Upscaling DVD players with Divx from £30

Former_MSE_Lawrence

What's the deal?

'Upscaling' DVD players are designed to make make non-HD (High Definition) DVDs look better when they play on HD TVs. Now you can get one which also supports the downloader's video format du jour, DivX, for £30 if you're quick.

Who's this for?

This is only a good deal if you have an HDTV and you want to watch video in the DivX/XviD formats, otherwise there are cheaper options elsewhere.

Where from?

• Logik LD3330 upscaling DVD player (720p) £29.99 in-store.
  This slim box is available from PC World for £29.99, but only if you buy in-store.
  
  Quick Spec:
  
  Upscales to: 720p Supports: DVD - DVD+/-R, DVD+/-RW, CD R - CD RW, VCD, DivX, XviD, JPEG, MP3 Outputs: HDMI, Scart, Component, Composite. Inputs: N/A

• Nikkai Compact upscaling DVD player (1080i) £33 delivered.
  High st. electronics retailer Maplin has this dinky top-loading player, which still manages to pack in a memory card reader and USB slot for £29.99 until next month, plus £2.99 postage. Thanks to marriedbuthappy for the spot below!
  
  Quick Spec:
  
  Upscales to: 1080i Supports: DVD - DVD+/-R, DVD+/-RW, CD R - CD RW, CD AUDIO/VIDEO, Divx, XVID, Outputs: HDMI, Composite, RCA Audio Inputs: USB, Memory card slot (SD-MMC-MS)

• Sumvision Pheonix upscaling DVD player (1080p) £42 delivered.
  This Sumvision player's cheapest online at web discounter BigPockets, at £34.99 plus postage, though you can get it for £39.99 all-in if you spend over £50 in total at ebuyer. You'll need a full HD screen to take advantage of its 1080p upscaling though.
  
  Quick Spec:
  
  Upscales to: 1080p Supports: DVD - DVD+/-R, DVD+/-RW, CD R - CD RW, CD AUDIO/VIDEO, JPEG, HDCD, VCD, Kodak Picture, Divx, XVID, MP3, MPEG-4 Outputs: HDMI, Component, SCART, S-Video, Composite, RCA Audio, SPDIF Coaxial SPDIF Inputs: USB 2.0, Memory card slot (SD-MMC-MS)

Seen these cheaper, or a better deal? Post below and I'll add it.

Upscaling: Is it just hype?

There's been some debate about whether it's worth upscaling video before it gets to the HDTV set. After all, your TV upscales all signals itself anyway (otherwise lower resolution videos wouldn't fill the screen), so using an upscaling DVD player effectively means it's being upscaled twice.

You don't need an upscaling player to watch DVDs on an HDTV, so why bother?

Actually, it depends an awful lot on how good your TV is at upscaling for itself. Some notice barely any difference between the output of an upscaling player compared to their regular DVD player, whilst for others the difference is huge. Technically, a DVD player has better capacity to upscale than a TV, as it can see DVD data frame-by-frame, rather than as a stream.

Generally, if your HDTV isn't too good at displaying freeview or other lower resolution sources (you see jagged edges, grainy bits etc), the chances are that you'll get better quality with an upscaler (via HDMI). However, there's no substitute for trying it out for yourself first, so if you're planning a trip to PC World anyway, make 'em work for your custom.

-MSE Lawrence

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Cougar

Unless I'm overlooking something, it looks like the Sumvision can be had for £35.99 with free delivery from SVP here, saving youself six quid on BigPockets' delivery tax.

adr0ck

how do you get free delivery from svp

looks to cost £6 to me

dc

If you wait a week or so SPV regularly offer 99p postage usually for weekend orders. You have to be on ther mailing list to receive the 99p code.

marriedbuthappy

nikkai compact multi-function hdmi dvd player usb/sd / mmc / ms divx compatibility - £29.99 + £2.99 delivery or collect instore @ maplin



compact multi-function hdmi dvd player

manufacturer: nikkai

rrp- £49.99

dvd player with hdmi upscaling output
watch dvds or divx files in high resolution
usb and card reader to view divx / xvid avi files
sd / mmc / ms and usb support
rgb (yuv) and composite video outputs
super slim unit design
full-function remote control
anti-shock feature
zoom and rotate photographs
multi language user interface
pal / ntsc output
http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=221957&doy=20m2#overview

sgrahams

Are any of these multi-region?

Thank you.

PeteM

Just got back from Tesco, where I bought a Technika DVD player for £17.97

The reason for buying it was the fact that it said MPEG4/XVID playback on the box.

Just tried it out - it works great with the divx dvd's that I have tried, and for less than a score, am well pleased!!

No upscaling, but still, I don't have a HDTV!!

freezspirit

Yep would also like to know if any are multi region plus if I can play subtitles files in the format of .srt .ssa .sub etc on these players when I play a divx, xvid or mp4 etc file

honest_guv

According to one of the reviews on the SVP page the Sumvision is multi region

slharbron

Be very wary of the Nikkai compact.
Had to take 2 back as would not read discs (yes I did take the protective cover off) , so got refund.:mad:

Replaced with the Logik LD3330.
Upscales to 1080p and can easily be made multi-region.
The codes are available on the internet.
http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks?dvdplayer=Logik+LD3330&hits=50&Search=Search
If you have an old style 4:3 tv, you will need to alter the set up, as is set to 16:9 by default.
Other than that works great.:T
If you want to get one you will need to be quick, they are selling fast!

libertino

So which is the best & cheapest DIVX player still available, preferably delivered rather than in-store?