Should I buy an Oppo or keep RP-91?

[PJ_Rage]

I just got a 60" SXRD and I'm trying now to make sure all my sources are up to snuff.

Currently I'm using my Panny RP-91 via component to feed the SXRD 480p. The PQ is OK, but from what I keep hearing on the SXRD thread, people are seeing amazing PQ via DVD, and I for one, am not seeing what I would call amazing PQ. Some say it is close to HD, but not quite, where as I would describe my DVD PQ as far from HD.

I'm wondering (and hoping) that a new DVD player would help this. I was looking at the Panny s97s or the oppo, but I'm not leaning toward oppo.

I've been watching 24 season dvds and the big problem I noticed with them is that they seem "soft." By soft, I mean, it seems as if the scenes are a little out of focus, but I know that they are in focus. I think this is from the upscaling, maybe? Also, all the colors (paritcularly very dark colors) appear to be "alive." I'm not sure how else to describe it or what it is, but the colors seem to be moving. Instead of the color being solid and smooth, it seems almost noisy. Other than this "noise" and the "softness," I can't think of any places that improvement could be made, but I'm willing to pick up an oppo and see if I notice a difference. I don't see any macroblocking now that I notice, is it likely I would see any with the oppo?

Is it likely that I will notice a difference? I really would like my dvds to look closer to HD like many people say theirs do...

[PooperScooper]

HD vs near HD: that's just a relative term and everybody's "relative" is different. If you can immediately see the difference between a good DVD (24 is not a great example, try LOST) and a real HD broadcast, then it it isn't "near HD" in my book. So far I've yet to see a DVD that is "near HD" with various players and scalers I've tried. But, that's just my definition. of the term "near HD". Also, remember, it's a human trait that whatever we buy is the best or else we wouldn't have bought it. So it's natural for SXRD owners to claim its greatness. :) You may be more picky than others. Proper calibration is another factor. Some people notice the SSE (silk screen effect) of the SXRD RPTVs. And, maybe the SXRDs don't do the best job via component inputs. There's a bunch of factors involved in what you said and some aren't equipment related.

larry

[Robonaut]

Well, I don't have the same TV as you do (I have a Pioneer Elite 1130HD), but I did use to have a Panasonic RP91 DVD player hooked via component.

I, personally, noticed a small but definite improvement in PQ when I replaced the RP91 with a Sony DVP-NS70H hooked up via HDMI.

I also found that the RP91 seemed "soft" in comparison to the Sony. I think that it has more to do with an analog component connection vs a digital HDMI connection instead of anything to do with upscaling.

Personally, I never noticed any "noisy" blacks on the RP91--perhaps that's dithering noise on your display?