Saw a brief article the other day, which said that a standard DVD produces a better picture, when played in a HD DVD player, because of "upscaling".

I'm assuming it isn't going to be as good as a proper HD DVD disc (there'd be no point in HD discs if it was), but is it noticeably better than when it is played in an ordinary DVD player?

Also, would it still be possible to get DTS sound out of it, when played in a HD DVD player?

It all depends on the quality of the scaler. I would expect the scaler in a HD DVD player to be of better quality to one those budget players at Tesco or Asda.

Then again it all depends whether the scaler in the HD DVD player is better than the scaler in the TV.

Sometimes you will find just a basic DVD player will give beter results from scart (RGB) than an upscaling DVD player via HDMI.

Upscaling can deliver exceptional results, normally done by a dedicated scaler, but you will pay a premium for this.

Whether you upscale or not all soundtracks are still available providing you have the appropriate decoders/connections.

So, if I plug a good quality HD DVD player into my video projector, via the PC connection (the instructions say the PC connection is HD), my ordinary DVDs will look better?

The underlying resolution cannot be "upscaled" in any meaningful way but the quality of the image resize technology is important.

Just like some TVs do a better job than others at displaying any picture, so it is with any other technology.

Maybe this rumour got started because a particular HD-DVD player did a very good job of resizing the image for output to a HD-TV.

It depends!

What it depends on is which is the better "scaler" circuitry:

The one in your HD-DVD player or the one in your projector.

The type of connection is important to, but connection quality being equal then the best upscaler will give the best results. I imagine a quality HD-DVD upscaler will give a better result than a low-end projector upscaler.

All 3 of the current HD DVD UK models have good upscaling capabilities (compared to DVD players in a similar price range) with the XE1 getting the most plaudits.

However as mentioned the projectors own internal scaling (to it's native resolution) could be better or worse, hard to tell even when comparing chipset specs because at the end of the day it's the real world results that count

Remember that currently there are no multi-region DVD hacks for the HD DVD player when playing DVD's so a UK player will remain R2 for DVD and region free for HD DVD.
Last edited by Jarrak : 14-10-2007 at 18:11

I've only got a few none region 2 DVDs, and I can keep a standard DVD player plugged in as well as the HD DVD player.

You will then be in a good position to see which scaler is better, the standard player with the PJ upscaling or the upscaling of the HD DVD player.

Yep, same here but most of my collection is R1 so I still use my Denon 1920 for those DVD's.
Just a thought, make sure whatever you buy that the VGA (PC connection) allows an upscaled connection, it's not an universal property since a secure digital link (HDCP) was the norm.

From my own personal experience I've found it better not to upscale but to output at 576p. Obviously it's always best to try all the outputs but not upscaling is likely to be the best option if you have a decent TV.

Not upscaling is not an option with an HD TV/Projector! It HAS to be done.

The only question is which upscaler to use.

It seems your HD TV upscaler is better than your DVD player upscaler?

Obviously the picture has to be upscaled somewhere. I was referring to the interface, sorry if I didn't make that clear.

It's not just a case of the TV being better, if they were the same then leaving (the DVD output) at 576p would generally give better results. This is because using 1080i means the picture is upscaled/interlaced by the DVD player then de-interlaced and rescaled by the TV so it's extra operations. It's only when the TV has poor scaling that an upscaling DVD player will improve the PQ (though TVs often have poor upscaling, especially cheaper models).

From my own experience, DVDs reveal more detail played on my HD-DVD deck at 1080i than on my DVD deck at 576p. While I have to sit quite close to my 32" screen to appreciate that extra detail, I can only imagine that the benefits of the extra detail would be more apparent if I had a projector.

With regard to DTS:

The short answer is yes you will get DTS out of a DVD in an HD-DVD player, at a bitrate of 768kb/s, the maxium available on a DVD.

However, an HD-DVD player is capable of delivering DTS at its full 1.5Mb/s bitrate, so if you get a few HD-DVDs as well you'll be able enjoy soundtracks at the double the bitrate of a DVD without having to upgrade your amp or connections.

I don't have a separate amp.

The DTS decoder and amplifier are built into the DVD player.

I would have thought the opposite?, your 32 inch is probably as high a resolution as a projector, and all the projectors I've seen are no where near as good a picture as an actual direct screen. Just larger, not better, they have a purpose, and do it well - but they aren't as good a picture as a direct screen.

Not seen a Sony Ruby then Nigel?

Ah Ok. You'll be fine as long as you've got an optical or coaxial input on on the DVD player/amplifier.

I'd have to disagree.

When throwing an image of 85" (which is what I'm currently getting from a 4/3 aspect ratio), the picture is probably no better, and possibly slightly worse, than a good TV.

However, if I move the projector forward until I'm getting a 32" image, the picture is superb.

LOL, I've no practical experience of projectors. I was just working with the assumption that once the same image was larger, the perceived difference might also be amplified.

So it may turn out that you'd see little difference when projecting DVDs from either machine, but JL Picard you wont regret it when you see, and hear, how much better an HD-DVD is.

Glad to hear my screen will ace the PQ of an HD projector though.

Show off.




Just joking. Where do you live? And when will you be out of the country?

Never even heard of one!

You surprise me, especially knowing you work with Sony products. May be you will know it by it's model number - Sony VPL-VW100.

Anyway, the Ruby is a high end PJ, needs to be seen to believe the images this thing puts out. Order one for a shop demo.

The projectors aren't Sony domestic products, so they aren't something we keep - assuming we could even get them?. For example, we can't get Sony Vaio computers or in-car gear.

That's a real shame.

If you ever have the opportunity to see one of these in action go for it, HD on a 50" is incredible, but not in the same league as a Ruby, the images are truly breath taking. It just shows you what HD is really capable of.

http://www.ultimateavmag.com/videoprojectors/1205sony/

DVD is actually capable of delivering 1536Kb/s.


A standard DVD player is also capable of delivering DTS full bitrate as well, though it won't match the HD player for images.

Not sure why you have mentioned an amp/connections upgrade.