Big-game big-screens: CNET's guide to viewing the Super Bowl in HDTV

The good: Improved video quality via HDMI on certain TVs; sleek design; adjustable picture controls; separate bass management for SACD; lip-sync delay control.

The bad: Inaccurate color decoding; no improvement in video quality on some TVs; cannot output custom, nonstandard HD resolutions.

The bottom line: Sony's digital deck has a slick design and makes a great complement to fixed-pixel displays that have digital inputs.

Outlook: HDMI-upscaling DVD players aren't available for $50 from your local drugstore--yet--but the Denon DVD-1920's high price is pretty rich, even for the high-end segment. The Samsung DVD-HD950, for instance, boasts exactly the same key features as the Denon but lists for about $100 less. That said, in an era of ever-plunging prices on nearly disposable products, Denon's name is one of the few that can demand and receive a premium based on its past reputation for delivering well-regarded A/V products. Expect the Denon DVD-1920 to do brisk business among the legions of enthusiasts who are already happy with their Denon receivers.

The good: Plays DVD-Audio and SACD discs; slim design; jog/shuttle control on remote; upconverts to 720p, 768p, and 1080i resolutions; aspect-ratio control; solid compatibility.

The bad: Inconsistent image quality on horizontal-resolution tests; lack of smoothness on some difficult images; 768p output inactive.

The bottom line: Samsung's DVD-HD950, a universal HDMI-upconversion DVD player, falls a little short of videophile demands.