HD question

[DarkwingChuck]

Don't know why I care as I don't have an HDTV anyway but I was wondering...

What's the deal with DVD upscaling? Is it the TV that upscales it or do you need one of the new format players or just a high end DVD player? And I assume the quality is not as good as the actual HD formats but is it close enough considering the money you save?

[JPS]

Re: HD question

http://hometheater.about.com/od/dvdb...vdbasics12.htm

Upscaling is a process that mathematically matches the pixel count of the output of the DVD signal to the physical pixel count on an HDTV, which is typically 1280x720 (720p) or 1920x1080 (1080i).

Basically a HD-compatible DVD player does it, it "stretches" the picture to the size of the screen while still maintaining(or improving) its resolution and not getting all pixelly on you.

An HD-compatible DVD player is not the same as a HD DVD player, its still a standard DVD player, but it plays DVD's at a better resolution on HDTV's then your standard DVD player

[Perversion]

Re: HD question

I got my RCA (mid-range brand) upscale DVD player for $50, and it has both a component out and an HDMI out (plus an SD card slot). If you need a new DVD player, there's really no reason NOT to get one that upscales in case down the road you decided to invest in an HDTV. That way, you don't need to invest in another DVD player.

In fact, the reason I got my $386 Samsung 30" CRT HDTV is only BECAUSE I now owned two devices with HDMI outs (my DVD player and my Xbox 360). I didn't NEED a new TV by any stretch of the imagination, but I figured I'd take advantage of the "toys" I owned. Plus, I'd never be able to find an HDTV for that cheap ever again, especially with the multitude of inputs it has.

So, yeah, upconvert DVD players are the way to go.