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Question about DVD movie resolutions on my PC.

blurredvision

blurredvision

Lifer
I just picked up a new monitor, and was testing out a few movies for the hell of it, to see what they looked like. Compared to my home entertainment setup, they look like crap. In the living room, I run my DVD movies from my PS2, hooked into my 27" Philips with component inputs. It produces a crystal clear picture with an attention to detail.

Now I remember reading somewhere a long time ago about when playing movies on the computer, they are limited to an 800x600 resolution, correct? I beleive this would explain the horrible image quality I viewed.

If I am correct in my previous statement, are there any programs that will play the movies in a higher res?
 
Now I remember reading somewhere a long time ago about when playing movies on the computer, they are limited to an 800x600 resolution, correct?
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No, that's incorrect, you can play a DVD at any resolution your monitor supports. DVD resolution is ony 720x480 anyway, so your TV isn't even reaching 800x600. DVD playback quality depends on the quality of your video card, monitor, and the software player you are using.
 
DVD playback on your PC using a crt/lcd monitor is @ 480p (progressive). I find it hard to believe you would consider it "crap", and it sounds like you either need to use a better software dvd player, calibrate your monitor, or get a new video card that supports hardware motion compensation.

I run my 21" FD Trinitron @ 1600x1200 32bit 85HZ and use PowerDVD XP build 2417. The image quality is stunning.....
 
Originally posted by: John
DVD playback on your PC using a crt/lcd monitor is @ 480p (progressive). I find it hard to believe you would consider it "crap", and it sounds like you either need to use a better software dvd player, calibrate your monitor, or get a new video card that supports hardware motion compensation.

I run my 21" FD Trinitron @ 1600x1200 32bit 85HZ and use PowerDVD XP build 2417. The image quality is stunning.....
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Thanks for the info. That is exactly why I asked, because it doesn't look like I thought it should. Surely my GeForce4 Ti4400 supports hardware motion compensation? I am also running that exact version of PowerDVD, albeit on a 19" Sony Trinitron @ 1600x1200.
 
I don't have a PS2 so correct me if I'm mistaken about what it supports for interfacing with the TV, but if you are connected via composite cables instead of S-Video to a TV then you aren't getting the quality of picture you could be and I can tell you from experience the picture is better with s-video vs composite.
 
Originally posted by: John
DVD playback on your PC using a crt/lcd monitor is @ 480p (progressive). I find it hard to believe you would consider it "crap", and it sounds like you either need to use a better software dvd player, calibrate your monitor, or get a new video card that supports hardware motion compensation.

I run my 21" FD Trinitron @ 1600x1200 32bit 85HZ and use PowerDVD XP build 2417. The image quality is stunning.....
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I have a Panasonic RP91. The image quality is significantly better than PowerDVD 4.

OTOH, the image quality of PowerDVD 4 is better than my Apex AD-600A.
 
Originally posted by: DAPUNISHER
I don't have a PS2 so correct me if I'm mistaken about what it supports for interfacing with the TV, but if you are connected via composite cables instead of S-Video to a TV then you aren't getting the quality of picture you could be and I can tell you from experience the picture is better with s-video vs composite.
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I have my PS2 connected via component cables. Neither composite or s-video. I can see how you overlooked that in my original post.

Now let me tell you from experience that component hookups is better over anything. 😀
 
Do they hook to the composite inputs? If so dosen't that limit the signal quality? 😕 Yeah, Yeah, I'm gonna make you work for it Chuck 😛
 
It will look like crap.... if your watching it from 1 foot away. With your TV your prob 5+ feet away from the TV. DVDs dont look so good on my 19" CRT either if Im 1 foot away, if I sit back a bit it deff looks better then my TV.
 
I have my PS2 connected via component cables. Neither composite or s-video. I can see how you overlooked that in my original post.

