Arushan12 Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Delivery of my 8900 comes on Thursday (only 2 more sleeps). Have also purchased the LG twin HD tuner160gb PVR and will set up using HDMI. I currenty have a Pioneer progresssive scan dvd player that i will connect via component. Do you thing if i get an upscaling dvd player using 1080i i will notice any difference in picture quality ? This is a raging debate i am having with friends and salesman. I am not sure if it worth upgrading or just wait for Blue Ray High Def. What are your thoughts ? Cheers Simon well it certainly does not justify a $1000 upgrade, in relevance to the difference in image quality you will receive..., on a 42inch screen, differences are still minimal, thus i leave the pio 989 to my pj, as i do see a bigger difference when bypassing the internal scaler of the pj and inputting a 720p through hdmi via the pio 989, i say stick to your progressive pioneer dvd player for the time being, not to wait for the entry of bluray and hd dvd players as i think it will still be a good year, until we start seeing more of the next gen hd players, but simply put you will not see $1000 of difference in pic quality when upscaling on a 42inch screen.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelJS Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 I am using the Pioneer 696 with my 8800 - so far I'm very pleased. I don't have upscaling turned on (only progressive via HDMI) because I don't see any point in going from 576p (ie, DVD) > 720p (ie, upscaled) > 1024x1024 (ie, native resolution of screen). If the DVD player upscaled to the native resolution of the screen, perhaps it would be worthwhile. Not only do I theoretically not agree with upscaling on this screen, in testing the upscaling mode I didn't notice any improvement. But otherwise the DVD player is great. The audio quality is excellent. They appear to be multi region out of the box, and they play virtually every DVD out there (the Pana S97 doesn't do DivX). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonactive Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 I am using the Pioneer 696 with my 8800 - so far I'm very pleased. I don't have upscaling turned on (only progressive via HDMI) because I don't see any point in going from 576p (ie, DVD) > 720p (ie, upscaled) > 1024x1024 (ie, native resolution of screen). If the DVD player upscaled to the native resolution of the screen, perhaps it would be worthwhile.Not only do I theoretically not agree with upscaling on this screen, in testing the upscaling mode I didn't notice any improvement. But otherwise the DVD player is great. The audio quality is excellent. They appear to be multi region out of the box, and they play virtually every DVD out there (the Pana S97 doesn't do DivX). Doesn't the Pio 696 upscale to 1080i ? And isn't the whole point of buying an upscaling dvd player is to match the resolution of the screen ? Interesting point on not noticing any difference in picture quality with upscaling or progressive scan because i almost bought the new LG 1080i upscaling DVD player but thought the difference in picture quality would be minimal. Cheers Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helldiver Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Not only do I theoretically not agree with upscaling on this screen, in testing the upscaling mode I didn't notice any improvement. OK, you got me - what's your theoretical basis there? And a point for our other readers who may not know better: DVD-Video that you buy/rent at a store is MPEG-2 and not DivX. but simply put you will not see $1000 of difference in pic quality when upscaling on a 42inch screen.... I beg to differ on that point, as I do indeed see a clear difference upscaling DVDs from 576i to 1080i before sending to my 42PD8800TA over either HDMI or component connection. I notice an improvement with my STB as well. It's up to each user to judge how much they're willing to pay for the improvement - some will pay around $3.5K for a DVDO VP30 scaler, whilst others are happy paying a few hundred extra for an upscaling DVD player or improved HTPC. Each to their own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arushan12 Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 OK, you got me - what's your theoretical basis there? And a point for our other readers who may not know better: DVD-Video that you buy/rent at a store is MPEG-2 and not DivX. I beg to differ on that point, as I do indeed see a clear difference upscaling DVDs from 576i to 1080i before sending to my 42PD8800TA over either HDMI or component connection. I notice an improvement with my STB as well. It's up to each user to judge how much they're willing to pay for the improvement - some will pay around $3.5K for a DVDO VP30 scaler, whilst others are happy paying a few hundred extra for an upscaling DVD player or improved HTPC. Each to their own. yes i also do see a difference, when scaling to 1080i, but the native vertical res of dvds is 576(pal), as so therefore all your are doing when upscaling you are not adding more information to the image. In fact on a high end high def display, their should be not percible difference on whether the dvd is sent via 576p, 720p, or 1080i, as the displays scaling circuitry inside should be on par or better than the dvd player (usually not the case), therefore i still think the improvement is minimal, maybe a little sharper (does depend on the processing also, my htpc denoises and sharpens, so yes i do get a cleaner and sharper picture), though i do swear by upscaling a dvd to my pj, as its scaling and deinterlacing is down right horrible, However with a HDstb, the scaling does matter, infact it is vital, because if you leave the stb to output 720p, then you will be losing information from channel 9 and 10 hd sources (1080i), best to leave it to Auto feature, so it sends basically what it receives ( no loss in resolution)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifta Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 I was looking at buying one of these babies.... Living in melbourne...is there no more of these around & do i need to buy the 8900 instead??