Samsung DVD-HD931 HDTV Converter Progressive-Scan DVD Player
Interesting but not good enough
I have a NEC HT1000 projector (with DVI-D/HDCP, 1024x768) and a 10' screen, so image resolution is very important. Since there is no digital to analog to digital conversion with DVI (unlike component Y-Pb-Pr) I was hoping for a stunning picture with this unit. Of course there is conversion in the HD931 from the DVD to 1080 to DVI-HDCP, through the HD931 supplied 6' DVI cable, and into the NEC HT1000's DVI-D port, where it's converted back down to 1024x576 (16:9). I tried using the DVI at all three HD931 output resolutions 480, 720, 1080, and I believe that 1080 worked best with my projector, but there wasn't a lot of difference between the three. <BR>Pros: I found the first four minutes of the DVD Lost In Space to be slightly better with the HT931 than my older DVD player (JVC XVS60 component progressive, cheap $2 component cable); the computer generated shapes just seemed more well defined. The Ovation DVD test pattern \\"Resolution 200 TVL\\" with the 3.0mhz, 3.58mhz, 4.18mhz, 6.75mhz circles was obviously much clearer with the HD931; on my older DVD player the diagonal lines have alternating 3 grey then 3 white backgrounds, whereas with the HD931 they were all evenly white backgrounds as they should be.<BR>Cons: I also watched We Were Soldiers, Waterworld, Wind, Shakesphere In Love, Sgt Bilco, Gladiator, The Fifth Element and Henry V, and found the picture to be grainy. As if it had some smaller than a pixel noise  all over the image  all the time. <BR>Simply put, I enjoyed watching movies more with my old player. But it was close. I'd say that DVI for DVD shows promise.<BR>I did not try the HD931 component outputs. The HD931 has very slow scene selection (next chapter), but I didn't have any trouble with the remote from 6' away, nor did any movie I watched actually hang. <BR>Conclusion: I'm returning the HD931 for a refund.