Video Quality: DVD and HDTV

[Ornery]

True HD-sourced material...

What exactly is that? What media is it recorded on, and broadcast from?

 

[0roo0roo]

no, it means it was filmed in hd, or transfered from film to hd, not upconverted standard def.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Dunbar
HDTV is capable of looking better but in the real world better quality DVD's look just as good if not better than HD. Satellite and cable compress HD just like other programming so it doesn't always look as good as it can. The big advantage to HD and good DVD's is the ability to watch them on a large screen and still have it look good. I can't wait for HD-DVD

hmmm, HDTV to me doesn't compare to DVDs. DVDs look pretty good, but the overall color depth and resolution are freakin' incredible. I probably watch more HD than I do regular TV now.

DVDs have never given me that "window" look that HD does. This is on a professionally calibrated 65" mits.

About HBO, etc. Depends on the transfer. Sometimes it comes from the film itself, manytimes it is a converted DVD.

 

[Doggiedog]

Wait until you see 1080p resolution HDTV come out.

I've seen it before and it is UNBELIEVABLE. I have 1080i HDTV now and it looks fantastic but 1080p will blow the doors off of 1080i.

1080p looks 3 dimensional. Almost like little people running around inside the TV.

 

[UNCjigga]

Keep in mind that all the plasma TVs and even some of the older CRT/projection displays have DOWNscalers that they use to present HDTV because they are not true 1080i capable. Walk into any decent home theater store (not a big box) and you can SEE the difference in detail between Discovery HD Theater on a true 1080i display, on a 720p only display, and on one of those stupid "cheap" plasmas that only do 480p.

We saw the same thing when we first hooked up the Time Warner HD tuner to our LCD projection TV. The TV is a true 1080i display (native resolution is actually higher than that) and the tuner allows you to pick 1080i, 720p, or 480p for all channels. Screw progressive scan, 1080i just offers better detail (can't wait for 1080p though!)

If you think DVD looks just as good as HD, my guess is you're watching it on a cheap $2400 plasma.

 

[BigToque]

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
Wait until you see 1080p resolution HDTV come out.

I've seen it before and it is UNBELIEVABLE. I have 1080i HDTV now and it looks fantastic but 1080p will blow the doors off of 1080i.

1080p looks 3 dimensional. Almost like little people running around inside the TV.

That's quite the sales pitch

 

[UNCjigga]

Originally posted by: Stefan

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
Wait until you see 1080p resolution HDTV come out.

I've seen it before and it is UNBELIEVABLE. I have 1080i HDTV now and it looks fantastic but 1080p will blow the doors off of 1080i.

1080p looks 3 dimensional. Almost like little people running around inside the TV.

That's quite the sales pitch

Really the only difference is in scenes with lots of action/movement. In 1080i, the fast-moving scene "seems" to have lower resolution than 1080p because its only drawing half the screen at once. In scenery shots though its hard to see a difference.

 

[Ornery]

"About HBO, etc. Depends on the transfer. Sometimes it comes from the film itself..."

They're actually rolling film, and broadcasting that in real time? If not, what media is it stored on to broadcast?

 

[pulse8]

Originally posted by: Ornery
"About HBO, etc. Depends on the transfer. Sometimes it comes from the film itself..."

They're actually rolling film, and broadcasting that in real time? If not, what media is it stored on to broadcast?

No. They take the film and put it on something like an HDCAM tape.

 

[Ornery]

Thanks, that makes sense!

 

[LikeLinus]

Originally posted by: Dunbar
HDTV is capable of looking better but in the real world better quality DVD's look just as good if not better than HD. Satellite and cable compress HD just like other programming so it doesn't always look as good as it can. The big advantage to HD and good DVD's is the ability to watch them on a large screen and still have it look good. I can't wait for HD-DVD

It all depends on the channel and the format the movie/show was filmed. Discovery HD has some flat out freaking beautiful shows that put DVD's to shame.

Also things like the Superbowl and such on my OTA stations rock DVD's for image quality. A lot of shows on the local channels (OTA) are better looking than DVD's.

HBO and Showtime sometimes show lower quality movies, but this is because of the source.

 

[TechnoKid]

Originally posted by: Jigga
Keep in mind that all the plasma TVs and even some of the older CRT/projection displays have DOWNscalers that they use to present HDTV because they are not true 1080i capable. Walk into any decent home theater store (not a big box) and you can SEE the difference in detail between Discovery HD Theater on a true 1080i display, on a 720p only display, and on one of those stupid "cheap" plasmas that only do 480p.

We saw the same thing when we first hooked up the Time Warner HD tuner to our LCD projection TV. The TV is a true 1080i display (native resolution is actually higher than that) and the tuner allows you to pick 1080i, 720p, or 480p for all channels. Screw progressive scan, 1080i just offers better detail (can't wait for 1080p though!)

If you think DVD looks just as good as HD, my guess is you're watching it on a cheap $2400 plasma.

