Best Prog-Scan DVD Player - any opinions?? (1 Viewer)

[Jenna]

I'm awaiting delivery of a Mits WS-65819 this Wednesday, so would REALLY like to have a NEW Progressive Scan DVD player waiting to test the set. Am interested in the BEST/sharpest overall picture...will spend up to $500.

So far, I've looked at the Sony DVP-NS700P $299 and the Toshiba SD-4700 $249.

Any good/bad comments from your experience will be appreciated!!!

 

[Masood Ali]

The Tosh 4700 has the chroma-bug, but the problem is much much less evident than with earlier players. Otherwise, the picture quality is awesome and DVD-Audio is a nice feature to have.

The Panny RP-91 is a much better player, but its in an entirely different price range.

The Sony has a good picture (from an older chipset), but doesn't really have any distinguishing features to make it attractive.

The Panny RP-56 is also a nice player; it uses an excellent chipset. From my experience, the build quality was a little subpar (maybe I had a bad unit), but it has no chroma bug. I still rate the Toshibas picture quality at the same level as the RP-56, even better in some cases.

 

[Jenna]

Thanks guys! I still have 24hrs to decide, so went to Circuit City to get a closer look at the Sony DVP-NS700P and the Panasonic RP-56 (as they're both actually instock there). The salesman there stated that several of his customers have had many problems with the Sony - claiming that the player "skips chapters" during regular DVD play. He stated that one customer was "on his 3rd player" so far and had to keep returning one-after-another. ??? That's the first time I'd heard of that problem with the Sony. Anyone?
He highly recommended the Pan RP-56 ($229) citing the "superior chip". I may go ahead and pick up several ProgScan DVD players and test them side-by-side myself. Is there a way to display 2 different ProgScan DVD images simultaneously on the Mits WS-65819??? I know it has (2) component inputs; but wonder if they'll both display using the PIP????? I'll try this and let you know. (I do happen to have a couple of duplicate DVDs -- The Mummy Returns, Cats&Dogs, etc. -- that were given to me.)
Also ordered the "Avia Guide to Home Theater" which should arrive any day now. Have never tweaked a set, so this should be a good learning experience. I also have the Sound&Vision HT DVD, and will let you know if that is worth the $15 (from Amazon).
Keep the comments and opinions coming. I may go through several different players, and I value the expertise, tips, and opinions from this forum!

 

[Bill Kane]

Jenna,
It sounds like you can't wait to get your system fired up...but...
You asked about THE BEST, yet in response chose to overlook the suggested Panasonic RP91. It currently IS the best consumer grade DVD player with a multitude of features: No chroma bug; it supports DVD-AUDIO disks so long as your receiver carries the external 5.1 inputs, and more. There are MANY thread posts on the RP91 here.
The unit is available on line from $499 down.
Take some time to research this and get a superior unit from the outset. No, I don't own one, since I don't have a component video monitor.
p.s. my daughter's name is Jenna

 

[Jenna]

Bill, you're right. My oversight on the Panasonic RP91. I've searched locally (and online thru BestBuy and CircuitCity) and can't find one, so will continue the search online tonight.
Yes, I'm very anxious to fire up my system, and will likely purchase (at least) one of these progressive scan players by Wednesday so that I can test the set and tweak it with the Avia DVD. I'll call a couple other places to see if I can get a PanRP91 STAT, and will post what I do find, and how it performs. I do want the best, and will, ultimately settle for nothing less. If I have to return, exchange, and rebuy, it'll be worth it in the end. Thanks for the input!
PS: My ex's name is Bill! LOL!!

 

[Bill Kane]

Here's a Link Removed
There may be some issues of buying from a "nonauthorized" Panasonic dealer re later repairs, god forbid; certainly Crazy Eddie may be questionable, I can't say fer sure, so if this is libelous I apologize.

 

[Michael_Victor]

I have the DV-444 by Pioneer and am very impressed. I like the sleek look, it is very thin, great quality. The only thing is, if you are going with black components, this will clash because it is silver. yet, black and silver go..

 

[Matt DeVillier]

The pioneer 444 is a terrible choice for a player if you want progressive scan (though it is a competant interlaced player). It does nothing more than simple line doubling. It lacks any type of 3:2 pulldown detection, and as a result looks much poorer on film-sourced material than any other current progressive scan player (outside of pioneer's 434, which was last years version of the 444). why pioneer chose to bring out the 444 after the strong negative response to the 434 is beyond comprehension.

 

[Michael_Victor]

I had no idea, i may need to look into that. thanks for the heads up. I felt the screen was great.. can you explain the difference?

 

[Matt DeVillier]

Michael,
check out Link Removed. It's the best explanation of progressive scan and compares quite a few progressive scan players (that were available in August)

 

[Don Munsil]

Personally, I would get the RP-56 over the RP-91, even if they were the same price, because I find the minor improvements in video quality on the RP-91 not as important as the significantly inferior deinterlacing.

