upscaling DVD vs scaler in TV

[xboxweasel]

Is there a difference in the way a DVD upscales the 480p image on the disk versus how a TV upscales a SD source to fit it's native resolution (let's say 1080p for my case)?

Is the technology any different? They both have upscalers, correct? Which one would be better if they were different?

I have a Panasonic PZ750 series TV. Will spending money an a $300-500 upscaling DVD player be worth it? I honestly think that a $50 upscaling DVD player is not going to cut it.

Thanks a lot.

 

[bandphan]

Is there a difference in the way a DVD upscales the 480p image on the disk versus how a TV upscales a SD source to fit it's native resolution (let's say 1080p for my case)?

Is the technology any different? They both have upscalers, correct? Which one would be better if they were different?

I have a Panasonic PZ750 series TV. Will spending money an a $300-500 upscaling DVD player be worth it? I honestly think that a $50 upscaling DVD player is not going to cut it.

Thanks a lot.

for the 300-400 dollar range why not get a bluray player? If you want a cheap upscaling dvd, find a toshiba hd dvd player for 50-80 dollars.

 

[Alex2507]

for the 300-400 dollar range why not get a bluray player? If you want a cheap upscaling dvd, find a toshiba hd dvd player for 50-80 dollars.

He lives in Canada. How much are PS3's and HD DVD players up there?

 

[allargon]

The Panasonic plasmas have pretty good scalers. How does SD from your cable/sat look? Many standalone Blu-Ray players (e.g. Panasonic's) have crappy scalers. The Samsungs with the Reon's are good, but they are less than great Blu-Ray players.

Consider

#1) One of the Anchor Bay Toshiba HD DVD players (e.g., HD-A20, HD-A30, HD-A35) for about US$120-200 on E-Bay,
#2) The Reon based players like the HD-XA2. However, they are still expensive.
#3) The Oppos. The Oppo players (not that POS macroblocking 981H--keep it away from your plasma) also play SACD and DVD-A.
#4) The PS3. It won't be in league with the first three options I listed. However, it will also play Blu-Ray discs, WMV, DivX and AVCHD. Some models even play SACD's.
#5) One of the cheap 2nd/3rd gen 1080i Toshiba HD DVD players. They are okay upscalers and can be found for less than $100 US. However, I would take one of the above options if I were starting out.
#6) One of the 1st gen 1080i Toshiba HD DVD players. They upscale well, but they are slooooow.
#7) A regular upscaling DVD player -- either higher end like Denon or a run of the mill Philips, LG, etc. I would do this one as a last resort. Your display probably has a better upscaler.

I forgot to mention upscaling receivers and standalone ($$$) scalers and video processors. However, most of those would likely exceed your budget. The same goes for the combo HD DVD/Blu-Ray players on the market. The Samsung has the Reon processor, but still has many playback issues according to the latest reports on AVS.

I will ask at the very least that your calibrate your display or have it calibrated to get the most out of your viewing experience.

Good luck!

 

[MDS]

Is the technology any different? They both have upscalers, correct? Which one would be better if they were different?

Which is faster, QuickSort or HeapSort? The answer is it depends and that is the answer here too. While in principle they each do the same thing there are different algorithms to implement the task plus add the skill level of the implementor and differing hardware capabilities to work with.

In theory a dedicated device like a DVD player could do a better job because it is not a jack of all trades that has to deal with a zillion different scenarios.

 

[GlocksRock]

What do you mean by the PS3 won't be in a league with the first three options? Do you mean it would be better or worse than the afformentioned?