I did a comparison of Aeon Flux Regular DVD, HD-DVD and BLU-Ray DVD on a Sony XBR Bravia 52” Flat Panel LCD.
Samsung UpConvert DVD player connected via HDMI
Toshiba A300 HD-DVD player connected via HDMI
Samsung BP-1400A BLU-Ray player connected via HDMI
I tested stills by pausing all three units at the same scenes and used an HDMI switch to pop back and forth. I also ran the same scenes on all three.
All three had a great picture.
The Regular DVD had slightly better color than the HD-DVD player
The HD-DVD player has slightly better picture than the upconverted DVD during motion scenes. I was disappointed that I almost could not tell the difference between the upconvert and the HD-DVD during stills. I chalked this up to the fact that the Toshiba HD-DVD player was only outputting at 1080i
The Blu-Ray player had a better freeze frame and motion than the upconvert DVD and HD-DVD. The difference in the motion scenes was significantly better. It also seems like the black are a little blacker with the Blu-Ray player on my Sony TV.
At the end of the day I returned the HD-DVD player and sold my Upconvert Samsung and kept the Samsung Blu-Ray. I paid $299.00 for it at the CompUSA going out of business sale.
Just my 1 and 1/2 cents worth and my old eyes. Your milage may vary...
Wow, your eyes are better then mine. :)
I opted for a Olevia 37” 1080i bought from Office Depot for $650, and a Panasonic upconvert DVD player from Raio Shack for $50.
Everything I have played looks as good as anything I have seen.
Now, that is from a distance of about 20 feet.
As you have said, mileage may vary.