Will I see the difference btw Blu-Ray and standard DVD if I don't have a 1080P TV?

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11-29-07, 09:14 AM

#26

Doughboy

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I have a PS3 hooked up to my Samsung 32" LCD which is 720p(or 768p to be precise) and I easily notice a difference on even the marginally better looking titles.

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11-30-07, 12:37 PM

#27

lizard

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Quote:

Originally Posted by sonicworld

Thanks! I did not know that. Turns out it has a native resolution of 720p but is capable of displaying up to 1080i. I think I did try once setting my HD DVD output to 720p as I heard some displays can give you a better image at 720p (if it's maximum resolution is 1080i). I'll try it again and take a closer look. I understand the nature of native resolution as I see it all the time on my computer LCD. If not set to native resolution you get a less sharp picture.

A bit more on this. All HDTVs have to be able to accept 1080i and 720p inputs because those are the broadcast standards for High Definition TV. That means all displays have to be able to de-interlace and upconvert/downconvert those two inputs. How well they do this depends on the hardware in the display. In some cases a good HD disc player might be able to do a better job, hence my suggestion to at least give the 720p output from the player a try.

Relatively few displays can accept a 1080p input, regardless of whether or not their native resolution is 1080p. But that will likely become the norm in the near future. A display that does a good job of de-interlacing a 1080i input should give a picture that is indistinguishable from one that can accept a 1080p input.

But marketing a 720p or 768p display as "1080i", just because it can (must) accept a 1080i input, is a bit deceptive. It seems to lead to a lot of confusion. But, since "1080" sounds better than "720" the makers of 720p/768p HDTVs like to downplay the native resolution of their displays and fool customers into thinking that a given HDTV is really 1080p. It is just marketing hype.

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11-30-07, 07:40 PM

#28

dvdsteve2000

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I think the difference is drastic. I have a 61" DLP & a 32" LCD and both look incredible when watching HD or BluRay (and HDTV). The only thing that actually looks shitty is watching SD TV channels, mainly because you're spoiled watching HD. It's like having 20/20 vision for HD, then watching TV through the bottom of a drinking glass.