you must have a big-ass TV, if you really need the upconversion. i don't reckon the improvement would be noticeable at all on a screen smaller than about 40".
if your TV doesn't have an HDMI or DVI input, then unfortunately yer options are gonna be limited as far as upconversion goes. if you do have HDMI, then you prolly have more options.
i have one of these...
http://www.liteonit.com/DC/english/lvd_2001.htm
it's pretty good. dvd playback looks great, xvid & divx 5 playback are just as good as the philips, NTSC/PAL compatible & regionfree-able, divx 3.11 playback is shitty (but then, divx 3.11 is a shitty codec that nobody uses anymore), the firmware menu for browsing ISO discs is MUCH MUCH better-looking than the philips menu, it can incrementally stretch mpeg/avi files vertically & horizontally to fix incorrect aspect ratios, and it's one of the few players that does 720p & 1080i via component output (good for people who don't have digital inputs on their TV).
that Lite-On model must be a rare item nowadays, since it originally had i think a single production run a few years ago. it was later re-badged as the Norcent DP-501M, which isn't quite as sturdy (Norcent's kinda a budget brand that you see a lot in stores like Walmart) but it's basically the same player and it can actually be updated with Lite-On's (newer & better) firmware if you edit one of the firmware's text files before burning it onto CD. firmware editing info here -->
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...&&#post3413001
basically hollywood is doin' a number on us, and they don't want dvd players to output high-def without a "secure digital" connection (like HDMI). thus upconversion on component (analogue) output has become a big no-no. the full extent of these shenanigans prolly will not be realized by most people until HD-DVD and Blu-Ray Video are released, as those formats will not send 720p/1080i through component outputs -- a whole bunch of people with component-only HDTVs are gonna get screwed by the same electronics companies that sold the TVs to 'em (who will then be selling "HD" movie players that say "component only? fuck off. i give you... LOW DEFINITION, lolz"). in order to satisfy the movie studios, of course.
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