Zenith 318 vs HDMI player worthy upgrade?

[Kid Red]

Hey all. I have a Zenith 318 1080i hooked up to my new JVC 52". I would like to know if there is a remarkable difference between component and HDMI PQ? Is it worth my time and money selling the Zenith and getting say the Panasonic S97 over HDMI? Is the Panny the best out their in that price range? If a HDMI/DVI DVD player would show a marked improvement over the Zenith, what should i bee looking at? I also have a Pioneer 45a but use it solely for SACD-DVDA. I would love to sell the Zenith and Pioneer and just get one player noting the 2910 does SACD/DVDA and the S97 does DVDA.


Any other options at the $500 price that would rock with the JVC? Any other recommendations?

Also, I have a HDMI STB, is it worth it getting a HDMI switch and having both the DVD and STB going to HDMI to the JVC? If so, what's a good HDMI switch (assuming there is such a thing)

[BillP]

The Zenith gives a great PQ upscaling to 1080i over component. I doubt you're going to see much improvement with the lower-priced upscaling players. Moving up to the Denon 3910 or Pioneer 59ai, now that's a different story (not to mention great SACD/DVD-A as well).

[Kid Red]

BillP- I use the Pioneer Elite 45a for SACD/DVD-A, would there be a difference? Also, you say not much difference between the Panny S97 and the Zenith 318, but the Secrets Shootout had the Panny higher. Or do you mean the difference, while there, isn't that big of a deal? What about component Zenithe VS HDMI from another player, like the Panny?

[BillP]

Difference between the 3910/59ai and the 45a for audio? Yes. For one thing, the bass management is not as good on the 45a. For video, I would be a little careful comparing scores on Secrets. Even Kris Deering has stated it is not meant to be the be all and end all for direct comparisons (an 89 may not look any better than an 85). My point was that the Zenith excels at 1080i over component, so I don't think you're going to see a marked difference going to the Panny. Now if you were using the Zenith for 720p, that's a different matter since it is a weakness of the Zenith (1080i is better than 720p on the Zenith). Unless you're unhappy with the Zenith, I wouldn't bother "upgrading" to the Panny. Just enjoy the Zenith and 45a combination for video and audio, respectively. In my opinion, it is not worth upgrading unless you are going to a much higher level player, such as replacing the Zenith/45a with a single player like the Denon 3910, Pioneer 59ai, or Onkyo SP1000. By the way, going from the 45a to the 2910, I think you'll be unhappy with the audio.

[Kid Red]

Wow, thanks for the info, very reassuring. So, basically, I'm set for the under $1k range. I was just wondering if the HDMI pic would be an improvement over the Zenith.

However, it does make it easier to hold on knowing HD-DVD/Blu Ray is right around the corner.