I have a Panasonic SCPT 850EBK home cinema which boasts 1080p up-conversion, and a Toshiba 42z3030d lcd tv with full 1080p,connected by a hdmi cable.My question is,will I automatically receive the best picture from the dvd or will I have to mess around with settings on both items. The manuals go over my head. The picture looks good but I don't know if it should be better. Is there way of checking?
Many thanks

The best picture will really depend upon which device (DVD or TV) can scale the picture. If you send 1080p from the DVD then I assume the TV will map the pixels 1:1 which requires no further processing you can then compare that to the DVD sending 576i so that the TV does the scaling and de-interlacing.

If it looks good then don't worry too much, yes you can fine tune it but unless you start doing some research or try a calibration disk then it's all down to your own preferences.

Just wait until you start watching real HD source material

Many thanks Jarrak.
Just one more thing, my last tv was a crt and I used a bog standard dvd player with it. I obviously can't compere them now, but I don't think the new set up is that much better.

It won't be, it's not HD, it's just upscaled SD - which your TV does anyway - so it most probably won't be any better than a bog standard DVD and a decent CRT set. Upscaling DVD players are basically more a con than anything else.

Thanks for the information.
I'll just have to get the real thing, any deals going on Sky HD?

I don't think SKY know what they are doing half the time when it comes to deals both in terms of new subscribers and upgraders.

Best advice is to check the SKY website (deals are time limited and seasonal) plus look into acquiring the hardware via a third party and subscribing as normal.

HD DVD and Blu-ray could be a consideration since prices are falling but still pretty expensive unless you are a movie buff