How do you upconvert your DVD's?

[Smallville]

Do you use a Upconvrting DVD player? An HD or BluRay Disc player? Or do you just let your HDTV do the upconverting for you?

I still have a regular DVD player with component cables. But I guess my TV upconverts pretty well (52" Sharp Aquos LCD) because the quality is incredible to what I was used to with my Standard Def TV. I just don't know how much better an upconverting DVD player will make them look (if any). Although there is a Toshiba Upconverter out there for about $150 that I am keeping an eye on the price. As soon as it gets to $100, I'll start to consider it. No BD for me yet, until the cost drops by about 75% (for the player and the movies).

 

[JB]

We have an upconverting DVD player that we use with HDMI cable. But to be honest, we just get our movies from HD Ondemand.

 

[DDBowdoin]

we have an upcovert (w hdmi) on our 52 inch samsung 1080P and honestly... it def. makes a difference but is no where near what you would get a blueray

 

[Badger_Golfer]

Im still rocking a non-HD tv and a DVD player, so its not an issue for me just yet. Im not going for the Blueray nonsense.

 

[TheGasman]

My PS3 up converts everything, but I bought a phillips DVD player that up converts at costco last year for 100 bucks.

 

[mytime]

I use my HD-A3 HD-DVD player. I save my BD player to play BDs.

 

[Dent]

Upconverting DVD player for me.,

 

[MO_Hacker]

Lo-Def for me,lol. I still haven't broke down and bought a LCD or Plasma, sad isn't it.

 

[ironinsand]

we have an upcovert (w hdmi) on our 52 inch samsung 1080P and honestly... it def. makes a difference but is no where near what you would get a blueray

Up-convert quality cannot come close to competing with a true 1920x1080 media (or 720p or 480p, etc). All an up convert for DVD does in "line-double" and can't do much to improve on the original image. Standard def NTSC is 720x480 pixels and the upconvert roughly doubles the pixels to make it 1920x1080.

Movies are shot at 24 frames per second and the DVD stores the 24 fps source. The HDTV and the DVD player work together to deliver the best progressive scan image possible.The MPEG-2 encoder makes the decoder perform 2-3 pulldown which sends an image compatable with your 29.97 fps NTSC TV (incorrectly called 3-2 by most people). A good flat screen will undo the pulldown to display the original 24 (23.976 actually) progressive frames per second. And you should be sure your DVD player display "progressive scan".

That's a simplification and don't feel bad if it makes your head explode. Most people who work in the film and TV business don't understand it either.

ironinsand

p.s. I have a progressive scan DVD player hacked to convert PAL to NTSC and play all region encoded discs. You can get these for a good price and you can play any DVD from anywhere in the world on your TV. The Macrovision is also disabled so I can make tape copies if I want.

 

[JB]

Welcome to THP

 

[mytime]

I thought I was at HDF for a second! LOL

 

[Smallville]

It sounded like it mytime!

And welcome to THP ironinsand. Enjoy yourself here!