NEW dvd player, is Faroudja worth the extra $$ (1 Viewer)

[brentl]

OK fine folks I'm looking for a basic good quality progressive scan DVD player and here are my possibilities.

JVC xv-n44sl

only special feature is that a movie will start within 4 seconds after inserting a disc. It's also got both coaxial and optical digital out, having both is getting to be a rarity in lower priced stuff.

JVC XV-N312S

Seems very similar to the 44.

2 panasonic models, just click here and add the 27 and the 35 to compare

They both have +s and -s, but I have NO idea which is more important. the 35 is last years model, but is priced the same as this years.

The last DVD player is the most interesting one, it's the

LG 7832 DVD player, it's pretty much the same as the Zenith 318, and goes head to head with the Samsung 931.

It's got 2 interesting features, 1 is the ability to upconvert from 480p to 1080i on both the DVI and component outputs, and 2 is the built in Faroudja scaler/deinterlacer.

Is the LG worth $100Can more than the other units? I use a Benq 6100 so it's only 800/600 anyways and think that more "upconveting" players will come down the pike and the prices will drop.

Secondly the Faroudja unit would would be a nice move up from the unit built into the Benq, but is it worth the money?

I really just need a good, inexpensive progressive scan unit.

Ideas? Help?

Thanks

Brent
P.s. I'm also worried about the Chroma bug, does anybody know which of these units is free of the bug?

 

[Don_Berg]

I used to have a JVC but 6 months ago I upgraded to a Faroudja-based XP30 and yes its definitely worth it - the picture is a lot sharper and no annoying interlaced artifacts with video-based titles.

 

[Neil Joseph]

How well does the XP30 scale dvd's?

 

[brentl]

More opinion would be REALLY helpful.

Does everybody own Denon 2200s or 5900s ?

Has to be some people with picky eyes that understand the value of a well priced player.

Brent

 

[Steve Schaffer]

The XP30 doesn't scale dvds. None of the Faroudja based players will. If you mainly watch film based stuff, no the Faroudja isn't worth the extra money.

The JVC XVNA70bk or 77sl has a 12 bit 100mhz video D/A converter and on film based stuff has better pq than the Faroudja based Pannys--I've got one of each. I do see occasional combing during special features docs consisting of mixed video and film based material, and don't see it on the same stuff on the Panny. But on the Panny I can't correct for nonanamorphic widescreen dvds and have to put up with nasty gray sidebars on 4/3 stuff--the JVC scales, and quite nicely. The 44 series does not have the 12 bit 100mhz video D/A chip, just a 10 bit 50 mhz--same as the Pannys. The 70 series has an msrp of $229, I got mine for $179 at a local B&M and it was not on sale, you could probably get it cheaper on the web. It has a number of other nice features like 2 sets of user adjustable video controls for brightness, contrast, sharpness, color, tint, gamma, and Y-delay. The gamma is really good because you can bring out shadow detail without turning up brightness and ruining black level.

this may not be important to you, but the JVC also does a much better job with scratched or smudged discs than the Panasonic. I rented the only available copy of Dog Soldiers at my local Blockbuster and it froze up repeatedly and was unwatchable on the Panasonic, even after cleaning, as it was badly scratched. It played just fine without a single hitch on the JVC.

The Panny 35 (I've got one of those too!) can be made to scale but it's overall pq is very noticeably worse than either the Faroudja based Panny or the JVC, especially when scaling. I have mine in the bedroom connected to my '85 model Sony KV25XBR.

If you've got lots of video based dvds or are super fussy about combing during special features documentaries, get a Faroudja based player. If you have lots of 4/3 film based stuff or a significant number of non-anamorphic widescreen dvds, get the JVC but look for the 70 series. I would not get the non-Faroudja Panny for anything but your mom's old 25 inch set.

 

[Jon Hancock]

The DVB318 and it's sibling, the 7832, appear to be free of the Chroma bug.

BUT, the 480P and 720P output are something a bit less than stellar.

OTOH, the 1080i component output is very, very good.

This is a great DVD player IF you have a 1080i input display.

If you don't, pass Go, fugettaboutdit.



I like mine quite well, and think it's a great deal at $200. USD

It also has an interesting feature for those with anamorphic displays, as it supports independent vertical and horizontal zoom.

Regards,

Jon

 

[Nicholas R]

The XP30 has rather dismal interlaced PQ but that probably won't be an issue for you. It was a very good budget player but it's reputation far exceeds it's true abilities. The LG is great if your monitor supports 1080 and it does a very good job at 480 as well but no player is even close to the PQ I get from my HTPC. Having had 3 XP30s and seeing the prices that the lemmings are paying on Ebay I can tell you there are better units out there for less money. The XP30 cult is a source of neverending amusement to me. Of course you can blame Mr. Spears for that.

 

[brentl]

Ok guys I was looking at staying between $100-$150 Canadian and it looks like it may be worth the upgrade.

I like the looks and the possibilities of the 7832 for my next projector. As long as it's reliable I should be able to use it for a few years before it's overshadowed by the latest and greatest.

The bonus it that I can get it for $225 canadian which is, so I've heard, a very good price

IF I get this unit should I send a 1080i signal to my projector? or a 480P signal?

It seems like I should rule out the Panasonics for video quality, but are the basic JVCs worth looking at?? and would the difference between a Toshiba 2200(almost 4 years old) VS a low end JVC be noticable??

Thanks

Brent

 

[Don_Berg]

Don't go by that guy's false Panasonic bashing! The XP30 is the top-rated progressive DVD player, go by the "Secrets" video experts not him! There is a reason why the XP30 garners tremendous praise and commands full prices on EBAY. Its picture quality is one of the best, I can attest to it. I used to have a JVC and upgraded to the XP30, its 10x better than the JVCs. With a good progressive player you output 480p to your display that matches the native DVD source rate. The upconverters try to make up extra pixels for higher resolution formats like 1080i, but that information doesn't exist on the source DVD - that can introduce scaling artifacts. Your best bet is the top-rated Panasonic XP30.

Just go here and look at the ratings of progressive DVD players in the big Secrets DVD player shootout based on detailed testing:
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-b...deInt=0&mpeg=0

 

[Nicholas R]

Good Lord almighty your obsession/fetish is quite alarming. It's a DVD player.Any HTPC makes both the LG and XP30 look like total garbage so it's a pretty moot point. I am extremely glad to have moved passed the budget XP30 onto players with better PQ and more reliability. It was a nice little player back in it's day. Those days have been passed.

 

[DaveGTP]

Brent,

The upscaling player depends on the projector you end up getting. Most 1080i projectors are pretty pricey still (like $2k+) unless you got a used CRT projector. There are some good 720p LCDs in the sub $2k range, and the DLPs in that range are 480p. So it depends on what unit you ended up getting.


NicholasR,

Try to keep your tone down, if you would. If you don't agree, than feel free to post that, and why. Many of your posts here and in the other Faroudja thread have come very close to sounding like attacks (like the above penis comment). This is a polite and pleasant forum. Thanks.

 

[Don_Berg]

You are correct Dave, Nicholas is posting personal attacks now with profanity! For some reason he has to bash the XP30, though its still the top-rated and reliabie model even today. I can understand if someone can't find an XP30 and has an old cheap model wanting to upgrade, the Zenith is probably a reasonable alternative - but I would never get rid of the XP30 for it, I'd wait until the XP30 dies (probably years from now) and when a model comes out with new features and not missing features or faults.

 

[DaveGTP]

I can see the Zenith as a good upgrade for 1080i via component once the Secrets guys have gone over it with a finetooth comb as usual.