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Upconverting Vs. HD-DVD
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Ankoku
Junior Member
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11. October 2006 @ 15:03 |
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Ok so I don't know as much I would like to know about high definition so I have a quick question for all of you experts. Would it be smart just to buy an upconverter dvd-player versus buying an HD-DVD player? I mean I have an extensive library of dvds that will take years for major companies to release in HD-DVD or Blu-ray, so does an upconverter do the job? Thanks, You all rock!
"Fly Like a butterfly, sting like a Bee OHH!! Rumble Man Rumble"
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dblbogey7
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11. October 2006 @ 17:48 |
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I think it depends on your current display and plans for upgrading your display. If you already have a decent HDTV with at least a 40-42 inch screen (or if you plan to upgrade your display soon) then the advantages in PQ of HD-DVD could be worth it. Also the upconverting ability of the Toshiba HD-A1 HD-DVD player has been touted by owners to be one of its best features. Many have raved about how it matches or even outperforms the more expensive Denons.
If you don't have an HDTV or don't plan to upgrade in the near future then an upconverter should do fine.
I don't have an extensive collection of DVD's and my purchases of HD-DVD's are usually new releases or movies I don't own on DVD. I also rent a lot of the HD-DVD's that I watch.
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Ankoku
Junior Member
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11. October 2006 @ 20:06 |
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Thank you very much, I have just my little Samsung CRT HDTV at 28'', so I think I'll try out an up converter eventually, I have a Progressive scan dvd player right now, so once i save up a little money thats probably what I go with
"Fly Like a butterfly, sting like a Bee OHH!! Rumble Man Rumble"
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littlegun
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15. October 2006 @ 05:26 |
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I am in the same boat, nice 50" TV and extensive DVD collection and at the moment I don't feel like shelling out $1K for the HD players...
A few friends have the Oppo DVD upconveting DVD player and seem to really like it....
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gnovak1
Member
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20. October 2006 @ 11:23 |
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The only disadvantage of upconverters is that you still get the bars on letterbox movies. With HD-DVD it fills your whole screen which is what i prefer.
I already have an up-converter and it does do a great job in improving the picture considerably. Just make sure to use HDMI cables and not component wires. You will get much better converting that way.
I plan to use the upconverter on my already bought movies. I don't plan to buy all my old movies in HD-DVD due to the expense involved.
As soon as i get an HD-DVD player, i will by HD-DVD movies from that point on. So this means i will have 2 dvd players, one upconverter and one HD-DVD.
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diabolos
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20. October 2006 @ 15:18 |
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Quote:
The only disadvantage of upconverters is that you still get the bars on letterbox movies. With HD-DVD it fills your whole screen which is what i prefer.
Sounds like your upconversion player is set to output a 4:3 signal. Make sure your upconversion DVD player is set up correctly. Go to the options menu and set it to output a widescreen or 16x9 signal. If you have a Progressive scan capable set make sure the de-interlacer is also on.
Ced
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 20. October 2006 @ 16:50
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gnovak1
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20. October 2006 @ 17:09 |
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Hi diabolos,
Thanks for the tip. My dvd player/upconverter is set for 16:9.
However i will need to look into where to set the deinterlacer on/off setting. I'm not sure if this is set up on the dvd converter or the tv itself.
I will let you know what i come up with. Thanks again.
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diabolos
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20. October 2006 @ 21:04 |
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no problem,
What I mean by de-interlacer is the Progressive scan feature.
It might say...
480p on/off,
480i or 480p (option),
16:9 480p,
Progressive Scan on/off,
which ever.
If your DVD player is set up to output a 16:9 signal make sure your DVDs are ananmorphicly encoded and that your tv is set to fill screen mode.
(note: DVDs shot wider than 1.85:1 will have slight black bars on the top and bottom)
Ced
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gnovak1
Member
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21. October 2006 @ 04:03 |
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Yes my Progressive scan option is only on/off and is set to on.
However i dont think my tv is set to full mode. I think its on normal.
I will check.
How do i know if my dvds are ananmorphicly encoded??
Thanks a lot for all your help. If i can get full screen out of this, i will be a happy camper.
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diabolos
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21. October 2006 @ 07:01 |
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gnovak1
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21. October 2006 @ 12:25 |
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Oops, sorry..yes all my movies are widescreen as this is mt preferred format.
