How much better is an upscaling DVD player ?

Question

I know most dvd players are 480p, but I see ones that upscale to 720p or 1080p? Obviously the original source of a dvd is not in HD, so does it actually make the picture a lot better? is it worthj getting?

thanks

Answer 1

Recognize that upconverting can't put in detail that wasn't in the original. It can covert an image to fill a HD screen with a smooth image.

Thta said, the quality fo upconversion varies according to the quality of the video processor. As you may expect an inexpensive player is unlikley to do as good a job as a more expensive one.

In fact, your HDTV will also upconvert a normal 480i or 480p DVD output -- but often not as well as a better quality upconverting DVD player.

Personally I find upconverted DVD quite good on my 110" screen / 720p projector. The image is far better than SDTV, almost as good as the best HDTV (and better than the majority from Expressvu Satellite). But it's not quite as good as HD DVDs.

See the article at the link for further detail / discussion.

With the reduction in price of the Toshiba HD-A3 I'd suggest buying one (they are as little as $129) as an upconverting DVD player ... and it also plays the free HD DVD diks that come with it as a bonus.