Cyborg

I've just bought a nice shiny new Samsung LCD (HD ready) TV

I want to get the optimum picture possible, from a normal non-HD input

I will probably watch DVD's on it more than anything else


Is it worthwhile investing in a decent DVD player? rather than the crappy no-name £30 effort that I got from Tesco?

Also what about cabling - does it make a noticeable difference?

I am wondering whether to buy a decent, branded DVD player that has a HDMI port and then invest in a HDMI lead to go straight into the TV

Or what about a better quality scart lead?

This is not the cheapest option by a long way, so will it be money well spent?

TechBoy

Definitely. A £30 Tesco jobbie will have crap PQ compared to spending a bit of money on a decent brand name.
Yes good idea. If not that, then component.

Cyborg

erm

what is component?

I've seen a Sony one with HDMI which is what gave me the idea - might go for that one

Cheers

TechBoy

Component is another High Def connection type. An analogue one, unlike HDMI which is digital and so will be, all other things equal, better. The picture will then be digital from start to finish, so something with HDMI is certainly a good idea.

ITRocks

Not necessarily. Some players have extremely ropey HDMI circuits compared to superb component ones. Just because a connection interface is supposed to be technically superior doesn't always mean that it is...if it's badly implemented, then you may be better off with the "inferior" standard. That's not to say that component is really in any way inferior to HDMI - sure the signal remains digital, but it will be virtually indistinguishable with most hardware...especially with SD DVD where the resolution to begin with is relatively low.

For what it's worth, a solid component player will be undistinguishable from a HDMI interface outputting SD DVD pictures (as long as the interfaces are of good quality in both cases). The Pioneer DVD players have v. good component circuits. An old stalwart such as the Pio DV-575 is still a magnificent player for standard-def DVD PQ - and will beat many more modern upscaling HDMI players...

Cyborg

Hay guys thanks for the info

tiggapooh

Dittos on the thanks. I can learn so much here. Except, will I retain it all. Now that's the mystery of the century. lol. But guess is....nnnnno.