I'd like to know what LCD projecton you have, be it RP or FP, that has a native resolution higher than that of 1920x1080? The highest native resolution I know of that LCD projection goes is 1366x768. If the native resolution fo the LCD chip is not 1920x1080, then there is still conversion going on.

Some Toshiba LCoS sets (65HLX83, $7000; 57HL83, $6000) have a native res of 1080p. LCoS is similar to LCD is suppose.

 

[Apex]

Originally posted by: Jigga
Keep in mind that all the plasma TVs and even some of the older CRT/projection displays have DOWNscalers that they use to present HDTV because they are not true 1080i capable. Walk into any decent home theater store (not a big box) and you can SEE the difference in detail between Discovery HD Theater on a true 1080i display, on a 720p only display, and on one of those stupid "cheap" plasmas that only do 480p.

We saw the same thing when we first hooked up the Time Warner HD tuner to our LCD projection TV. The TV is a true 1080i display (native resolution is actually higher than that) and the tuner allows you to pick 1080i, 720p, or 480p for all channels. Screw progressive scan, 1080i just offers better detail (can't wait for 1080p though!)

If you think DVD looks just as good as HD, my guess is you're watching it on a cheap $2400 plasma.

Actually, absolutely ZERO CRT television sets can fully resolve 1080i (1920x1080). The 9" CRT based ones (ie. Mitsubishi Diamond 65" & 73") can come the closest with about 1600 to 1650 columns of resolution when properly calibrated (ISF calibration: $300-$500). The 7" CRT based RPTV's can do up to 1200 columns on average (way lower uncalibrated), up to 1350 or so max (current gen Pioneer Elite). Even the single best 9" CRT projector, the $35,000 Sony VPH-G90U, in its last generation of production could only manage a bit over 1800 when properly calibrated.

720p native CRT machines do not have any higher or lower quality CRT's. They merely have different electronics. You're limited very similarly in both instances.

You do NOT have a true 1080i LCD projection TV unless you manufactured it yourself. No one makes one.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: Apex

Originally posted by: Jigga
Keep in mind that all the plasma TVs and even some of the older CRT/projection displays have DOWNscalers that they use to present HDTV because they are not true 1080i capable. Walk into any decent home theater store (not a big box) and you can SEE the difference in detail between Discovery HD Theater on a true 1080i display, on a 720p only display, and on one of those stupid "cheap" plasmas that only do 480p.

We saw the same thing when we first hooked up the Time Warner HD tuner to our LCD projection TV. The TV is a true 1080i display (native resolution is actually higher than that) and the tuner allows you to pick 1080i, 720p, or 480p for all channels. Screw progressive scan, 1080i just offers better detail (can't wait for 1080p though!)

If you think DVD looks just as good as HD, my guess is you're watching it on a cheap $2400 plasma.

Actually, absolutely ZERO CRT television sets can fully resolve 1080i (1920x1080). The 9" CRT based ones (ie. Mitsubishi Diamond 65" & 73") can come the closest with about 1600 to 1650 columns of resolution when properly calibrated (ISF calibration: $300-$500). The 7" CRT based RPTV's can do up to 1200 columns on average (way lower uncalibrated), up to 1350 or so max (current gen Pioneer Elite). Even the single best 9" CRT projector, the $35,000 Sony VPH-G90U, in its last generation of production could only manage a bit over 1800 when properly calibrated.

720p native CRT machines do not have any higher or lower quality CRT's. They merely have different electronics. You're limited very similarly in both instances.

You do NOT have a true 1080i LCD projection TV unless you manufactured it yourself. No one makes one.

I don't think LCD can do interlaced.... It has to interpolate those other lines...

 

[Apex]

Originally posted by: Nebor

I don't think LCD can do interlaced.... It has to interpolate those other lines...

Correct, all digital technologies, except for ALiS based plasmas, are progressive in nature.

The highest resolution LCD rear projection TV has a native res of 1366x768 (or 1386x788 with overscan), nowhere near 1920x1080.

 

[warcrow]

So when it HD-DVD due to come out? Can someone tell me more about this? It's the first I've heard of the technology.

 

[Apex]

It's still a way's off. The HD demos on the microsoft site will give you some idea of how your display will perform with high quality feed though. Considering the compression, it's still incredible.

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: Apex
It's still a way's off. The HD demos on the microsoft site will give you some idea of how your display will perform with high quality feed though. Considering the compression, it's still incredible.

ditto. I was floored with some of their stuff. I ponied up the $5 for their HD DVD and the BMW FIlms on the disc were awesome....

 

[warcrow]

Originally posted by: Apex
It's still a way's off. The HD demos on the microsoft site will give you some idea of how your display will perform with high quality feed though. Considering the compression, it's still incredible.

link please?

 

[Apex]

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/content_provider/film/ContentShowcase.aspx

The system requirements are rather high, but it is amazing. Be sure to check out Coral Reef Adventure, the 1080p version if your system can support it.