My converter is hooked up through HDMI. I'll check to see if my tv supports HDCP as i don't really know offhand.
I will be posting later today to tell you how i make out. I will play a movie and see what i get.
Thanks again.
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HD_nut
Member
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31. October 2006 @ 12:39 |
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I am an expert on DVD up converters.
Converters work best with sets that are
Fixed Pixel displays...
The best kind of set to use a DVD up converter is on a Plasma with a q 768x1024 resolution.
A 768x1366 plasma is second best and third is a 768p LCD.
This is because the the DVD resolution does not have a big climb... the horizontal resolution on the DVD is 720, to up convert to 1024 is not asking the player to do much... but trying to convert to 1920 that a 1080p set has is too much data for the converter to make up.
To get a real up convert, use a SHOT IN HD DVD. Although most SHOT IN HD titles are adult DVD's.
But there is also Anamorphic WIDESCREEN, Like the Break Up with Jennifer Aniston, these work great for the up conversion process.
Don't expct non Anamorphic or regular DVDs to upconvert.
You also need to put the DVD player in 720p and need a HDMI connection. HDMI is necessary for the up convert.
Unfortunately, DVD up converters do not work with CRT tube based sets to well. If there is anything I can do to help please ask.
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G1nger
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1. November 2006 @ 10:21 |
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Hi HD-Nut,
I was reading your post regarding up-conversion and saw the comment regarding CRT sets. I've got a Pana CT-34WX53 HD (up to 1080i) CRT set with a DVI input and have been considering either an HD-DVD or upconversion player however after reading your comment that upconverting players do not work well with CRT TVs Im having some reservations. Will I not see any noticable improvement in picture quality with this TV? Thanks
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gerry1
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1. November 2006 @ 13:59 |
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But is this blue ray / HD DVD war likely to leave us stranded with unusable DVDs and players depending on what happens? I see the ad wars already. What will become of this?
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HD_nut
Member
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1. November 2006 @ 14:29 |
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With a CRT I would get the new HD DVD player for 3 change... they have an RCA version now at circuit city at low cost. It's only 200 more and will upconvert your DVD's.
HD-DVD-Player-withHDMI/sem/rpsm/oid/149876/catOid/-16221/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do" target="_blank">http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/RCA-HD-DV...roductDetail.do
But this way you will be able to see real HD. Make sure you have component connections or DVI for the 1080i connection.
But I would not spend money on an up converter with a CRT... My opinion.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 1. November 2006 @ 15:04
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HD_nut
Member
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1. November 2006 @ 15:01 |
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Link is not working... go to
http://www.circuitcity.com
under DVD players click blue ray dvd
you will see the RCA HDV5000
This will upconvert your regular disks and play real HD DVD
Now on sale!
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 1. November 2006 @ 15:04
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G1nger
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2. November 2006 @ 01:59 |
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Thanks HD. I will take your advise. I was leaning towards Blu-ray but after reading many of the comments here I'd have to say HD-DVD has the early momentum...cost and quality of picture are good motivators.
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HD_nut
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2. November 2006 @ 12:10 |
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dblbogey7
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2. November 2006 @ 14:49 |
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@HD_nut: Your news item is from January. This is hot off the press (10/30)
http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/A...ray,_HD_DVD/329
Quote:
Vivid, considred the leading studio for adult entertainment (and also home to the Julia Roberts of porn, Jenna Jameson), plans to support either Blu-ray or HD DVD -- or perhaps both -- with an as-yet-unnamed launch title sometime early next year, reports Home Media Retailing.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 2. November 2006 @ 14:51
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HD_nut
Member
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3. November 2006 @ 12:15 |
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If they go with Blu Ray that could shut the door on HD DVD.
I get the feeling the porn industry may decide this..
On that note... I find it bizzare that the shot in HD adult titles make a complete upconversion to 720p. I'm using a panny 1024x768.
I read somewhere that there is a copyright protection on regular movies that feature interferes with the Faroudja chip ... the cip that does the upconverting. Perhaps adult DVD do not have this copyright chip in it.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 3. November 2006 @ 12:16
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robtwilk
Member
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17. November 2006 @ 07:32 |
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I have several upconverting DVD players and many standard players, one 40" CRT Sony HDTV, one 32" CRT Sony HDTV, and one 62" Mits 1080p DLP. I have seen very little difference in picture quality with my upconverting players (on CRT using DVI or DLP using HDMI).