Now let me tell you from experience that component hookups is better over anything.
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Oh, gimme a break. ANYTHING on a TV looks like crap. The PS2 is only capable of displaying an interlaced image even with component cables. A non-HD tv has a resulotion equivelent to 640x480 and if the DVD has more detail than this you lose it. See the March issue of maximum PC for more information on this. Get close to a paused DVD image on your TV and you will see the huge "combs" in your TV and all sorts of detail blurred together. Do the same thing on a computer monitor and you'll see none of it. DVD on a computer is progressive scan and several dozen times better than on a non-HDTV. You sound like those guys who say that videogames look better on a TV...geez...I hope you have a chance to see TV out from your computer someday...
 
Do they hook to the composite inputs? If so dosen't that limit the signal quality?
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You can't connect component directly to composite, it won't work. The PS2 does support component out, but it still isn't progressive scan, and the PS2's DVD playback is pretty lousy anyway.

DVD playback on your PC using a crt/lcd monitor is @ 480p (progressive).
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Only if you watch movies in a window or your monitor resolution happens to 720x480, otherwise you're running some other resized progressive resolution. A major problem with watching DVD's on a computer is the monitor. The color settings on a monitor are much different than colors on a TV which are somewhat exaggerated. I much prefer DVD's on a TV than on my computer. I've never really like the quality of DVD playback on computers.
 
Ever seen a digital cable or satellite box even on a nice big new trinitron and try to scroll through the listings? Ever notice how the text is all huge and blurry? Every tried TV out from your computer? Ever noticed how text in videogames (xbox, ps2, whatever) is always large and hard to read? Ever tried surfing the 'net with a dreamcast or internet appliance? Phew...
 
Originally posted by: paralazarguer
sounds like you have crappy equipment.
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No, I sure don't and I meant non-HD TV. A plain jain non-HDTV will NEVER produce anything near to the level of accuracy and definition of a computer monitor. EVER.
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Well, an HDTV is still a TV.

The problem isn't so much the computer monitor per se, but it's the size of the monitor and the software.

A high end progressive scan DVD player and a nice direct view progressive scan 38" CRT doesn't have much competition from computers obviously.

I agree a PS2 with a standard low-end TV is a different story however.
 
Originally posted by: paralazarguer
Ever seen a digital cable or satellite box even on a nice big new trinitron and try to scroll through the listings? Ever notice how the text is all huge and blurry? Every tried TV out from your computer? Ever noticed how text in videogames (xbox, ps2, whatever) is always large and hard to read? Ever tried surfing the 'net with a dreamcast or internet appliance? Phew...
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Ever tried buying a 38" computer monitor?
rolleye.gif
 
Yeah, an HDTV is basically nothing more than a monitor in some senses. The March issue of Maximum PC explains it very well on Page 7 or 8.
I've seen people complain that watching TV on a computer monitor looks horrible. I agree. I'd much rather watch TV on a TV. Why? Because the TV's very low-quality blurs everything together and makes it look smooth and decent. The computer's harsh pixelation and attention to detail highlights every flaw and makes it look like crap. Crap in the sense that it's not as enjoyable to watch. It is more accurate and sharp though.
 
Originally posted by: paralazarguer
I have my PS2 connected via component cables. Neither composite or s-video. I can see how you overlooked that in my original post.

Now let me tell you from experience that component hookups is better over anything.
Click to expand...

Oh, gimme a break. ANYTHING on a TV looks like crap. The PS2 is only capable of displaying an interlaced image even with component cables. A non-HD tv has a resulotion equivelent to 640x480 and if the DVD has more detail than this you lose it. See the March issue of maximum PC for more information on this. Get close to a paused DVD image on your TV and you will see the huge "combs" in your TV and all sorts of detail blurred together. Do the same thing on a computer monitor and you'll see none of it. DVD on a computer is progressive scan and several dozen times better than on a non-HDTV. You sound like those guys who say that videogames look better on a TV...geez...I hope you have a chance to see TV out from your computer someday...
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I agree!

