Marshal Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=90122562&loc=111 Does anyone have this? Does it live up to its billing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trooper Posted July 18, 2003 Share Posted July 18, 2003 ---------------- On 7/17/2003 9:16:25 PM Marshal wrote: http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=90122562&loc=111 Does anyone have this? Does it live up to its billing? ---------------- One "catch" to that player is that your HDTV must have a DVI input and DHCP(or something like that) digital copy protection license for the 720p or 1080i output to work. Otherwise you only get standard 480p out of the component output. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin_tx_16 Posted July 18, 2003 Share Posted July 18, 2003 I posted a thread here about that, there was a full artible in SkyMall or some other airline supplied magazine. It just upscales everything. It does not actually play HD-DVD's like Terminator 2 Extreme HD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trooper Posted July 18, 2003 Share Posted July 18, 2003 Yeah - it doesn't play HD DVDs just "interpolates" more lines for your HDTV display from standard DVDs. I believe it uses the latest Faroudja chipset. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Posted July 23, 2003 Author Share Posted July 23, 2003 Then I guess you could probably get equal or better performance from the higher end units from Sony, Denon, Pioneer, etc. Right? Like with the Sony 999-ES or Denon 2900, Pioneer DV-47 and the like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avman Posted July 23, 2003 Share Posted July 23, 2003 there is a company: v-inc., that sells a dvd player w/dvi-out that up-converts dvd's to 720p/1080i. it is called the 'bravo'. what it comes down to is this: does your display show 480p as 480p or up-convert? which does a better job for picture quality:the processor in the dvd player, or the processor in your tv? i am interested in trying one because my pj will accept a 720p signal in 'through mode' and bypass its internal video processor as well as provide 1-to-1 pixel mapping. i would expect a better picture,but won't know until i try. avman.EDIT: the samsung has a faroujda processing chip that may make it worth the $100 extra over the bravo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STL Posted July 23, 2003 Share Posted July 23, 2003 If the DVD is recorded in 480p and your HDTV displays 480p natively then just uses a good "regular" progressive scan DVD player (because that "high def" one really will not make the picture any better). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chinoloco Posted July 23, 2003 Share Posted July 23, 2003 I have seen the Focus Centerstage Video processor and it really does sharpen the image. It does basically what the samsung does, but its also 995.00. (not a dvd player.. a video processor). However, the Focus will sharpen all images, including regular TV and VHS. My TV does have a 1080i DVI input, so I think I have to try this samsung DVD player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STL Posted July 23, 2003 Share Posted July 23, 2003 Yes that $1000 scalar will make a picture better, but I seriously doubt that $300 DVD player (with a lesser scalar than yours) is going to help. It's just marketing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JewishAMerPrince Posted July 24, 2003 Share Posted July 24, 2003 I own the Bravo D-1, so let me make comments on all the previous responses. The Units are both clearly superior to anything else picture wise, they are not marketing hype. The strength of both the bravo and Samsung players lies in the DVI interface. The have the video equivalent of the digital (optical or coax) audio connection that we all know and love. For those of you who don't get the comparison, let me explain. Conventional DVD players must convert the digital signal to analog in order to conect to a TV monitor regardless of whether that connection be though component, S Video or composite video connection. This conversion introduces opportunities for picture softening and graininess and the possibility of color frequency response shift, and the introduction of video noise (sparkles). Then, in an HDTV monitor without DVI capability that input must undergo reconversion to digital from analog, introducing more of the previously mentioned anomalies. A DVI connection simply eliminates the D/A-A/D conversion process by connecting DVD digital circuits to HDTV digital circuits directly. Pure and simply, less transistors in the way means better quality. However, one must have a monitor with DVI-D inputs to take advantage of that connection. The results, video wise, are absolutely astounding. The image is sharp, clear and with absolutely no graininess. My previous player was a Panasonic RP82 (with Faroujda deinterlacer) which is acknoledged by most reviewers as the best DVD player, picture wise, ever produced prior to the arrival of the Samsung and Bravo. I chose the Bravo because of several reviews rating the picture quality over the Samsung, in spite of the fact that the Bravo does not use the Faroujda deinterlacer. The Bravo will play "superbit" DVDs as well as MP4 discs, which the Samsung will not. Also, the build quality of the Bravo appears to be a tad better. The unit weighs in at about a pound and a half heavier than the Samsung which