What is everyone's opinion on this.. I am looking at a Denon DVD player with the Faroudja chip for upconversion to 1080i going into the new JVC 1080p LCOS rear projection set via HDMI. I am ISF certified so I know the the different possibilities here.. ie: is the Faroudja chip better than the JVC's chip and so forth.. Has anyone used the Denons or another DVD player with the Faroudja processing and is it a noticable difference? My guess is maybe with the right TV?

I am not ISF and am by no means an expert on video, but I am using a Denon 3910 DVD player with a Denon AVR-4806 and Sim2 Domino 30H via HDMI. The DVD player is upconverting to 720p. The picture is beautiful. I had the Sim calibrated by an ISF guy and he said the Denon upconversion is one of the better ones he has seen.

I have used them with great results.

The 2910 and up, especially 3910 and 5910 are fabulous machines.

I am currently looking at the new 1920. I've heard some grumbling about macroblocking on the Faroudja chip and am wondering if it is just a videophile
/purist issue or if it is noticable to the layman. Being from Denon and with the DAC's they use I would expect excellent sound.

I saw a demo with MArantz and it was awesome. Very $$$

Mike

You should see a noticable difference in picture quality when using the Denon DVD-players 1920 and up on HDMI. We were switching the 50" Sony SXRD between Component and HDMI in our showroom, and saw a big difference. It was like wathing your TV with you cable box through an F cable, then switching it to SVHS. Since SXRD is a derivative of HDila I would expect similar results.

Mike

Pull up a moving circle grid test pattern on one of your test discs, (i.e. dve pro) played in the dvd player. Set the dvd player first to upconvert to 1080i then to 480i and see what looks better - the Denon chip or the TV chip. It should stand out clearly. While you're at it check what looks better between other scaling resolutions and between HDMI and component too.

you may want to check which one handles movement the best while your at it......

i'm sure either way will be fine...its just a matter of how anel you want to be

ed

Thanks all, this is what I'm up against in trying to convince someone who spent the money on the JVC 56inch 1080p TV that it will make a difference to spend the extra money on the Denon/Faroudja DVD.. I guess I'll find out for sure when I get one hooked up.. I personally think there will be a difference, I'm guessing that the following sent to me is from Consumer Reports, a great knowledge base for quality audio/video..

"In reviews, experts aren't convinced that DVI and HDMI offer enough of an improvement to picture quality to warrant the higher price tags. While testing the Sony DVP-NS975V (*est. $275), Home Theater reviewer Adrienne Maxwell says she "switched back and forth between a 480p component video signal and a 720p HDMI signal," and "didn't see a noticeable step down in detail." In his Sony DVP-NS975V review, CNet's David Katzmaier writes, "This HD-friendly disc player makes for better-looking DVDs -- if you have the right type of TV." He doesn't recommend DVI and HDMI players to people with CRT-based HDTVs, only those with fixed-pixel sets.

Right now, most reviews say that HDMI and DVI DVD players don't offer much of an advantage over regular players when it comes to video quality. Some reviewers say they might be an option if your HDTV doesn’t display DVDs very well to begin with. So if you own a lesser quality plasma, LCD or rear-projection DLP, LCD or LCoS high-definition television, you might consider an HDMI player. However, everyone else will do just as well with one of the other models in ConsumerSearch Fast Answers. Read more about these DVD players in our section below on DVI and HDMI DVD players."