On the other hand, I freely acknowledge that many other people have looked at the same data and gone with the RP-91. It's a very personal choice. Deinterlacing glitches really bother me, but they don't bother everyone. And on most material, the RP-91 doesn't have many glitches.

On good quality film material, the RP-91 will look slightly better. On video material, or material that was shot on film but edited on video, the RP-56 will look MUCH better.

Another way of saying it - I could list a bunch of DVDs (mostly smaller obscure titles) that are essentially unwatchable on the RP-91 in progressive mode because of the constant combing and glitches. I know of no similar list of titles that are unwatchable on the RP-56.

I guess if I'm spending a few hundred dollars on a progressive player, I want it to work well 100% of the time, not 90% of the time or even 99% of the time.

Now, if you want DVD-A, or you have a TV that locks in full mode with progressive signals, the RP-56 isn't a good choice, and the RP-91 starts looking much better. The Mits that Jenna owns doesn't lock, so that's not an issue.

Ultimately, Jenna, read all you can, and try to figure out what's most important to you. Figure out what's going to annoy you most, and avoid players with those issues. Whatever you do, don't try to evaluate different players based on "color accuracy" or "black level" or "contrast," as I see people doing all the time. Those are all adjustable, and with proper calibration, all players can be made to look equal in those areas. Even sharpness is misleading. Until you calibrate your monitor to a particular player, you really can't evaluate it objectively.

Best,

Don

 

[Jack Briggs]

If you want what Stereophile Guide to Home Theater thinks is the best prog-scan player, you can always opt for the Ayres Acoustics player with the prog-scan card installed for only $8,500 or so.

But in the real world, the Sony DVP-S9000ES is a really good prog-scan player with SACD-playback capability--it MSRPs for somewhere around $1,500, but streets for far less.

Then, a lot of people swear by the Toshiba SD-9200--but it can't play SACD or DVD-A.

Despite what our friends here are saying about the Sony 700's "chroma bug" problem, the unit is winning rave reviews in the home-theater press--even the high end-oriented The Perfect Vision is wetting its collective pants over the model. I'm planning on buying one. (I've talked to one person who owns it and the Toshiba 6200--and she prefers the Sony 700.)

 

[Randy B A]

check out the denon 4800 ps DVD player. also does DVD audio.

 

[Shawn C]

I have the NS700P now. I am trying to sell it, actually. I wanted a player that played DVD-A, so I bought the JVC 723, cheap. The Sony has a very good picture, IMHO. If I didn't want DVD-A, I would still be using the Sony now.

 

[Mark Norman]

I have read several reviews on Denons DVD players and they seem to be some of the best on the market for their price point. Go to Denon website and check out ththeir new THX Ultra player, I believe it is the 3000 model, it has full digital bass management for DVD-A which is the first I have heard of.

 

[Leo]

Jenna,
I too own the Mits 65819 and love it (I've tweaked the SVM and fixed the red push). But I'd recommend you read the Mitsubishi section over at Home Theater Spot and find out what things you'll need to tweak on your TV to get the best image. Mits are known for their red push issue where everyone looks like they have a sun burn. There is an attenuator that corrects this (can be made for less than $10 w/Radio Shack or bought for up to $35) issue of red push. If you have any questions let me know via email.
Leo

 

[Matt DeVillier]

Denon's new 1600 looks to be a winner as well, at a more reasonable price point. It's a Panny RP-56 on steriods basically (tweaked deinterlace chip, added DVD-A, added scaling for sets that lock on full). There's a bunch more info on this thread over on AVScience.

 

[Sean Patrick]

I haven't bought one yet, but i'm surprised there hasn't been more mention oen of the RP91's big plusses : the scaling of non-anamorphic material.

it's the main reason i'm going to buy one when i get a 16:9 tv.

 

[James David Walley]

Then, a lot of people swear by the Toshiba SD-9200--but it can't play SACD or DVD-A.

The 9200 is a DVD-A player.

 

[Gary Thomas]

I had the Panasonic 91 and now have the Toshiba 4700. While the Panasonic had tons of features and an excellent picture, it was a bit cumbersome to operate. The set up was pretty confusing for me...until I waded through pages of posts here on the forum!

I downgraded to the Toshiba (Ubid for $189) basically to wait out the market. It offers a great picture on my Pioneer Elite 610 TV and handles DVD-A. One negative, it is a bit of a pain to switch between digital and analog every time I put in a DVD-A.

I'm waiting for a future player that will handle DVD-A, SACD and Bass Management...then I'll spend $500 or $600.

One last thought, I truely believe that many DVD players will offer a similarly excellent picture. We can become overly critical in search of the perfect dvd player. After all, if the movie stinks, I don't care how great the picture is!