From the Bear Den…

Are These Upconverting Players a Valid Alternative To the True Hi Def of Blu-ray and HD-DVD?

Today we take a look at 5 upconverting DVD players available on the market. What are their differences and are they a valid alternative to High Definition DVD until the format war ends. I took a walk through the local Best Buy, Circuit City, Wal-Mart, K-Mart and Target to see what the offerings in the upconverting single disc, DVD Players are these days. One of the players in this group (Oppo DV-970HD) is only available online. The players are not reviewed in any special order. The units looked at are:

RCA DRC285
Oppo DV-970HD
Philips DVP5982/37
Pioneer DV-400V-K
Philips DVP3960/37

RCA DRC285

They say you only get one chance to make a first impression. The entire enclosure of this DVD player is made of plastic, that simply screams cheap. However, that plastic is only skin deep, because in this case it’s what’s on the inside that counts. The RCA DRC285 does have 1080p upconversion via HDMI, and it has a 2.0 USB port. There is also a component video output, but you do not get the upconversion ability through it. One note about most of today’s USB ports on these DVD players though- don’t expect to plug in your USB powered portable hard drive. These players do not have enough power to run these devices. Flash drives and MP3 players, which use less power, generally are no problem.

One capability that the RCA provides that others did not is the ability to rip songs from a CD, convert and copy them to your MP3 player without the use of a personal computer. For someone into portable music without a computer, this player with this unique capability is a sure winner!

This player is also DivX Ultra certified. For those readers not familiar with DivX, DivX is a video compression format that allows much more information to be stored on a single DVD. There is a lot of video content on the internet available for download. Another nice feature of the RCA, that few DVD players have, is the ability to play a slide show of your photos while simultaneously playing MP3 audio files.

So the moral to the story, don’t judge a DVD player by its enclosure.

Oppo DV-970HD

Until this year I had never heard of Oppo. But once I started looking into upconverting DVD players I found out very quickly that Oppo is the benchmark. It is well thought of by users for its quality, performance and customer service. After using this high end upconverter, the Oppo DV-970 HD, I learned one very important lesson that anyone looking into an upconverting DVD player needs to understand. Depending on the quality of your televisions built-in upconversion circuitry, you may see little to no improvement in the video image when viewing a DVD with these upconverting DVD players. Most of today’s LCD and Plasma Televisions do a very good job when it comes to converting video images. The one important factor Oppo has going for it is that firmware exists on the internet that will allow the Oppo do upconversion and region free playback over the component video output. This could be just what someone with an older HD RPTV that only has component video inputs is looking for.

If you’re interested in a universal DVD player, then the Oppo hits a home run! It supports DVD-Video, DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD (SACD) PAL and NTSC. The Oppo DV-970HD will only upconvert to 1080i. If you have a 1080p television then you will need to look at the Oppo DV-980HD. Along with a USB 1.0 jack this is the only player that we reviewed that included a 4-in-1 flash memory card reader too.

With the Oppo DV-970HD, you get what you pay for. Lots of connections, quality construction and great performance. Capability to play just about anything you throw at it. This machine is a universal player that is hard to beat.

However this brings us to a fork in the road…..

If you going to sink this type of money ($150) into an Oppo maybe you should consider purchasing a true high definition DVD Player. Toshiba produces the HD-A2 or the new HD-A3 HD-DVD players that can be purchased for $250, which is a mere Franklin more. There are also Blu-ray players produced by Sony, Samsung and others starting at $450. These players do as well a job at upconverting standard definition DVD’s, and you will now have the capability to play true HD DVD’s.

This bring us to the question, are these upconverting DVD players a valid alternative to Blu-ray and HD-DVD? The answer is a simple, NO WAY. There simply is no contest when comparing the images between true HD players and standard definition upconverting DVD players. The resolution just does not exist. The information to create HD detail does not exist on a standard definition DVD. Period.

Philips DVP5982/37

We move on to the Philips DVP5982/39. This 1080P upconversion DVD player has the HDMI interface and upconversion. Component video outputs are available without any upconversion. This player incorporates a USB connector so the user can plug in and play MP3 audio files off a flash drive. As with the other players we tested, there is not enough power for a USB powered portable hard disk. The DVP5982/39 has another nice feature if you’re interested in showing photo slideshows- it will display high definition resolution JPEG photos.

This player also features DivX Ultra playback and PAL playback capability. I like black video/audio components, and this full width player fits right in with most stereo rack gear. The Philips DVP5982/37 is a good choice for someone looking for a low priced universal upconverting player. Look for it on sale for $50 and you have a good buy.

Pioneer DV-400V-K

What to you get when you spend twice the cash you did on the Philips DVP5982/37? The Pioneer DV-400V-K. What could justify the cost increase? Quality, user interface, controls, and connections to start with. This player will even play WMV files. If you ever lose the remote you could still operate the player from the front panel controls. This is a task, that other players on the market could not come close to matching, although they should. Most players today only offer very limited front panel controls such as power, disc eject, stop and play.

front panel controls

Now about that remote. Don’t lose this baby, it’s a joy to use. Most players on the market put about $5 into the remote control function. The user needs to be within 15 degrees of the sensor with a clear line of sight. Otherwise they will not work. Not this remote, it does a great job even when objects are between you and the player.

The player upconverts to 1080p on the HDMI output. A USB jack is provided so the user can plug and play a USB flash drive or MP3 player to play audio files. The user interface is well thought out with plenty of options.

The Pioneer has a nice quality build and a really impressive video output. Throw in a great remote control and front panel controls and that additional $50 is worth it.

Philips DVP3960/37

The Philips DVP3960/37 upconverts to 1080i over HDMI. A lot of what I have been reading is that you may not even notice any difference in image quality between a 1080i and 1080p upconversion DVD player. For the difference in price, if you have a 1080p display, get the 1080p upconversion. If you have a 1080i display, a 1080p upcoverting player will work, just not in the 1080p mode, you will be limited to the 720p or 1080i mode.

The DVP3960/37 does not support a USB port. It will play DivX and PAL video formats. The remote control is rather small, and if you have larger hands this smallish remote could be an issue. The disc tray was noticeably smooth and quick. The player is a quality build. The size of the player is smaller than the other players we reviewed. This is a personal choice. It may be just what you’re looking for, or it may not sit well in your entertainment center at all.

If you’re in the market for a low cost, good looking, 1080i HDMI upconverting DVD player the Philips DVR3960/37 is a fine universal player you will want to look at.

If you’re not interested in an upconverting player you may want to take a look at the Philips DVP3140. This low cost DVD player is available at Circuit City. Seems to be another quality build that can also play DivX and PAL DVD’s!

In closing…..

The days of the standard DVD player are going, going, gone! For a few extra dollars today you can purchase an upconverting DVD universal player that plays DivX and PAL video formats.

Who wins the shootout? Well the players we reviewed all had a lot in common and also some offer capabilities others did not. I didn’t like the RCA. Maybe it was that plastic enclosure? The Oppo was a fine player and one an audiophile may pickup right away. The Philips models offer quite a nice player at a reasonable price. However, that Pioneer DV-400V-K gets my vote! For the price you get a well designed, quality built upconverting DVD player that you will enjoy for years to come.

-Bear