Upconverting DVD Players

Best upconverting DVD players for HDTVs

Standard DVD discs have about 720 pixels by 480 pixels of information. That's fine for a standard-definition TV, but less than the 1,024 pixels by 768 pixels or 1,920 pixels by 1,080 pixels supported by an HDTV. To address this issue, DVD deck manufacturers are incorporating chips that allow for upconverting. Upconversion is the process of enhancing a standard DVD signal stream to output as a high-definition signal. While this doesn't mean that upconverting players can somehow magically convert a standard DVD into a high-def movie, it does mean that standard DVDs usually display a smoother, richer image on an HDTV, though you won't see one speck of additional detail. Note that non-high-def televisions cannot display upconverted video at all, but that upconverting DVD players can output video in standard definition as well.

Upconverting DVD players use an HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) output, which preserves the digital video and audio signals as they travel to the TV. One of the big features of HDMI, as far as content providers are concerned, is its built-in copy protection called HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection).

Other connections, such as component, composite and S-Video, are analog connections, so when used to hook into HDTVs, there's a digital-to-analog-to-digital conversion, which causes some degradation of the signal. Theoretically, an HDMI-equipped DVD player will avoid signal degradation by keeping the video stream all-digital.

Be aware that your HDTV must have an HDMI or HDCP-compatible DVI input to take advantage of upconversion. For copyright reasons, signals output via other connectors are capped at standard resolutions. If you have an older HDTV with an HDCP-compatible DVI port instead of HDMI, you can use a simple DVI-to-HDMI adapter to connect the player. Some older HDTVs don't have HDMI or DVI inputs at all.

The Oppo Digital DV-980H (*Est. $170) is among the most impressive current DVD players, according to reviews. This model includes a four-in-one memory card reader for playing photos from a memory card, a 1080p output and 7.1 analog audio outputs. An HDMI cable is also included in the package, which in itself is remarkable. Few manufacturers include the cable in the box -- a big inconvenience and an added expense of $30 or more.

One additional bonus is that the Oppo DV-980H is a multiregion NTSC and PAL DVD player. The vast majority of DVD players play only region 1 (U.S.) DVDs, but the DV-980H can play discs from Europe and Asia as well. By default, the player is set for region 1, so you need to change the setting in the menu to enable region-free playback. On the flip side, the Oppo DV-980H is more expensive compared with the competition.

This is a universal player, which means it has broad support for a number of disc formats, including SACD and DVD-Audio high-resolution audio playback. Many reviews say that audio playback is top notch -- better in fact than many dedicated CD players, including some that cost substantially more. We found some reviews that concentrate on audio performance, relegating video performance to an afterthought, if commenting on it at all. For more information on the capabilities of the Oppo DV-980H when playing back CDs and other audio discs, see the ConsumerSearch report on CD players.

Reviews of the Oppo DV-980H DVD player heap lots of praise on the player. In bench testing by CNET, a few technical flaws are revealed, but Matthew Moskovciak says that the performance is better than most DVD players. When it comes real-world viewing, things are nearly flawless, Moskovciak says, and testers "had difficulty nitpicking the image quality even when we were looking for flaws."

The Oppo DV-980H is currently the highest-rated DVD player at CNET, and it earns kudos at TrustedReviews.com and What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision, two British sites that review lots of DVD players. At TrustedReviews.com, where the Oppo DV-980H earns a Recommended award, reviewer Danny Philips raves about the features and performance. He appreciates the many sound and picture setting options, as well as the fact that the Oppo DV-980H is "generally user-friendly." Image quality is excellent, and sound quality is "very good for the money." The only serious complaint is about a remote control that "feels a little on the cheap side." What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision provides a much briefer review that give video quality a thumbs-up but saves the most compliments on the audio side of things. At Amazon.com, nearly 270 user reviewers give the Oppo DVD player an impressive overall rating.

If you don't want to spend so much and don't need a region-free DVD player, we saw some good comments for the Onkyo DV-SP406 (*Est. $115), particularly from British reviewers such as What Hi-FI? Sound and Vision and TrustedReviews.com. While there are some technical differences, that DVD player is also available in a version that's sold in the U.S., and performance should be similar.