Lets also realize that 480 interlaced is effectively 240 lines of resolution when the camera pans or basically doesn't stand still. This has always bugged the hell out of me. Throw in the widescreen AR and you're getting like 190 lines of resolution... That just sucks.

Now the problem with crt monitors is that they just aren't nearly as bright as TVs (perhaps related to the ability to operate beyond 60hz??). The quality is way better, but it's not a realistic solution for casual movie viewing.

As far as dvd res goes, 480p is pretty damn good looking. DVD image quality suffers generally as a result of crap compression (mpeg 2) rather than insufficient resolution. Progressive TVs are really the way to go for dvds. Until they're affordable I'd just stick with SDTV.
 
Originally posted by: paralazarguer
I have my PS2 connected via component cables. Neither composite or s-video. I can see how you overlooked that in my original post.

Now let me tell you from experience that component hookups is better over anything.
Click to expand...

Oh, gimme a break. ANYTHING on a TV looks like crap. The PS2 is only capable of displaying an interlaced image even with component cables. A non-HD tv has a resulotion equivelent to 640x480 and if the DVD has more detail than this you lose it. See the March issue of maximum PC for more information on this. Get close to a paused DVD image on your TV and you will see the huge "combs" in your TV and all sorts of detail blurred together. Do the same thing on a computer monitor and you'll see none of it. DVD on a computer is progressive scan and several dozen times better than on a non-HDTV. You sound like those guys who say that videogames look better on a TV...geez...I hope you have a chance to see TV out from your computer someday...
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Didn't mean to piss you off there. 😀

Let me rephrase that. With my component hookup, it is the best I've ever seen personally. Happy now?
 
Originally posted by: paralazarguer
Ever tried buying a 38" computer monitor?
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No, but I've seen them in Futureshop. They're called plasma displays. They look fantastic even with a computer hooked into them (ultra high res.)
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That would be your opinion, while mine would be completely different. I've had the chance to play around with $15k plasma TV's, and to me they looked terrible especially when you consider what kind of front projector you can buy with that much. The picture is competely digital looking and not natural at all. Teh widescreen format doesn't work real well with PC's either since you end up with odd resolutions or stretching which really distorts the picture. There's no question that PC monitors have higher resolutions than TV's but that does not make them better for watching movies which are not high resolution. I find the more accurate coloring of a monitor to make movies look very bland and washed out compared to a TV.

The computer's harsh pixelation and attention to detail highlights every flaw and makes it look like crap.
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Exactly, which is another reason why TV's look better for DVD watching.
 
Originally posted by: paralazarguer
Yeah, an HDTV is basically nothing more than a monitor in some senses. The March issue of Maximum PC explains it very well on Page 7 or 8.
I've seen people complain that watching TV on a computer monitor looks horrible. I agree. I'd much rather watch TV on a TV. Why? Because the TV's very low-quality blurs everything together and makes it look smooth and decent. The computer's harsh pixelation and attention to detail highlights every flaw and makes it look like crap. Crap in the sense that it's not as enjoyable to watch. It is more accurate and sharp though.
Click to expand...
This is where the MPEG-2 encoding is important in some situations. Some of the DVD player MPEG-2 decoders are actually superior to the average Windows software MPEG-2 decoder.
 
I've seen people complain that watching TV on a computer monitor looks horrible. I agree. I'd much rather watch TV on a TV. Why? Because the TV's very low-quality blurs everything together and makes it look smooth and decent
Click to expand...

Actually, it more because people sit "inches" away from their monitor and "feet" away from their television set. Also, computer monitors display progressive scan (the whole frame at once) rather than interlaced ( 2 fields shown 1/60th of a second apart, each containing every other scanline <odd/even>) like broadcast Television, if your video card does a poor job deinterlacing the interlaced broadcast (creating a single frame from 2 interlaced fields), you'll get interlacing artifacts (those combs you claim to see on a TV) they occur because of the difference in an objects position between the 2 interlaced fields during action.
 
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