DVD player with HDMI & HDD

R

River

Registered User
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Hi,

Has anyone bought a dvd player with a hard disk drive and which is also capable of playing HD dvd's?

im hoping to get opinions on products available and a guide to prices before i buy one.

Many thanks,
River
 
If you are talking about the HD DVD format then the players themselves aren't out yet over here and I don't think anywhere in the world you can get a player with a hard disk as well.

If you mean a DVD player that has an HDMI output and can upscale your normal DVDs to HD then there are quite a few on the market. The Sony 710 & 910 are two such models.
 
sonnyikea said:
If you mean a DVD player that has an HDMI output and can upscale your normal DVDs to HD then there are quite a few on the market. The Sony 710 & 910 are two such models.
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oh, didnt realise.

Are they worth splashing out on then?

just wondering if they make much difference if il be watchin normal dvd's?

cheers
 
I take it you have an LCD/Plasma screen? If you are thinking on splashing out on a new DVD player simply for a slightly better picture then my advice, FWIW, is to wait until the price of the new HD DVD players or Blu Ray come down in price and the format war has been won. Otherwise you are paying out for something that will become obselete within the next 12 months. Your current DVD player should be fine in the meantime.
 
I agree it is probably best worth waiting for a HD DVD, but be careful if you are looking for one of the mentioned recorders.
I have a RDR-HX910 and it has no HDMI interface (bought in Germany), although I believe the RDR-HXD910 (sold in UK) has a HDMI interface.
At the time I seen a RDR-HX1010 with 400GB drive and HDMI in Germany although it was almost twice the price.
I think the 910 has been replaced with 915 and 925 depending on market.
 

thanks for the comments sonny, yeah im just about to move in so il be getting a 42" plasma also. havent decided on which one yet.

i mite just get a cheap dvd player then and wait for the HD player.
 
The whole HD thing is a trap for 'early adopters' at present.

None of the sets on sale in Ireland are full HD resolution, there's hardly anything being broadcast in HD & there's no HD discs or players.

They're really last year's sets with new HDMI connectors so that that can display HD pictures, but not actually at HD resolution.

If a set is 1366x768 as most are, then it cannot display a European HD signal natively. That's 1920x1080. So they actually reduce the resolution. They're nice, but you'll be sorry next year when proper HD sets start becoming available.

Wait another year.
 
Technologist, I don't entirely agree with you there.

HD TV at 720p is noticeably better than PAL @ 576 scan lines.

1080i - even downconverted to 768 pixels - looks very good on these sets.

A true 1080 line display - and let's not get into the 1080i versus 1080p debate here - will be better again but may not noticeable on anything small then 37 or 40 inches. Not to mention, will cost more money.

So, should you buy now or wait for the next big thing, bearing in mind that there is always new technology on the way?

As with all technology, if you don't need a new TV now then don't buy one. If you are in the market, buy the best one you can afford - best in terms of features for the price. The HD Ready logo is an industry standard and gives you a lot more futureproofing than buying a TV without this logo.

As for no content - we have Sky HD now; HD-DVD players out in the US and due in Ireland before Christmas; Samsung's world-first Blu-ray player out in the US this week and expected in Europe by Christmas; Sony's player out in July with Pioner following in August; the PS3 out in November with a Blu-ray drive.

So, if buying a TV now I would certainly get a HD Ready one. If you wait another year, they will be cheaper with more features - but the same will be true next year and the year after that.

I do however agree that buying a top end DVD player or a DVD recorder with HDD is probably not a good idea right now with the high def format war going on. I would buy a cheap upconverting DVD player such as the Samsung DVD-HD950 and forego the recording for now.
 
Thanks Lads, think il prob hold off on the dvd recorder for now. nice 1
 
ditto MonsieurBond - HD has started and it's impressive. 1080p compared with 1080i and 720p is really only noticeable on larger sets/projector screens.

Technologist - I do agree on the early adopter though. You will always pay a premium to be at the forefront of technology and that premium may not get you the same quality as if you wait a while.
 
sonnyikea said:
ditto MonsieurBond - HD has started and it's impressive. 1080p compared with 1080i and 720p is really only noticeable on larger sets/projector screens.
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In fact, 720p has some advantages over 1080i, as even though it has fewer scan lines, it is not interlaced, providing a progressive scan picture, which is sharper and more stable than an interlaced 1080i picture, especially noticeable for motion scenes.

I think that going from standard definition to 720p or 1080i high definition is a huge step up. Going from 1080i to so-called "true HD" of 1080p is not going to offer the same perceived leap unless you have a very big display or sit very close to it.

sonnyikea said:
Technologist - I do agree on the early adopter though. You will always pay a premium to be at the forefront of technology and that premium may not get you the same quality as if you wait a while.
Click to expand...
Of course, you could always buy the early adopter technology now, sell it in a year or two and buy something else? Or sell your existing DVD recorder or upconvering DVD player now and buy a Blu-ray player for Xmas?

This approach might not work as well with TVs as they are bigger and more difficult to shift (in both sense of the word) but in terms of DVD players and recorders.

Anyone wanna buy a PS2?
 
As I understand it, 720p is only available in the US?

As to $ky HD, how much content is original HD and how much is upscaled?

As to DVDs, I'd wait not just for the players but for a good selection of discs, that'll take some years.

Agreed that if you've already got a reasonable TV (e.g. a 2-year old 32" LCD 1366x768), bad idea to upgrade right now.
 
As to $ky HD, how much content is original HD and how much is upscaled?
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well the World Cup is, and the difference is amazing, the National Geog and Discovery have a lot of original HD programs also.
however, relatively speaking there is not that much

re the DVD upscaler, have to say I've seen a big improvement over SD DVD players for very little extra as they are available at the €150 mark

re 720p Vs 1080i, tried both on the BBDHD World Cup and did not notice any difference, 50" screen, 8ft away
 
Technologist, As you say, 720p is quite common in the US. It therefore stands to reason that if some TV shows are recorded for this format, that some upconversion is required in order to get 1080i.

The Sky HD Box, I believe, can be set to output 720p or 1080i and will convert as appropriate.

To be honest, I would wonder if Sky use the full bandwidth for their movies anyway - cable suppliers in the US are notorious for not offering full quality HD channels, and Sky I am sure would be similarly motivated to maximise bandwidth.

I stick by my original suggestion of buying something cheap now, such as a DVD recorder with upconverting abilities, and upgrade again in year or two.


(I see that Toshiba have just announced a very impressive HD-DVD recorder with a 1 TB hard disk for the Japanese market - nice... If you have $3500 grand to spare! )

I myself have a cheap DVD recorder (without hard disc) and a Samsung unconverting DVD player and will not replace either for a year at least. I would also prefer to wait until (a) the winner in the format war is becoming clear and (b) a recordable player is reasonably priced.

Mind you, I might be tempted to buy a PS3...
 
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