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DVD Upconvert on the PC
By willbry | April 27, 2008
DVD Upconvert on the PC
If you are using a PC to play Standard Definition (480i) DVD’s, displayed on either a monitor, an HTPC (Home Theater PC), a projector, or on your HDTV (High Definition Television), you are already using DVD upconversion.
Software DVD players (such as PowerDVD, Windows Media Player, MPC, VLAN Media Player, etc.) display DVD’s at your desktop’s configured resolution. So if you have a 1600×1200 display, the software is already upcoverting the standard definition DVD to your display’s higher resolution (in this case, 1080i/p). Different software will produce different results in the DVD upconvert quality.
Media Player Classic
Many PC users report great DVD upconvert quality using the free Media Player Classic (download link), also known as MPC. MPC is a powerful application with a light footprint (there is no installation required) that supports a variety of playback formats, including DVD, ISO files, and files created with Nero. In addition, you can add ffshow, and Apple Quicktime and Realplayer alternatives, to have a lightweight, powerful playback application that supports most all video and audio formats.
VLC Media Player
Another powerful, free application is VLC Media Player (download link). As with MPC above, VLC Media Player classic supports a number of file formats, including DVD playback. As with MPC, VLC Media Player is a free application.
Additional Notes
Depending on your setup, you may find either of the above free software applications to provide a more robust DVD upconversion viewing experience. There are a few additional steps you can take to optimize your DVD upconversion viewing experience on your PC:
- Use a digital connection between all hardware components (either DVI or HDMI). Do not use component, S video, or other analog connection.
- Ensure that your computer’s resolution matches the native resolution of your display device, whether that device is an LCD monitor, an HDTV, or a projector.
- Once you have the above setup in place, experiment with display and playback settings to determine what configuration provides the best DVD Upconversion viewing experience based on your setup. Many online users recommend combining the power of ffshow with TheaterTek.
This article is designed to be a starting point for exploring and enhancing the DVD Upconversion experience using a PC. If you’d prefer to bypass these inherit challenges, you can simply skip the manual setup and configuration process and go with a quality DVD Upconvert player (such as the Oppo DV-981HD).
Until next time, enjoy a higher quality viewing experience. . .
Topics: dvd upconvert |
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