Best way to watch dvd old/new

Back in the day

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Hi i am new on this forum.

When i was young i watched dvds on my
Ps2 on a 480i old thick telivision.

Later i buyed a real marantz dvd player i was suprised how much better the colors and picture Quality was.

Today i buyed a very very very large dvd collection.
And i was wondering what really is the best way to watch dvd's on a budget.

I am now using a 1080p samsung cheap model tv with a ps3 using upscaling.

I also have a weakspot for old equipment.
And was wondering if a old player that once was very exspensive like a marantz dv9600.
Whould improve the quality.
Compared to say a budget modern blueray player.

Or even take it a additional step back and try to find the best old 480p telivision"ever made
And combine it with the top of the line dvd player at that time i whould love the nostalgia.
And it whould be the original the way dvd was intended.

If anyone thinks its a cool idee what whould be the
1 best upscale dvd player.
2 best normal dvd player
3 best old tv to look at.

Brand model nrs.
Thank you a lot for your suggestions.
 
Try getting hold of a Blu-ray disc and play that in the PS3.

See what you think of the picture quality.
 
I am now using a 1080p samsung cheap model tv
Ultimately that is going to be the major player in how good your picture will look not so much the player. You could have the best player in the world connected to a cheap TV and the picture will always look poor. Go for the best TV you can afford as most likely it's upscaling powers will be even better than the DVD player.
 
Ultimately that is going to be the major player in how good your picture will look not so much the player. You could have the best player in the world connected to a cheap TV and the picture will always look poor. Go for the best TV you can afford as most likely it's upscaling powers will be even better than the DVD player.
Thank you for you awnser is there anything i should look for in the spec list that makes a tv very good at the upscaling from a dvd a certain chip set or somthing
 
If you watch a lot of old DVDs then you do not want a TV that is too big. Unless the DVD is good quality it can look poor on TVs over 50''. Most TVs are now 4K and so the upscaling from 567 is very big indeed. That is why you need a TV with excellent upscaling abilities. The diagram below shows you how much is involved.
This-simple-scale-gives-a-sense-of-perspective-to-how-all-the-different-resolutions-compare-to...png
 
If you watch a lot of old DVDs then you do not want a TV that is too big. Unless the DVD is good quality it can look poor on TVs over 50''. Most TVs are now 4K and so the upscaling from 567 is very big indeed. That is why you need a TV with excellent upscaling abilities. The diagram below shows you how much is involved.View attachment 1439578
Hi thank you again for the reply.
with this in mind i chooce to live 10 years back in time when it comes to technologie for financial reasons.

And will not look at 4k content in the next 5-7 years.

I will play a lot of dvd's and play videogames at 1080p

With this in mind i was looking at the best tv's that came out in 2012 before 4k telivisions where launged i a want a 55 inch+/-

I came up with this list.
Panasonic tc-p55vt50
Sharp pro60x5fd
Sony xbr55hx950
Samsung e8000.

These where €3000+ telivisions in 2012
But are now less then €500 on the second hand market and was wondering how these tv's would perform vs a modern 55inch4k €800 televison (not that i want to spend that kind of money but i guess thats a more fair way to look at it taking total lifespan into consideration)

Because specs don't always tell the full story.
Coming from the audio world.

Ty again for your help + have a nice day
 
I'm a big fan of the Panasonic plasma TVs having owned a 50VT65. That should be on your list as well if you can find one. I owned one for five years before I sold it and got a 65'' Panasonic OLED. They are capable of very good upscaling and your DVDs will look good on them.

I believe it would beat a €800 4K. Yes I believe so. You would have to replace those plasma with a top of the line Panasonic OLED as I did. The Panasonic would be my choice.
 
I'm a big fan of the Panasonic plasma TVs having owned a 50VT65. That should be on your list as well if you can find one. I owned one for five years before I sold it and got a 65'' Panasonic OLED. They are capable of very good upscaling and your DVDs will look good on them.

I believe it would beat a €800 4K. Yes I believe so. You would have to replace those plasma with a top of the line Panasonic OLED as I did. The Panasonic would be my choice.
Thank you for your help i got a below 50 inch like you said i choose lcd samsung 8000 46 inch because of the longer lifespan and lower wattage and the denon 3930 dvd-player with amp not a lot of money spend and no punishmend to watch dvds now.

Thank you for pointing me in the right direction.
 

