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Dkeeper

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Master Geek
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#305961 17-Jun-2023 01:14
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Laser Disc and DVD upscaling on 48" 4k TV

 

 

 

 

Looking to purchase a 4K 48-50" TV  (min & max size) but need a decent upscaling capability.  (even if it only goes up to 1080 with minimal artefacts and is quite watchable)

 

1.) Primary use will be Xbox Series X Gaming so need 120 Hz and other goodies associated with good gaming. 2.) Secondary use would be playing older Laser Discs (very low resolution) and DVD’s on the TV.     (this is where the main upscaling issues present a larger challenge) 3.) Next would be the Internet like youtube sound and video. 4.) Lastly would be Satellite TV and local Free to Air channels. Main focus would be in the first two items above.

 

I see some reference to the Sony TV’s upscaling abilities with a light Google of the topic, but do not see much on say Panasonic. (my preference at the moment) So with the thought of the three TV processors below, do you think there would be much difference in they’re ability to handle the task above? a.) Sony - XR 4K Upscaling Processor b.) LG - A9 Gen5 AI Processor  (thinking QLED48C2  TV’s) c.) Panasonic - HCX Pro AI Processor (thinking TH48LZ980Z  TV’s) d.) Other.. (TCL, though at 50" I think I loose the 120 Hz)

 

I suggest these processors as they are associated with mid-price range 48" to 50" TV’s (looking for some value for the dollar spent while maintaining great gaming and lots of TV inputs) Leaning away from Sony a bit due to lack of satellite input and certain features that others have at this size. Thank you in advance for any suggestions or comments.  This might prove useful for others interested in this topic

 

 


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Movieman
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  #3090944 17-Jun-2023 12:30
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I have experience with both Sony and Panasonic. While both are excellent upscalers, I would have to recommend the Sony XR. It is brilliant at upscaling HD to 4K. I am continually gob smacked at some of the HD TV programs that I watch. Laser Disc and DVD upscaling looks okay on my 75" screen, so I would expect it to look much better on a 48" or 50" screen. My recommendation, would be one of the Sony XR upscaling models, but I'm not sure if you can get an LCD screen at the size that you want. 





MAN CAVE: 2025 TCL C7K 75" QD Mini LED TV - Apple TV 4K 32gb (2nd Gen) - Samsung HW Q990F Soundbar - Panasonic DP-UB820 4K Blu-ray Player - Apple Airpods Max - LIVING ROOM: 2021 Sony 75” X95J LCD/LED TV - Apple TV 4K 32gb (1st Gen) - 2 x Apple Homepods Gen.2 (paired) - TECH: iPhone 15 Plus, iPad Gen. 10, Apple Watch SE.




Dkeeper

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  #3091211 17-Jun-2023 18:46
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Well done Movieman..

 

I have now been converted to the Sony 48" A90K Bravia XR OLED Smart Google TV.  It has the Cognitive Processor XR and XR Triluminos Pro and boasts XR 4K upscaling dual database Processing XR Super Resolution (whatever that is)  

 

With your comments and all that XR jargon, it seems this is the way to go.  

 

Its surprising that I do not see more mention of upscaling comparisons on the net.  Guess people just move on and ditch the old formats.  Likely different for those of us who have a larger investment in LD's and DVD's. (not to mention VHS and 8-track, lol)

 

Thinking that Sony, LG and Panasonic are all good choices and each have a couple limitations, so any would likely work well.  I feel better about the Sony now due to the many positive XR references and first hand recommendations.  

 

TY for your comments.. appreciated.

 

Gordon


Movieman
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  #3091217 17-Jun-2023 18:58
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Wow! The A90K OLED is a further step up from the LCD models. Well done. You will have the best possible upscales of your DVD’s and LD’s. Watch some 4K streams, and you may never want to watch DVD’s again 😉

 

Congratulations!





MAN CAVE: 2025 TCL C7K 75" QD Mini LED TV - Apple TV 4K 32gb (2nd Gen) - Samsung HW Q990F Soundbar - Panasonic DP-UB820 4K Blu-ray Player - Apple Airpods Max - LIVING ROOM: 2021 Sony 75” X95J LCD/LED TV - Apple TV 4K 32gb (1st Gen) - 2 x Apple Homepods Gen.2 (paired) - TECH: iPhone 15 Plus, iPad Gen. 10, Apple Watch SE.




Dkeeper

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  #3092818 20-Jun-2023 23:00
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I’m guessing here, but thinking the Panasonic TH-48LZ980Z OLED might have a close to similar upscaling result with 480i/p. Thinking that the current Panasonic HCX Pro AI Processor might be newer if your Panasonic was older. (big guess here, lol)  I am now leaning a little to the Panasonic due to price, 4x2.1 HDMI ports, many HDR types, 3.5 composite out, out to powered sub-woofer and dual Sat/T2 type tuners. It’s just so featured with goodies. I just hope it’s a close second to the less featured but quality Sony.

