Buy a HD DVD or Not

[lanman]

My intentions were to upgrade my present Sony DVD player to one that can do HD up conversion and supports either HD DVD or Blue Ray. I would like a clearer picture from normal 480 resolution DVDs and also set my self up for the future. Since there isn’t a conclusive standard out there, I don’t want to pay too much money at this stage, say $400.00. Nothing is as straight forward as you will see in the next paragraph, so I need some help here. My present system consists of:

Denon 3805 (non HDMI model, but supports Denon Link III)
Hitachi 51F510 (Does have HDMI input)

The problem lies with the Hitachi 51F510, which has a native resolution of 1080i. The Virtual HD that comes with this model converts non 1080i inputs into1080p, and then down converts it to either 1080i or 540p. That is what I have gathered from what I’ve read, unless someone wants to correct me on this. I certainly am not an expert in this matter.

Today, I was checking out the HD DVD Toshiba HD-A3 ($199) that supports 1080i, not 1080p. The more expensive HD-A30 model supports 1080p, as does the Blue Ray Sony players. Also, add to the mix I like to listen to audio too, so what will a Denon DVD player do for me with the Denon Link III. These are far more expensive, such as the 2930CI? What is this going to do for me?

Given these parameters that 540p is the best progressive resolution I can have and 1080p is not supported, which way should I go? I see my options being:

Buy a cheap HD up conversion and forget HD DVD or Blue Ray for now, costs $80
Go with the cheaper Toshiba $199 and have 1080i and a fully HD player, at a small cost
I don’t really have a comment on the Blue Ray or Denon option due to my in experience in this matter.

Any takers!!

 

[majorloser]

Might still be able to pick up a A2 for less than $100. They support 1080i.

To be honest, I just don't see spending big money on either of the formats. It's nice to be able to rent HD-DVD's from Netflix, so getting something able to play them is nice. Blockbuster rents Blu-ray, but the delivery time is slow.

I personally don't think you be the slightest bit unhappy with the 1080i picture quality. And getting the up-converting capability for the SD movies is a big plus.

 

[lanman]

A sales person told me 1080i does not work well with action movies and 1080p is much better, which has a faster refresh rate - is this correct? Given this statement what is 540P going to give me? Doesn't sound like I would see much of an improvement over regular DVD resolution.

At this time I have short listed the A3 at $199, is the A2 an HD DVD or just a HD up conversion model?

 

[desertdragon]

A sales person told me 1080i does not work well with action movies and 1080p is much better, which has a faster refresh rate - is this correct? Given this statement what is 540P going to give me? Doesn't sound like I would see much of an improvement over regular DVD resolution.

At this time I have short listed the A3 at $199, is the A2 an HD DVD or just a HD up conversion model?

You should go to your local Costco and get the Toshiba HD-D3 for 179.99, including 2 HD movies (Bourne Identity and 300), and a HDMI cable.
D3 is exactly the same model as A3, the only difference is D3 is for Costco, and A3 is for general retail stores.

 

[brulaha]

If I'm not mistaken, that display is 1280 x 1080. I have no idea why it would down convert anything to 540. It should be fine for watching fast moving pictures. It will not have the same resolution as a 1920 x 1080 set (i.e. 1080p) but I really wouldn't worry about it.

Just enjoy your TV and HD DVD player if you choose to pick one up. Don't worry about 1080p.

 

[majorloser]

The Hitachi 51F510 is a CRT based display. It's native resolution is 1080i/30.

That being said, sending the set anything other than it's native resolution requires processing. The Virtual HD feature is a digital processing to upconvert lesser signals to 1080p which it then downconverts to the 1080i native resolution.

1080i will still give you a beautiful true HD picture. And from the reviews I've read, the set will have problems with jaggies.

 

[lanman]

I purchase the cheaper Sony DVP-NS77H DVD player that only supports HD up conversion. I thought the HD war is not over yet and I think I'll wait. Here are my results so far:

The picture quality in noticeable better, although not by a great deal, through the new DVD running on the HDMI interface compared to old Sony 480i through component video. The Hitachi shows the HDMI as the 1080i format compared with the 480i on the old system. Now for the interesting part, which had me somewhat baffled?

I tried out the new DVD through component video to see if it displays 1080i. Well, the picture was just as good and I watched it for twenty odd minutes before checking the Hitachi input display, which came up as 480P. Why was this just as good as 1080i? Couldn’t figure this out until a little light bulb went off in my head. Maybe, it is Hitachi’s virtual HD kicking in. This will take non 1080i format and after a1080p conversion, down grade it to 1080i. I don’t know why the 480i format through the old DVD player doesn’t look as good, but maybe it has to see a progressive scan signal to do the 1080i conversion. I wonder if anyone could comment on these facts.

 

[ChicagoTC]

The problem lies with the Hitachi 51F510, which has a native resolution of 1080i. The Virtual HD that comes with this model converts non 1080i inputs into1080p, and then down converts it to either 1080i or 540p. That is what I have gathered from what I’ve read, unless someone wants to correct me on this. I certainly am not an expert in this matter.

I'm not sure what you're saying here with virtual HD. 720p/1080i/1080p are ALL hd sources. If your set is 1080i it will pass a 1080i signal untouched(A2/A3/D3). If you get an A30/A35 it will interlace that 1080p signal to 1080i.

Save your money and buy A3/D3. There will be no difference on your display over a 1080p player.

My Samsung is native 1080P but only accepts 1080i via HDMI. So my set deinterlaces 1080i into 1080p.

Either way for both of us and honestly anyone else with a display under 70" there is little to no difference between 1080i and 1080p

 

[project86]

I'll 2nd the idea of trying a D3 at Costco. You have 90 days to try it and see how you feel. If you aren't impressed, then go get a hassle free return.

The user manual on your model says you can choose between the 540p and 1080i options. Mess with that and see what looks better to your eyes.

Your new Sony might just be better than the old player, even at 480P output. I've seen big improvement from one DVD player to the next, when both were 480i units.

To answer your question about Denon Link: I believe that is Denon's proprietary interface for transmitting digital autio signals. Useful if you purchased a Denon SACD/DVD-Audio player, but not really in the equation for movies.

 

[darien87]

A sales person told me 1080i does not work well with action movies and 1080p is much better, which has a faster refresh rate - is this correct? Given this statement what is 540P going to give me? Doesn't sound like I would see much of an improvement over regular DVD resolution.

At this time I have short listed the A3 at $199, is the A2 an HD DVD or just a HD up conversion model?

That salesman is a shmuck. I had a 1080i TV for the last couple of years and I've only noticed interlacing ONCE. That was with a video game, Gran Turismo. Sometimes when you're driving fast past stationary objects, you can see it. But I've NEVER seen interlacing in a 1080i movie. He's probably just trying to get you to spend more money.

1080i will probably be just fine for you.