Does anyone make a good 480p player anymore? (1 Viewer)

[Andre Bijelic]

My Panasonic RP-56 finally died and I'd like to replace it with a solid 480p player.

I'm really not looking for HDMI or DVI - I've found that DVI looks worse than component on my set. I also don't need an upscaling player, as my set displays 480p without any additional processing. And I don't need SACD or DVD-A capability.

Are there any good 480p players out there currently? I'd consider a used XP-30/50 but there aren't any on E-Bay Canada and I that's something I'd rather not import.

Any suggestions would be welcome.

 

[Phil A]

Andre so a search. I don't follow the stuff as closely as others so I look forward to reading the information but I've seen what seems to be good comments about the Denon 1910. For what I've seen some of the used Panasonics go for you might as well just get the upcoming S97 and pretend it does not have DVD-A capability.

 

[EricRWem]

Denon 2900. Pioneer 59 avi. You can get the 2900 for $550 at Ecost. Shop around and you can get it new in the $600's. The 2900 is arguably one of THE best 480p players out there, at least in the

 

[Phil A]

Eric, I just suggested the others as Andre indicates he does not care about SACD and DVD-A capability and the 2900 and the Pioneer are universal players. The RP-56 he is looking to replace from memory of seeing it in Best Buy was a good solid DVD-V only machine that probably sold for less than $200. I'm not sure what Andre's budget is (only he can tell us that) but my guess (I could be totally off base) he would be looking to spend less than $550 based on what is is replacing the used Panasonics he is looking at. Andre, come to think of it, a friend of mine might actually have one of those. He only used it a short while before upgrading to one of those Samsung upscalers to use with his Samsung DLP. I could ask but I think you might still be better off with a new unit for around the same price point that comes with a warranty.

 

[EricRWem]

Very true, Phil. I was just trying to think out of current hardware that's out there. Naturally, he could always go on Ebay and fetch one of those much ballyhooed and discontinued Panasonic units like the RP 82, XP 50, and so forth.

 

[John Garcia]

He mentioned he didn't find any on Ebay Canada...

I'd say the 2900 new or used is the way to go.

 

[EricRWem]

D'oh! :b

 

[Andre Bijelic]

Sorry, I should have mentioned that I'm hoping to find something for $300US ($400CDN).

I have a Harman Kardon DVD 22, which is generally a pretty good player, but its deinterlacing is mediocre.

The Panasonic S97 sounds promising, but I haven't been able to determine if the Faroujda chip is active when using the component outputs. I had looked at the Samsung 931 and found out that Faroujda only works via DVI.

 

[EricRWem]

Actually, you may want to try swapping that HK 22 for its big brother HK 31 first. That's supposed to be an excellent unit.

 

[MattD]

What about the new panny rp-92s?

 

[matt-f]

The RP series were gone 2 years ago!! No such thing as an RP92!!

There is a DVD-S97 and that's already out in the market in certain stores.

I gotten mine earlier this week and it's a killer to my RP82. Besides the macroblocking issue which should be fixable, the unit overall is fantastic.

 

[EricRWem]

Good word going around about the s97. The consensus is starting to form that the s97 might be the new "best $200 and change" player. We shall see...

 

[Ryan Tsang]

Andre:

just a thought....a Toshiba SD9200 (DVD-A/V) circa 2001. Remember that? They're going for $400US on Audiogon. Might be a killer transport even if current $200 DVD players are in the same league in terms of video.

 

[Andre Bijelic]

Actually, the more I think about it, the more I'm inclined to spend a couple of hundred extra and purchase a DVDO I-Scan Pro or Ultra instead. That way, I can just feed the processor a 480i signal from my Harman Kardon and get solid deinterlacing for laserdisc and VHS as a bonus.

Does anyone know where I-Scans can be found in the Toronto area? Or even Canadian online retailers that carry them?

 

[Richard_B]

Andre,

About that iScan. Call Sean at AV123.com. I am pretty sure they are doing a wonderful shipping deal to Canada through the Holidays.

 

[matt-f]

Eric,

It's more like 300 dollars. I know some people on AVS who are contacting Panasonic to get them to fix the macroblocking. I wonder if Panasonic is going to take this seriously or not.

 

[EricRWem]

I hope so, Matt. I know that the Panasonic comes in off of great hype, especially given Panasonic's pedigree with players like the RP-82, XP30, and the other usual suspects you always see people mention. This player has been eagerly anticipated by many because of this pedigree and the demand is high. Many people I know deliberately held off buying anything because they were waiting for this player.

I really hope this situation can be satisfied for these folks. :frowning:

Now, help me with my facts here: The Panny is a Faroudja based player yes? Well, if it is, we all know that the macroblocking is really a Faroudja problem more than it is a problem.

I could be pleasantly surprised, but...I'm not sure what Panasonic can really do to get around the Faroudja chips' well known issues.

 

[matt-f]

Eric,

Yup the S97 is a Faroudja based played (FLI2310). It is definately a Faroudja problem.

Since looking at the Faroudja FLI2310 specs, it looks like it's programmable so a firmware update can be a solution to fix it.

 

[dpippel]

Looks like iScan sales at AV123 are limited to U.S. residents only. From AV123.com:

NOTE: Due to iScan dealer policy, sales on all DVDO products are limited to US residents only. For international sales, please contact DVDO directly to locate a dealer in your area.

 

[EricRWem]

Would the firmware come from Faroudja themselves to fix the SLEW of players that have their chips, or is it up to each manufacterer to come up with one?