Like the Oppo player above, the Onkyo DV-SP406 can upscale video to 1080p. TrustedReviews.com says image quality is "clean and artifact-free," though it did spot some jaggies (picture imperfections) in formal testing using the Silicon Optix HQV Benchmark disc. Some higher-end DVD players do a better job delivering sharpness and depth, "but as budget DVD pictures go this is up there with the best," writes reviewer Danny Philips.

The Onkyo DV-SP406 is compatible with a variety of disc types and file formats including MP3, DivX and JPEG, but it is not a universal player. And support for formats like SACD and DVD-Audio is missing. There are also no analog audio outputs, though you will find coaxial and optical digital audio outputs. You'll also find component and composite video outputs, but you'll need to use the HDMI connection to upscale DVDs to any high-def resolution (720p, 1080i, 1080p).

One drawback is a remote control that's considered poor in some reviews of the Onkyo DVD player. What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision complains about thin audio quality that's especially bothersome with audio CDs. TrustedReviews.com also notes that playback with stereo CDs "lacks the sparkle of a good CD player" but still feels that sound quality is "superb" overall.

Few DVD players have received as much recent coverage as the Toshiba XD-E500 (*Est. $85), and opinions about it couldn't be more mixed. This DVD player includes Toshiba's extended detail enhancement (XDE) technology that promises to deliver images that rival Blu-ray in terms of apparent resolution.

Among the player's harsher critics, Ultimate AV puts the Toshiba XD-E500 DVD player through an extensive battery of tests and is largely unimpressed. The good news is that without XDE, the Toshiba DVD player does a good job of deinterlacing and upscaling 480i DVD images to 1080p. Engage any of the three XDE modes (color, sharpness and contrast) and picture quality goes downhill, writes reviewer David Vaughn. In his viewing tests, "sharp mode caused ringing around objects with bright backgrounds, Color mode gave the sky a vivid yet unrealistic color, and Contrast mode highlighted some video noise in the encode." Vaughn also complains about the Toshiba DVD player's inability to output non-widescreen (4:3 aspect ratio) video in the proper aspect ratio and a failure to pass both whiter-than-white and blacker-than-black color levels. Ultimate AV's findings are echoed by several other reviewers, including those at CNET and PCMag.com.

Among lower-priced upconverting DVD players, we saw good user feedback -- and lots of it -- for the Sony DVP-NS700H (*Est. $80). Though it doesn't quite measure up to better upscalers, such as the Oppo DV-980H DVD player, reports say that this player does a good job of upconverting video to 1080p in its own right and that audio performance is more than satisfactory. Features aren't plentiful, but Sony's Precision Drive 3 System, which works to overcome defects such as scratches and warped discs, does allow the Sony DVP-NS700H to play back DVDs that other machines couldn't.

The Sony DVP-NS700H DVD player is being phased out, though some stock remains on some retailers' shelves. Its replacement, the Sony DVP-NS710H (*Est. $70) has been announced and is expected to start shipping in April 2009. While there are no reviews or feedback as of yet for this Sony DVD player, given the DVP-NS700H's solid reputation for value and performance, it is probably worth considering if your budget is limited.

Sony makes an interesting upconverting DVD player that might be a good choice if you have a DVD and CD collection that's gotten out of hand. The Sony DVP-CX995V (*Est. $275) is a 400-disc DVD changer. Reviews are actually mixed on the Sony DVP-CX995V jukebox DVD changer. Some are fairly happy with performance (it can upconvert video to 1080i and can play SACDs) and the ability to greatly reduce clutter, but others note shortcomings. CNET, for example, says that the DVD player had trouble passing all of the horizontal resolution of a DVD, though they add that "most uncritical viewers will find the video quality perfectly acceptable." Users are also split; some absolutely love the changer, others are irritated by some usability issues.

If you don't need a changer with quite so much capacity, the Sony DVP-NC800H/B (*Est. $125) is a five-disc DVD changer that's gotten good user feedback, albeit after relatively few reviews. Upconverting is good, user reviewers say, though some report that higher-end DVD players do better in that regard. The feature set includes the Precision Drive 3 System for easier playback of DVDs that are in less-than-pristine shape. User and professional reviews are generally positive. The most familiar complaints are that the Sony DVP-NC800H/B will not shuffle songs across multiple CDs or automatically shut off after playing one disc. The Sony DVP-NC800H/S is the identical five disc DVD changer, except in silver.