reports is an excellent projector."

[mikej3131]

The minor cropping issue means it crops, or cuts. a few pixels off of the sides of the video. You'll lose more than that to the TV set's overscan.

what do you mean my tv sets overscan?

Auto 1 fails 2:2 cadence while Auto 2 doesn't. 2:2 cadence mainly has to do with PAL DVDs, and a very few NTSC DVDs.

i live in the US so would auto 1 be better for me? what is the technical diff between auto1 and auto2?

[Rich86]

I am a complete novice at high def, but am learning and reading.
I've been reading about a new Sony 5 dvd carousel player that seems to have hdmi outputs and upconverting. It's the Sony DVP-NC85H/B. It is a fairly new model and around $150 and sounds interesting.

[dcsos]

What are you going to do with this box once a HiDef Player comes out (in JUNE? or SEPT?)
are you planning to watch UP CONVERTED DVD's or Hi-Def content on your new flat screen?
These interim products are pretty useless in my opinion. $3500 and it won't play a HD disk?
who needs it?

[mikej3131]

hd dvd players are going to be like 600 dollarsat the cheapest until mayb after a year. and another reason i ant to get a standard dvd player is because i have about 50 standard dvd's(not hd dvd's), and i dont feel like waiting that long

[budz]

I am a complete novice at high def, but am learning and reading.
I've been reading about a new Sony 5 dvd carousel player that seems to have hdmi outputs and upconverting. It's the Sony DVP-NC85H/B. It is a fairly new model and around $150 and sounds interesting.

I bought the Sony DVPNS75H from Best Buy about 2 weeks ago. They have a forum on this model at this link:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=639621&page=1&pp=30

So far this dvd player is okay. I also have the cyberhome dvd655 hdmi player that came with the hdmi cable.

[mikej3131]

So far this dvd player is okay.

what do you mean by ok??????? and are you using hdmi or component???????

[FulciLives]

You are making this way too hard man ...

Just get the OPPO DIGITAL OPDV971H ---> CLICK HERE FOR LINK

About the only thing better is the Denon 5910 but that Denon model is at an insane price point. Even the cheaper Denon 3910 (which can be bought region free and does PAL to NTSC) is at an insane price point.

Yes the OPPO only has DVI out but it comes with a DVI 2 HDMI cable and that is ALL you need. The player is region free and does excellent PAL to NTSC as well as DivX and Xvid ... it is simply all around a miracle product. You don't need HDCP HDMI as the player will play anything and upconvert anything using the DVI 2 HDMI cable. Remember this is a foreign DVD player ... they don't have to follow the "rules" of HDCP HDMI. You are not missing anything! Just use the DVI 2 DVI cable if your TV has a DVI input but if your TV only has a HDMI input then use the DVI 2 HDMI cable. Either way you are a winner!

The whole HDCP HDMI issue is more of a HDTV issue than anything else. What I mean to say is that it will affect HD-DVD and Blue Ray when connecting to a HDTV but don't worry about the OPPO as it does not make a difference.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[mikej3131]

You don't need HDCP HDMI as the player will play anything and upconvert anything using the DVI 2 HDMI cable.

But my tv's hdmi inputs are hdcp so my tv wont accept a signal from a dvi or hdmi output that doesnt have hdcp, right?

Yes the OPPO only has DVI out but it comes with a DVI 2 HDMI cable and that is ALL you need.

I wanna send audio and video digitally in one cable to reduce multiple cables :/ . sorry i just wanna keep it simple. So i geuss ive narrowed it down to the new sony DVPNS75H from best buuy for only 129 dollars because i heard very good reviews in the avs forum about it and then maybe the new oppo coming out with hdmi outputs.

[garryheather]

If you like the Samsung panel, why not consider a matching DVD player ? I've got two - the top of the range 950 (that comes in at just over £100) and the very similar 745.

http://www.samsung.com/Products/DVDPlayer/Hi_DefConversionDVDPlayers/DVD_HD950XAA.asp?page=Features

The only criticism I have of the 950 is the display's backlight could do with a brightness adjustment as it's a bit much in my opinion, but it plays everything (including SACD and DVD-Audio, video-CD's, DivX etc etc etc) and comes in at a very "oh sh*t, I've just spent all my money on a glorified telly" price.

Did I mention it's region free by the handset and very slim, too ?

[FulciLives]

You don't need HDCP HDMI as the player will play anything and upconvert anything using the DVI 2 HDMI cable.

But my tv's hdmi inputs are hdcp so my tv wont accept a signal from a dvi or hdmi output that doesnt have hdcp, right?

This is incorrect. I already explained that with the OPPO it makes no difference.

Yes the OPPO only has DVI out but it comes with a DVI 2 HDMI cable and that is ALL you need.

I wanna send audio and video digitally in one cable to reduce multiple cables :/ . sorry i just wanna keep it simple.

This makes no sense unless you plan on using the television's speakers and nothing else. With the OPPO you just use the one cable for video and then a optical or coax digital cable for the audio ... assuming you have a Dolby Digital / DTS capable receiver. That's one extra cable! Even with just a regular stereo only receiver you still only need a single stereo RCA cable.

So i geuss ive narrowed it down to the new sony DVPNS75H from best buuy for only 129 dollars because i heard very good reviews in the avs forum about it and then maybe the new oppo coming out with hdmi outputs.

The SONY doesn't come close to the quality or capabilities of the OPPO. For instance one thing that a lot of people in the USA don't think about ... there are a lot of movies only available on PAL DVD or region 2/3 NTSC DVD and to play back such DVD movies you need a region free DVD player that can do PAL to NTSC. The OPPO is not only a super great DVD player all around but it fits that bill ... the Sony does not. If you think you don't need import DVD releases then you either have extremely limited tastes or you just don't know what is out there via the import DVD "scene". Another mistake some people make is thinking that all import movies are "foreign" films. In fact many are English speaking movies from the USA or the UK etc. that just haven't been released yet in the USA. You might be surprised how many good films that comprises.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

P.S.
Some websites that specialize in import DVD releases:

Xploited Cinema
Diabolik DVD
HK Flix
Poker Industries
Yes Asia
CD Japan
Sazuma

Also there is the UK Amazon.com website and even eBay can be a good source of official import DVD videos although with eBay you do have to be carefull of "bootlegs" as they are often advertised as "imports".