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Should I output 720 or 1080 to a 720p LCD? (1 Viewer)

Arnie G

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Hi, I have a Toshiba HD DVD Player HDA2 and a Toshiba 37" LCD HDTV. The question is should the HDA2 output 720p (to match the resolution of the tv) or 1080i to my tv?

Also, which is better, the component or hdmi connection?

With my limited knowledge I think hdmi is better but all opinions appreciated.
 

David Norman

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No clear answer to those question b/c it ends up being a big Your Mileage May Vary depending of the individual equipment . I tend to let the player do most of my conversions though honestly I don't see a lot of difference watching movies b/w the 1080 and 720 setting with either my Samsung or Sony LCD's. The menus actually look better with 1080, but the movies seem to be a tad better with 720 though the differences are pretty minimal.

If you are strictly using it for HD-DVD, some sets look better through component, some HDMI. If you are planning on using the HDDVD player to upconvert SD-DVD's then you must use HDMI otherwise SDDVD's will be limited to 480p in the majority of cases.
 

Clinton McClure

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Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but to answer your first question, there should be no difference (signal-wise) between the HDMI and component connections. Both will pass a 720p and 1080i signal with no problems. Some people prefer the HDMI connection because it is a direct digital connection with no D/A and A/D conversions and it allows you to upconvert SD-DVDs (component does not allow this on most discs). Personally, I prefer the component simply because HDMI has a lot of random issues. Some people have no trouble, others are plagued with problems. Sometime in the future, HD copy protection may disable 1080 over component, but for the forseeable future, there are no plans to.

Your second question is strictly in the eyes of the beholder. In theory, the display should match the output of the source. If the HD-DVD you are watching is 1080i/p, the output and monitor should be set to 1080, however try it at 720 and see which looks better to you. Let your eyes be the judge because you're the one who will be watching movies on the display. My display is native 480p but can accept a 1080i signal so the decision was easy for me.
 

Ryan Peddle

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I'd like to know more about this as well. I am using an Optoma HD70 Front projector with a native resolution of 720p (1280 X 720).

But is it better to let the HD-A2 do the conversion to 720 byt sending the projector a native resolution. Or is it better to send a 1080i resolution and the let the projector do the work???

BTW, you know was stinks, knowing your only half way there (720p -> 1080p).

The picture I could be seeing can still look even better.
 

Arnie G

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Thanks for the info guys. It seems with my gear there isn't much difference in image between either format I feed my tv. It seems maybe a little better with a 1080i input so I'll keep it there. I'm also sticking with hdmi to upscale my DVDs.
 

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