do i need a prog dvd player for my sharp 9000

You should get a scaler. If your budget allows, get a Faroudja Native Rate Series (720p). You should know that, depending on when you got your Sharp (before or after January 2002) you will not be able to bypass its internal scaler even when feeding it with its native resolution. Sharp is looking into this issue and should be releasing an upgrade soon. Even without bypassing Sharp's internal scaler, you will get a great image using the Fardoudja and its DCDi engine. The image will be way better than when using a prog. scan dvd player (even the ones with the Faroudja chip - Kenwood, Philips, etc...) for deinterlacing and using Sharp's internal scaler.

Yes. You can use any interlaced dvd player with Faroudja NRS (so you don't need a prog scan dvd player). It should also enhace the picture of your dish, but it will not look as good as your dvd picture.

I may have mistaken the dates of the Sharp. You should look your serial number to see what firmware you have. There are tons of threads at avsforum concerning this matter, so please look there to see if your Sharp is able to bypass its internal scaler.