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A few quick upconverting questions...

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A few quick upconverting questions...

Old 08-12-06, 12:17 PM
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A few quick upconverting questions...

I've seen bits and pieces of answers throughout this forum, but was hoping for definitive answers from a few of you pros rather than drawing my own (possibly wrong) conclusions. Thanks in advance if you can help.

First question... what kind of quality will I get from an upconverted DVD versus one from a "regular" player? I just recently got an HDTV and have been enjoying movies on a few of the IO digital cable channels. If I'm correct - which I'm usually not - upconverting transmits a 1080i (or is it 720p?) image to the television. I love the way sports and late night talk shows (and movies) come in on HD channels and would love that quality from DVDs. But, I wouldn't think even an upconverted image would look anywhere close to, say, The Tonight Show or an ESPNHD baseball broadcasting since they're transmitted in high-def as opposed to scaling a 720x480 image, despite the TV receiving the signals as the same resolution. Am I right, or is there really a highly noticable difference? And for that matter, how big is the difference between SD and upconverted vs. SD (not upconverted) to HD-DVD? I see a lot of advertising calling it "near-HD" quality, but I doubt there'd be such a huge HD-DVD following on here if regular DVDs upconverted looked that close to HD, right?

Second question... Do all Blu-Ray and HD-DVD players both upconvert regular DVDs as well as play the next-gen discs? I'm almost positive that they do, but want to confirm.

Third question... What are the best upconverting players out there? Based on some browsing, it looks like most of them are in the $150 range. Is that about right? And are there particular models that are better at the process than others? I've already got DVD players coming out the wazoo here (got to see a doctor about that ), so if I'm getting another one, I'd want one of the best. Are HD-DVD players better or as good as most SDDVD-only upconverting players at this?

Fourth question... Do most upconverting players (or HD players) come with an HDMI cable, or is this another $50-$100 I will have to pay?

Fifth and final question... If I have a home theater system/dvd player all-in-one setup (short-sighted, I know), how do I wire things? Is it an HDMI cable from the (upconverting) player to the TV, audio cables from the TV to the home theater, and home theater input set to "TV?" I'm guessing that would work fine, but would any quality be lost through the unnecessary connections?

Thanks in advance if you can answer any or all of these questions... I'm sure there's more than five in there, so I'm sorry about that.
Old 08-12-06, 12:50 PM
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Originally Posted by bunnydojo
First question... what kind of quality will I get from an upconverted DVD versus one from a "regular" player?
You will definately get a better image if you get a quality upconverting player, but it will not be hd quality. Closer than 480p, but not hd. Some images, especially digital animation, looks wonderful.

Second question... Do all Blu-Ray and HD-DVD players both upconvert regular DVDs as well as play the next-gen discs? I'm almost positive that they do, but want to confirm.
Yes, the 2 current players (Toshiba A1 and sammy BD player) both upconvert standard dvd. I dont have experience with the sammy, but the a1 converts sd dvd better than any upconverting player that ive owned.

Third question... What are the best upconverting players out there?
Personally, I think the Toshiba A1 hddvd player upconverts better than any that ive see even the highly praised oppo players. Id put the $150 towards the A1 if your planning to get a next gen player anytime soon. It can be bought for around $400 or a little more if you search for bargains.

Fourth question... Do most upconverting players (or HD players) come with an HDMI cable, or is this another $50-$100 I will have to pay?
The A1 came with an hdmi cable, but even if they dont, you can get one off ebay for about $15....DONT SPEND $50-$100!

Fifth and final question... If I have a home theater system/dvd player all-in-one setup (short-sighted, I know), how do I wire things? Is it an HDMI cable from the (upconverting) player to the TV, audio cables from the TV to the home theater, and home theater input set to "TV?" I'm guessing that would work fine, but would any quality be lost through the unnecessary connections?
I have my Toshiba A1 video connected via HDMI to my DLP tv and for audio, the analog audio connections to my HK receiver.

Thanks in advance if you can answer any or all of these questions... I'm sure there's more than five in there, so I'm sorry about that. [/QUOTE]
Old 08-12-06, 06:38 PM
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Originally Posted by bunnydojo
...Fourth question... Do most upconverting players (or HD players) come with an HDMI cable, or is this another $50-$100 I will have to pay?...
As mentioned by others elsewhere, monoprice.com is a good place to get cables. I got an HDMI/DVI cable from them; took five days from "place order" button to my mailbox. They list HDMI cables here:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/se...E&keyword=hdmi

No need to pay $50 to $100 unless you have a really, really long run...
Old 08-12-06, 10:33 PM
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Originally Posted by lizard
As mentioned by others elsewhere, monoprice.com is a good place to get cables. I got an HDMI/DVI cable from them; took five days from "place order" button to my mailbox. They list HDMI cables here:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/se...E&keyword=hdmi

No need to pay $50 to $100 unless you have a really, really long run...

monoprice is awesome. I ordered 2 HDMI cables on a Monday night and I had them on Thursday morning.
Old 08-13-06, 09:10 AM
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To me and a few others, it doesn't play SDs as well as my Panny RP-82 in 480p, but then I have to use component, so I can't upconvert all SDs.
Old 08-13-06, 12:06 PM
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Originally Posted by sparks
To me and a few others, it doesn't play SDs as well as my Panny RP-82 in 480p, but then I have to use component, so I can't upconvert all SDs.
It doesn't upconvert over component at all.
Old 08-13-06, 12:12 PM
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Thanks for the info, guys.

