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Quick review on 1080i scaling Liteon LVD2001 DVD Player (1 Viewer)

Matt DeVillier

Supporting Actor
Joined
Sep 3, 1999
Messages
773
PAL speedup will be present no matter what, since it is an artifact of the film to video transfer.

Brajesh, can you elaborate on how this player's PAL->NTSC conversion is inferior to the malata's (or any mediamatics based player)?
 

Brajesh Upadhyay

Supporting Actor
Joined
Jul 11, 1998
Messages
787
Matt, I only tried one R2 DVD, my "Deer Hunter" SE. The movie played "jumpy"--like there were frames missing every few seconds. Maybe it's the transfer itself.

I'll check other R2 DVDs tonight on the LiteOn--those I know play fine on my Malata--like "Bend it Like Beckham", "Trainspotting" DC, etc.
 

Brajesh Upadhyay

Supporting Actor
Joined
Jul 11, 1998
Messages
787
Okay, I figured it out. The jumpy picture/frame skipping happens w/all PAL DVDs, but only in 1080i. When you output a 480p picture, the PAL->NTSC conversion is as smooth as the Malata's. Don't know why this is, but there you have it.

On another note, I also tried viewing JPG picture from my digital camera's CompactFlash card (using the supplied LiteOn adapter). This feature works fine, but the images look a little blurry. Still, it's a nice, quick way to view digital pictures from your camera.
 

Marc Carra

Supporting Actor
Joined
Aug 31, 1997
Messages
767
Brajesh, did you have your set ISF'ed in 1080i as well as 480P? I'm asking because most people have their set's done in 480P with a DVD, and the 1080i setting get neglected. In comparing the Liteon's output of 480p vs 1808i on my set, I found the 1080i to be much more filmlike, and very close to my reference device- a Radeon based HTPC. The 480p may look 'sharper' but the 1080i is far more detailed and filmlike and less harsh looking than the 480p.

I'm also going to try another experiment tommorow. I've got a Liteon DVD-ROM player at my store. The drive is quite a bit quieter than the drive in the LVD2001. I'm going to switch drives, and see what happens. I took off the cover of my player tonight and the drive is connected with a standard IDE cable and PC type power cable. Funny thing is, it's a different drive than the one pictured here in this review:

http://www.kitsapcomputers.com/lvd05.htm

I'm going to install the drive tommorow and report back to you.

Marc.
 

JohnSterling

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Oct 17, 2002
Messages
130
OK Guys....

So...I've been reading this thread and the reviews attached to it. (in addition to a google search for reviews). I'm considering the Liteon...but there are 2 items for me as criteria:

#1: I don't care about ANY of the Liteon's 'extra' features like multiple regions, or DiVX reading or memory card reading....etc.

#2: All I'm interested in is the 1080i upsampling over component outputs on Region 1, off-the-shelf production DVD's (movies only...NO VIDEO) and it's ability to output excellent sound to the digital outputs. ***Nothing else**. I've been a bit frustrated with pretty much all the reviews that spend a whooping 1 to 3 sentances (if that) on the PS video quality.

I just got through trying out 4 different ~$100 to ~$150 PS players about a month and a half ago and settled on the JVC N50BK....which I'm about 90% happy with. However...it does have a handfull of slight flaws.

In your opinion, will the Liteon provide a noticable improvement for the wife and myself's movie watching? It will be attached to a Sony 4ES for sound and a Mitz WS55805 for display. The Mitz is supposed to be able to handle the 1080i.

Many thanks for your thoughts.
 

Brajesh Upadhyay

Supporting Actor
Joined
Jul 11, 1998
Messages
787
Marc, my HDTV was ISF'd for 1080i as well, by HTF's own Gregg Loewen. I regularly watch HDTV programming using my Zenith 520 HD unit & the picture is first-rate. No frame drops/jitters. With my LiteOn at 1080i, I get a smooth picture for all NTSC DVDs; the problem only occurs w/PAL DVDs upscaled to 1080i. I'll probably keep this player because it's quite versatile for $150, even if I have the above problem & a soft 1080i picture w/NTSC DVDs. It being able to handle DVD-R, mp3, avi files & digital camera cards is pretty cool.
 

Marc Carra

Supporting Actor
Joined
Aug 31, 1997
Messages
767
John,


The 1080i upsampling feature is all that I really bought it for as well. And as I stated above, it does a pretty good job, in comparision with my $1500+ Radeon 9500 powered HTPC running Theatertek software. Some people are saying they don't see much of a difference between 480p and 1080i. I think one of the factors is how well calibrated your 1080i mode is on your particular set. Maybe my 480p mode is less than stellar. That could account for the picture looking better at 1080i.

Marc.
 

Marc Carra

Supporting Actor
Joined
Aug 31, 1997
Messages
767
Well I replaced the DVD drive with a cheap Liteon LTD166 DVD-ROM drive , and boy what a difference. The drive loads up almost instantly and is quite a bit faster and quieter than the drive that comes with the LVD-2001. A great cheap upgrade!

Marc.
 

JohnSterling

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Oct 17, 2002
Messages
130
OK...another question...(and BTW...thanks for the response, Marc)...My Mitz has two video modes: 480P and 960I. Will the 1080I work with my TV?????

Again, thanks in advance for your help.
John
 

Jay Blair

Second Unit
Joined
Nov 3, 2001
Messages
333
Brajesh,

I have the Pal R2 Deer Hunter SE and it plays fine in 1080i on my system. Looks like you might have a defective LVD-2001.

