Need a new dvd player to use with my new HDtv... Advice needed!

[DravenUnleashed]

Im using an Olevia 16:9 HD tv connected with an HDMI cord to a Panasonic 5960 dvd player to watch both "Aspect" (4:3) and "Zoom" (Cropped 16:9) visuals. Interlacing is a HUGE problem with these two pieces as Olevia does not have an integrated de-interlacing system and the 5960 has a very horrible internal one.

Interlacing is most notable with the animations I own. In watching Justice League Unlimited S1, every scene of every episode was almost blurred with many lines. I notice it with movies as well, but its a bit more hidden and kept to a minimal scene wise.

So heres my dillema...

The Phillips model 5960 was great on my older tv. Pros for me was that it has a Divx player, can be region free'd, has great software for converting PAL to NTSC, and has an HDMI port (which works well with my Olevia). Sadly, without an internal de-interlacing system all of my dvds now look like crap.

My second, olderd dvd player (an 8 year old Sony DVPS550), has no region free code I can use, has some internal data errors where my discs wont be played unless I unplug the unit from the wall and "reboot" (this has to do with wear and tear and not the players original overall build quality), and has no settings that I can manipulate to watch a disc in 480/1080/etc etc. It does, however, have an internal de-interlacer and none of my movies/animations have any interlacing problems when watching them on my Olevia with this player.


So what I need now is a good dvd player that can be/is region free'd, has a good PAL to NTSC conversion system, has an internal de-interlacing system, and is relatively inexpensive (less than $250). Divx insnt important to me and it would be a bonus if it could be connected to my Olevia via HDMI (but its not a neccesity).

I wouldnt be adverse to prematurely buying a next gen player (HD/Blu) if it could do everything I asked in a new dvd player listed above (I dont know if they are backwards compatible and can play regular dvds even). I could imagine spending, maybe, around $400, but theres no way Id ever go above $500 for any player (hence the premature statement I made)


Thanks

[manono]

The Philips 5960 is Progressive Scan. Did you set it to either output 480p or to upscale? There's no way you should be seeing any interlacing on that set. It's deinterlacer may be crummy, but it shouldn't allow any interlacing through.

If you want a recommendation for a real player, get an Oppo. They play AVIs, do the best PAL2NTSC conversion in the business, and the 2 best ones have Faroudja DCDi for the best viewing of anime and other similarly encoded DVDs.

[NiteLite]

I dont know anything about the company but from lots of reading I have to agree with manono. With your budget these are seemingly priced fairly.
I like that they have firmware updates available easily and quickly when needed.
Though I havent made the HD jump yet I'm looking hard at the model 970 for a DVD-A / SACD backup player. For $149. it's not bad.
Check out oppodigital.com for a look-over of their three models. The 971 and 981 for $199. and $229. may be a good choice. The 981 has both DVD-A & SACD playback whereas the 971 doesn't.
Anyway I'm looking to try them out and you can get lots of info and comments at AVS forum.
I just hope they arent a fad and really live up to all the fanfare they are getting. Also made in USA I think...(?) if that helps. Surely as good as China. They rank at the top at "DVD Benchmark".
Good luck,
NL

# Multiple high definition video formats through HDMI output: NTSC: 480p/720p/1080i/1080p; PAL: 576p/720p/1080i/1080p
# Compatible with HDTV, HD-Ready TV, HDTV monitors and projectors with an HDMI or DVI input
# Direct PAL/NTSC disc and TV compatibility and system conversion
# Official DivX® Certified product, certified to the Home Theater Profile
# Plays all versions of DivX® video (including DivX® 6) with standard playback of DivX® media files

And a weird feature (to me)...
No Component Video (YPbPr/YCbCr) on the DV-981HD model. This model is designed for use with a display device with HDMI or DVI digital video input.

Much much more.

[DravenUnleashed]

The Philips 5960 is Progressive Scan. Did you set it to either output 480p or to upscale? There's no way you should be seeing any interlacing on that set. It's deinterlacer may be crummy, but it shouldn't allow any interlacing through.

But I do is the problem. Matter of fact, I keep the output at 480p because if I do "Auto" or any other size the aspect ratio changes to 16:9 with me having no way to revert anything back to 4:3. This is a huge problem for a lot of my collection because of the many television shows I own. The same thing happens when I keep the ratio at 480 and hit the upscaling button. The isnt stretched out to true 16:9, but it is stretched out somewhat.

If you want a recommendation for a real player, get an Oppo. They play AVIs, do the best PAL2NTSC conversion in the business, and the 2 best ones have Faroudja DCDi for the best viewing of anime and other similarly encoded DVDs.

In researching about the problems I have with my tv/dvd player combination there were a couple people stating that they got this player and all was gravy for them. Thanks to yours and Nites recommendations I think Ill do the same.

Thanks!