Undaunted, I switched to the player’s DVI output. Now the pictures looked fabulous. There was more detail, excellent color, and the noise and interference were gone. The player passed every test pattern with flying colors. I switched the player’s DVI output from 480p to 720p and again to 1080i. All test patterns remained artifact free. Consequently, I surmised that the Faroudja circuit kicks in only when you use the DVI connection.

The player has a handsome silver finish with a baby-blue display and a bright, cool-blue backlitscan shuttle ring. The player can read nearly every type of disc, except for high-resolution multichannel audio.

I went back to movie content to see which scan rate looked best on the two DVI-equipped displays from Sony and Hitachi I had on hand. The Sony is a widescreen set that natively displays both 480p and 1080i line signals. It was close, but the player’s 480p output appeared sharper and more detailed. To date, it is the best native enhanced-definition picture I have been able to make this television produce.

The only drawback is that the picture, via the DVI input, grew about 3%, which cuts off about 8% of the content at the edges. The TV, with various sources connected to its analog video inputs, overscans or cuts off about 5% of the image, which is about average. I have heard reports of other displays having size and picture issues with certain DVI source devices. I suggest that anyone planning to use this input purchase the DVI-equipped source device from a dealer with a good return policy. In my opinion, there has not been adequate interoperability testing between DVI source devices and displays. Until there is, the buyer needs to be aware that certain combinations may not operate as expected.