Samsung DVD-HD850 Up-Converting DVD Player
A viable solution for the short term
When I got my new 56\\" DLP Tv, I had to upgrade my DVD player and FAST.  I actually got my DVD-HD850 at Best Buy for instant gratification.  It was among very few choices, especially with DVD+R/RW compatibility (important).  I'm giving it 3 stars, but it deserves 2.5 after about 2 months of testing. <br /> <br />My advice: wait another 6 months if you can and hope for more choices.  This unit has a hard time playing DVD+R's.  It usually does, but often with glitches in the picture from time to time.  Commercial DVD's usually play fine however.   <br /> <br />The remote is the most unresponsive I've experienced... but is laid out nicely.  With a single button press, you can toggle between different screen fit functions (EZ-view), which I really like. <br /> <br />The upconversion really doesn't matter much with my TV.  I think the TV does its own conversion to native resolution no matter what you hand it.  The main thing is, this is a reasonably priced player with HDMI interface... and it is the only reason to consider it. <br /> <br />I've never used progressive scan component video so I cannot compare HDMI to that.  My old DVD was interlaced S-video.  I have compared this to the HDMI and the difference is apparent.  Blacker blacks, more apparent colors, higher sharpness, and less artifacts.  All told, HDMI seems the wave of the future. <br /> <br />If you want HDMI and want a decent player, the HD-850 is an acceptable solution for the short term.  My biggest complaint is that it is a bit picky and has an unresponive remote.  It has a JPG slide show feature that is fair.  EZ-view and jog control are nice. <br /> <br />