Zenith DVB 318 & LG 7832 DVD Player merged thread (1 Viewer)

[Kevin. W]

Miles,

If you want send me the money and I can pick one up and ship it too you. Right now there going for $250CDN+tx at 2001. I figure shipping would be $20-30 insured.

Kevin

 

[Miles]

Hey Kevin,

Thanks for the offer... I solved the problem w/ Leon's last night... called another sales person who talked to the manager and said they could sell the floor unit... So, I bought that one.

The picture looks much more detailed on first glance. I watched a bit of StarWars2. I wish the player had some video adjustment options like my Pioneer563

 

[Eddie Horton]

Best Buy is listing the 318 as "in stock" for online orders. Actual stores don't have it yet, though. Just thought I'd throw that out for what it's worth.

 

[EricRWem]

It's the closest thing to a giant killer out there.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=328403 Here's a record breaking thread that I and many others contributed to.

Here is a DVB318 FAQs that I authored and keep updated as best I can.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=400480

 

[Larry Sutliff]

I ordered one of these late last week, and I should get it in time for next weekend. I've been using a Panny RP-82 on my 47" Panny CRT and been pretty satisfied, but I really want to see what all of the fuss about upconversion is about. Some folks on that thread on AVS say that well mastered DVD's look close to HD on the DVB 318, others are less enthusiastic. Looking forward to seeing for myself.

 

[EricRWem]

It's a low risk gamble, especially if you purcahsed it from a place with a good return policy.

I very seriously doubt you will be disappointed.

 

[Eddie Horton]

I'm looking forward to trying this thing out. I've never ordered any A/V gear over the internet, so I'll probably get it from BB. It won't be a hassle to return if it doesn't rock my world, and if it does, it's still a great buy. BTW, thanks Eric for the info at AVS. Didn't know the two of you were one and the same.

 

[Larry Sutliff]

Yup, and the price was right. Even if it's not as good as some say, I'll probably keep it. My RP-82 is getting a little long in the tooth(though I'll still hold on to that too until it stops working).

 

[Neil Joseph]

For the price I paid, and for a PQ that approaches or maybe even surpasses the Denon (????? based on reports of others) which is much more expensive, it was a no brainer for me, especially since my own display does not have DVI. I think many people got it also because who knows, what if they suddenly decide to no longer do 1080i via component because of whatever concerns the studios have (again ????).

 

[Jeff Martin]

surpasses which Denon model in PQ??

 

[Jay Foster]

Neil,

I have the Liteon which upconverts and I don't think it is sold anymore. Have you compared it with the Zenith?

 

[PhilWW]

Neil,

I didn't see your report/comparison on this player yet or have you posted it already?


Jay,

I have both the LiteOn 2001 and 318. The 318 is way better than the 2001 in terms of sharpness, detail, color and build quality. Go grap one quick while it's still available.

Phil

 

[Robert James Clark]

Another vote for the DVB 318.


It's a real winner (speaking only of 1080i via component. If you need something else, there are other players).

 

[Don_Berg]

Be careful if you watch any 4:3 DVD titles like TV episode boxsets. I've seen a lot of posts recently of folks who bout a Zenith DVB318 and then want to watch a lot of Star Trek DVD boxsets (4:3 titles) and the Zenith doesn't format them for 16:9 displays - its all stretched since most HDTVs lock in FULL mode with 1080i. Unfortunately the 480p mode is marred by the color-bleeding bug too.

 

[Jay Foster]

Phil,

Where'd you get yours? I searched online and only found it for about $200.00. Anywhere cheaper?

 

[Steve Schaffer]

I've got a crt based rptv and have yet to see any color bleed at 480p on my DVB-318. Maybe it's a problem on fixed pixel displays.

I didn't buy it to watch old tv shows on anyway, I've got a JVC that does pillarboxing (places black bars on sides so you can use Full on the tv with 4/3 stuff) when I want to watch 4/3 material. To bad my top rated Panasonic with Faroudja de-interlacer doesn't have that nifty feature, I really hate gray bars.

The Zenith will handle non-anamorphic widescreen properly for sets that lock into full at 1080i, has an infinitely variable vertical-only zoom. Results on films like Titanic are excellent, really could be mistaken for true anamorphic. My top rated Panasonic with Faroudja de-interlacer forces me to use the set's very noticeably inferior zoom.

 

[Warner]

With the Zenith player, if you want to watch the occasional 4:3 dvds (like some tv episode box sets) on a 16:9 display that locks in Full mode with 1080i, in the proper aspect ratio, without any color bleeding, then you just need to use the Zenith SV output, and switch to the respective input on your tv. You can have the SV connected to the Zenith at the same time as component or DVI. I hope this info is helpful to aaallll those Zenith DVB318 owners who just can't wait to watch 4:3 Star Trek episodes in OAR.

 

[PhilWW]

Ditto that for Titanic. My top rated XP30 sucks too when watching non-anamorphic DVDs. Since it does not have aspect-ratio control, you have to watch them in much lower quality zoom mode. I too did not see any color bleeding in 480p video on my fixed pixel display, however it is noticable when you freeze the picture.


Jay,

I got my from Gochnoers(?) for $160 shipped. You can find their info from Eric's FAQ.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=400480

 

[Don_Berg]

S-video is no good, thats interlaced. Video-based 4:3 titles need the Faroudja de-interlacer for good quality and that means 480p or higher is needed. My TV's stretch and zoom modes are excellent but only work in 480i or 480p modes, so a good quality 480p mode is essential for good quality 4:3 titles. I'll stick with the XP30 until Zenith fixes their 480p and 4:3 formatting issues.

 

[Robert James Clark]

I don't know how the Panasonic CP72 compares with the XP30, but my new DVB318 has a markedly better picture than my CP72...