[phorkar]

Greetings all fellow-Toshiba aficionados!

I have finally entered the brave new world of larger-than-27-inch-tvland with the purchase of a Tosh 51H84C which I have been very pleased with it for the month or two I've had it. As with many in the forum I am a repeat Toshiba customer, this TV replaces a seven year old 27" that has been great.

Having read the user manual, etc. on the unit, as well as most of the posts here (which have been very enlightening, especially JohnnyG's), I am interested in getting the most from my set (yeah, I know, kinda like every other tv geek here). I am currently feeding my tv with digital cable (a la Cogeco and a Motorola DCT2500 - I long for hdtv but am disillusioned by the limited content vs. the price increase), tv out on a htpc (NVidia card), and an older Panasonic dvd player (model number escapes my memory at the moment, but it is a mid-range model from three or four years ago).

My current DVD player is not progressive scan, though I was able to reconfigure it to output 16x9 instead of 4x3 and I did purchase some component video cables instead of the S-Video I had been using (I don't honestly think I could tell the difference, but I didn't do extensive a-b comparisons). From my understanding of what I have read, I think that the tv will upconvert the signal to 480p in order to display it - though I'm not 100% convinced. I have read that some tvs have decent upconversion chips while others have poor ones. I also understand that if the dvd player does the conversion to progressive scan, that it occurs while the signal is still in the digital realm. The manual indicates that the tv can be configured to upconvert 480p signals to either 540p or 1080i, but doesn't seem to say what it is capable of with only a 480i signal. The dvd picture quality is good, although I can now tell the difference between a good quality mastered disc and a low budget mastering.

So, finally, my questions

For others who have a 51h84 or similar model, did you notice a big difference in moving from a 480i dvd player to a 480p one? I am trying to decide if I should buy a progressive scan player now or wait until I can buy one with HDMI output.

Also, I did expect, based on what I read, that the SD picture quality would look poor, but, wow, it really looks bad. I'm sure that the quality of the signal is partially to blame - not sure what my options are there besides calling the cable company for a signal quality analysis.

And, finally, I know that the best picture quality would be from having a professional calibration, etc. but that isn't an option right now, so I am left with a diy job with a diagnostic dvd. Am I the only one that is too cheap to spend $40 or $60 for Avia or DVE when I know I'll only use it very infrequently? Anybody find either at their local library or blockbuster (I did read about someone in the states renting dve from blockbuster, but when I inquired at my local outlet they looked at me like I had three heads)? So if I decide I am not too cheap to just go buy one, which one do you prefer?

Thanks everybody for this great forum and community

 

[eljay]

Congratulations on your new TV. You can start by using the "THX Optimizer" option found on DVDs such as "Monsters, Inc.", and you should be able to get DVE for around $30 at F.S.

Happy viewing!

 

[mmorais]

For others who have a 51h84 or similar model, did you notice a big difference in moving from a 480i dvd player to a 480p one? I am trying to decide if I should buy a progressive scan player now or wait until I can buy one with HDMI output.

I bought a 46H84C in january and immediately noticed a huge improvement in DVD quality when I could finally use my progressive scan player. I'd recommend getting a decent progressive scan DVD player now and then wait for the HD players when they come out later in the year or when there's a clear winner in the blu-ray HD-DVD war.

 

[dc]

480i signals are converted to 1080i by the TV and you have no choice. With a 480p signal, you have the choice of converting to 540p or 1080i. Whether or not you will notice a difference between 480i and 480p input signals is really subjective. I'd say borrow a good quality progressive DVD player and see for yourself. Futureshop/Best Buy have good return policies, so if you don't have a friend willing to lend you one, that's a good option.

 

[57]

Also, I did expect, based on what I read, that the SD picture quality would look poor, but, wow, it really looks bad.

Check out the Digital Home FAQs on.

"Poor SD PQ"
"What you need to do to your new HDTV". Etc.

 

[phorkar]

Thanks for the information, hmmm, more research and 'testing'

 

[radiohead]

I got the same TV model and I bought Toshiba SD-5970 dvd player that got HDMI output and ready for 1080P. The result is as nice as those closed circuit movie we see at the store. It comes with the cable. Of course moving to a progressive dvd player should satisfy most of the people and these days their costs are low. Like audio this is a personnal choice. Enjoy your TV.

 

[phorkar]

Funny, I had been considering the 5970 - specs definitely look good and I expect the HDMI to work well with the 51H84C

Hmm, now for a decent sale price on it.

 

[JohnnyG]

I saw an ad for the Samsung 841 last Saturday and couldn't believe it's only $199! I haven't been shopping around for a DVD player, but that seems really 'cheap' to me - especially considering it plays both DVD-Audio and SACD discs. I wonder how it compares pic quality wise with the 5970?

 

[Q]

There have been many reviews on the Toshiba 5970 and the comparable Samsung. The reviews have not been good with lots of macroblocking using the HDMI connector. The reviews on the higher end model 841 and soon I think a 941 were better.

If you were looking for a comparable price player for use with DVI I would recommend the LG model. I think it is 7832 model #. They are coming out with a new model at some point with HDMI connector but not sure when or quality.

The next step up but more expensive is the Panasonic S-97. Many people have said it is a bargain at the price its selling at.

I own it and am very happy with it. After JG calibrated my TV NEMO just looks stunning! To me............the player outputting 480i 480P and 1080i I do notice differences. To me I like the player 1080i output the best with the TV at same output.