What DVD players available in the UK support PAL Progressive scan.
Ideally I'm looking for an integrated DVD/5.1 surround system like the
Sony DAVSC5. However this system does not support PAL progressive
scan.

Please provide links to reviews/recommendation for the available
players. My budget is 300-500 GBP for both the player and the surround
sound.

Hi Miketong

As you'll be aware, PAL progressive scan boosts the clarity and
presence of pictures by displaying all of the 625 scanning lines, as
opposed to conventional interlace scan which displays only half of the
625 scanning lines. It greatly reduces blur, even when you freeze a
moving image.

The good news is that there are several DVD players that support PAL
progressive scan, although concerns over copy protection delayed the
technology being licensed for use with the European 50Hz/ 625-line
signals.

The bad news is that this technology is usually very expensive. All
Arcam DVD players come factory fitted with the progressive scan
technology except the basic DV88 model. However, the lowest-priced
Arcam player is around £800, so well over your budget. Denon also do
prog scan models, but they are also top-end players.

However, you can get an entry-level DVD player with PAL progressive
scan out of the box for under £200. That player is the LECSON
DVD-1000, rated 7/10 by What Video.
http://www.whatvideotv.com/testbench/DVDPlayers/Lecson/LecsonDVD-1000.php

(Amazingly, I found an ex-display model of the Lecson DV-1000 on sale
for just £39.99 at a shop called NetElectrics.
http://www.netelectrics.biz/details.asp?prodID=560&ACID=47&APID=3)

But you ideally want an integrated DVD/5.1 surround system within your
budget. If you can accept you are not going to get a top end system
for your price, there are a cpuple of Yamaha (Yamaha YHT540
6.1-Channel HTIB, Yamaha DVXS60 Home Cinema System) systems that fit
the bill, but I recommend:

Samsung HT-DB120 Home Theatre System, £199.00 from John Lewis
http://www.johnlewis.com/stores/multiproduct.asp?STR=13&ShelfID=16031&source=6133

Hope this answers your query

Paul

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Request for Answer Clarification by miketong-ga on 03 May 2004 07:50 PDT

I can't find anything that says the Samsung HT-DB120 supports PAL
progressive scan. Only 480p (NTSC progressive scan). PAL progressive
scan is usually referred to as 576p or PAL progressive. The same goes
for the Yamaha models you mention. My query was specifically for PAL
progressive DVD with integrated surround amp.

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Clarification of Answer by paultoon-ga on 04 May 2004 01:17 PDT

Hi Miketong

Sorry for the confusion over PAL/NTSC. Doesn't it seem crazy that PAL
machines have NTSC progressive scan?! Anyway, removing the Yamaha and
Samsung models from the equation, there don't seem to be any PAL
progressive scan DVD players with integrated amp within your budget.
The Lecson DVD-1000 DEFINATELY has PAL (and NTSC) prog scan. And
here's the bonus: There is a version of the Lescon, the Lecson
AVR-1000 DVD Home Theatre System. Basically exactly the same DVD
player with a multi-channel amplifier and tuner with surround sound
decoder, five surround sound speakers and a subwoofer. All for an RRP
of £249. BUT you can currently pick up an ex-display model for just
£99.99 from Net Electrics:
http://www.netelectrics.biz/product.asp?ProdID=1642&CtgID=

Hope this clarifies. Apologies for the initial confusion.

Thanks for your work. I'm not overly impressed with the Lecson from
the reviews and I think I might do better waiting a while for some of
the bigger name manufacturers to release systems matching my specs.

I think that may be a good idea - the price value is dropping all the
time. I bought a new player recently but have avoided progressive scan
for now until the price drops.