Upscaling DVDs

[fatroz]

Not sure if this is a question for the Displays section or the playback hardware section, but this is what I am wondering. When I watch DVDs on my computer they look much better than watching DVDs on my SDTV. Now, I am assuming that this is because the resolution of my monitor is better than my TV. (Both the TV and the monitor are CRT) So if I get an HDTV and hook my computer up to it, will that look better than just hooking up a standard DVD player to it? Say using the VGA output on the computer and component output on the DVD player. Or will getting an upscaling DVD player like an Oppo give me the same results as hooking up my computer? I would be looking at getting a 720p res tv, not 1080p, if that matters. Thanks for any input anyone has.

 

[Seth=L]

It is not likely connecting a computer to a television would yeild better results than a good up-converting player.

Not to knock your tv, but Magnavox hasn't turned out any great CRT TVs recently, if ever. Everyone I have used had something about its performance that I found to be lacking. Get a new TV if you can, but don't get a Magnavox or Philips CRT, they go out quickly and have severe moire problems in my personal experiance. I would try to vere from CRT all together, since the corporations aren't putting stock into this dated, yet nearly perfected topology. They seemed to have stopped trying in most cases and maybe even started to fall backwards.

So what do you think fits your needs, a large DLP or LCD projection, Plasma, LCD? Just go to your local B&M stores and Best Buy and compare televisions.

 

[no. 5]

There is more to a good picture than resolution, for example, if the TV can only display seven colors, the picture will look terrible, even if it is 1080p native.

 

[fatroz]

Not to knock your tv, but Magnavox hasn't turned out any great CRT TVs recently, if ever. Everyone I have used had something about its performance that I found to be lacking.

I completely understand that my tv is nothing to write home about. The picture isn't that bad. It is just that it is SD, and I am talking about HD. If you read my question closer I'm not really asking anything about my current CRT. (Sorry, that sounds like I am being rude, but I swear I am not.) I understand it is what it is. I'm not going to get any better picture out of it than I am currently getting. I was just wondering what people think would be better. Hooking up a computer, or using an upscaling dvd player on an HDTV.

I'm not quite sure what type of tv I want to get yet. I'm thinking most likely plasma, but since I won't be moving it a whole lot maybe a large DLP since they are pretty cost effective. I just really hate the limited viewing angles of rear projection tvs. It drives me nuts. That's why I'm thinking plasma.

Also, what is moire?

Thanks for the help. Any more info would be great.

 

[no. 5]

Also, what is moire?

If you mean a moiré pattern: this has pictures.

 

[fatroz]

There is more to a good picture than resolution, for example, if the TV can only display seven colors, the picture will look terrible, even if it is 1080p native.

I understand that, and I am sure that the contrast ratio is much better on my computer monitor than my tv also. I was just wondering if computers "upscale" dvds, or if I would be better off buying an upscaling dvd player when I buy an HDTV.

Show me a 1080p screen that only shows seven colors.

 

[fatroz]

Finally!

If you mean a moiré pattern: this has pictures.

Finally someone has been able to tell me what that is! My tv totally does that. It is not nearly as bad as those pictures, but it is faintly there on some images. I have made other posts asking about that and no one had any idea what I was talking about. Thank you. Now I can sleep tonight. Is it pronounced mwa-ray?

 

[BMXTRIX]

That pronounciation sounds correct to me.

DVD VIDEO: The actual video that is put onto a DVD is stored at 480i most often. A 720x480 interlaced MPEG2 pattern with each 720x480 frame broken into two (interlaced) 720x240 fields. This is not HDTV, in fact it is a good deal below HDTV levels, yet it is, most often, very well compressed MPEG2 video and looks a lot better than regular television. It also is fairly easy to deinterlace and a good scaler can do wonders...

Which leads us to:

Your PC: Your PC has a video card in it. Most PCs have a halfway decent video card and then they connect a PC monitor using a digital connection (DVI most often) or RGBHV (VGA) analog connection. So, you have one of the best possible video connections available feeding a high resolution, and typically fairly small, high performance monitor. The video feed from your DVD in the PC is going to be fully processed by the video card and computer to the best possible output and will, quite often, produce results that can only be matched by $1,000+ DVD players. Kind of gives the PC an unfair advantage!

Your TV: When you feed a TV a high quality DVD signal it is important that the TV itself is up to the task, that you use the proper cabling, and that the DVD player in use is actually of decent quality. If you fail to do any of these three things then you will have a failure to achieve the best image possible. An older 480i only television will definitely be considered one of the failure points. Yet, when you put it all together, whether its a good plasma, a good RPTV, or a nice front projector, along with component or HDMI cabling, and a good Oppo, or nice Denon DVD player, you will have results that match (yes, just match) most decent PC setups.

 

[no. 5]

Show me a 1080p screen that only shows seven colors.

lol, hopefully displays like that don't exist.

Oh, and you are welcome, always glad to help.

 

[BarryDVD]

I guess an upscaling DVD player can be bought for about $150, but the question is, does it do a better job than the HDTV you'd otherwise pump a 576p/480p signal into...?

 

[markw]

Depends.

I guess an upscaling DVD player can be bought for about $150, but the question is, does it do a better job than the HDTV you'd otherwise pump a 576p/480p signal into...?

You don't NEED an upscaling DVD player. All these new fangled TV's have built in scalers that will take whatever you feed 'em into their native resolution.

All an upscaling DVD player does is to do that conversion instead of letting the TV do it, assuming you have it's output set to the TV's native resolution.

If the scaler on the DVD player is better than that built into the TV, you may see a slightly better picture. If it's not as good, the picture may reflect that also.