Best upscaling: DVD or AMP?

[Rash]

If I have a Pioneer Elite VSX-82 that can upscale images to 1080i and I will buy a DVD player that will probably also upscale the DVD image to 1080i, do i upscale the image with the dvd player or the amp?... the image is going to a 720p projector (mitsubishi HC1500).... Or do i just plug the dvd player with HDMI cable and let the Pioneer amp do the math??? Is this a dumb question?

 

[MDS]

It's not a dumb question but one that cannot be answered definitively. Since the receiver, dvd player, and projector all upscale you'll have to experiment to see which one does it best.

Keep in mind that using the receiver or dvd player to upscale to 1080i will cause the projector to deinterlace and downscale ('decimate') the signal back to 720p. That's a whole lot of scaling going on.

 

[Davemcc]

It's funny that this question comes up today. I sat next to a VP of Silicon Optics for dinner at the AH banquet and I happened to ask him this very question. He was pretty certain that the receiver was the best place to perform upconversion.

On that note, if the receiver can de-interlace to the pj's native 720p, set the receiver to 720p. But still heed MDS' advice that one or another of the devices may do a better job of upconverting depending on the chips or programming in the devices. Play with it and see which you like the best.

 

[Rash]

Thanks, a lot of fun hours ahead...

thats what the vacations are for...

will try, but i think the Pioneer Elite will be good...

Thanks for the replies...


RASH

 

[mtrycrafts]

It's funny that this question comes up today. I sat next to a VP of Silicon Optics for dinner at the AH banquet and I happened to ask him this very question. He was pretty certain that the receiver was the best place to perform upconversion.
.

Did you ask why and what was his answer?

 

[Davemcc]

Did you ask why and what was his answer?

As a matter of fact, yes.

In the context of using a competent receiver with a Reon chip (which was the discussion), the receiver can perform the upscaling function as well or better than the other devices. Upconverting at the point where the audio is separated from the video may help to keep the audio and video synchronous, or reduce the need for audio delay while video processing is taking place. Also, if the receiver is at least equally competent to the other devices, it's probably more convenient for most users to setup the receiver to upconvert all sources and to switch audio and video sources together in the receiver. Basically, if you have a competent upconverting receiver as your hub, you may as well use it.

Now I'm thinking "Damn, I should have taken notes", but that's not really banquet etiquette. I think I got the gist of it, but I'm sure there's more to it that I either failed to comprehend or failed to remember.

 

[Kolia]

ditto here

I'm faced with the same dilema. My Pioneer Elite dvd is connected directly (via hdmi) to my Pioneer KURO display.

I'll just ask Pioneer I guess!

 

[mtrycrafts]

As a matter of fact, yes.

In the context of using a competent receiver with a Reon chip (which was the discussion), the receiver can perform the upscaling function as well or better than the other devices. Upconverting at the point where the audio is separated from the video may help to keep the audio and video synchronous, or reduce the need for audio delay while video processing is taking place. Also, if the receiver is at least equally competent to the other devices, it's probably more convenient for most users to setup the receiver to upconvert all sources and to switch audio and video sources together in the receiver. Basically, if you have a competent upconverting receiver as your hub, you may as well use it.

Now I'm thinking "Damn, I should have taken notes", but that's not really banquet etiquette. I think I got the gist of it, but I'm sure there's more to it that I either failed to comprehend or failed to remember.

Then it boils down to convenience and the chip in components.

 

[Janik]

Thanks Davemcc, I'm just starting to get into some of this research before buying a system, and kind of assumed that if I picked a decent quality AV receiver, then I could use that as my upconverting hub.

I have had 2 sales reps swear that the best way to upconvert normal DVD movies onto an HD 1080p screen is to buy an HD DVD player to play & upconvert the DVD. They swear the resulting picture is better this way instead of converting on the AVR.

Is there anything to this, or is it simply idle rumour-mongering??

 

[Davemcc]

Thanks Davemcc, I'm just starting to get into some of this research before buying a system, and kind of assumed that if I picked a decent quality AV receiver, then I could use that as my upconverting hub.

I have had 2 sales reps swear that the best way to upconvert normal DVD movies onto an HD 1080p screen is to buy an HD DVD player to play & upconvert the DVD. They swear the resulting picture is better this way instead of converting on the AVR.

Is there anything to this, or is it simply idle rumour-mongering??

I would think there's something to the sales rep's claim. The HD-DVD players are likely to use a good upscaling chip, like the Reon as in Toshiba's HD-XA2. It wouldn't make sense to me to bypass this chip if you have a cheaper upscaling receiver with a lesser chip. Keep in mind that the conversation I had was in the context of using a Reon equipped receiver to do the upscaling, which would be equal or better than most mass-market upscaling DVD players.

Please keep in mind that while I have been investigating the video side of this hobby, I am by no means an expert. I am a perpetual audiophyte.

 

[Janik]

Actually, both salespeople did mention Tosiba as their HDDVD player when comparing.

But as you say, if the upscaling chip in the AVR is equal to or better than that of the HDDVD player, then upscaling via the AVR should, in theory, yield comparable results. At least thats how I see it.. unfortunately proof is always in the pudding.