I recently purchased the Xbox 360 HD-DVD add-on (which uses component connections) and the picture is amazing. I have read many articles/forums about the player and see that many people are just as impressed. My eyes are not the perfect tool for measuring quality, but for me it is good enough at $200.
I will buy a Blu-ray soon and maybe upgrade to a real HD-DVD when the prices come down.
My understanding is that upconverting a highly-compressed movie can't look great (maybe good, but not great). HD and BD hold more information and therefore can deliver it on the screen. That's my two cents - not that two cents is worth anything these days!
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aabbccdd
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26. November 2006 @ 23:59 |
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G1nger
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27. November 2006 @ 03:44 |
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This post may not be in the most appropriate forum.
It's interesting to read the comments regarding upconverting players and CRT HD sets as my experience has been the complete opposite. I decided to go for the SONY DVPNS75H which was on sale here in Canada for under $100 a few weeks ago. I just couldn't justify the prices for BR or HD-DVD players (currently ranging between $700-$1200 CDN) and figured why not give the upconverter a try..if it didn't work I'd just return it. All I can say is "WOW"! Here is what I experienced.
Using an HDMI to DVI cable to interface to my Pana CT-34WX53 1080i HD set I wanted to ensure I wasn't just seeing something I wanted to see so I decided to run the upconverter side by side with my current Progressive scan player which is hooked up via component cables to the same TV. Until this test I used to think that player (also a SONY) produced excellent images. Yes I double checked all connections to ensure they were correct. I then compared two or three movies selecting various scenes and noted the differences between the players. There was no doubt in my mind that the upconverter's images were much more detailed and life-like. Just to be sure I wasn't seeing things I asked my wife to give me her opinions. She is not a technogeek by any means and had little knowledge of what I was actually showing her or why I was asking for her opions but asked her to comment on the picture quality figuring if she reacts the same as I then I wasn't just seeing something I wanted to beleive. When I switched to the upconverting player I consistenly heard her say..."oh yeah"..or "wow...I never noticed that scene before it looks so clear I could put my hand into the tv"....or with the regular Progressive player..."hmmm..it's too dark...I didn't notice how dark it was before...the facial colours are sort of brown and not so natural looking"..."it's not as clear as the other one..."I'd like to watch that movie over again now". Based on her comments and my own thoughts it was clear that the upconverter was the winner and really was making a significant difference delivering near HD quality images on the CRT set. At the end of the day we can argue technical tid bits back and forth as to why and how upconverters do what they do and why or why not they should work with one type of technology better or worse but to the lay person all that matters is does the image look good. If the answer is yes it does then that's all the matters.
I realize this may not be the most scientific testing method but it clearly demonstrated the differences enough for me to feel satisfied that my decision to go with the upconverter until a clear victor appears on the format war battlefield as well as the prices for these HD players come down to a more respectable level was a good one. Oh and maybe by then we will be able to back up those expensive HD disks as well. By the way this test was done using ONLY my backed-up copies thinking if the upconverter could handle them well then the store bought DLs would look even better.
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robtwilk
Member
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28. November 2006 @ 13:48 |
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G1nger-
I have the big brother of your Sony DVD Player, the DVP-NS90V. I also have the 400 DVD Upconversion Jukebox, the DVP-CX995V. I have not been impressed with the difference between the Progressive Scan Sony players and the HD-Upconversion players. Maybe since I have been using component cables and the Sony Progressive scan players, the jump to HD-Upconversion wasn't too noticeable.
I can tell you for a fact (based on my setup) that the HD-DVD player makes the HD-Upconversion player look like a VCR. On Saturday my wife and I watched Accepted on HD-DVD, then immediately watched You, Me, and Dupree on the HD-Upconversion player - we could not believe how blurry and soft the standard DVD looked. My wife compared it to watching a regular TV channel to an HDTV channel.
I had watched several HD movies already and was impressed, but I did not realize just how different the picture was compared to standard definition.
I expected the HD-Upconversion player to knock my socks off when I bought it almost a year ago.
The important thing is that you like the results you are getting - and that's really all that matters. All the specs and technospeak can't change that.
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G1nger
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28. November 2006 @ 14:32 |
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Hi Robtwilk,
I'm glad you are seeing such a noticeable improvement with the HD-DVD player. It gives me something to look forward too once the price for that technology drops here in Canada. Just a bit too high for me at this time.
G
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