prog. scan dilemma (1 Viewer)

[WilliamB]

Howdy. Based on great advice from this forum, my choices for a prog. scan unit are narrowed to three:
Panny RP56
Philips Q50
Panny RP91
I'm really on the fence and seek yet more advice. Of the three, which is best? Or should I wait a few months? The DVD shootout results indicate that the RP56 and the Q50 fared better overall in the tests than the RP91. But, I've seen several threads that claim the RP91 produces a better pic even though it used the inferior(IMHO) Genesis chipset. Another thread indicated that the RP56 had "washed out" colors.
So, once again I seek enlightenment from the wiser ones...
thanks in advance

 

[Scott-C]

Hi WilliamB,

What kind of TV are you going to connect to the DVD player? If it's a widescreen model, you may want to consider the RP-91 over the RP56 because it can scale the picture better than the TV usually can. This is important for non-anamorphic DVDs and may be an important consideration depending on your TV and whether you have any non-anamorphic software.

The RP56 supposedly does use a chipset that gives the RP56 better deinterlacing capabilities (than the 91) but lacks many of the scaling and adjustment options that exist on the 91. Those adjustment features should allow you to extract the best possible picture from any DVD you play (because you can individually adjust sharpness, etc.).

Generally speaking, the 91 seems to garner high praise from HTF members as perhaps the best all-around DVD player under $1,000.

I have heard it's going to be (or already is) discontinued, so there's a decision to make regarding "buy" or "wait for new models" if you decide on the 91. I ended up placing na order for one 1.5 weeks ago - new models aren't necessarily always better than old ones, and the player is so inexpensive now that if I upgrade in a year, so be it!

I don't know much about the Philips so I can't comment.

Hope this helps!

 

[WilliamB]

Hi Scott:
RPTV is a Tosh TW56X81. Most of my DVD's are anamorphic. Sorry, I shoulda had that in the original post.

 

[Scott-C]

OK, that's cool. Well, you still might consider the RP-91 for its user settings, but the RP-56 is a great machine too and can be had for $200 - $225. I've seen both and they both put out a great picture, IMO.

 

[Jim Golden]

I have the Philips DVD Q 50, and think it's a great player! I bought it online at Circuit City, because they have a 30 day no questions asked return policy. The company itself (Philips)offers a free 90 day exchange warranty(for defects).

I had the Panasonic RP56 for three weeks, and at times did notice some washing out of colors. What I really didn't like was the "flimsy-ness" of the player, a lack of coax digital output, and the lack of a bit rate meter.

I have the Toshiba TW65H80.

Jim

 

[WilliamB]

Thanks Jim.

Since they are so close in price, would you say the Q50 is better than the Panny RP91?

 

[Eujin]

I think that your decision should come down to either the RP56 or 91. The Q50 and RP56 both use the same Sage chip, so for all intents and purposes, you'd get the same deinterlacing performance on both players. I currently have the RP56 as one of the players in my set-up and I think it's a great no-frills player. For the money, the Q50 should not have the problems that it's had to date--especially since the Sage chip negates any kind of scaling ability found in the Genesis-based RP91. On top of everything else, the RP91 also plays DVD-A, so if this is important to you, the choice should be clear. Just make sure you calibrate your Toshiba to whichever player you decide to go with, and use quality component video cables! By the way, the scaling features on the RP91 ARE very useful and you should try it out if you've never seen it in action (I have a Malata too, which handles all my non-Region 1 PAL material and has similar scaling features). Good luck!

 

[WilliamB]

Thanks a lot. Based on your feedback and that of others I'll probably go for the RP56. I don't care about DVD-A and have a receiver with DD51 decoder. Re; calibration. My tw56x81 has had an ISF calibration. Do you think I can get away with using Avia myself since the adjustments are mostly greyscale?

 

[Jim Golden]

I don't have any first hand knowledge on the RP91, but the Panasonic RP56 did not produce as good a picture on my set as the Philips DVD Q 50. In addition, it is not of the same build quality as the Philips nor does it have the features. I got the Philips for $399.00 at Circuit City.

I don't understand the comments on the "quality" of the Philips DVD Q 50? The player has a 90 day free exchange policy which should give enough time to determine it's reliability! I've seen allot of comments on the quality of the RP91 on this forum and on the Secrets of Home Theater Shoot out.

I had the Panasonic RP56 for 3 weeks, and can tell you first hand that it lacks many of the features the Q 50 has (digital coax out, zoom, picture controls, bit rate meter, etc). In addition, although they both have the DCDI Farjouda processing, the Philips has a 12 bit video DAC, while the Panasonic has a 10 bit (I don't know what difference this makes!). I also observed the "washing out" of colors that others have experienced.

I think the best advice is to buy from a dealer that will allow you to return the product if your not satisfied. Try each of the players your interested in, and keep the one that makes you happy! The only "online" dealer that will allow this (to my knowledge) is Crutchfield.

I called One Call on about the Philips DVD Q 50 and was told that it was a flimsy player. True, its not as solid as the Dennon 2800, but it's not flimsy (I think the Panasonic RP56 is!). They also told me that they only have a 15 day return policy, and if I returned the product for any reason (other than a defect) I would be charged a 15% restocking fee.