Native 1024x768???? DELL 4201C

erew99 · 02-15-2007, 10:58 AM

Hi all,
I have a Dell 4201C TV. It has 2 HDMI.... I am trying to get my Apple Mac Book Pro, which has a digital out interface for video.
The TV says it has to be set to 1024x768, which is fine... However (this is where I am confused) I want to play a DVD containing captured HD material. Using this resolution, will I be watching the HD content, in HD, or will it be down-converted?

Thanks,
G

Ken Chan · 02-15-2007, 05:19 PM

It will be downconverted, although it should look better than upconverted regular DVD. DVD and media players do not change the size of the desktop (like games do). If you go full-screen, they scale the content to fit the desktop.

erew99 · 02-16-2007, 08:22 AM

Thanks Ken,
Is it down converted because of the TV resolution? What is 720p? 1280x720?

Ken Chan · 02-16-2007, 06:52 PM

Yes, 1280x720. If the TV can only take 1024x768, then that would be the size of the computer desktop, so any 720p (or 1920x1080) content would have to be shrunk to be 1024 wide. The height would shrink proportionally.

erew99 · 02-20-2007, 09:53 AM

What about if I use an DVI - to - HDMI and connect that to the TV? This TV is an HDTV, but the VGA port requires a 1024x768 resolution.
So if I use the HDMI port on the TV, will that allow for HD resolution?

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Christian Behrens · 02-20-2007, 11:18 AM

"First of all, understand that this screen, is XGA (1024 x 768) resolution and; therefore, is not a high definition monitor. The ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) defines high-definition television as being 1920 X 1080 or 1280 X 720 resolution. HDTV broadcasts are currently 720p and 1080i, which means that all HDTV content will be down-converted in some way to fit the screen and all EDTV and SDTV will be up-converted."
http://www.hdtvsolutions.com/dell_4201C_plasma_tv.htm

-Christian

Ken Chan · 02-20-2007, 05:27 PM

As Christian points out, there are exactly 1024x768 pixels anyway, so sending more resolution won't matter. For example, if you connect a Blu-Ray at 1920x1080, the TV will downconvert it to 1024x768. (How else could it work?)

One complication is that unlike computer pixels, the pixels on this plasma are not square. So 1024x768 is the standard 4:3 aspect ratio; but on the plasma those pixels make up a 16:9 picture. To show the image without distortion, you'd only be using 768x768 "fat" pixels, making the downconverted image even worse. If it doesn't preserve the aspect ratio, and maps pixel-for-pixel, the image will be fat.

The best image quality is probably through the intended path of sending a 16:9 HD image through HDMI or component, and letting the TV downconvert. (So a DVI-to-HDMI converter might work.) But again, regardless, the image you will get cannot be HD because there simply aren't enough pixels.

erew99 · 02-22-2007, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Chan

As Christian points out, there are exactly 1024x768 pixels anyway, so sending more resolution won't matter. For example, if you connect a Blu-Ray at 1920x1080, the TV will downconvert it to 1024x768. (How else could it work?)

One complication is that unlike computer pixels, the pixels on this plasma are not square. So 1024x768 is the standard 4:3 aspect ratio; but on the plasma those pixels make up a 16:9 picture. To show the image without distortion, you'd only be using 768x768 "fat" pixels, making the downconverted image even worse. If it doesn't preserve the aspect ratio, and maps pixel-for-pixel, the image will be fat.

The best image quality is probably through the intended path of sending a 16:9 HD image through HDMI or component, and letting the TV downconvert. (So a DVI-to-HDMI converter might work.) But again, regardless, the image you will get cannot be HD because there simply aren't enough pixels.

Thanks- I figured something like that. I wonder why they are able to advertise this TV as HDTV......
Any ideas on why dell (and others) call this resolution a HDTV?