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System upgrade on a budget complete.
All i need now is wait 200 days for a ps4 when the price drops drasticly on the second hand market.

samsung ue46d8000 tv
Swanson diva 5.2f speakers
Denon dvd 3930
Denon avr 4306
------------------------------------------------

Total spend 750
 

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That looks like a great DVD set up. Makes me feel old thinking of DVD as a “vintage” set up :D
 
After speaker and lisening position placment my living room is very tiny now i don't mind
Just never have visitors.

The video of dvd might be outdate but the sound very happy enjoying my kraftwerk dvd a lot.
 

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Hello - also new to the forum. Like Back in the day, we have an extensive dvd collection. Our Toshiba Regza w/built-in dvd player has finally given up.
Unlike Back in the day, the replacement tv is largely settled as we can't go larger than 32". Probably a new TCL or Samsung 720p set. From what I've read, we'll be relying on this inexpensive tv rather than a dvd player to upscale content to 720p. But since we also need a new dvd player would a
higher quality player possibly produce a better upscaled image than the tv? Or, does the tv's upscaler always override upscaling of the dvd player?
Thank you.
 
Hello - also new to the forum. Like Back in the day, we have an extensive dvd collection. Our Toshiba Regza w/built-in dvd player has finally given up.
Unlike Back in the day, the replacement tv is largely settled as we can't go larger than 32". Probably a new TCL or Samsung 720p set. From what I've read, we'll be relying on this inexpensive tv rather than a dvd player to upscale content to 720p. But since we also need a new dvd player would a
higher quality player possibly produce a better upscaled image than the tv? Or, does the tv's upscaler always override upscaling of the dvd player?
Thank you.
Welcome to the Forum.

Ultimately it's the TV that will make the difference to picture quality. If your player has a better upscaling capabilities than the TV then the TV itself will degrade that image. All new players need to be connected via HDMI and will automatically upscale any SD definition DVD to 1080.

At 32'' you are not really pushing the envelope where poor upscaling will show up from either source. The more money you spend on the TV then that will reflect in the picture quality. I would go for a 1080 full HD at the very least, not a 720.

I would certainly put more money into the TV rather than into the player.
 
Hello gibbsy - and thanks for your guidance.

FYI, tv will be located in a bedroom. Not brightly lit day time. Very slight viewing angle @3-4 mtrs distance. Set will have ethernet port for cabled connection to router. We'll likely add a sound bar via HDMI for better audio.

Our main 32" 1080p tv options here in USA are Vizio, TCL and Samsung - all @ USD 250 or less. No way that I know of to evaluate their upscaling components/capability.

The Samsung 1080p option is an older model, but it's the only version I've seen in the shops. Not an ideal location for evaluation, but for me, preferable to sight unseen via Amazon. At the store, I preferred a 720p TCL model over the 1080p Samsung. To my eye, the TCL set display was equal or slightly better - more realistic skin tones. But again, I suppose we take our chances on which company has the better upscaling in these inexpensive sets.

Back to the dvd player for a moment. Would it be worthwhile to look for a better quality player without the upscaling feature, and in theory, avoid "competition" with the tv's upscaler? By "better quality", I mean quiet operation, build quality, better video/audio components but not high end, and will last more than 6 months with moderate use.

Thanks!
 
Back to the dvd player for a moment. Would it be worthwhile to look for a better quality player without the upscaling feature, and in theory, avoid "competition" with the tv's upscaler?
Most players that have upscaling capabilities can have it turned off in the set up menu. I let my TV upscale to 4K even though I have a 4K player. On Pioneer players it's called source direct. My old Denon (1080p) simply had an on/off option. You'll have to delve into the set up menus of any potential purchase to see if there is indeed an upscaling option or buy a DVD player, they are still available and very cheap.
 
Hello gibbsy - I believe I'm heading in the direction of Back in the day's approach, except that my tv will be a new 32" set. Maybe some trial and error in settings to see what offers better upscaling. Already, I see what you mean in ebay offerings of older pre-owned dvd players. They seem to be built well, with better video/audio function, and selling for probably a fraction of what they sold for when new. We're thinking dvd/cd player
with dolby vision and an HDMI port.

Photos of these older dvd/cd players also show various audio out connections. I believe some are designed for external speakers. We'll be relying on a sound bar for tv and player audio. It's my understanding that the dolby equipped tv and sound bar should be cabled to their respective HDMI ports. That leaves one tv HDMI port available for a cable to the player's HDMI port. I assume that this cable handles video, only. For dvd/cd player audio, would this be cabled to the tv or to the sound bar? And what style of ports should I look for to make sure they are onboard the equipment ultimately purchased?

