16:9 enhancement... Is it worth it? (1 Viewer)

[Jacob_R]

I'm pretty new to home theater. I'm happy with the setup I have right now except for my dvd player. My TV is a sony wega, which features 16:9 enhancement. I have a playstation 2 for DVD's, which seems to do a decent job. My playstation won't stay in 16:9, so I can't use the enhancement feature on my tv (actually, I can, but the picture comes out distorted). My question is- should I buy a new dvd player? Will a new dvd player really give me that much of a better picture? Will the sound be that much better? Last of all, is the enhancement mode of my tv worth using at all? I would appreciate any info on this, and thank you for your time.

 

[Bill Slack]

The PS2 is a pretty poor DVD player. Investing in a decent ~$150 or so would be well worth, in my opinion. That sound won't be much different. Unless you're sitting far away, the picture should be improved quite a bit.

 

[Adam Barratt]

The anamorphic mode on your TV is unquestionably worth using. The improvement in picture quality when using an anamorphically enhanced DVD on an anamorphic-capable monitor (such as your Wega) is tremendous. Scan lines are greatly reduced and the image becomes smoother and more detailed. If you can, try renting or borrowing a standard DVD player for a few days to see for yourself.

If you're using your TV for audio, and not a receiver/amplifier, I doubt you would hear any difference between the PS2 and a standard DVD player.

Adam

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

How is the picture distorted? In 16x9 mode, the DVD player should output a vertically stretched image (everything will look tall and skinny)-- which is designed to be played on a widescreen set. IF your WEGA has a 16x9 mode, then it should squish the picture back down to the proper aspect, using the full available resolution...

16x9 enhancement adds 33% resolution- and IMHO is a night and day difference. If you have a set that supports 16x9 mode, then you're missing out on the whole appeal of DVD resoltion.

-V

 

[Jacob_R]

Vince, the playstation 2 won't output 16:9 to my tv, because it recognizes the 4:3 format, and locks the output on 4:3, so when I put it on 16:9 enhanced, the picture is flat and squished. I guess it's just really made for games. By the way, what is IMHO? Adam, I do have a sony str de-575 decoder for DD and DTS, so I didn't know if the sound would be clearer or whatever. I thank you all for replying to my thread (this is my first time), and I think I will be spending a lot of time on this cool site.

 

[Adam Barratt]

Jacob, IMHO stands for 'In My Humble Opinion'.

If you're using a digital connection (optical or coaxial) between your DVD player and receiver, which you sound like you are, you almost certainly won't hear any difference at all between the PS2 and any other DVD player.

Your problem with the PS2's video sounds most unusual. I'm assuming you have changed the PS2's display setting to 16:9 in its setup menu and that you're using widescreen, anamorphic DVDs. Is this correct?

Adam

 

[Jeffrey R]

I would definitely recommend investing in a better DVD player, as you don't need to spend too much money to see an improvement on the PS2. As for the 16:9 enhanced mode, there is no question that you should use it. My Sony 43HT20 has the mode, and it works wonders with anamorphic DVD's. I would never watch an anamorphic DVD without the mode on.

 

[Jacob_R]

Adam, Yes, I changed the aspect ratio in the settings, and it wouldn't work. I called sony and they said it was more or less a safeguard for people with 4:3 screens who accidentally put it on 16:9. I guess they do that so people won't get a stretched picture that don't want it. I've checked around, and found a sony dvd/sacd player at crutchfield for $179. Thank you all very much for your help.