Basic DVD Tech questions
02-08-04 | 08:30 PM
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Basic DVD Tech questions
I'm looking into upgrading my home theater system, but I want to know some basic technical information about DVDs that I'm unclear of.
I'm not completely uninformed about the technologies out there, but I want some things cleared up.
What resolution are DVDs mastered in? In other words, are they being properly displayed through a DVI out at 720p? Or is 480p the native resolution of DVD, making 720p and 1080i useful for HDTV signals, D-VHS, and the obvious HD-DVD that is on the horizon, but moot for the current DVD technology?
If 480p is the max resolution for a DVD, then what is your recommended DVD player purchase for under $300? I understand that the Samsung HD931 has problems. I am willing to wait for the next wave of DVI capable players to be released, but my question is obviously, what's the point of getting the DVI capable player to run something at 720p (or 1080i, I guess) if it's only a 480p source?
Thanks
I'm not completely uninformed about the technologies out there, but I want some things cleared up.
What resolution are DVDs mastered in? In other words, are they being properly displayed through a DVI out at 720p? Or is 480p the native resolution of DVD, making 720p and 1080i useful for HDTV signals, D-VHS, and the obvious HD-DVD that is on the horizon, but moot for the current DVD technology?
If 480p is the max resolution for a DVD, then what is your recommended DVD player purchase for under $300? I understand that the Samsung HD931 has problems. I am willing to wait for the next wave of DVI capable players to be released, but my question is obviously, what's the point of getting the DVI capable player to run something at 720p (or 1080i, I guess) if it's only a 480p source?
Thanks
02-08-04 | 09:22 PM
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From: Easton, PA
All DVDs are Standard Definition. The master elements that they are encoded from can be from a HD master but the signal output from the player is still only SD. There are not true HD DVDs released yet that output at either 720p or 1080i as these would need a new player technology.
There are some players that use their DVI output and an internal scaler to interpolate the SD resolution to HD resolution but the results can be mixed. Some players can be hacked so that you can do this with component cables as well. If your not buying an upscaling DVI player or you have a CRT based HDTV then don't bother with DVI. There is no improvement to PQ when DVI is used on a CRT based TV but there are PQ improvements on a fixed pixel display like LCD, Plasma and DLP.
For a
There are some players that use their DVI output and an internal scaler to interpolate the SD resolution to HD resolution but the results can be mixed. Some players can be hacked so that you can do this with component cables as well. If your not buying an upscaling DVI player or you have a CRT based HDTV then don't bother with DVI. There is no improvement to PQ when DVI is used on a CRT based TV but there are PQ improvements on a fixed pixel display like LCD, Plasma and DLP.
For a