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daymo Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 I have been lucky enough to find some 8800's in stock in Melbourne...The salesman stated that he would be getting the 8900's within the next couple months. If i haggle, am I likely to get an 8800 for less than $3000?? I will also be purchasing a HD STB. The current price at the store is $3399 with the stand. Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyboy Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 yes i also do see a difference, when scaling to 1080i, but the native vertical res of dvds is 576(pal), as so therefore all your are doing when upscaling you are not adding more information to the image. In fact on a high end high def display, their should be not percible difference on whether the dvd is sent via 576p, 720p, or 1080i, as the displays scaling circuitry inside should be on par or better than the dvd player (usually not the case), therefore i still think the improvement is minimal, maybe a little sharper (does depend on the processing also, my htpc denoises and sharpens, so yes i do get a cleaner and sharper picture), though i do swear by upscaling a dvd to my pj, as its scaling and deinterlacing is down right horrible, However with a HDstb, the scaling does matter, infact it is vital, because if you leave the stb to output 720p, then you will be losing information from channel 9 and 10 hd sources (1080i), best to leave it to Auto feature, so it sends basically what it receives ( no loss in resolution)... Thanks for all the replies guys.... I might let my own eyes decide. Will see if I can talk one of the salesman into letting me buy one on the basis that if I notice no difference I will be allowed to return it... Dont think at this stage I want to spend $1000 on a dvd player...I might just stick to the pioneer which is going for around $250. Might try JB Hifi this weekend... Cheers Sunil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spid6951 Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 Hey guys I would like to thanks all of you for this thread, I am about to upgrade from my widescreen 70cm pana crt and i was going down the path to buying another pana (TH-42PV60A) until I came accross you guys and after reading all the post I have decided on a Hitachi 8800, I have looked at the PQ of both panels and I can not find much difference, so why the Hitachi, for starters it is better looking, has a remote control swivel stand but the main reason is I find you guys more passionate and helpfull towards each other than the pana guys on this forum. So at lunchtime today with all the printouts on the Hitachi 8800 (cheapest quotes etc) I went into my local HN store, there it was the 8800 with a big sign on it saying 'madness sale' two days only Saturday and Sunday, the price on the ticket was $3,570 (on the panel was a sticker which read rrp $5,999) I asked the salesman was this this price with the extended 4 year warranty, he walked away, came back and said no this is the special price with only the manufacturers 1 year warranty, if I wanted an extra 4 years it would cost all up $4,100, I laughed at him and told him that the price was a joke, he pointed to the price on the panel which read $5,999 and told me that this was a huge discount, I told him that the price on the panel had probably been there for over a year and a half and yes it probaly was the price when this particular model first came out but not now and also this was superceded stock to the 8900, I then showed him the pages from this forum I had printed out with other peoples quotes, he then went back to his computer, spent 30 seconds on it then came back and said I could have it for $3,400 which included the extra 4 years warranty, I had saved myself by doing my homework $700, this was not a cash price either I told him I was putting it on my card. Some poor person who has never read this forum will probably buy one for $3,570 over the weekend at the 'madness sale' and walk away thinking that they had saved themselves money from the rrp of $5,999. So once again guys I thank you all for your passion and honesty in informing the likes of me that we do not have to pay the listed price, and by bringing to their attention that it can be bought cheaper elsewhere it gives us more chance of getting a bargain, I am now a proud owner of a 8800 and for once in my life I feel I have received a bargain and happy to part with my money. In the past I would have been happy if they had dropped the price by $50 and thrown in delivery for free, but deep down I would have still felt cheated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Dawg Down Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 the main reason is I find you guys more passionate and helpfull towards each other than the pana guys on this forum. ouch! But I agree with your praise on this forum. Two