Upconversion in TV or DVD player?

[Electone]

Do I need an upconverting DVD player if my TV has this feature:

Digital Image Scaling Technology (D.I.S.T.)
D.I.S.T. is an original digital algorithm technology that seamlessly up-scales any video source such as NTSC (480i; i.e., conventional terrestrial broadcast sources, DVD videos, etc.), and progressive 480p signals to 1080 or 1500 scanning lines. With D.I.S.T.’s up-conversion, the jagged lines inherent in the original source are drastically reduced, and vertical resolution is greatly enhanced. The result is the creation of dynamic, crystal clear, cinema-like pictures from any software.

 

[MDS]

All fixed pixel displays scale the incoming image to match its native resolution. D.I.S.T. is just your TVs trademarked name for the algorithm that they use. Sony calls theirs Digital Reality Creation and I'm sure other brands make up a fancy name for theirs as well.

As usual it depends on whether the dvd player or receiver can do a better job of scaling than the TV. You don't NEED an upconverting dvd player or receiver but it might result in a better picture than letting the tv do the scaling if its algorithm is slightly better.

 

[BMXTRIX]

You also can realize the benefit of using the digital to digital connection that HDMI offers between the DVD player and the display which can eliminate analog line noise.

Think about it: Your TV has to deal with many different signal types that may come at it, and has to deal with them on the fly. The video processing is only one small part of what your television has to do.

A DVD player with upconversion is built from the ground up to deal with one format: DVD. It can optomize the video scaling around DVD material and will have a better chance to perform the upconversion much better than your display will. This is based on the purchase of a QUALITY upconversion player. Not a cheap Sony or Samsung. But, expect to spend at least $200 or more on the upconverting player if you want to see an improvement in image quality.