HD Upconversion DVD players?

[rocketman]

I finally took the HD plunge when my nine year old TV died last week. I've got an "entry level" 32" widescreen LCD HDTV with 1366x768 resolution, 720P format. I was told by the salesperson that an HD upconversion DVD player would make my standard format DVD's look much better, when connected to the TV via HDMI cable. Will the HD DVD player really improve the picture quality of my standard DVD's enough to justify purchasing one? Anyone else have experience or recommendations regarding the HD upconversion DVD players?

Thanks,

Gary

[bunginuts]

If it states it upconverts then yes it will make normal dvd's look better, i bought a regular dvd player with hdmi and upconvert and it makes almost all movies look very close to true HD on my 27 inch hdtv. But if I was you I'd wait till the format war is over so you don't get stuck with a certain format.

[MOVIEGEEK]

I have a Toshiba A20(HD) and it does a great job of upconverting,I also have a Oppo 970(SD) and that does a good job as well.A 32" TV will not really show the benefits of HD unless it is 1920x1080,you're better off getting a SD player.

[oldandinthe way]

I'm not sure that upconverting DVD players provide any better image than the upconversion built into many HD TVs.

Only your eye will tell you if you are getting any benefit.

By the way, an HD-upconversion player is not an HD player, it is a normal player with a circuit similar to those built into many HD-TVs. Its what you use to make your analog programs fill the screen. Some people like the Wall Street Journals movie reviewer Joe Morganstern loath all upconversion.

[poppinjay]

You maywell find that some players will only upscale if the dvd allows it if not it dont matter what you set it to as in 1080p etc it will decide the best playback. I found that some dvd's had really bad saturation when played back on an upscalling dvd player. At the time i prefered to use a non upscalling dvd player

[jman98]

I'm not sure that upconverting DVD players provide any better image than the upconversion built into many HD TVs.

Only your eye will tell you if you are getting any benefit.

You are 100% correct, sir. I wish more people understood this. I have an older DVD player that can't upconvert and I just let my HD TV take care of it. I'm getting an excellent quality picture.

Rocketman - Do note that some upconverting players may only send out the video in 1080i or 1080p and then your TV will have to downcovert this to 720p, which kind of defeats the purpose. If you find an upconverting player that can send out 720p output, you need to choose this.

[ntscuser]

The HDMI connector will probably make a bigger improvement to picture quality than any actual upconversion.

[Heywould3]

i jsut went out and got a up converting DVD player last night because it had USB and divx etc. i got it to replace my old one. i had been watching dvds on my 42 lcd through my computer since i also use it as a pc monitor. while the dvd through computer looked good.. with the new upcnverting dvd player it looks even better. im supprised at how close it comes to actual HD image. the player i got has settings for 480P 576P 720P 1080I and 1080P with an auto setting also. (the 576P might be off a little. i dont remember the exact number) but all dvds seem to play in 720P when set to auto. My TV is a 42" LCD 1366x768 native. if i set to 1080I the pic is noticably worse. and at 480P the pic doesnt look as sharp. im amazed at the players ability and think it does a great job for a sub 100$ player that does divx and usb

[rocketman]

Heywould3, what brand and model player did you get?