Hi Rulocal,
For what its worth, here's my opinion! I, too, have been thinking about upgrading my dvd. I found that as an Arcam fan, their 2-3 year old DV78 model is now available, brand new, for £299 on line (Moorgate Acoustics.co.uk).
This really got me thinking over the Christmas holidays. Should I get a top of the range non upscaling machine, like the Arcam, or buy a new upscaling dvd player? Having trawled the websites and badgered my local Hifi shop with questions, I came to the conclusion that upscaling isn't really Hd......which we all know, but somehow like to forget!
Some on this forum will politely suggest that upscaling is a manufacturers marketing ploy to make you part with cash on something you don't really need! The reason? Well, your HDTV will upscale an SD signal automatically as it has to in order to fill your plasma/lcd/projector with a minimum of 720 lines. It is also considered that the upscaling chip will be of a better quality than that of the "cheaper" players because...well blah blah! Suffice to say their are threads on this subject pointing out that the more expensive dvd players will give a better pic than the Tv because of newer, updated chips etc etc etc!
Some have an upscaler built within their AV receiver....again, a DVD upscaler player won't be necessary unless blah blah (see above!)
People within this forum who have plenty of experience on AV (ie they appear to know form reading their postings, they know what they are talking about and aren't basing their remarks on "well, I have it so it has to be good!") and my Hifi shop, would suggest to upgrade sufficiently on an upscaling player would mean looking at machines priced £200 plus.
Trouble was for me that whilst I would love to buy anything Arcam, do I really need a new DVD player when my existing machine does such a good job? Obviously I do because I love buying anything AV! However, back in reality, I had for my Christmas present a Sky HD box. This is where my probem was eiter made easier or worse!
The BBC HD pic is so much better than I honestly thought it would be. However, and as stated by others, to really see a major difference needs a big screen. My PJ really does point out how different an HD signal is compared to the SD. Comparing the detail and quality on a 32" LCD is a different ball game though.The results aren't quite as compelling to that of a bigger screen. Threads within AV forums cover this as well.
Once you've seen HD, in my case via a Projector, you don't really want to watch the SD version! As said many times before, it's not like watching a VHS tape and then comparing the pic quality to a DVD version. HD though, is a heck of a lot better than the SD version. There are again many threads on this but I am mentioning it because now I can appreciate HD, why should I buy an upscaling machine as it isn't HD despite what it is supposed to do?
So, my current line of thought is not to buy the Arcam machine (even though it is supposed to be brilliant for SD etc) as my existing model does very well in playback mode, sound and vision wise.
As you can most probably tell by above thoughts, I am not now a subscriber to upscaling machines under £200. So, where does this leave me? In light of my Sky HD revelation, I will be buying an HD DVD player!
The war is almost over despite Toshiba's "Battle of the Bulge" recent reply. I am giving it until Easter for the hd conflict to be resolved (unless Tosh do actually do something incredible over the next 10 weeks to overturn what looks now like a Sony and co victory) by which time it should be really clear that the HDDVD format becomes the Betamax to Bluray's VHS.
Sony should also have then sorted out the stand alone models for 2008 with the correct software. Philips, Sharp, Panasonic and the Korean makers will or should have their models also available on UK shelves. What I am assuming here is that there will be a better selection of blu ray models and ,therefore, be cheaper than they are currently. Take the Sony 300 model. It is now available for around £279 with 6 dvds thrown in for good measure but it has a1.1 format issue! The PS3, however, seems to be as good if not better than this stand alone model, is cheaper, and plays games as well apparently! There are threads on this topic as well!
Easter should, and I emphasise should, have all the main worries taken care of so that we can futureproof ourselves for the years to come.....well at least a few years until something else comes along!
And there you have it! My opinion is like everyone elses etc! Wait a few weeks more and spend on an high def DVD player (it most probably will be blu ray!)
Kind regards,
Martin