2 quick questions about HD-DVD/Blue-Ray playback through my PC

[Sunrise089]

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

I just acquired a Westinghouse TX model 47" 1080p LCD set. I want to play one of the two next-gen optical formats on it. I don't need a PS-3 or Xbox360 (my backlog of PC games is long enough). The cheap Toshiba HD-DVD player isn't 1080p. The mid-range model has trouble with 1080p output. One the other hand, for $250 or so I can pick up the LG dual-format PC drive and have both sides covered. This seems like a good idea.

Question 1) I have the PC shown in my sig. Do I have the power or proper permissions (HDCP stuff) to output Blue-Ray or HD-DVD content from my system to my TV over a DVI->HDMI cable?

Question 2) If not, would upgrading to a 8800GTS (G92) and hence the newer iteration of PureVideo be sufficient, or is a Core2Duo-based system required even with a powerful GPU?

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

The cheap HD-DVD outputs 1080i but your TV will de-interlace it so you'll still see it at 1080p. Nor is just having PureVideo enough for your PC. You'll need PowerDVD Ultra to play HD movies, which will run you another 100 bucks.

 

[Shawn]

I had an HD DVD drive hooked up to my PC, and even having HDCP compliant hardware it was still a huge hassle. I ended up buying the HD DVD drive and buying an HD-A2 standalone player. It is so much better.

 

[Sunrise089]

Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken
The cheap HD-DVD outputs 1080i but your TV will de-interlace it so you'll still see it at 1080p. Nor is just having PureVideo enough for your PC. You'll need PowerDVD Ultra to play HD movies, which will run you another 100 bucks.

Thank you for the response. Is there a 100% similarity between the 1080i and 1080p outputs to my TV? If so, why are 1080p players even sold? As far as the PC software goes, that isn't factor for me.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

Originally posted by: Sunrise089

Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken
The cheap HD-DVD outputs 1080i but your TV will de-interlace it so you'll still see it at 1080p. Nor is just having PureVideo enough for your PC. You'll need PowerDVD Ultra to play HD movies, which will run you another 100 bucks.

Thank you for the response. Is there a 100% similarity between the 1080i and 1080p outputs to my TV? If so, why are 1080p players even sold? As far as the PC software goes, that isn't factor for me.

I don't notice any difference between the HTPC and the HD-A3 output. If anything, the HD-A3 is a bit nicer because of functionality issues. PowerDVD can have some problems handling menus properly for some movies. Like Shawn, I tired of all the hassles of an HTPC and bought a standalone player too.

On the plus side you'd have a combo drive and be able to play both formats for a price you couldn't touch with a standalone player. You'd also have a good excuse to buy a 8800.

 

[Slick5150]

Originally posted by: Sunrise089

Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken
The cheap HD-DVD outputs 1080i but your TV will de-interlace it so you'll still see it at 1080p. Nor is just having PureVideo enough for your PC. You'll need PowerDVD Ultra to play HD movies, which will run you another 100 bucks.

Thank you for the response. Is there a 100% similarity between the 1080i and 1080p outputs to my TV? If so, why are 1080p players even sold? As far as the PC software goes, that isn't factor for me.

The material is 1080p on the disc no matter how its outputted. The Toshiba HD-A3 basically interlaces it before its sent out. No LCD, Plasma, or DLP TV can display an interlaced (1080i) signal natively, so its going to deinterlace it back into 1080p. For the vast majority of material, you're not going to notice any difference at all.

I'm not discouraging you for going the HTPC route, but its not as simple as slapping a hybrid drive in a computer and being good to go. It will take a lot of effort to get things tweaked right (along with a powerful system). but frankly, at $175ish, the HD-A3 is a really nice option.

 

[Auric]

The 7900 generally lacks HDCP and its limited decode capability prolly cannot be made up for with the Opteron. A 8800GTS will do the trick but don't expect to multi-task during playback of VC-1. A 2600 or 3000 series from ATI would be better in that regard. They are fine with very old CPU's.

PC playback can be more fiddly but then is more flexible and can play anything.

If you choose the PC route, I recommend a common male-male HDMI cable and a seperate adapter to DVI rather than an adapter cable. DVI is being phased out in favour of DP.