# Upconverting DVD player (worth it?)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upconverting-dvd-player-worth-it/379345>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [November 6, 2006, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upconverting-dvd-player-worth-it/379345 "2006-11-06T20:26:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2006, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upconverting-dvd-player-worth-it/379345/1 "2006-11-06T20:26:42Z")

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This winter will be a long one and having missed all the summer movies (had a new baby in May) I plan to watch a lot of movies at home on the 50" HDTV as they come available on DVD.  
Now, having absolutely no intention of buying an HD-DVD or Blue-Ray player (way too expensive, limited titles, not a significant enough jump in picture quality for the cost) I am intrigued at the idea of getting an “Upconverting” DVD player.

For $100 how could I go wrong? I hear they give a near-HD quality picture on HD sets with standard DVDs.

Thing is, I already have one nice player collecting dust, and had to get a better “progressive scan” player when I got the HD set.

So while $100 is no big deal, is it really that much better a picture? Since the set is not equipped with HDMI input I would be using component cables R-B-G.  
I like the idea of upgrading my system but I’m afraid I’m gonna buy the thing, hook it up, and say “hmmm, not much better than I can notice.”

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**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2006, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upconverting-dvd-player-worth-it/379345/2 "2006-11-06T20:53:01Z")

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Well, one of my friends has one hooked up to a fairly large HDTV and…yeah, the effect’s pretty noticeable. If I had the budget he was working with, I’d do the same thing, even if I still had my current progressive scan DVD player.

It won’t make your copy of Battlefield Earth 🙂 look like something airing on a broadcast HD channel, but it will definitely make it look better than before.

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**Author:** ![Earthworm\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f07891/32.png) [@Earthworm\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthworm_Jim)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2006, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upconverting-dvd-player-worth-it/379345/3 "2006-11-07T21:20:37Z")

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I did this experiment about a year ago with my 51" HDTV, and I saw no difference. Then again, I don’t see much difference between standard definition & HD either. I really don’t see what all the fuss is about (no pun intended).

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**Author:** ![Translucent\_Daydream](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/translucent_daydream/32/16170_2.png) [@Translucent\_Daydream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Translucent_Daydream)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upconverting-dvd-player-worth-it/379345/4 "2006-11-08T02:56:59Z")

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If you wanted to go out and buy a Playstation 3 when they come out, they are supposed to play Blu-Ray discs. If you had planned on buying one of those already, I would wait because you would already have one that played hi-def movies.

My parents went out and bought a huge fifty something inch plasma and you can tell the difference in some movies from the hi-def channels to the dvd version. Shrek 2 still looks just as good but Shaun of the Dead looked kind of crappy on the dvd versus the hi-def channel.

Maybe it just depends on the movie.