HD-DVD and 720p

[MIKED33]

Will HD-DVDs (or Blue-Ray) look okay on a new 50 inch plasma that has 1366 x 768 resolution? In other words, if it's not a 1080p TV, am I going to notice that big a difference in 720p on a 50 inch, at 12 feet viewing distance vs. 1080p? Do the new HD-DVD players even allow you to view in 720p?

 

[MDS]

Regardless of whether you send the TV 720p or 1080p, if its resolution is 1366 x 768 (Sony?) it will have to scale the image. Will it look ok? I would assume so but really the only way to tell is to try it and see if it meets your approval.

 

[Audioholics]

HD DVD is compatible with 720p but it will typically end up scaling the image down from 1080i/p. It does this fairly well from what I've seen. On a 50-inch from 12 feet, scaled down, I'd say you may not notice too much difference if you are a casual viewer.

 

[BMXTRIX]

As far as I know all current generation HD disc players can be set to output in all standard HD formats as well as SD formats. So, you can set the player to match your display perfectly, or let the display scale the 1080p/24 source to your liking.

1080i, 720p, 480p, and 480i are all standard output resolutions on HD disc players. Since the source is 1080p/24 for most film based material, some scaling/processing always needs to go on to get to these resolutions. Therefore, the question becomes where does the best processing take place?

I would think that it would best occur in the player as many HD displays do not properly handle 1080i material for deinterlacing. So, feeding 720p is likely the best way to go. Unless the player does a poor job with that 1080p/24 or is it 1080i -> 720p conversion as well.

As for actual on screen quality: It will be better than DVD, but not necessarily by a lot. DVD looks pretty darn good right now and HD discs are considerably better, but it only matters if your screen is big enough and you are sitting close enough... or your old DVD player really sucks.

 

[RLA]

As for actual on screen quality: It will be better than DVD, but not necessarily by a lot.

This is highly dependant on the quality of the transfer. Just like SD-DVD there are reference quality HD-DVD's. Tittles such as Chronicles of Riddick, Batman Begins, The Corpse Bride and many others will provide a substantial upgrade in image quality over the SD version. There are new audio formats on the disks as well DD+ and Dolby True HD will provide a small audio improvement. Older titles such as Grand Prix look outstanding re mastered in the new format. I have been enjoying HD-DVD for a few months now and must say it’s fairly difficult to view SD DVD's after experiencing the new format. One more thing to keep in mind is the Toshiba HD-DVD is a very good up converting DVD player. The HD-A1 scored higher than the Denon DVD-2910 or Oppo on the HQV bench mark test. The only down side is the Toshiba HD-A1 has slow load times and its physical size is huge (keep in mind it’s basically a HTPC) Toshiba will introduce new G-2 players soon and other manufactures are scheduled to release new players as well. I will be one of the first to get the new G-2 player and will post a preview of the full review here for those interested. Once you see reference HD DVD on your display regardless of resolution it will be hard to go back to SD-DVD. Yes it’s that good!

I am uncertain how the format war will shake out but I don’t really care I am enjoying the new format and new movies are being released rapidly. Considering the minimal cost of the player it was one of my best upgrades.
If any of you have question fire away I will be happy to answer them.

-Ray HD DVD junkie

 

[billnchristy]

I too own a Toshiba A1. I picked it up with 17 movies for $550 (couldnt turn it down).

I "only" have a 32" Samsung 720p LCD tv and the picture is in-freaking-credible.

I also second the upconverting on the unit, almost as nice as HDDVD except it lacks the color "snap" that the HD format gives...which IMO is its best asset.

I tried running in 720p, but to me, it looks better in 1080i...I guess the Samsung does a better job downscaling than the unit.

 

[dentman67]

Go over to Soundandvisionmag.com and read the review of the Toshiba player . They said to let your monitor do the scaleing because the DVD player does a poor job . So set your player to 1080i and let your monitor hadle the change to 720p .

 

[RLA]

They said to let your monitor do the scaleing because the DVD player does a poor job . So set your player to 1080i and let your monitor hadle the change to 720p .

This was true until the recent firmware release. If you have firmware 2.0 on your HD-A1 and have a 720p display or one that is close to that resolution set your A1 to 720p not 1080i