David Katzmaier,
Senior Editor
April 6, 2009
For most people, it's a little too early to jump into the HD DVD or Blu-ray game, so what's a discerning videophile to do in the meantime? Get an upscaling DVD player. Upscaling DVD players work their magic by scaling DVDs to high resolutions--such as 720p, 1080i and 1080p--so that your HDTV doesn't have to. That means the benefits of upscaling DVD players are largely dependent on your HDTV--if you HDTV has good deinterlacing and scaling, you might not see much of a benefit. Even still, the best upscaling DVD players usually have an overall edge, but the most expensive HDTV using the digital HDMI connection doesn't hurt either. At the end of the day, if you're like us and still watch plenty of DVDs, these players are a great way to squeeze more performance out of your home theater.
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| Product name | ||||||
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| Price | Check Prices | $298.00 to $795.00 | Check Prices | Check Prices | $149.00 | $89.99 |
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| Review date | February 08, 2007 | September 07, 2006 | September 18, 2006 | November 06, 2006 | June 16, 2006 | May 08, 2006 |
| The Bottom Line | Performing nearly as well as players costing four times the price, the Oppo DV-981HD is an unbeatable bargain for videophiles and enthusiasts. | We were floored by the Denon DVD-2930CI's image quality, but we were also floored by its high price. | The Oppo DV-970HD delivers some of the best value for your DVD dollar that we've seen on upconverting players in terms of features and performance. | While the stylish Samsung DVD-HD960 isn't perfect, it is one of the first players to offer 1080p upconversion, and its image quality will satisfy just about everybody. | If you're looking for an affordable DVD player with very good HDMI performance, the Sony DVP-NS75H delivers. | The Philips DVP5960/37 HDMI-upscaling DVD player is an excellent choice for budget-conscious HDTV owners and multimedia aficionados, and its DivX playback is a nice bonus. |
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| Features | ||||||
| Product Type | DVD player | DVD player | DVD player | DVD player | DVD player | DVD player |
| Product Description | OPPO DV-981HD - DVD player | Denon DVD 2930CI - DVD player | OPPO DV-970HD - DVD player | Samsung DVD HD960 - DVD player | Sony DVP NS75H - DVD player | Philips DVP5960 - DVD player |
| Weight | 5.3 lbs | 16.8 lbs | 4.9 lbs | 4 lbs | 4.2 lbs | 4.4 lbs |
| Sound Output Mode | Surround Sound | Surround Sound | Surround Sound | Stereo | Stereo | Stereo |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 16.5 in x 10.6 in x 1.6 in | 17.1 in x 15.2 in x 4 in | 16.5 in x 10 in x 1.6 in | 17 in x 8.1 in x 1.9 in | 16.9 in x 9.3 in x 1.7 in | 17.1 in x 9.3 in x 1.5 in |
| Remote Control | Remote control - Infrared | Remote control - Infrared | Remote control - Infrared | Universal remote control - Infrared | Remote control - Infrared | Remote control - Infrared |
| Media Type | CD DVD CD-R SACD CD-RW DVD+R DVD-R DVD+RW DVD-RW DVD+R DL DVD-Audio Kodak Picture CD | CD DVD CD-R SACD CD-RW DVD+R DVD-R DVD+RW DVD-RW Mini DVD Video CD DVD-Audio Mini CD-R Fujicolor CD Kodak Picture CD | CD DVD CD-R SACD CD-RW DVD+R DVD-R DVD+RW DVD-RW DVD+R DL DVD-Audio Kodak Picture CD | CD DVD Video CD | CD DVD CD-R SVCD CD-RW DVD+R DVD-R DVD+RW DVD-RW DVD+R DL Video CD | CD DVD CD-R SDVD CD-RW DVD+R DVD-R DVD+RW DVD-RW Video CD Kodak Picture CD |
| Form Factor | Tabletop | Tabletop | Tabletop | Tabletop | Tabletop | Tabletop |
| Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications |
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