 

There is a huge world of tape, dvd, LD, SD transmissions, streamed and archived content out there, that I’m quite surprised not to see a large testing of 200 to 720 rez upscaling comparisons against maybe 6-10 different modern 4K TV Processors. Heck, that was a long sentence…


Movieman
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  #3092852 21-Jun-2023 08:51
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Well, it’s your call. Panasonic will likely be a good choice too. And if it’s much cheaper, then go for it.

 

I have to admit that Sony TV’s are less specced (I can’t understand why they insist on providing only two HDMI 2.1 ports) than other companies, but the upscaling is excellent. Whatever you finally decide on, I’m sure you will be happy with.





MAN CAVE: 2025 TCL C7K 75" QD Mini LED TV - Apple TV 4K 32gb (2nd Gen) - Samsung HW Q990F Soundbar - Panasonic DP-UB820 4K Blu-ray Player - Apple Airpods Max - LIVING ROOM: 2021 Sony 75” X95J LCD/LED TV - Apple TV 4K 32gb (1st Gen) - 2 x Apple Homepods Gen.2 (paired) - TECH: iPhone 15 Plus, iPad Gen. 10, Apple Watch SE.


Movieman
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  #3092998 21-Jun-2023 13:03
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I just looked up prices online, and you can get the Panasonic 48" LZ980 for $1799 at Noel Leeming and Harvey Norman; which represents an over $1000 saving comparing to the Sony A90K. JB Hi-Fi have it for $2898.

 

The full spec (gaming) HDMI 2.1 inputs are only available on inputs 1 & 2, so no improvement over the Sony there. Like the Sony's, one of the HDMI 2.1 inputs also doubles up as the eARC output, so if you have a soundbar or AV receiver that you want to hook up, you will only be able to use HDMI 1 for gaming; which is okay if you have just the one console.

 

It certainly looks like the better deal, but being a lover of my Sony TV, and the Google Smart TV platform, plus not being able to see any difference between HDR10+ and HDR10, I would still buy the A90K.

 

But the best bang for buck is the LG Premium C2 Series 48" Smart 4K OLED EVO TV available at Harvey Norman for $1999. But you would have to hurry for this model as the C3 is now available. Stock is available at selected HN stores where you will be able to buy online if your local store doesn't have any.

 

 





MAN CAVE: 2025 TCL C7K 75" QD Mini LED TV - Apple TV 4K 32gb (2nd Gen) - Samsung HW Q990F Soundbar - Panasonic DP-UB820 4K Blu-ray Player - Apple Airpods Max - LIVING ROOM: 2021 Sony 75” X95J LCD/LED TV - Apple TV 4K 32gb (1st Gen) - 2 x Apple Homepods Gen.2 (paired) - TECH: iPhone 15 Plus, iPad Gen. 10, Apple Watch SE.


 
 
 
 

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ARIKIP
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  #3093001 21-Jun-2023 13:06
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Movieman:

 

I have to admit that Sony TV’s are less specced (I can’t understand why they insist on providing only two HDMI 2.1 ports) than other companies

 

 

The issue is the Mediatek SOC chip they Panasonic,Sony etc use which unfortunately has these limitations. The big boys like Samsung and LG have their own chips which dont have those issues. 

 

 





Sony 77" A80J OLED, Panasonic UB820, Panasonic BD-T460, Apple TV 4K 3rd Gen, Samsung Q990D Soundbar


bfginger
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  #3103491 12-Jul-2023 23:51
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Sony and Panasonics are going to be broadly similar in underlying hardware picture processing ability. Any talk about XR or HCX processors is marketing - they both use the same kinds of third party chips as each other. The generation of chip inside a model may matter, the XR/HCX by itself does not. Small advantages may appear one year to the next between the two brands depending on which has programmed the best use of the hardware but it's minor and hard to quantify for the average person. Keep in mind all real Panasonics have "My Home Screen" OS as the Panasonic branded AndroidTVs here are rebadged TCLs or something similar. 

 

Sonys are going to do more edge enhancement with default "reality creation" so it'll appear sharper. But there's no free lunch with edge enhancement; what's given with one hand is taken away with the other. Sonys tend to have overwrought default picture settings, which will be irrelevant to a power user but for the average person who never changes anything Panasonics have tended to look less overenhanced out of the box.

 

Panasonics have generally saner default picture and sound settings, better remotes and more user friendly/stable software. Sonys have more app support (Android) and do more post-release firmware updates. 

 

Careful of LG TVs for standard definition content - some models have undefeatable overscan for SD resolutions. With Sonys and Panasonics you need to disable overscan separately for both standard definition and HD on the same input which can trip people up. 


Dkeeper

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Master Geek
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  #3103812 13-Jul-2023 23:27
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Thank you for the info and comments.. appreciated.


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