Dvd Upscaling

Dvd Upscaling Information

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Dvd Upscaling Information in Q&A

dvd upscaling? i'm planning to buy a dvd player to go with my hdtv and i'm just wondering if anyone has used an upconverting dvd player before and how much has the quality improved by. does the image become blurry and ghost?

Chris in Seattle replied: "Its just better to invest in a blu-ray or hd-dvd player. Spend that extra cash especially since you own an HDTV."

XenonAudio replied: "At this point, it's better to just go with an HD DVD player (~$500) or a Blu-Ray Disc player ($600-$1,000). If you like video games, you can kill two birds with one stone and get either the Xbox360 (that will play HD DVDs), or the Playstaytion 3 (Blu-Ray player). _ _ _ _ _"

Can i get any free DVD upscaling software for my PC? I'd like to try and play some DVD's through my DVI output on my HDTV and see what upscaling looks like. Is there any free software/codecs/players i can get? I have tried one called ffdshow but it doesnt seem to do anything after i've installed it.

nutritionallyfortified2 replied: "Try this very reputable site: Here's another super cool place: "

TV guy replied: "Your HDTV has a built-in upscaler as well. Your video card can upsacle as well. So, I see no reason to get one more!"

HTEnthusiast replied: "Actually when playing dvd with any software on your computer you get upconversion. When you are watching it in full screen mode (which I guess you do), upconversion is happening. Upconversion is nothing but taking a low resolution video (880x480 for a normal anamorphic widescreen dvd) and displaying it on a higher resolution screen (your computer monitor which by today's standards has to be at least 1280x768 for widescreen or 1024x768 for "normal" screen). So the answer is you don't need to get any special upconverting software. Upgrading the video card on your computer may give you better picture quality though."

Donny Bahama replied: "It's automatic. It's part of your operating system. Whatever screen resolution you choose in your OS, the DVD is upscaled to that (and in most cases, automatically deinterlaced as well, since no laptop or monitor runs interlaced these days. I recommend selecting a screen res that's identical to the native res on your HDTV. If your OS doesn't offer that, THEN maybe you'll need software, but generally speaking, there's probably a utility from the graphics card manufacturer (ATI, Nvidia, etc.) that will give you sufficient control over your screen resolution."

Does DVD upscaling really work? I have a new plasma, and popped in a DVD, and weren't impressed by the results. Do those upscaling DVD players really improve the quality of the picture? Anyone have one? Recommendations?

bkbarile replied: "yea the Oppo I bought makes a differnce on my 56' TV it upconverts to 1080p also make sure your DVD player is putting out in progressive scan that will make a big differnce from where you are now, and make sure that the output is in 16:9"

trn88@sbcglobal.net replied: "It does improve the quality of the picture, but if you want to watch in true HD you are going to need a blu-ray or an hd dvd player. id go with blu-ray"

Donald B replied: "I agree with trn88, go to one of the new high def players. I have seen that LG is coming out with a Blu Ray/HD DVD compatible player."

travis m replied: "You made no mention of what type of cables your using to hook the DVD player to the TV. An upscaling player will display a picture with a composite wire (A single yellow wire for video) or an S-video cable, however, to get the full 1080 resolution, you need to use component wires or HDMI. And of course, like the other answers before, make sure the player is set for 16:9 wide mode, and progressive output."

agb90spruce replied: "Other answers are generally valid .. particulalry the advice re progressive scan (Not interlaced). The upscaling DVD players will improve the picture relative to a 480i or 480p picture, but as noted they are not as good as an HD DVD or Blu-Ray player. BUT, Blu-Ray is expensive and, while HD-DVD is half the price and gives just as good results, in my view it is premature to choose between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD (which are incompatible with each other and not yet optimized). Furthermore, disks the choice of disks for either are relatively limited and not all new movies are even available on both formats .. so you may not even be able to find an HD disk of what you want. In addition you would have to buy (relatively) expensive Blu-Ray or HD DVDs to get the advantage. Prices will come down a lot in the next year or so. That said, either will play existing DVDs and serve as excellent upscaling DVD players ... but it's an expensive option unless you plan to buy HD disks! Another consideration: if your plasma is under about 50" you are not going to get significant benefit from an HD DVD or Blu-Ray player relative to an upsacaling progressive DVD player connected via HDMI (or DVI) or Component cable. Bottom line: an upscaling DVD will give you pretty darn good results and hold you for a couple of years untlil the Blu-Ray / HD DVD format war is over, the dust has settled and prices have come down. On the other hand if you are willing to pay the price the best results will be obtained with a Blu-Ray or HD DVD player. A compromise option is the Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD player which sells for not much more than a reasonable upscaling progressive DVD player (e.g. Oppo 971) and, as mentioned, plays normal DVDs very well and HD DVDs should you choose. At worst, even if Blu-Ray eventually "wins" the format war you would have a good DVD player that will play HD DVDs you will be able to pick up cheap. Hope this provides another perspective ... Cheers!"

jfrye replied: "Hey bud i work at best buy in home theater. the up scaling progressive scan hdmi dvd player works but only does sub1080i not 1080p. the sony bluray does upscale regular dvds to near 1080p but youre talking about 1000 dollars. i do agree that you should go bluray. its more advantageous for resolution. maybe stick with a samsung."

