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General discussion

Best Upconverting DVD player?

by DizzleCizzle Mar 31, 2006 4:25AM PST

Hello...I recently purchased the Samsung HD850, and was pretty unimpressed with it, so I took it back.

That was a month ago. Ever since then I've been searching for the Panasonic DVD-S97S, but NO ONE has it! I've only been able to find it online, but I'm weary of buying it online because if something goes wrong, I have to spend all that money to send it back.

I don't understand why such a highly-acclaimed DVD player can be virtually nonexistant. Best Buy, Circuit City, Sears, Costco, all these places near me, don't and never have had it.

So with those 2 models aside, what other players should I look for?

Oh, and I know DENON players are good, but they're MUCH too expensive! So they're out.

Discussion is locked

8 Posts
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PANASONIC S97S
by BONSPEED Mar 31, 2006 4:49AM PST

i looked at the samsung, but because of the mixed reviews it recieved decided on the panasonic. circuit city had the s97s briefly, but sold out quickly. i purchased mine from jr.com (ny, free shipping), who comes highly regarded, and it arrived in a week.

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Ditto on J & R Music World
by RoadRunner6 Mar 31, 2006 2:22PM PST

I have purchased from them many times over the years, even before computers (mail-order). There is no tax, free shipping and they have a 5 star rating.

RR6

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re: Best Upconverting DVD player?
by KB1234 Mar 31, 2006 5:03AM PST

Check out the OPPO OPDV971H 720p/1080i Upconverting HDTV-Ready DVD Player

http://www.oppodigital.com/

I can't say it is the best one out there, but it has good ratings for a $200.00 player. I have one. I like it, but I can't compare it with any others.

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OPPO LOOKS GOOD
by stewart norrie Apr 1, 2006 10:18AM PST

Great specs great price But it is not h.d. ready. I just got information on the Sony blue ray player It should have an awsome picture but you must use h.d.m.i. to enjoy a 1080I or 1080P picture sounds like you picked a winner stewart

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Ok, have a few questions...
by DizzleCizzle Mar 31, 2006 7:50PM PST

I've been reading up on some stuff...

It looks like the DVD S97S is a 2004 model, is it still really that much better than the upconverting players that come out now?

Also, my HomeTheaterTechy friend told me to buy a DVD player with DCDi from Faroudja (or however that's spelled) and to also make sure it has alot of Mosquito and Noise Reduction. I don't quite understand all of that, but does the S97S do a good job of that?

Lastly...does anyone have any experience with the DENON 1920? I've seen it on EBay for an affordable price, so I thought maybe I'd add that one to the list of potential purchases.

Thanks for all the help given so far, and thanks for any future help as well. Happy

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Here Is Some Info On The Panny
by RoadRunner6 Apr 1, 2006 10:06AM PST
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PANASONIC S97S
by BONSPEED Apr 2, 2006 8:57AM PDT

when is more, too much? one fact i found about the s97s, during my research, was the extensive list of capabilties and adjustments that came with this model. faroudja technology, dcdi, mosquito noise reduction are incorporated with many other features in the s97s. however, the pic quality in the end depends on the individual. denon is a highly regarded name, but the panasonic is far from a second rate player. in either case, it may be best to be more concern with the quality of your seller (online retailer, ebayer) then the quality of the player.

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Great quality HD picture from your current DVDS
by elaine89 Apr 17, 2006 9:39AM PDT

Have you heard of the sony DVPNS75H upconvertion DVD player? This sony DVD player is one of the most affordable and gives you one of the best pictures I have seen. Currently HDDVD from toshiba is selling but costs $499 and each HDDVD cost $25, blu-ray will not be around until August for around $999. So enjoy your DVD collection now with Sony's DVPNS7H DVD player.

The following is a review I recently did on the unit:
-----------------------------------------------------

Pros:
1080i picture quality, great sound quality, under $150 for the player.

Cons:
Works best with a wide screen HD TV with HDMI, had a problem with HDMI audio didn't match the video but worked with PCM option instead, remote sometimes works too fast

Man I bought the previous version a month ago and...it's amazing! There is a big different when you have your old dvd player connected with component and this new dvpns75h connected in hdmi to compare.

Anyways the next best thing would be to wait till blu-ray is available, but even then the first players will cost $999 in august. Bestbuy is already taking preorders.

I suggest getting the dvpns75h, it shouldn't cost you no more than $150, and it is honestly better than the other upconversion players.

As far as the dvpns75h, I bought it too (picked it up this week at bestbuy) to see if there was any kind of difference from the dvpns70h model, well there are two new picture sharpness options (mnr and bnr) and the size of the player is thinner. The only other thing I would suggest,(and this has nothing to do with the dvd player), to further enhance your picture quality is to purchase the avia calibration dvd to give you accurate colors, black & white, and sharpness when viewing all your favorite DVDs.

You would be very happy with the dvpns75h, I've watched all my dvds over again because they all look like HD quality now.

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