How important are DVI connections? DVD dvi connections? (1 Viewer)

[Daniel Becker]

I've seen a few DVD players advertised in Home Theater magazines that allow for DVI video output. Can anyone tell me how much better this would look than a regular component connection? Also, what's the cheapest DVD player that allows for this? I'd love to use my DVi connection rather than use up one of my two component inputs.


Give me the goods.



Dan.Becker

 

[SeanA]

Good question Dan. Hope someone has a good answer as I was wondering the same thing.

 

[Craig_Kg]

check Bravo D1 dvdplayer thread

 

[Kevin C Brown]

I'm wondering this too, as for now, you cannot record from a DVI output (but that might be more relevant to HDTV). OK, will have to check out that link.

Oh yeah, since Secrets is so good at characterizing the video quality of players, hopefully they'll chime in here or there someday...

 

[Daniel Becker]

Well, from a brief read of that thread it appears that those DVD players can display at 1080i? I thought there was no such thing as a dvd being played at anything higher than 480p. Am I wrong?




Dan.B

 

[JamesHl]

It can be done, it just has to upsample. The source is still only 480p.

 

[Grant B]

i set up a friend's system a few weeks back. his tv had a dvi input and his sony directv hd200 had an output. i 1st hooked up component video cables and checked out hdnet. i then switched to the dvi cable and saw no difference between the two.
if there is very little or no difference at 1080, i doubt you would see any from a dvd player.

 

[John Royster]

DVI can be advantageous on digital displays (DLP, LCD, fixed pixel type displays) as you can keep everything digital right up to the actual displaying of the pixel.

Otherwise I don't see the use on a CRT display...it'd have to go through a digital-analog conversion anyway.

 

[Gabriel_Lam]

There's a big difference with fixed pixel displays. I have a Bravo D1 here. It's definitely noticable.

 

[SeanA]

I am wondering too if a single DVI input on an HD TV would be better put to use with the HD (720p or 1080i) output from a STB, as opposed to the output from a progressive scan DVD player ??? Since the DVD player can only put out 480p, do you really need anything more than component video cables to get the best picture possible from the DVD player ? (I am assuming we are not talking about fixed pixel displays in this case).

 

[Kevin C Brown]

I'll add a sub-question too. I'm still stuck with S-video. (Bought my SuperFlat Panny in '99, but they only offered component video inputs on the the next year's model, '00.)

32" CRT direct view set.

I am planning on getting a direct view (4:3 or 16:9, haven't decided yet), HDTV-ready set in the next 1 - 1.5 years or so. But not for HDTV. More for "upconversion" of 480i broadcast TV to 480p, and progressive DVD output.

Is the difference between S-video and component video bigger, or the difference between component video and DVI? But by the time I buy, more than likely all/most sets will have DVI anyway, but I honestly wasn't planning to look for it on my next DVD player...

 

[Don O'Brien]

One of the primary issues to contend with is the limitation imposed on the manufacturer with regard to HDCP. At any resolution above 480p (NTSC) the manufacturer of the video source device is compelled to insitute HDCP (specifically at 720p and 1080I in the units available presently). In addition, the monitor/display device in question must have an HDCP compliant input (DVI).

If you are using a scaler with a crt projector, a DVD player with DVI may provide some benefit as it saves an A to D stage in the scaler. This presupposes that the 480p output from DVI is superior to the 480i component analog out of a standard DVD player that is subsequently deinterlaced (3:2 or 2:2) in the scaler before upscaling to the resolution that best matches your CRT.

It is more probable that these units would be used with the current batch of native 720p widescreen DLPs front projectors as the the signal is digital until it hits the A-D at the projector and requires minimal/no scaling to 1280x720. It also could be utilized in CRT RPTVs that contain compliant HDCP DVI inputs to accept 1080i or 720p, and all the deinterlacing and scaling is done in the digital domain until the RP performs a D-A. It will be interesting to see if these players are superior to the well designed and implemented/honed progressive scan analog DVD players that are mainstream in the marketplace.