Some questions concerning my HT setup

[Trader05]

Hey guys, i've been out of the Home Theatre scene for a very long time. I have a couple of questions for those that can steer me in the right direction. Here's my current setup:

Toshiba 37" 37HLC56 (1080i) (2 component/1 HDMI)
Panasonic HT SC-HT740 (5.1 HT/DVD upscale to 1080i)
Scientific Atlanta HD Cable Box (component)

First questions is, when i switched out my Toshiba SD-5000 upconvert player for various disc reading issues, i definitly noticed a difference in picture quality between players. I had both of them hooked up via HDMI and upscaled to 720p. I really couldn't tell a difference between 720p vs 1080i on either players. The Panasonic's upconvert is a whole lot grainer than the Toshiba, some scenes from movies look horrible compared to others. Now would it be better to switch from HDMI to Component and let the TV do the upconvert from 480i/p?

Secondly, is there a huge noticable difference between dvd upscaling and HD-DVD/Blu-Ray? With the prices currently dropping i was considering of getting a HD-DVD player and or a PS3.

The last question i have, what are the options when you run out of Component or HDMI ports? Quality switches vs cheap ones?

Thanks for your help ahead of time!

 

[SLCentral]

Give Component a shot and see which one looks better. Sometimes, the TV is better at the upconversion then the DVD players are, but I don't know about the Toshiba's. In general, the difference from DVD to HD-DVD/Blu-Ray is huge, but it really depends on how far you sit, and the screen size. On a 37", you'd have to be sitting pretty close to make the price jump worth it, but if you are, its really worth it.

With HDMI switches, all of them will work the same. Just make sure you find one that supports HDCP. I use a Monoprice $50 HDMI switcher on a $10,000 Fujitsu with no quality loss.

 

[MrChad]

Now would it be better to switch from HDMI to Component and let the TV do the upconvert from 480i/p?

If you're getting better picture quality using the TV's scaler vs. the DVD players, disable the upconverting on the DVD player and pass the signal that works best. You shouldn't have to swap cables to do this.

is there a huge noticable difference between dvd upscaling and HD-DVD/Blu-Ray?

Yes. Even upscaled, DVDs are still a 480i source. HD-DVD and BR are 1080p sources and the PQ should be noticeably better.

what are the options when you run out of Component or HDMI ports? Quality switches vs cheap ones?

I've been able to use a cheap stereo AV switch for my component cables.

 

[Trader05]

In general, the difference from DVD to HD-DVD/Blu-Ray is huge, but it really depends on how far you sit, and the screen size. On a 37", you'd have to be sitting pretty close to make the price jump worth it, but if you are, its really worth it.

I actually sit about 10' away from my TV, i've noticed theres a huge difference upclose.

If you're getting better picture quality using the TV's scaler vs. the DVD players, disable the upconverting on the DVD player and pass the signal that works best. You shouldn't have to swap cables to do this.

When im using HDMI, the only video modes i can chose from are 480p/720p/1080i. If i chose 480p, would the tv automatically upscale to 720p? I noticed before if i hook it up via component my only options are 480i and 480p. What would be my best option to let my tv upscale?

 

[MrChad]

Originally posted by: Trader05

If you're getting better picture quality using the TV's scaler vs. the DVD players, disable the upconverting on the DVD player and pass the signal that works best. You shouldn't have to swap cables to do this.

When im using HDMI, the only video modes i can chose from are 480p/720p/1080i. If i chose 480p, would the tv automatically upscale to 720p? I noticed before if i hook it up via component my only options are 480i and 480p. What would be my best option to let my tv upscale?

The TV will automatically scale it to its native resolution.

 

[jtvang125]

Regarding the differences between upscaled dvd and hddvd/bluray, not only is there a noticeable difference in the sharpness and details of the picture of the hidef content but also color saturation. Via my htpc I tried comparing dvd content to its hidef content and paid close attention to the colors in several scenes. The picture settings on the tv and htpc were kept the same. The better color saturation of the hidef content made the colors of its dvd source look quite washed out. This difference should be noticeable no matter how far away you sit from the tv.

 

[Trader05]

Well i finally got to hook up my dvd player through component. The difference between 480i and 480p are night and day. The 480p must come from the player because its much brighter, grainer, greener tint, and distorted in dark background scenes. The 480i is much cleaner, a little darker, and colors are more vibrant. I'll post of pics when i get a chance...my final thought is my TV definitly upscales better than my DVD player.

I also bought a component 4way switch (ac powered) off amazon, got pretty good reviews from people, so im just use that for my Wii and Cable Box.

 

[Trader05]

edit

 

[BD2003]

Originally posted by: Trader05
Well i finally got to hook up my dvd player through component. The difference between 480i and 480p are night and day. The 480p must come from the player because its much brighter, grainer, greener tint, and distorted in dark background scenes. The 480i is much cleaner, a little darker, and colors are more vibrant. I'll post of pics when i get a chance...my final thought is my TV definitly upscales better than my DVD player.

I also bought a component 4way switch (ac powered) off amazon, got pretty good reviews from people, so im just use that for my Wii and Cable Box.

It looks like the image youre getting from the DVD player is quite a bit truer to the original source. The 480i is brighter, but its washed out - you cant even see any of the detail in the dark areas. The distortion in the dark background scenes has more to do with the fact that low detail scences are always going to have more distortion due the camera used to film it and to the fact that video compression always has trouble with dark areas. Maybe its just the photo, but it looks a lot truer to the source to me. A greenish tint in dark areas usually comes from a 16-bit color depth through, so thats a bit strange to see.

Theoretically theres no reason why a TV cant upscale as well as a DVD player, but your own eyes will have to make the final decision on that.