Looking for advice on a Progressive (1 Viewer)

[ChadLB]

SCan DVD player for at most $125. Looking for people with experience with any in that price range. Yes I really want the Denon 1600 but can't budget it right now.

 

[Don_Berg]

Then check out the JVC XV-N40BK or N50BK, they have a $20 rebate offer now and so you can get one of these models for $54-$90. Best Buy has the XV-N50BK $10 off this week plus another $20 rebate, so you can save $30 - total price $89.

 

[BrianP]

Here are three that would meet your budget requirements listed below. The Toshiba and Philips can be found for around $79, while the Liteon would go for around $150. Also they can play DVDs from other regions without any modifications, and convert PAL video to NTSC. The Liteon is probably the most versatile player of the bunch, and has the ability to scale a DVD's image to 1080i via component video cable if you have a capable television. If you do a search you should be able to find some threads with more information about pros and cons of each model. I own both the Liteon and Toshiba models and am happy with both so far.

Philips DVD 727
Toshiba SD 3900
Liteon LVD 2001

 

[Michael Steven]

If your limit is indeed $125, there are some decent players out there. I know that many enthusiasts will say that recent Panasonic, Toshiba, and Sony models aren't that good compared to older models -- today's models apparently use cheaper parts to keep the prices low. In addition, some enthusiasts might scoff at a source like Consumer Reports, but the one thing about them is that they are more independent than most sources, such as CNET (Consumer Reports doesn't accept advertising; CNET does). According to their latest round up of DVD players, these progessive scan players scored fairly well:

Panasonic DVD-S55
Toshiba 3900
JVC XV-N44SL, XV-N55SL
Philips DVD727

They also recommended the Pioneer DV-363, Sharp DV-SL20, and even the Samsung DVD-HD931, which has a DVI port.

I have heard very mixed things about the new Sony DVP-NS725P, which has a 12bit, 108Mhz processor. According to CR and reviews I've read across the web, the progressive scan mode lacks smoothness and exhibits a number of other "problems." I've heard mixed things about the JVC models.

I had the Panasonic S55S (the second S just stands for "Silver"). Now, I was using it in interlaced mode on a analog TV, so I can't speak to its progressive image, but I was relatively impressed. The Fifth Element Superbit DVD looked pretty damn good, even on a standard TV. The player is also pretty quiet. One bad thing, though: the remote sucks, and set-up and accessing the features aren't as easy as they should be.

I only returned it because for my particular set up, I think I can find players that are more suitable -- ones that do an even better job at anamorophic downconversion (something you don't have to worry about if you are using a HD TV).

One thing about the new Toshiba pro scan models: they don't have many picture settings, only a feature to change the black level. If picture settings don't matter to you (and you'd rather set the image using the TV), perhaps you might give one a look. My old Toshiba gets great color through the component outputs on my analog TV.

Hope this helps.

 

[Don_Berg]

The Panasonic S35 and S55 are poor in progressive mode, I observed a flickering artifact on menu screens. The JVC models had no such artifacts, I'd recommend JVC over Panasonic in the $120 or less category. Toshibas have CUE which JVC lacks, so Toshiba is out.