Philips dvp5990 quick question

[c_jonescc]

Hi all,

I'm very sorry if this has already been discussed at length, but I haven't come across the answer.

My oppo player was stolen recently, and in looking to replace I've settled on the 5990. It seems to be essentially the same, but now I can load a bunch of episodes on a thumb drive instead of wasting a dvd with a half dozen Top Gears that I only want to watch once. Oppo is isn't making upscalers anymore, and I'm not ready for blueray.

So, here is my question:
What is the difference between the 5990/37 and the 5990/F7? I can buy either from Newegg, and there's literally a dollar's difference in the decision, but one of the two must be better or more updated? If it's just in the firmware, then it doesn't matter, but I can't figure out if that's what the 37 or F7 are indicating.

I appreciate your time and feedback.

[jagabo]

From what I've read the 37 and F7 are electronically the same. I've heard of people using the same firmware with both:

https://forum.videohelp.com/topic355675-630.html#1974222
https://www.videohelp.com/forum/archive/philips-dvp5990-f7-turned-out-ot-be-t364505.html

Often manufacturers will use different model numbers for different big customers. So they don't have to price match each other.

[jman98]

Oppo is isn't making upscalers anymore, and I'm not ready for blueray.

Based on a look at the Oppo website, I would say more accurately that they appear to not be making any DVD only players now.

I'm curious - why do you think you need an upscaler? And why have you concluded that a DVD player that costs about $60 is going to do a great job at this? The truth is if you have a good HDTV like by Samsung, it probably has a much better upscaler than a $60 DVD player does. I sometimes use an old Philips DVP-642, which is a pretty crappy DVD player that can't output anything above 480p and it still looks great on my TV. I just let TV do the upscaling when I use this player. I really don't understand why people will spend $1200 or more on a TV and then conclude that a $60 DVD player is going to be far superior for upscaling. Oppo used a very specific upscaler that was top of the line and I guarantee you that Philips is not using the same thing in a $60 DVD player. If you want to get the Philips player because it meets your needs and you like the price, that's fine, but don't buy it because you have some belief that you must buy a DVD player with an upscaler or you are screwed. If you have some crappy HDTV then yes it is possible that the Philips may actually do a better job of upscaling than your TV, but it's not something you can count on.