Upconversion DVD player?

[Spock]

I have an Oppo and it gives a very good picture (on a 50" plasma) but the added bonus is that it can be hacked to play DVD's from all regions with a few clicks of the remote.

[bhaveshp]

The PS3 makes a great DVD player...

Blu-ray too.... :-)

[jawg]

All I can say is I'm most pleased with the results of playing ripped and compressed DVDs (dual layer converted to single layer) on my Sony upconverting DVD player to my Sony XBR4 Bravia TV.

[Ken Sp.]

Pioneer Upconversion tonight on Woot for $59.99

http://www.woot.com/

[dk62]

Davester, sorry I was not clear enough, but I was saying the same thing. De-interlacing ("progressive" circuitry) is what is usually better in good DVD players than in good TVs. Upconversion circuitry (the "other" component) is not necessarily.

What I was trying to say is that if you have an excellent progressive player (with Faroudja chip or one of other higher-end ones) that does not upconvert, going to an upconverting player with inferior de-interlacer is likely a downgrade, not an upgrade.

A3 is a good current choice for players, particularly if you want HD-DVD capability. The advantage of Oppo over A3 is better quality DVD picture (you have do go to A35 for excellent Toshiba upconversion), ability to be rendered region-free, and ability to play SACD and DVD-Audio. For these reasons, I keep my Oppo connected to the TV, together with Toshiba A2 and Panasonic BD players.

[mhale62]

FWIW, Oppo also support DivX video; that's a good thing