years ago I bought my SD plasma and paid the full RRP. I only succeeded in getting the price lowered by reducing the 5 yrs Philips warranty to 3 yrs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samps Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 this was not a cash price either I told him I was putting it on my card Just so you know, credit cards, EFT and cash are generally treated the same by these big name retailers. Small computer stores may ask for a 2-3% surcharge but it doesn't apply here. The main difference comes down to interest free purchases, where the retailer actually has to pay the credit company (usually GE finance) a fee for providing you with the 'interest free' credit. I may have some of the terminology wrong here, but essentially what I'm saying is that you did pay cash even though it might have been mastercard or whatever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daymo Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 30 seconds on it then came back and said I could have it for $3,400 which included the extra 4 years warranty, I had saved myself by doing my homework $700, this was not a cash price either I told him I was putting it on my card. Hopefully I'll be able to get a similar deal. I'll be buying a HD top box and hope to get an extended warranty. Part payment for the plasma will be by interest free. I've heard that if you pay full price for extended warrantys the salesman pockets between 25-50% in commission. Can anyone confirm this?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyboy Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 Just a quick update guys, thanks to another forum member I have been able to track down a Panasonic s-97... I had given up after not having much luck tracking one down in Sydney... JB Hifi at Penrith were very helpful and are getting one in for me!!! Will get it next week...Cant wait!!!! Will report back when I get it. This forum has been great!!! Keep up the good work.... Cheers Sunil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Dawg Down Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 Just a quick update guys,thanks to another forum member I have been able to track down a Panasonic s-97... I had given up after not having much luck tracking one down in Sydney... JB Hifi at Penrith were very helpful and are getting one in for me!!! Can I ask why people are still hunting for the S97 when the new version, S52 is already released? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyboy Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 Can I ask why people are still hunting for the S97 when the new version, S52 is already released? Many owners of the s97 on this forum have commented on how good this player is...It is a great upscaling DVD player which has been sold out for less than half its RRP due to the new model. The new model is much more downmarket that the s97!!! I think Panasonic have gone much more mainstream with this one...cheaper components and circuitry...Thus RRP of $250 for new model... The s97 had the Faroujda chipset which is said to produce excellent upscaling...Built very solid... Only drawback on the s97 seems to be the lack of DivX compatability.... I am getting one for $250 but these things were costing more than $500 earlier this year!!!! Cheers Sunil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chopstar Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 Upscaling DVD players are infact a little con. $250 sound a good price NOW however once the HD DVD and Blu Ray hit the shelves in force your S97 will be landfill. Now with HDMI the S97 has HDMI version 1.1. We are moving to 1.3 (a big improvement) by the end of the year. This means more colours better sound blah blah blah. The S97 will be like comparing black and white with colour. Save your cash ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyboy Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 Upscaling DVD players are infact a little con.$250 sound a good price NOW however once the HD DVD and Blu Ray hit the shelves in force your S97 will be landfill. Now with HDMI the S97 has HDMI version 1.1. We are moving to 1.3 (a big improvement) by the end of the year. This means more colours better sound blah blah blah. The S97 will be like comparing black and white with colour. Save your cash ! From what I read about HD DVD and Blu Ray it will be quite a few years before they come down in price so that the average consumer can afford it... Plus I would want to wait till they sort out all the bugs and problems before jumping in.... Already the Blu Ray camp have had major problems!!!! In that time I will get great service out of my s97.... Then I'll be happy to fork out the money for these new formats!!!! I remeber getting burned back when the DVD player was first introduced....Paid almost 2K for my player back then!!! Wont do that again.