Group test: Budget upscaling DVD players

Blu-ray players are undeniably alluring, but not everyone has the funds to upgrade to true hi-def - particularly if it means paying through the nose for a new player and starting your movie collection all over again. Many people who have invested in an HD TV would rather pair it with a much cheaper DVD deck that upscales their existing standard def discs to 'near hi-def' resolution, giving them a new lease of life in the process.

But the best part is that you can now find 1080p upscaling players for rock-bottom prices, which may not offer the last word in picture quality but will act as a solid stopgap until you feel the time is right to make the jump to Blu-ray. On this basis, we took a look at four of the latest sub-£100 decks competing for your cash.

Overview Price: £50 More info: Philips Size: 360(w) x 37(h) x 210(d)mm Weight: 1.3kg HDMI upscaling: 720p, 1080i, 1080p Disc compatibility: DVD, DVD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+RW, DVD+R, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, SVCD, VCD, DivX, MP3, WMA, JPEG (hi-res) Connections: HDMI output; component video output; Scart output (RGB-capable); coaxial digital audio output; stereo audio output Philips DVP3980 As well as upscaling DVD material to 720p, 1080i and 1080p, this waffer thin Philips player also supports a healthy range of digital video and audio formats, including DivX Ultra, MP3, WMA and JPEG (displayed in high resolution). On the downside, there's no USB port for plugging in a flash drive (if you want that, check out the step-up DVP5980) but it does play all of the above formats from CD or DVD. With such a diminutive frame, it's a surprise that Philips found room for any connections at all, but there's actually a decent selection on the rear. Taking centre stage is the HDMI output, which is backed up by progressive scan-capable component output and an RGB-capable Scart for non-HDMI equipped TVs. The compact remote and onscreen displays are well designed and there's a user-defined picture mode for making tweaks to brightness, contrast, sharpness and colour. Once you've finished tweaking, you can get some solid pictures out of this player - colours are bold with smooth, subtle gradations and detail looks crisp thanks to the clean 1080p upscaling. It's not perfect though - tricky test patterns reveal some jittery noise, jaggies are visible on moving diagonal lines and motion looks occasionally juddery, but we didn't expect miracles at this price, and on the whole the Philips is a whole lot better than we bargained for.

Verdict Plus points Low price, WMA and hi-res JPEG support Minus points No USB, some picture noise

Overview Price: £90 More info: Pioneer Size: 420(w) x 49.5(h) x 215(d)mm Weight: 1.7kg HDMI upscaling: 720p, 1080i, 1080p Disc compatibility: DVD, DVD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-R DL, DVD+RW, DVD+R, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, SVCD, VCD, DivX, WMV, MP3, WMA, AAC, JPEG (hi-res) Connections: HDMI output; component video output; Scart output (RGB-capable); composite video output; coaxial digital audio output; stereo audio output; USB port

This attractive player also boasts the most advanced picture adjustments of the bunch - there's so much to tweak that it requires its own menu. Making changes to the player is however extremely simple thanks to the brilliant Home Menu system and perfectly placed buttons on the remote.

As for pictures, this isn't a vintage Pioneer player by any means, with some pulsing noise and edge ringing making the opening scenes of Gladiator look slightly scruffy. But the vibrant-yet-natural colours, sharp, forceful detail reproduction and deep, solid blacks are a real delight. The deck's CD playback is also above average, injecting plenty of personality into music reproduction.

Overall the DV-410V isn't Pioneer's finest hour but offers enough good stuff to make it feel like money well spent.