Best 480p player for Panasonic EDTV Plasma?

[MathewM]

I know, I know do a search. I did but did not see anything specific to a Panasonic EDTV Plasma.

I'm not interested in upconverting. Just a clean artifact free picture through component outputs. Also I want to keep it under $100. Shouldn't be a problem right? I tried the entry level Panasonic player and was mostly happy with the picture with major exception to the macroblocking. So anything that uses the Frojuda (spelling?) DSP is out. How do the Sony players fair?

[bri1270]

I don't think you're going to find too many fantastic players in the sub $100 area.

[meat_rocket]

Try the older Panny or Denon players: RP82/91 or XP30/50 they use the older Faroudja chips that arent prone to macroblocking. They can be found out there for what you are looking to spend and are excellent 480p players.

[MathewM]

Thanks. I checked out the older pannys on ebay and they seem to go for a good price still. However I'm not looking to spend $100 on a used player that is out of warranty.
I realize that I won't find the best player for $100 but I'm not needing hdmi. When I eventually update my display I'm expecting HD-DVD/blu-ray players to be in the sub $200 range.

Anyway I picked up the basic Sony player and while the picture is pretty nice (very bold color) I noticed the macroblocking still, namely the scene in SW:Ep2 in Palpatine's office. My Toshiba 6200 doesn't display this and it's six years old. Strange how somethings with technology actually get worse. Reason I'm replacing the Toshiba is that it has a lot of problems with video based sources.

[DavidHir]

If you want something brand new, the Oppo 970 for $150 would be an excellent choice.

However, you could probably find an older Panasonic XP-30 for an even cheaper price.