Howdy, bear with me. Current, might I add happy 950 owner! Mulling the 990/7500 purchase.

One thing I'm trying to figure out, if I got the 990, used it for video switching, and got the Oppo upconverting dvd player, and attached them via dvi, but then sent video to my Panasonic tube tv via component, would the signal still be upconverted? It seems like it should be, but I'm not sure... Plus, would there be any issues like the composite/s-video that I've read about?

And, is anyone running the 990/7500 via xlr and noticing a total silence? This would be another sales point for me, as the current 950 is connected to a B&K 5000 which has so much buzz. Hoping the newer units would mate oh so quietly.

Cheers, thanx, and looking forward to a new relationship with better stuff!!!

The DVI and component "sides" of the 990 aren't bridged (as near as I can tell). So if you plug in a DVI source, you won't be able to output it via component outputs on the 990...only on the DVI output...and vice versa.

Cheers,

Ritz is correct - DVI is a digital video format while component is analog, and the 990 does not transcode between DVI and component. Eventually, we will see units like the 990 transcode analog to digital, but we will not see digital transcoded to analog (MPAA is too bent out of shape over the "analog hole" to allow that sort of convenience). You'll need a TV with DVI or HDMI inputs to benefit from the Oppo.

Another alternative is to run the Oppo component outputs to the 990 and the DVI directly to a DVI input on the TV (that's how I have my system setup). So for everything except the DVD player, the 990 handles all switching and hands off a component signal to my flat panel. When I'm watching a DVD, I switch the panel over to it's DVI input (or HDMI as the case may be) to get the digital video while the 990 continues to handle the audio. If I'm feeling lazy or the kids are watching Sesame Street DVDs, I just leave the panel on the component input so I still get upscaled video over the component output of the DVD player. I don't think you have that option with the Oppo since it only upscales on the DVI output.

Cheers,

Ahso, as I had been thinking it was going to be. Anybody know of a dvd that upconverts on component? Or should I just convince management (wife) that an upgrade of video is necessary? I'm not convinced of any of the current choices, so I suppose I'll wait till the tube dies.

Or, is there such an animal as a dvi to component cable, ???

A number of players upconvert to component. My Samsung HD-841 does, as does it's rebadged Toshiba counterpart. I think the Oppo is a bit unusual in this respect. I can't imagine what they were thinking...

Cheers,

Interesting, but I was just looking at an ad for one on ebay and they said it wouldn't upconvert on component...not that I don't trust what you say! But you like the picture compared to standard dvd?

I like the upconverted picture better. I'm upconverting to 1080i, but some folks like 720p better. Both are a marked improvement over the standard 480i.

Cheers,

Ok, so to confirm: upconversion is happening via component, at least on some players.

There is no such beastie as a DVI to component cable, although I have heard of some folks with older CRT front projectors tracking down a black box that converts a DVI signal to component. It's likely to cost more than the Oppo, though, and I'm not sure where to track one down.

A very few players upconvert via component - and the number is dropping with each generation. Upconversion via component is frowned upon by Hollywood, who wants to close the "analog hole" and restrict component video to 480p or 540p. Some of the Samsungs have support upsampled component output, as have some Zenith/LG players (the Zenith DVB318, for example). Denon, Pioneer, Panasonic, Oppo, Onkyo, Yamaha, and probably a few more that I'm forgetting have consistently only upsampled to 720p/1080i over DVI or HDMI outputs.

The Oppo is unusual among the upsampling players, but not because the component output lacks upconversion to 720p/1080i. It is unusual because the component outputs are not progressive scan (480p) - they are straight 480i, the native resolution of the disc. As a general rule, I only recommend the Oppo if you have or intend to soon have an HDTV with DVI or HDMI input. The analog video output is not really its strong suit.

Ok. So it sounds like I'm probably gonna be good with my denon 2900 since I can only do component to my tube anyway. Just thinking about the next step before blu/hd dvd.

Just bought a DVD player to do exactly this: check out the Momitsu V880. In addition to up-converted analog/component, it can disable macrovision, play PAL discs, and play discs from any region.

It's in my system, and working great.

Be aware that the 990 doesn't seem to be able to put it's menus on top of a high-definition component signal.

Oh- and one more thing: I have had no luck finding a remote code that will let the 990 remote control the V880 :-(

When a high-def component signal is active and the Model 990's menu is activated, the 990 will replace the incoming video signal with a blue screen and display the menu on that.

Is there any word out there about a Momitsu code for JP1-family remotes? If so, that code may work with the 990's remote.

ATI (and some others) sell inexpensive DVI to component adapters, since their recent video cards have DVI output.
ATI\'s adapter.

Does that work with DVI-D connectors, or just DVI-I connectors? I ask because DVI-I includes an analog video path (which is why the DVI-VGA adapter works with the Mac Mini ), while DVI-D is purely a digital signal and would require some electronics to convert from digital to analog (and to address HDCP concerns if the source is an HDCP-compliant DVD player or cable/satellite receiver). At the price ATI's selling that for, my assumption would be that it is only an option for DVI-I connections that are providing an analog signal, in which case it would be useless for the DVI-D connectors found on DVD players and cable/satellite receiver. It would be a convenient way to jump straight from DVI-I to component for folks using an HTPC or a Mac Mini to drive an HDTV that doesn't have DVI/HDMI input.

I honestly don't know, and they're short on details. I would tend to agree - I doubt they fit D/A video converters in that adapter.

The only real info I turned up (on Momitsu remote codes) is here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/archive/index.php/t-463806.html

Didn't help me much when it came to figuring out a 4 digit code for the 990 remote.