Need Help chosing an Upconverting DVD Player HD860 or S52K

[Mizicke5273]

Hey, Im new to the forums and I just recently bought a Samsung LNS3251D TV and I want to get an upconversion DVD player to go with it.

I have been thinking about either the Samsung DVD-HD860 or the Panasonic DVD-S52K. My budget is $100. I have read a few posts on the board here about each and Im still having a hard time deciding which to get. One thing I dislike about the Panny is it dosent have an eject button on the remote, but it is a bit cheaper than the Samsung. Ive read that a few dont like the blue light the emites from the Samsung, but I dont think it will bother me to much.

So is there any real clear cut winner btw these two? Or is it all personal preference?

Im also open to suggestions on other players as long as they are under $100, so I wont be looking at either Oppo's as that seems to be a hot player. I just cant justify paying more than $100 right now on a DVD player.


EDIT: Also what aboue the LG DN191H? Best Buy has it for $85, how does it compare to the S52K and HD860?

[Mizicke5273]

Anyone?

[Mizicke5273]

Also what about the Philips DVP5960/37?

Ive decided I would like a player that plays DivX as well.

So it is now between:
1) Samsung DVD-HD860
2) LG DN191H
3) Philips DVP5962/37

From the spec sheets on Best Buys website, all 3 have the features I want: Upscaling, DivX (while the LG also has Xvid which is a +), a straight HDMI out and not a DVI out, and all are under a $100.


Ive tried searching through the site and reading through all the posts about these players to determin which seems to be the best of the 3. But there is just way too many contridicting posts. After reading through almost every post about these players, I still have no clue which one to get. So I would really appreciate some nice solid information about these players, and even a comparison if so possible.

[dr0s]

FWIW, the Philips uses a Mediatek 1392 chipset (same as the Oppo 970), the other two use a Zoran Vadis 888. The latter has a bit of a cult following, machines based on the former tend to have fewer quirks.

The Philips can certainly play Xvid files.

The Panasonic's lack of eject button does not mean the function is absent. On the Philips there is no eject button, but holding the stop button for 2 seconds opens the drawer. - DR

[Huey]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?Sku=S223-1136&AffiliateID=isIkAyUyNbM-TISbHox5zffv_FuPuccqLA ($40 is a goo deal, shipping extra of course). I like Samsung's Ezview which manipulates aspect ratio at the DVD player and not make you alter stuff on your TV.

[whsbuss]

[QUOTE=dr0s]FWIW, the Philips uses a Mediatek 1392 chipset (same as the Oppo 970), the other two use a Zoran Vadis 888. The latter has a bit of a cult following, machines based on the former tend to have fewer quirks.

The Philips can certainly play Xvid files.

The Panasonic's lack of eject button does not mean the function is absent. On the Philips there is no eject button, but holding the stop button for 2 seconds opens the drawer. - DR[/QUOTE]

Does that work on the Panasonic? I've heard where older Panny DVD remotes which have the eject button works on the S52S.

[Mizicke5273]

[QUOTE=dr0s]FWIW, the Philips uses a Mediatek 1392 chipset (same as the Oppo 970), the other two use a Zoran Vadis 888. The latter has a bit of a cult following, machines based on the former tend to have fewer quirks.

The Philips can certainly play Xvid files.

The Panasonic's lack of eject button does not mean the function is absent. On the Philips there is no eject button, but holding the stop button for 2 seconds opens the drawer. - DR[/QUOTE]

Is there any major difference that I will notice btw the 2 chipsets?

So both the LG and Phillips can play Xvids?

Also can anyone confirm wheter or not you can play divx files or other video files through the USB port using a external HDD or thumb drive on the Philips.

Argh......this is a hard decision, AFAIK there really isnt one that is alot better the other 2.

[dr0s]

I do not know if the "long stop button" trick works on the Panasonic; I just wanted to point out that you don't want to draw conclusions from the appearance alone of the remote.

Yes, both these machines can play Xvids. On both, the resoultion of the Xvid has to be standard - neither will play a HD avi.

The Philips will happily play movies off a thumbdrive or USB external hard disk, as long as it is formatted to FAT32. There are some other requirements - you might need external power on hard drives, for example. There is a long discussion about this on the videohelp forums. - DR

[WaldorfSalad]

[QUOTE=whsbuss]Does that work on the Panasonic?[/QUOTE]No, but you can get Eject control when using a universal remote.
[QUOTE=whsbuss]I've heard where older Panny DVD remotes which have the eject button works on the S52S.[/QUOTE]Correct. For example: the S47 remote. However, you'll lose certain S52 specific controls such as Quick OSD, H.Bass, etc. I actually use an S77/97 remote with my S52 to get TV control as well as control of Contrast, Brightness, NR, etc. but in doing so I lose certain S52 specific functions like Quick OSD, H.Bass, etc.

[SlvrScoobie]

I am also trying to decide if I should bring back my Philips 5960 for a Samsung 860, for the optical out/ stereo output with HDMI when using digital source, will it do this?
IE DD track outputs to optical/coax, and will play through the TV?

[Mizicke5273]

Anyone know if the Picture Quality differs much between the lg 191, samsung hd860, philips 5962, and panasonic s52k upconversion players? And how about the offerings from sony and toshiba, how do their PQ compared to the players listed?

I still am unable to decide which of these players to pickup. As of right now im really considering the LG and philips. I just dont know which one to buy.