Does higher the price mean better picture and should I buy dvd recorder?

crazzy kopite · 06-12-2005, 11:26 PM

I want to buy a dvd player with progresive scan and HDMI to connect to my Philips 9830. I have seen the Toshiba which got 10 out of ten in one of the reviews top of the forum page and would like to know if this produces very good picture or if I should just spend a little bit more and buy a panasonic dvd recorder but dont know if the picture will be as good.

I know the players are not true HD and just upscale the piture but would think they give a bette picture than my current dvd player.

06-12-2005, 11:36 PM

Leaving abvsolutes aside for the moment, it depends a bit on the size of your 9830. If you have the 32", you'll get a brilliant picture for less outlay. If you have the 37" or the 42" version, then I'm afraid you're on the slippery slope. The 9830 series are fantastic displays IMO (I have one, and two 9986s), and the bigger you get it, the more you're going to notice how well or badly your DVD player does the job of sending DVD to your screen. Using an identical player, the picture on the PF329830 will look better than on the 37 or 42 unless you have a very good player indeed.

And forget the reviews mostly. Get a bit of feedback here, then go test a few machines - preferrably on a 9830. Wherever you got our Philips may have a few for you to try for starters (unless you bought on the net).

Edit - just noticed that the Toshiba you referred to cost 100 quid. I don't know, because I haven't seen that player in action, but my guess is, you may be underwhelmed on your state of the art display, what a 100 pound player may deliver. Then again, I just spent rather more on a player than I was advised to here, and may yet rue that decision. My advice is, go and have a look at a couple of players. It's hard to advise when I'm unsure as to your level of fussiness. I guess if you bought a 9830, you're going to be reasonably discerning.

crazzy kopite · 06-12-2005, 11:40 PM

Thanks for the reply. I have the 32" tv. I was thinking about Denon because they used to have a memory buffer so that when the disc switches layers there would be no pause. I have read that they have a lyp sync problem though. Are there any other dvd players that use memory buffer to avoid the split pause when changing layers?
It isn't a big deal but if the players are around the same price I would rather go for something like that.

06-12-2005, 11:49 PM

I see you have a Denon already. Happy with that? In this forum, you're either Denon people or you're not. As for the layer change pause, doctors differ...

Some will tell you that they experience layer change pauses with player A and not with player B. Another player will claim that his experience with player B is terrible, and that now that he/she has player A, they don't notice any pausing at all. I have a Sony 999ES that cost around 800 pounds, and it pauses all the time. I forgive it, though, because it delivers a fantastic picture. Again - field for a bit of opinion here, and then go test a few of the more coherent suggestions. If I were looking for a quality plyer that didn't cost the Earth, I'd start with the Denon 1920. But then I looove Denons, and want to marry them ( as some here would probably tell you

)

So - my vote is for the Denon 1920. I'll leave it to others to shoot this down and give you a better option.

Edit - as for the buffer, I thought every decent player had this - if not every player full stop. Some players have bigger buffers than others - I know that much. But we're getting technical now, and a couple of weeks ago, I discovered that I didn't have to rewind the DVD after watching it, so please adjust your set by not reading any further.

crazzy kopite · 07-12-2005, 5:54 PM

I only have a Sony 900NV dvd player at the min. I want a multi region dvd player with HDMi connection and plays sacd. I only want to spend up to £150 really. Is the Toshiba any good?

07-12-2005, 6:46 PM

Check out the HDMI/Progressive/multi-Region thread in this forum. There are suggestions for you coming in there.

Thrombin · 07-12-2005, 7:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazzy kopite

I only have a Sony 900NV dvd player at the min. I want a multi region dvd player with HDMi connection and plays sacd. I only want to spend up to £150 really. Is the Toshiba any good?

The Toshiba 350 has been getting great reviews for the price (it's a best buy in several different magazines) but the HDMI upscaling is apparently not very impressive. The picture is no better than standard def according to the magazine reviews I've seen which defeats the object of upgrading my DVD player as far as I'm concerned.

Regards

Julian

06-12-2005, 11:36 PM	#2
colin2305 Guest Posts: n/a	Leaving abvsolutes aside for the moment, it depends a bit on the size of your 9830. If you have the 32", you'll get a brilliant picture for less outlay. If you have the 37" or the 42" version, then I'm afraid you're on the slippery slope. The 9830 series are fantastic displays IMO (I have one, and two 9986s), and the bigger you get it, the more you're going to notice how well or badly your DVD player does the job of sending DVD to your screen. Using an identical player, the picture on the PF329830 will look better than on the 37 or 42 unless you have a very good player indeed. And forget the reviews mostly. Get a bit of feedback here, then go test a few machines - preferrably on a 9830. Wherever you got our Philips may have a few for you to try for starters (unless you bought on the net). Edit - just noticed that the Toshiba you referred to cost 100 quid. I don't know, because I haven't seen that player in action, but my guess is, you may be underwhelmed on your state of the art display, what a 100 pound player may deliver. Then again, I just spent rather more on a player than I was advised to here, and may yet rue that decision. My advice is, go and have a look at a couple of players. It's hard to advise when I'm unsure as to your level of fussiness. I guess if you bought a 9830, you're going to be reasonably discerning. Last edited by colin2305; 06-12-2005 at 11:42 PM.
	Quote

06-12-2005, 11:49 PM	#4
colin2305 Guest Posts: n/a	I see you have a Denon already. Happy with that? In this forum, you're either Denon people or you're not. As for the layer change pause, doctors differ... Some will tell you that they experience layer change pauses with player A and not with player B. Another player will claim that his experience with player B is terrible, and that now that he/she has player A, they don't notice any pausing at all. I have a Sony 999ES that cost around 800 pounds, and it pauses all the time. I forgive it, though, because it delivers a fantastic picture. Again - field for a bit of opinion here, and then go test a few of the more coherent suggestions. If I were looking for a quality plyer that didn't cost the Earth, I'd start with the Denon 1920. But then I looove Denons, and want to marry them ( as some here would probably tell you ) So - my vote is for the Denon 1920. I'll leave it to others to shoot this down and give you a better option. Edit - as for the buffer, I thought every decent player had this - if not every player full stop. Some players have bigger buffers than others - I know that much. But we're getting technical now, and a couple of weeks ago, I discovered that I didn't have to rewind the DVD after watching it, so please adjust your set by not reading any further. Last edited by colin2305; 06-12-2005 at 11:53 PM.
	Quote

07-12-2005, 6:46 PM	#6
colin2305 Guest Posts: n/a	Check out the HDMI/Progressive/multi-Region thread in this forum. There are suggestions for you coming in there.
	Quote