This must seem elementary. I appreciate your sharing your time and experience.
 
with dolby vision and an HDMI port.
To have Dolby Vision you will need a blu ray player and not a standard old spec'd DVD player. You will be looking at relatively new models. Connection should be straight forward with HDMI out from the player to the soundbar and a further HDMI connection from the soundbar to the TV.

If you do buy new then most players will be 4K. There is no need to worry about that as they are all backward format capable and will play standard DVD and 1080 blu ray discs plus CDs.
 
Sorry. I misspoke. I meant dolby digital audio equipped: the dvd/cd player, tv and sound bar - all with an HDMI port (tv w/two).
Thus, using the blu ray player example - HDMI cable out from dvd/cd player to sound bar and another HDMI cable from tv to sound bar. Is there no
connection between dvd/cd player and tv?
.Thanks.
 
The soundbar will pass the video through to the TV. This is the best way to ensure good lip sync with the video. Sound from the TV will either be HDMI back to the soundbar via the correct ARC port connection or by digital optical from the TV to the soundbar, which ever is the most stable.

Depending on how many HDMI in ports that the soundbar has then it can act as a HDMI hub.
 
Thanks for your response the other day.
I've since been reading the excellent dvd/blu ray player reviews on this site.
There's a new model 32" Vizio tv we're considering -
1080p as recommended. It lacks the ethernet port we'd prefer for a more secure internet link.
Many of the reviewed dvd/blu ray players have an ethernet port and some amount of built-in streaming capability. It seems that streaming options are much more limited, but could we plan on skipping the tv for streaming use and rely on the dvd/blu ray player?
We're interested in a multi-region player and streaming some BBC shows.
 
Thanks for your response the other day.
I've since been reading the excellent dvd/blu ray player reviews on this site.
There's a new model 32" Vizio tv we're considering -
1080p as recommended. It lacks the ethernet port we'd prefer for a more secure internet link.
Many of the reviewed dvd/blu ray players have an ethernet port and some amount of built-in streaming capability. It seems that streaming options are much more limited, but could we plan on skipping the tv for streaming use and rely on the dvd/blu ray player?
We're interested in a multi-region player and streaming some BBC shows.
I love the way you have gone about putting together the set up you want. Many people spend a fortune on technology and probably will not get as much pleasure as you will!
 
To New Forester: Thanks for the nice words. I appreciate the guidance along the way from forum members. More research and learning ahead. l'll share the eventual set up and hope it hits the mark.
 
Thanks for your response the other day.
I've since been reading the excellent dvd/blu ray player reviews on this site.
There's a new model 32" Vizio tv we're considering -
1080p as recommended. It lacks the ethernet port we'd prefer for a more secure internet link.
Many of the reviewed dvd/blu ray players have an ethernet port and some amount of built-in streaming capability. It seems that streaming options are much more limited, but could we plan on skipping the tv for streaming use and rely on the dvd/blu ray player?
We're interested in a multi-region player and streaming some BBC shows.

Don't bother with DVD/BD players for internet streaming (very limited services, out of date/abandoned, slow performance etc), just get an Amazon FireTV stick which is a cheap and effective solution.

If your in the USA then UK streaming services will be restricted or completely off limits, there is an easy way around this bit costs money.
 
The soundbar will pass the video through to the TV. This is the best way to ensure good lip sync with the video. Sound from the TV will either be HDMI back to the soundbar via the correct ARC port connection or by digital optical from the TV to the soundbar, which ever is the most stable.

Depending on how many HDMI in ports that the soundbar has then it can act as a HDMI hub.


Equipment reviews and user comments have been helpful. I am narrowing a short list of midrange br/dvd/cd players by Panasonic, LG, Samsung and Sony generally introduced around 2014. Many are still available "new". I thought Phillips made a good product but haven't noticed much of a following.

All of the players have basic connections: HDMI (1), ethernet and a coaxial digital or optical digital output. From what I've read, coaxial digital is less preferred, but should it be avoided if other features of the player are attractive?

Aside from the type of digital output, I assume that the players' audio contribution/performance will be about the same. Are there any built-in features to look for in spec sheet or review descriptions that would indicate a potentially better listening experience? Of course, this is separate of soundbar features/quality. Many thanks.
 

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