What is required for the absolute best picture from a DVD? (1 Viewer)

[Dave Poehlman]

Bottom line it for me, someone.

Barring any outside equipment other than a TV and DVD player, is it a progressive scan DVD player wired to a 16:9 HDTV capable of 3:2 pulldown via component inputs?

Just when I think I am understanding it all, I don't.

 

[Greg_R]

Correct. Obviously the capabilities of the TV and DVD player are important (as well as calibration).

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Some people like making "masks" out of non-reflective black cloth to frame the image & mask off the black-bars and even the face of the TV. This makes the image appear brighter and "hovering in space".
Some even like to mask off the face of their equipment so the display lights dont interfear/destract.
Low Light in the room (enough to see the remote & your snacks)
(You can see the improvements are getting smaller and more subtile - but people love them.)
a good Merlot or Chardonay, a favorite popcorn, SO curled up next to you...
To get serious for a moment:
The next "step" up is a front-projector unit. Some of the small Sony units for $1600 - $3000 are about the size of an old slide-projector, but deliver a great image against a good screen in a dark room. (Think 60-100" display size). Some people claim this is the best.
The next "step" is to use a CRT projector ($15,000) and an external scaler/doubler ($10,000) for the DVD signal to up-convert it to true HD.
So a HDTV and a DVD player is a great bang-for-the-buck system.
Does this help?

 

[Neil Joseph]

I remember reading something in the Tweaks section about some green felt pen (or something like that) that, when applied to the DVD disk, would make improvements! Then you get into abstract stuff like isolator pads to prevent jitter for your DVD player transport.

This thread may actually benefit from being in the Tweaks area.

 

[Michael Reuben]

is it a progressive scan DVD player wired to a 16:9 HDTV capable of 3:2 pulldown via component inputs?

With a progressive scan player, the TV's internal line-doubling circuitry is bypassed. Therefore, it's irrelevant whether the TV's circuitry has 3:2 pulldown detection. What is relevant is whether the TV has been properly (i.e., professionally) calibrated to NTSC standards. It can make an enormous difference in the end result.
M.

 

[Dave Poehlman]

TV's circuitry has 3:2 pulldown detection.

So, is there such a thing as a 3:2 capbable DVD player?

Do both the TV and player have to have 3:2 ability?