I'll probably go with an HD-DVD player around December (hopefully there will be a big holiday sale/push). Even if Blu-Ray wins the format war (which seems unlikely at the moment), at worst I will have overpaid by $100 for a great upconverting player and can buy HD-DVDs for $10 at closing sales... I can live with that. More likely though, I'll have something to upconvert my entire collection of DVDs plus will be able to hop on the next-gen bandwagon and show off to everyone I know. Sounds like a win-win situation.

And thanks for the monoprice link! I had seen a link there a while back, but couldn't remember the site. It's amazing that they have these cables at almost 1/5 of what I've seen them elsewhere!
Old 08-13-06, 12:30 PM
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Originally Posted by The Bus
It doesn't upconvert over component at all.
No, sorry you're incorrect. All of Anchor Bays upscale over component except 2 titles (Dawn of the Dead-Divimax and Initiation) that I'm aware of. All of Elites and almost all of the small companies upscale over component except VCI.

Last edited by sparks; 08-13-06 at 12:39 PM.
Old 08-13-06, 04:19 PM
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Sparks, he meant the Toshiba doesn't upconvert at all over component.
Old 08-13-06, 04:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Suprmallet
Sparks, he meant the Toshiba doesn't upconvert at all over component.
Suprmallet,

Yeah, I know but he's wrong. Maybe the way I wrote it doesn't make sense. The HD A1 does upconvert/upscale thru component!

As long as there is no Marcrovision, like VCI and the big companies...it will upconvert/upscale thru component!!! Anchor Bay and the smaller companies will upscale/upconvert thru component.

Last edited by sparks; 08-13-06 at 04:47 PM.
Old 08-13-06, 08:13 PM
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I had a chance a few weeks ago to see HD-DVD and BD on the same exact setup running the exact same scene from Attack of the Clones, being the fight in the arena. Both players were upconverting over component cables.
To us, The Toshiba did better video upconverting, but for some reason, the sound on the BD sounded not quite as bass-heavy and more natural sounding.
Just thought I'd offer an impartial look at both.
Old 08-13-06, 08:43 PM
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Originally Posted by mink-e
I had a chance a few weeks ago to see HD-DVD and BD on the same exact setup running the exact same scene from Attack of the Clones, being the fight in the arena. Both players were upconverting over component cables.
To us, The Toshiba did better video upconverting, but for some reason, the sound on the BD sounded not quite as bass-heavy and more natural sounding.
Just thought I'd offer an impartial look at both.
You weren't using the A1. That film will stay at 480p when you try to upscale with component.
Old 08-14-06, 01:08 AM
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Try using Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone. IIRC that title didn't have Macrovision.
Old 08-14-06, 07:01 AM
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Originally Posted by sparks
You weren't using the A1. That film will stay at 480p when you try to upscale with component.
Neither player will upconvert beyond 480p using Component.
Old 08-14-06, 08:16 AM
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Originally Posted by bunnydojo
I'll probably go with an HD-DVD player around December (hopefully there will be a big holiday sale/push). Even if Blu-Ray wins the format war (which seems unlikely at the moment), at worst I will have overpaid by $100 for a great upconverting player and can buy HD-DVDs for $10 at closing sales... I can live with that. More likely though, I'll have something to upconvert my entire collection of DVDs plus will be able to hop on the next-gen bandwagon and show off to everyone I know. Sounds like a win-win situation.
That's exactly my thought. I'm probably ordering my A1 next week (via the Continental miles deal). I'm never comfortable buying into a format when there's an active format war going on, but:

1. I'm reallly itching for more high def content on my system.
2. The HD-DVD stuff I've seen so far is AMAZING quality. The blu-ray is pretty sad (again, from the titles I've seen live).
3. The A1 is an extremely high-quality machine. As you note, even if HD-DVD died out tomorrow (which is not bloody likely), I have an amazing unit to upconvert my current DVDs and play CDs.
4. Frankly, and finally, I've decided to vote with my wallet. HD-DVD managed to put out the high quality product I was looking for, whereas blu-ray kicked something out the door that clearly isn't ready. Rather than passively sitting on the fence, I've decided to jump in.

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