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chopstar Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 From what I read about HD DVD and Blu Ray it will be quite a few years before they come down in price so that the average consumer can afford it...Plus I would want to wait till they sort out all the bugs and problems before jumping in.... Already the Blu Ray camp have had major problems!!!! In that time I will get great service out of my s97.... Then I'll be happy to fork out the money for these new formats!!!! I remeber getting burned back when the DVD player was first introduced....Paid almost 2K for my player back then!!! Wont do that again.... Sony PS3 is reportedly going on sale for A$1000. Mind you are arent just buying a DVD player it has PC capabilities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GT99 Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 Hi ppl, After read all comments on the 8800, finally, I got myself one for $3400 with 5 yrs warranty and 19 mths interest free. Just wondering what should be careful for the first say 100-200 hrs? What sort of setting (ie. contrast, color, etc...) should I set to the first 100-200 hrs? B'cos I play a lot of PS2, what should I do to prevent burn it or image retention? Thanks for any advices !!!! cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helldiver Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 Upscaling DVD players are infact a little con. In what way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arushan12 Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 Upscaling DVD players are infact a little con.$250 sound a good price NOW however once the HD DVD and Blu Ray hit the shelves in force your S97 will be landfill. Now with HDMI the S97 has HDMI version 1.1. We are moving to 1.3 (a big improvement) by the end of the year. This means more colours better sound blah blah blah. The S97 will be like comparing black and white with colour. Save your cash ! i think its a bit harsh to say that they are a con without giving any reason, mine does wonders on a 100 inch screen, just not so much on my 42inch.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daymo Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 Let me guess GT...you purchased from Harvey Norman?? I was offered $3000 for the same TV and Interest free and also an extended(5 years) warranty. Problem was it was the display... I ended up getting the Pana 42PV60A for $3350 w/19 months interest free and 5 year extended warranty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgxpat Posted July 28, 2006 Share Posted July 28, 2006 Hello all, I am brand new to the forum here, but have been reading this thread for 4-5 months now. Before I go to far, I just want to thank Ivalice for starting this and all of those who have contributed, it was a major factor in my decision to buy the 8800 8 weeks ago. Im living in Singapore, and while they do not have HD broadcast released here yet (getting close), I still aquire a huge smile every time I sit down in front of this Hitachi! .....then when I turn it on!....if you own it, you know what Im talking about! In the beginning of my search I debated between the Pana and Hitachi as many of you here did. However, and still to this day, I do believe the 8800 has one the best pictures, beautiful skin tones and the richest colors. As I said earlier, I dont have an HD signal here, and really the absolute best I have seen is from my Sony HDV camcorder via HDMI, or from my pc using component. Still, watching SD DVD's is excellent to my eyes! For those of you interested in prices, I bought it from HN here in Sing for S$3400 with 4 yr warranty and included a portable Hitachi DVD player w/7" LCD. Interest free for up to 12 months, I just did 6 (I dont like bills much) free delivery and setup by Hitachi reps. In any case, I thought it was about time I shared some of my own experiences with the 8800 and look forward to hearing more of yours! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Felix.. Posted July 28, 2006 Share Posted July 28, 2006 Im living in Singapore, and while they do not have HD broadcast released here yet (getting close), Well hopefully your local broadcasters will soon transmit some native 1080i content because that is where the 8800 truly excels. We often forget in Australia that a lot of countries don't even have digital TV yet let alone HDTV. We're too busy rueing just how far behind we are HDTV wise in relation to the US and Japan markets. As you probably read in the numerous threads here the Xbox 360 is a great match with the 8800 if you happen to be a gamer. For those of you interested in prices, I bought it from HN here in Sing for S$3400 with 4 yr warranty and included a portable Hitachi DVD player w/7" LCD. Interest free for up to 12 months, I just did 6 (I dont like bills much) free delivery and setup by Hitachi reps. That's not too bad....works out to around AUD2800 which would be an absolute bargain in Australia for what you got. Also nice to get the Hitachi reps to set it up for you too. I think Pioneer are the only ones who offer that service here in Oz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterlst Posted July 29, 2006 Share Posted July 29, 2006 For those of you interested in prices, I bought it from HN here in Sing for S$3400 with 4 yr warranty and included a portable Hitachi DVD player w/7" LCD. Interest free for up to 12 months, I just did 6 (I dont like bills much) free delivery and setup by Hitachi reps. You are so lucky, I bought mine last month from a Hitachi dealer at AMK (EverJoint) for S$3,925, only with 1 year warranty and no free gift I did a video calibration; the optimal result is achieved at default settings but increased the TINT to +4. Also, for the power consumption, I did a measurement and found it draws about 1.45A (avg) at default setting, hence, consumes about 334W. At ECO mode, the current drawn is 1A; or 230W only, a healthy 100W power saving! However, in this mode, the picture is too dim, I am unable to raise the brightness, did anyone mange to increase brightness in ECO mode? say thru service mode Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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