Home audio & video: Best Plasma or LCD for watching DVDs
reply to: Best Plasma or LCD for watching DVDs
by Hazim_Ibrahim - 1/15/09 2:17 PM In reply to: Best Plasma or LCD for watching DVDs by Hazim_Ibrahimthanks to all of you, I'm leaning towards the 50" Panasonic but still have to figure if it's available here in my country or not.
someone told me that buying a DVD player with great upscaling performance will make all the difference in the world, he recommended Denon, Yamaha or Oppo. So I'm curious on what do you guys think is the best for upscaling DVD to HD resolutions?
thanks 
OPPO has received stellar reviews
by Dan Filice - 1/15/09 3:26 PM In reply to: reply to: Best Plasma or LCD for watching DVDs by Hazim_IbrahimAnd OPPO plays every format of DVD and SACD and DVD-A and...well you get it. I own an OPPO player and I love it, BUT I also own a PS3 for Blu-Ray discs, and personally, the true full 1080p from Blu-Ray is leagues above upscaling. If you plan on buying a decent upscaling player, why not spend a bit more an buy a Blu-Ray player that will both upscale AND play Blu-Ray?
reply to: OPPO has received stellar reviews
by Hazim_Ibrahim - 1/16/09 7:35 AM In reply to: OPPO has received stellar reviews by Dan Filicehey Dan, thanks for your help.
but do you think that any Blu-Ray player is always better at upscaling than OPPO players? I'm really a noob when it comes to HD technology so please bear with me
thanks
Blu-Ray better than OPPO?
by Dan Filice - 1/16/09 1:05 PM In reply to: reply to: OPPO has received stellar reviews by Hazim_IbrahimThis all comes down to the quality of the Blu-Ray player. Some do upconversion better than others. You need to read the reviews (like on CNET here) to find out how they do upconversions. The Panasonic BD-55 has received very good reviews. Some Samsungs and Sonys have received good reviews too. Would I trust the low-end in-store brand? No.
which country, btw?
by Pepe7 - 1/16/09 6:50 PM In reply to: reply to: OPPO has received stellar reviews by Hazim_IbrahimWhere exactly are you located, by the way? 
cheers,
Pedro
reply to: which country, btw?
by Hazim_Ibrahim - 1/16/09 7:43 PM In reply to: which country, btw? by Pepe7Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
having someone ship it back home?
by Pepe7 - 1/17/09 1:10 PM In reply to: reply to: which country, btw? by Hazim_IbrahimOr can you actually mail order one from Saudi? Just curious how that works for you. Maybe you can get one there in the mall, or a trip to Dubai Mall by the big ski mountain
Maybe the availability of a Panasonic or Pioneer service center if something goes wrong also factors in with such a 'long distance' purchase? Are either one going to be available to you?
cheers,
Pedro
reply to: having someone ship it back home?
by Hazim_Ibrahim - 1/19/09 1:59 AM In reply to: having someone ship it back home? by Pepe7you can buy one online, and ship it to a mail box located in the states, and they will forward all your mail and packages to wherever you live.
the shipping alone would cost about $300 and you can't really trust them with something as fragile as a 50" plasma. a trip to dubai is out of the question right now, as my car can't really handle the trip and besides, who would bring a Plasma TV in his car and drive for over 800 km.
of course the service is totally another matter, I paid a visit to the Panasonic dealer here in Riyadh, their latest model is the TH-50PY800 priced at $3157.
I think I have no choice but to go with it, or maybe buy the 42PY800 model ($2100).
Plasma or LCD
by mrpaul - 1/16/09 8:51 PM In reply to: reply to: Best Plasma or LCD for watching DVDs by Hazim_IbrahimNo tv made can match the black levels of either the regular Pioneer models or the Elite versions. They only make a 50" and a 60". I must agree with the others that Panasonic is a good second place, but it's like saying a Camry handles like a BMW. Your best Panasonic (the Panasonic PZ850) has more color gradations than their lower priced models, and can reproduce 120% of the color standard. Again, the Pioneer PDP5020 can be found on sale for $2999 while the Panasonic is usually around $2499. Their are 1080P Panny's as low as $1399, it just depends how great a quality you desire. I own a Pioneer and would have nothing eles, but price does come to play for many.
plasma is the only way to go
by redflowerone - 1/17/09 9:13 AM In reply to: Best Plasma or LCD for watching DVDs by Hazim_IbrahimI bought my Panasonic plasma in feb 2007..I have watched hundreds of dvds{ block buster club member...not once was I dissapointed awith the clarity of the dvd. The colors and the debth of the picts sometimes rival three d., depending on the quality of the dvd.I am also running a standrd Pannasonic dvd player circer 1998.Concidering a blue ray as a step up ,but so far I do not see the need...John
Best Plasma or LCD for watching DVDs
by ptnitz1369 - 1/17/09 6:22 PM In reply to: Best Plasma or LCD for watching DVDs by Hazim_IbrahimI currently have a Sony Bravia 40" and it is very good. But the trick is the input. If you are using 'antenna' then get rid of that. Move to the 'component', 'svideo, or best of all 'HDMI' connections.
I still use the 'component' input from a combination of a Directv receiver through a Phillips DVD / VHS player / recorder.
The picture is great, and DVD play is remarkable.
$1,400 off Pioneer at Best Buy
by BretStep - 1/17/09 7:42 PM In reply to: Best Plasma or LCD for watching DVDs by Hazim_IbrahimI just came home from Best Buy and was told by the salesman that the Pioneer 5020 that sells for $3,500 will be discounted $1,400 starting tomorrow. $2,100 for a 50 inch Pioneer Plasma sound like your best choice.
$1,400 off Pioneer at Best Buy
by norbridge1 - 1/24/09 3:57 PM In reply to: $1,400 off Pioneer at Best Buy by BretStepYes. My local Best Buy has the Elite PRO 111FD for $2,800. That's the way to go this month, but maybe by Feb they'll be even lower - after all the Wall Street Journal said this week that Pioneer's sales have been very poor, so they are getting desparate.
Your options
by viroldin - 1/18/09 9:59 AM In reply to: Best Plasma or LCD for watching DVDs by Hazim_IbrahimSize is really up to you depending on your room measures, how close is your seat to the tv, etc. What is really important here is the upscaling ability of your DVD player. Go in the market for a quality player with the upscale capability. My personal choice is Sony. Y do have a BPB-S350 which is a Blue Ray player with excellent uspcaling. Regular DVD's look almost like 1080P. But since you do not want a Blue Ray player, check with your Sony dealer to check on which regular DVD player you can get the same upscale quality of the BDP-S350.
Sammy
Garden variety Sony DVD players are nothing special
by Pepe7 - 1/18/09 9:18 PM In reply to: Your options by viroldinIf he's not going blu-ray and could use a little extra oomph of the additional audio capabilities of the Oppo I'd go that route since they aren't outrageous per se. The upconversion is quite good IME (even compared to a blu ray) if you sit in a reputable HT shop and do a side by side to a decent flat panel.
My $.02 anyway
-Pedro
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