I think it also depends on what SD DVD player you were using before. If you had a quality SD DVD player then I think the difference is far less noticeable, even at 100+ inches!!!
If you had a so so DVD player and get an HD player with a quality video processor like the Silicon Optix offering, then I feel that the differences would seem much greater, but not necessarily all attributable to the HD player formats!!!
I just got finished watching Seabisquit on HD DVD and A,B'd it against my own SD DVD version and even with a large screen, I would not want to bet anyone which was which.
As far as audio, the jury is still waiting for a court date. I do not have an AV receiver that supports the new audio standards.
Hi Wescott,
I just signed up to these forums to post a message seeing if anyone had compared a good upscaling Denon with a good HD DVD player but your thread has probably provided he information I need.
I own the Denon DVD A1XV (5910) which is possibly the best upscaler out there, and my own exposure to hi-def video via the usual 42" and 50" screens in high street stores has been very underwhelming.
While at Audio/AV Shows I have been very impressed with HD content via projectors on large screens, but on a plasma in the home I'm not sure there will be any appreciable improvement for me and of course the software is scarce, expensive and sometimes glitchy.
One of the best HD DVD players in the UK is apparently the Toshiba HD-XE1 but this costs the equivalent of $900, and of course the newer XE2 with 1080p even more, ad it's probably one of these I'd have to buy to stand any chance of competing with my Denon but from what I've read here I think I'll give it a miss.
Finally, although you don't have a receiver which supports the HD audio formats you probably are aware that you can still get full HD audio resolution if your player has 5.1 analogue outputs and on board processing.
