When I hopped onto the HDTV bandwagon late last year, I came to a horrible realization – none of my DVD players could output progressive scan, but I didn't care previously since my old TV couldn't do that anyway. I had an old Sony DVD player that was great on the old non-HDTV, a PlayStation 2, and an Xbox, but none actually enabled 480p and above…well the PS2 said it could do progressive but it was always grayed out on my console even with Sony-branded PS2 component cables.

A few days later I got an Xbox 360 which had progressive output, but I loathed using my high-tech game console as a movie player. Then I stumbled across this Samsung DVD player at my local Fry's Electronics, and all was well. For a whopping $70, the HD-755 not only was price-comparable to other players –it also was equipped with HDMI for 'upconverting' regular old DVD movies into a more detailed form for those of us with a high-definition TV, giving it value for both the high-def crowd and the old-school TV gang. It might not be the same sort of high-quality we'll be getting in either HD-DVD or Blu-ray, but it's an inexpensive and worthwhile alternative until those come down in price.

What's In The Box?

Naturally the packages comes with the player itself, a remote, regular AV cables, and a manual. Most importantly, an HDMI cable is included to get the most out of the unit – these generally are pretty expensive for the higher-quality cables from the usual suspects, but the one included gets the job done, and hey…it's free and free is good. As of now HDMI is the peak of HD connectivity, replacing DVI. The cable includes audio and video together, which not only leads to a higher quality picture compared to the 1980's like RCA cables also in the box, but for the technology nerds, it means less cables to clutter up your theater and probably less chances to set your entire subdivision on fire. Speaking of DVI, if your HDTV has a DVI but not HDTV, this player should work if you get a DVI-HDMI converter. Don't hold me to that though.

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