I still have a Malata N996, Toshiba SD3900, and a JVC XV-FA900 and I can tell you that the PAL>NTSC conversion on the Liteon at 1080i is superior to any of my other players.

I have a large collection of PAL DVDs and so far of the dozen or so I've tried on the Liteon, they all play better than on my other players.

The Liteon at 1080i now even surpasses the quality of my cherished Pioneer Elite DV-37 run through an UltraScan Ultra. The $150 Liteon has just obsoleted this $1500 combination of equipment.

And I still haven't upgraded to the newest firmware. It came with version 2.23. This weekend I'll try to upgrade to the 2.29 version, which from what I've read should improve pic quality even more.

You also should not be getting a soft picture at 1080i with NTSC discs. Everything I've looked at is now sharper on my system and I always thought that the Pioneer Elite DV-37 had a very sharp picture. Color is also richer.

480P quality on the Liteon is actually mediocre. I think this player is only worthwhile (other than for the DivX feature and similar extras) for using it at 1080i and only if you don't have a DVI connection on your TV. (Well, maybe for 720P as well--I have no way of checking the quality for that since my TV converts 720P to 480P.)
 

Marc Carra

Supporting Actor
Joined
Aug 31, 1997
Messages
767
Jay, you seem to be getting the same results as me. I watched a couple more DVD in 1080i last night, and the colors and detail were incredibly rich. The Liteon produces a very film-like image. I put on The Fifth Element superbit DVD and was blown away by how film-like the image was. I also have The Fifth Element in high definintion on DVHS to compare to, so I did an A-B comparision. The high def version was more detailed (of course) but both images were equally 'film-like'.

Marc.
 

Brajesh Upadhyay

Supporting Actor
Joined
Jul 11, 1998
Messages
787
Looks like I may have to exchange mine for another unit. This is sometimes the trouble w/cheap players like this--inconsistent performance among units.
 

Ike

Screenwriter
Joined
Jan 14, 2000
Messages
1,672
I just got mine in. Out of the box, I noticed something inside was loose, hopefully a screw. As I was putting the flash card holder in place, something else came loose. I'm now nervous that the player maybe defective, but I'm going to try it out over the weekend.

Upgraded the firmware, and watched Akira Kurosawa's Dreams in 1080i. I could not tell a difference between 480p and 1080i right out of the box, but when I switched to these, the brightness and contrast were all blown out, so I need to calibrate it. Once I calibrate it, I'll post a more thorough opinion of it.

As for the loose bits, if it powers up and runs, and there's no way it can move and get on a board, should I worry about it? If I open the player up, will it void the warranty or anything like that? Is there a warranty?
 

Jay Blair

Second Unit
Joined
Nov 3, 2001
Messages
333
Ike

Warranty is pretty good at 1 year for parts and labor (U.S. warranty--"purchased and used in the United States by the original consumer"). A lot of players these days are 1 year parts but only 90 days labor (labor is usually a lot more expensive than the parts).

My player made no rattling sounds out of the box and actually seems a lot better built than most of these cheaper Chinese-made players. I'd be concerned, and you might want to contact Liteon at 1-888-454-8366 or [email protected] before doing anything yourself. This info is right off the warranty card.

Marc

I also have the Fifth Element superbit and was quite impressed with it at 1080i. Other superbits also look great, such as Bram Stoker's Dracula.


One other note I want to make about this unit:

I've found that to get the best picture at 1080i I have to set the sharpness on my Sony HS20 (53" RPTV) extremely low (around 10% level) for the most film-like image and to minimize graininess, whereas with my other DVD players I get the best picture at a little over 20%.
 

Ike

Screenwriter
Joined
Jan 14, 2000
Messages
1,672
Well, the player would not play Digital Video essentials, so I'm going to return it. I was wondering if I should return it to New Egg, or if I should do it through Liteon?
 

Jay Blair

Second Unit
Joined
Nov 3, 2001
Messages
333
OK, I just upgraded the firmware from 2.23 to 2.29 and what a difference at 1080i! I used both A.I. and the Superbit Fifth Element to do a few quick tests. I thought 2.23 produced a great picture, but with 2.29 there is a distinct resolution boost and shadow detail is greatly improved. My biggest complaint with the menu was also fixed, it now adds time remaining that was sorely missing before.

Someone on the AVScience Forum noted a resolution boost of about 20% from 2.27 to 2.29 and I can believe it. It's hard to tell just how much things have improved because I don't have light control beyond basic curtains in my living room where I do my viewing and will have to wait until tonight to report fully, but I would now say that this player for anyone with a 1080i capable system without DVI is a must buy at $150. I doubt I will ever feel the need to buy another player until HD-DVD comes along or I decide to get a TV with a DVI connector (or, knock on wood, the Liteon dies).

480P is also better now, still not great, but no longer useless.

Ike, I haven't tried out my Digital Video Essentials disk yet so don't know how it plays. If you just bought your unit from New Egg, I would contact them about returning it.
 

Marc Carra

Supporting Actor
Joined
Aug 31, 1997
Messages
767
The only DVD I have found not to work is The Osbournes Season 1. The FBI warning shows up, followed by the Mirimax city intro logo, then just a black screen. I can hit enter and the player time changes and chapter 1 begins but still no picture or sound. I can advance chapters and the front display shows that it's jumping forward, but nothing on the screen. Wierd. Everything else I've tried so far works.

Marc.
 

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