DVD player for old pioneer elite 50" TV -- compatibility? recommendations? (1 Viewer)

[tom milton]

i'm shopping for my 1st dvd player. this will be used with a pioneer elite 50" rear projection tv, which was the last model made before pioneer changed to the 16:9 aspect ratio. i realize i'm well behind the current technology curve, but i've been satisfied with this pioneer set for 10 years and probably won't be upgrading to hdtv for a few more years.

i've looked at reviews in consumer reports and on cnet, and while there are certainly some players that are more highly recommended than others, it still is not clear to me which ones if any would be preferable for use with this old projection tv. i obviously don't need progressive scan right now. i also don't care about MP3 and some of the other bells and whistles -- i just want to get the best picture quality possible, hopefully without sinking a bundle into something that may need replacing when i upgrade to hdtv.

i sure would appreciate any suggestions. thanks!

 

[Philip Hamm]

Hello Tom.

I am also using an old NTSC projector that does not do 16:9 so I can give you good advice. My 50" Mitsubishi is 6 years old and I will not be upgrading it any time soon.

The most important aspect of a DVD player for you is the downconversion of 16:9 coded material to 4:3 for your fine set.

You should look for Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer players. Avoid Toshiba. You can save some money by not going Progressive. As a matter of fact, some progressive scan DVD players have interlaced output that is inferior to native interlaced players. I am running a Technics DVD-A10 and it works wonderfully in my system. I have used Pioneers in the past and been happy with them.

 

[tom milton]

thanks for the info. i've found a panasonic dvd-c52 model on sale for $150 that might work. unless someone jumps in with a recommendation for a specific model i'll probably give it a try.