ubertuber

You could consider progressive scan to be a type of upconverting - it is just converting to a particular format (480p). What we call an upconverting dvd player is different in that it can convert to a number of different formats - usually including 480p. So in that sense upcoverters are just a more extreme and flexible version of progressive scanners.

I know this is a little confusing - mostly because there are several levels or types of HD (480p, 720p, 1080i, and the mythical 1080p). For the best possible results, find out which scan rates your TV can display natively and get a dvd player that will allow you to send those scan rates to the TV. This means that it will actually display the scan rate rather than convert it to something it can manage. Example: if your TV doesn't have enough resolution to support 720p, it will probably still accept a 720p signal. It will just convert that signal to something it can handle (probably 480p) and display that instead. If your TV can only go as high as 480p, don't worry about an upconverting DVD player - it wouldn't matter anyway.

Another thing to think about is that the ability to accept a DVI (or HDMI, the newest thing) signal is a big deal. Digital transmission from DVD to TV is much better. Even if it meant holding off for a bit to save more money I'd do it to get a TV with the DVI or HDMI input.

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