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DVD Upconvert: Making Sense Out of Resolutions
By willbry | December 29, 2007
DVD Upconvert
Making Sense Out of Resolutions
While the numbers can be confusing (480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p, etc.), there are only a few crucial pieces of information you need to consider when it comes to deciding on a DVD Upconvert player.
First, standard definition television - regardless of the source (cable, satellite, or over-the-air) - is a 480i signal. This is true, even if you have a digital signal (i.e, HDTV).
All DVDs are now recorded at 480i resolution (even the so-called “superbit” DVDs). This is true even of DVDs that claim to be recorded in high definition; while they may have been recorded in high definition, what is written on the DVD in the end is 480i. Period. Not only is this true of all current DVDs, but the data on the DVD is also “compressed”. The more compressed the data on the DVD, the more the quality suffers (compression is often used so additional data can be stored on the DVD, such as special features, interviews, movie trailers, etc.).
The superbit DVDs mentioned above generally use less compression and often span 2 DVDs, but the end result is still no better than 480i resolution. Still, uncompressed 480i (superbit DVDs) produces a better image than compressed 480i, but still lacks the high definition quality found natively in your HDTV.
So, when does using a DVD upconverting player make sense?
There are a few reasons:
1. The scaler in the upconverting DVD player - that is, the hardware that upconverts the signal from the DVD to your HDTV - may be better than the scaler currently in your HDTV.
2. As technology evolves, newer DVD upconverting players are more likely to provide features and benefits then your existing HDTV can. For instance, the closer the upconverting DVD player gets the DVD to the native resolution of your HDTV, the less work your HDTV has to do.
3. With an upconverting DVD player, the signal from the DVD stays digital throughout the viewing experience, provided you are using an HDMI connection between your upconverting DVD player and your HDTV. If you are using S-video or component connections (which are both analog), signals from the DVD are converted from digital to analog (to travel over the cable), then back to digital again when the signal is received from your HDTV. This dual conversion process introduces a number of potential issues that impact the quality of the HDTV viewing experience.
The bottom line is that the higher quality upconverting DVD players provide a better viewing experience on your HDTV.
That being said, most of the cheaper upconverting DVD players do not provide any advantage; always research the model you’re considering before making a purchase. If it is cheaper than the other models then, well, you get what you pay for.
For additional information and recommendations on selecting a DVD Upconvert Player, see my first blog post on DVD Upconvert.
Topics: dvd upconvert |
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