XenonAudio replied: "Yes, I have an Oppo (DV-981HD) and it does a credible job of upscaling to 1080i at least (it will do 1080p, but since my HDTV only goes to 1080i...). Of course it will depend upon the movie's quality, but it's a pretty nice feature. Don't expect it to look as good as a true HD broadcast, it looks quite a bit better than progressive scan 480i resolution however. Make sure you have set your DVD player in the upscaling mode to realize this feature. Check your owner's manual on how to do this. H a p p y H o m e T h e a t e r i n g ! Xe♫"

What is Standard DVD upscaling? I'm looking at Blu-Ray disk players and there is one that has a feature called Standard DVD upscaling. What exactly does it mean and would it be worth the money to invest in it?

jimnrara replied: "DVD up scaling means it takes the standard DVD video and up scales/ up converts to a higher resolution either 720p or 1080i personally i am waiting to see what format wins, either blu-ray or HD DVD"

TV guy replied: "Actually all HD/Blu-ray players can upscale SD to HD; however, your HDTV may have an even better upscaler."

Sven replied: "there are miniture elf's that live inside the HD player itself and when you put in a standard DVD (non HD) they get to work by quickly interlacing additional lines of resolution down very very quickly..too quickly for the eyes to see but they do it soo fast that it creates a super sharp picture much like HD! Yes,it's worth the investment! It makes your old DVD look crystal clear! Did I mention the cool little elfs?! lol"

Jericho replied: "Upscaling is an attempt to improve the picture of standard DVDs. The above answer is correct, in that it will display standard DVDs in 720p or 1080i, which will make them look better than a normal DVD player would. They'll never look as good as a HD-DVD or Bl Ray disc, but they'll look better than in a non-upscaling player. One catch. To utilize upscaling, you must using the HDMI output from the player (although a few rare players are exceptions). So you need an HDMI input on your TV to really benefit from it. Many older TVs do not have this. Some do have DVI inputs, which will also work with a HDMI to DVI cable. Otherwise you'll have to forego upscaling or try more expensive work arounds."

Is the quality better when using DVD upscaling? and... are the £29 ones on any good? Are there different grades of upscaling?

AnYingJie replied: "Now this is going to be fascinating ...see others answers, for my 2-penneth. Personally, I can't see how upscaling any picture is going to improve it.. It is already limited in size and resolution by the original medium (DVD). An HD TV will automatically upscale anything it is given anyway.. and that with a more expensive circuit etc than a 29 pound player (most of the cost of which is on the DVD physical hardware,Power supply and box). The convienience of HDMI output, - yes The direct conversion to HDMI output - yes (no analogue and then conversion to digital) But upscaling in itself, and not in a cheap player I suspect. But the acid test is... go look at two or three in a shop . ask then to set it up/ - any reasonable normal DVD (30 pound Sony ?) input in component (RGB) scart input not S-Video ! - Cheap HDMI player - more expensive (80-100 pounds or more ?) HDMI player now watch the difference"

I own a samsung WS32Z308P hdtv and i want buy a dvd upscaling player,the tv only has 1 analouge component? CONNECTION WILL THIS CABLE PROCESS THE UPSCALING TO 1080i which is the TVs native resolution or does it only work with a HDMI LEAD? PS THE TV LACKS DIGITAL CONNECTIONS

jumping_in_101 replied: "No - sorry, wont work. If you use component or other connections from the DVD player, it will not send the upscale signal. I have the same issue, and older HDTV that does not have HDMI or DVI inputs. I have searched the web for cables or converters, haven't found any yet."

gp4rts replied: "All upconverting DVD players I'm aware of will output HDTV-format signals (1080i or 720p) on their HDMI outputs only."

Xbox 360 DVD upscaling Question? Ive heard that the Xbox 360 can upscale DVD's. But does the DVD need to be in the actual Xbox, or the little HD-DVD add on?

R "n" D replied: "No you don't need the HDdvd addon. Just put the dvd in the 360 and make sure you have your settings set to upscale and you are all set. Movies really look great."

Does the PS3 support DVD upscaling? please tell me it does!

Lex W replied: "Yes, yes it does. And better than the Xbox 360 Elite, apparently. "

sickcallaway (Sarcastic Joker) replied: "Yes it does. It was made available in one of the earlier PS3 updates a couple years ago I think."

higgo replied: "yeh its in settings u have the option of turning it on/off and some toher options under video settings"

60spaure replied: "Yes it does support DVD upscaling, though upscaling won't enhance the visual quality of a DVD. It'll look the same, whether it's upscaled or not."