Oh dear...I feel another upgrade coming on!

[Yandros]

We're just playing around with our new Z2, deciding on screen size and distance with some temporary blackout cloth. We're going for about a 2m wide screen at a 1.5 screenwidth viewing distance. Screendoor is not a factor, but what we are seeing is a fair amount of pixellation, even when we take the image size down significantly.

The source is our trusty 5 year old Sony DVP-S725, sending interlaced component over a temporary £20 10m cable. We're replacing the cable with 14m of Belden 1694A thanks to Mark Grant.

3 questions:

How much is the naff cable contributing to the problem?
Is it time to put the 725 out to pasture?
If yes, what sort of spec and models should we be considering?

 

[Quatermass]

Well, I certainly noticed an improvement when I upgraded my component cable but not as much as when I got a new DVD player! Depends how much dosh you wish to spend but quite a few people on the forum (including me) seem to be getting good results with the Sony 730 player. When paired with a Z2 it gives a nice smooth picture imo.

 

[Pete Delaney]

May I suggest that you upgrade for the following reason...

An interlaced signal going to such a large screen will show jagged edges and the effects of decreased signal bandwidth, ie one frame showing odd lines, the next one showing even lines etc. This will give a poor quality picture and not show your Z2 at it's best. My Z1 picture is via an interlaced signal, which is why I have a sony 730 dvd on order with component video cables.

 

[Ekko Star]

Your 725 might only be an interlaced output machine but it is quite a capable one nevertheless.

The pixelation you are referring to does not sound like a problem with it being an interlaced signal.

IIRC there are some settings on the 725 in it's menus to reduce mosquito effect BNR etc. You will have to dig around and change them.

I use an interlaced SD900 on my AE500 with a 100" image. I cannot complain about the quality.