What's the best TV for DVD ONLY viewing?

 

New member
Username: Dvdwatcher

Post Number: 1
Registered: Nov-06
What is the best tv for watching ONLY DVD's? I don't have local, cable tv or satellite and use my tv only to watch DVD's. I've researched this to death online but can't find any conclusive results. Everything is about hooking up cable and satellite.

I'm looking for best colors, widest viewing angles, least problems, longevity, best value. It will be in a regular sized room. Not big, not small. Any advice is helpful. I tried CNet.com reviews but I don't trust that the user reviews are not from retailers.
 

New member
Username: Dvdwatcher

Post Number: 2
Registered: Nov-06
PS... I'm not a gamer, either. Strictly DVD viewer looking for the best DVD viewing experience. Will want/need a new DVD player to go with it, too.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Rysa3

Post Number: 12
Registered: Nov-06
In dark rooms, the Panasonic ED ( not HD) 42 inch plasma is the best for standrad def DVDs, assuming 10 feet or less viewing distance.

In ambient light rooms or more, I like the Pioneer plasmas.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Cobra11

Post Number: 66
Registered: Oct-06
Well Jack... were I you, I would take a few of my favorite DVDs down to a local home theater showroom on a quiet afternoon (NOT SATURDAY OR SUNDAY) and have them hook up their best upconverting DVD player to a few HDTVs. Let your EYES tell YOU. We cannot.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Rysa3

Post Number: 13
Registered: Nov-06
Actually there are very defined qualities in the display world that makes US be able to offer guidance--its always easy to say "lets your eyes tell you" and that sort of answer-- but thats not very helpful with regards to sharing knowledge.

That being said;

1. Different lighting in stores will impact a viewers impression- for instance-- a Panasonic Plasma display tends to look duller in most Best Buys vs, lets say, a Pioneer Plasma--but then folks get them home and find the Pioneer fatiguing in darker rooms while the panasonic advantage in black levels shows better shadow detail... that sort of thing.

Anyway, as far as whats best for Standard Def DVDs-- I try to avoid unecessary upscaling/upconversion snd most agree, although it is debated, that an Extended definition display, ie an 840 x 480 display, is best for DVDs due to a near exact 1:1 pixel match for 480P DVDs. An HD display, ie 1366 x 768, 1024 x 1024, or the true HD 1920 x 1080 displays, dont match the content resolitions of standard DVDs, which are just 480. So the DVD player or display has to upscale the 480 signal to the higher resolution, usually giving a technically inferior result, even with some of the best outboard scaling equipment.

However, you might want a larger size display, and as displays get larger, you move away from ED ( extended definition resolutions) into HD territory. Usually if greater than 10 feet, folks like 50 inch displays or larger. ( 55 and 58 inch displays are quickly becoming the standard FYI).

Also our eyes are more sensitive to contrast than resolution, particularly as we move away from the display. This is where LCDs fall down, especially in a darker room. A light bulbs, or light bulbs in the case of LCDs, can only be off or on and therefore you cant get true blacks on LCDs, meaning in a DVD like Sin City, you dont see the detail in darker scenes, just black off light light bulb abd no detail. LCDs, can provide razor sharp images otherwise, although the images appear less realistic than the better plasmas.

Could go on...but thats some stuff to consider...
 

Silver Member
Username: Tommyv

Rowlett, Texas

Post Number: 118
Registered: Aug-06
Marc, I dont see how you can say upscaling is unecessary. I did a comparsion with my DVD player and the difference is like night and day. With the scene from Lord of the Rings in the begining where they pan the shot of him sitting in the forest, the prograssive scan through component video looked flat and 2D. The 720p through HDMI looked three dimensional and more life like. Details on people's faces and strands of hair are much more apparent.

Jack, if you get a high def 720 or 1080 panel and a quality upconversion player, your DVD collection will look amazing. If you have the funds, I would look at Pioneer Elite's plasma displays. If you have surround sound you could consider some non-TV/display only models.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Cobra11

Post Number: 73
Registered: Oct-06
Marc:
Lets just say we agree to disagree...

at the end of the day, our budget and senses will probably dictate these kinds of purchases. Opinions like yours and mine and those of others may help one prioritize a list of equipment to consider. But at the end of the day it is usually bang for the buck that wins out.

The typical home theater showrooms that I know of all have correct and variable lighting for making sensory decisions.

Jack:
Were I you, I would only get a 1080P display and probably in Plasma or and upper end LCD. Reason being... the new HD-DVD and Blu-Ray media and players will be where you will want to be, in time, and you want a monitor that can take advantage of their HDTV 1080i and 1080p output.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Cobra11

Post Number: 74
Registered: Oct-06
Jack:
Here is a great database that allows you to mine the various current HDTV product offerings. You can go by size, vendor and whatever.... enjoy.

http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/equipment/

BTW, in the Pioneer line, the PRO-FHD1 is their most capable plasma display according to the database, and it is in the 50" range. I personally have not seen this display in action so I have no opinion of it. Just spec voyeuring....
 

Bronze Member
Username: Rysa3

Post Number: 19
Registered: Nov-06
Tommy- if the display and DVD player are optimized, you cant make a 480P source look better than its native resolution via upscaling, only worse. You are essentially dividing a single data point and creating four data points for instance. IN fact flaws in video can get amplified via upscaling.
If an upscaling player makes a standard def DVD look better, than there is a weak link in the technology. Often, this is the deinterlacing chip.

Its an old discussion but the gist is that an ED display for 1:1 pixel matched DVDs gives a more authentic and better video PQ than upscaling a source beyond its native resolution.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Rysa3

Post Number: 20
Registered: Nov-06
Arty- Well I think we can all agree that let your eys decide and bang for the buck are passable buzz phrases... they just dont educate on true technical differences. I'm more interested in accurate info, reading, seeing , learning and providing; than the politically passable but non-informative buzz phrases. People have their own budgets to consider. If specified, choices can be given as best in class for a budget. We can do that too.

1080P displays right now are a little risky. You have to be sure that the display can accept a true 1080P source, as opposed to upscaling a 1080i signal. SO the first Toshiba Hi Def DVD player could only output a 1080I signal, and some of the displays could only upconvert a 1080I signal ( deinterlace), but could not accept a true 1080P signal directly.

I agree that to be fully ready for hi def DVDs, a true 1080P display makes sense..but standrad cable signal and even regular DVDs dont look so good on that many pixels (1920 x 1080).

Also, remember HDMI 1.3 is the standard, and so the display should be set up for that as well.
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