Reply #10: upconversion depends on a number of different factors [View All]

[sir_captain]

basically, either the tv or the dvd player is going to scale the 540p image on the dvd to the resolution of your tv. 1080p tvs, while they are higher resolution than 720p models and can consequently show more of the defect in the image, can sometimes still be better scalers since 1080 is a perfect multiple of the original resolution.

Basically, if you have a high end tv manufacturer (generally considered to be Sony, Samsung and Sharp), you're probably not going to see an enormous difference from an upscaled image because the scaler in the tv is already pretty good. If you've got a cheaper tv, the scaler in the dvd player might be better, so there could be an increase in picture quality.

In any case, you can buy an upscaling dvd player with a HDMI output for $50-$60 now, so there's not really any reason not to get one if you need a new player.

In terms of the "war" this new business is a complete joke--Microsoft paid off Paramount and Dreamworks upwards of $150 million to go HD-DVD exclusive, and this is terrible for consumers. Blu-ray has been way outselling HD-DVD, until now had way more studio support, and is clearly the technically superior format. The very fact that HD-DVD has had to resort to paying studios off demonstrates where it was headed previous to this announcement. Unfortunately, this new studio split will probably lead to a quagmire, and in the end, that's bad for consumers since we'd all be better off if either of the formats (though preferably blu-ray, I'd say) won and could start replacing DVD.