means less video "jitter". The company, Vinc is a relatively new offshoot of well known Princeton Graphics, and was created to sell high quality video products online direct-only as does SVS and Outlaw. The Bravo is not without it's quirks. My first unit froze on layer changes on several of the DVDs in my collection. Bravo promptly replaced it at no cost to me. Secondly, all the units have a slight popping when engaging fast forward or fast reverse and when selecting languages from a DVD menu. This is a known issue that they are working on but have yet to solve. Vinc promises a firmware update when they solve it. This quirk is annoying but not a show stopper as far as I am concerned. As far as the resolution upconversion argument goes, neither the Bravo nor the Samsung do anything that a most good HDTV monitors aren't already capable of, and as someone already mentioned the 720p or 1080i upconversion is NOT TRUE HD as the data on a coventional DVD disc is not HD but only SD. HD DVDs don't exist yet, that is coming withing five years with a system called "blue light" (if the Motion Picture association will ever get off the electronics industries back about copy protection algorythms). The upconverted "Virtual" HD at 720p or 1080i is quite a bit better looking on a big screen than the raw 480i or 480p format. One thing that anyone contemplating purchase of either of these units should be aware of is that they both require a special (and very EXPENSIVE) DVI-D (dual) cable to connect to a DVI-D equipped HDTV. The DVI-D connectors sold in computer stores usually don't work as they are DVI-D single. Bravo sells a cable at their website but I got mine at pacificcables.com at considerably lower (but still steep) cost. I personally think that having a DVD player that cost $200 that outperforms anything on the market, even those esoteric brands which can run upwards of 4 grand is a real hoot! Jerry Rappaport P.S. Unlike the Samsung, the Bravo does not require your HDTV to be DHCP compliant which makes it more suitable in most case for people with HDTVs or projectors that are over a year old design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STL Posted July 24, 2003 Share Posted July 24, 2003 ---------------- On 7/24/2003 12:21:05 AM JewishAMerPrince wrote: Conventional DVD players must convert the digital signal to analog in order to conect to a TV monitor regardless of whether that connection be though component, S Video or composite video connection. This conversion introduces opportunities for picture softening and graininess and the possibility of color frequency response shift, and the introduction of video noise (sparkles). Then, in an HDTV monitor without DVI capability that input must undergo reconversion to digital from analog, introducing more of the previously mentioned anomalies. A DVI connection simply eliminates the D/A-A/D conversion process by connecting DVD digital circuits to HDTV digital circuits directly. Pure and simply, less transistors in the way means better quality. However, one must have a monitor with DVI-D inputs to take advantage of that connection. ---------------- That is not completely true. It really depends what kind of HDTV you have. Let me explain... If you have a typical projection (front or rear) HDTV with CRT guns that displays native 480p then your statement is actually false. Any HDTV with CRT guns eventually needs an Analog signal not a Digital one. If the HDTV displays native 480p, then the DVD player does one D/A conversion then it is sent to the TV and displayed -- no other A/D or D/A processing is done! With your setup using the DVI connection, you are simply just shifting the single D/A conversion to be done to the TV instead of the DVD player. You might be gaining a very small advantage with the DVI transport, but if one is using high-quality component video cables then we are only talking about a very, very small difference. Now if one's HDTV doesn't display native 480p (which is a bad thing IMHO), such as your Hitachi, then you are correct because the DVD player would be doing one D/A then the TV has to do an A/D so it can upscale it from 480p to 540p (because the TV doesn't support native 480p) then the TV does another D/A so it can display it (since it's a CRT-based it needs an analog signal). So the key here is to get a HDTV that displays native 480p (which means less signal processing -- which is typically better)!! Now if you have a projection HDTV that uses some new technology (like LCD or that Dahila stuff) or you have a Plasma display then your set actually needs a Digital signal in the end. It is these sets that could greatly benefit from these "high def" DVD players with a DVI connection because then there is never a D/A conversion!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben. Posted July 24, 2003 Share Posted July 24, 2003 Actually, the only type of display that is digital at the end of the process is DLP. But, I split hairs. Toshiba just introduced a Blue Laser DVD recorder that does true HD. I think it will be a while before it hits the shelves, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JewishAMerPrince Posted July 26, 2003 Share Posted July 26, 2003 Then I guess my setup is going to work pretty well with the Optoma HT76 DLP projector I just ordered. JR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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