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Is a progressive scan DVD player a must? (1 Viewer)

John S

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The 480i Component input is the only input that the TV will provide the progressive scan for. Then there is usually another component input for 480p and above, this is the way most common setup I see in peoples homes right now.

I have not seen one, that offers it on composite or svideo inputs.

I do think this is changing somewhat to allow 480i, 480p, 720p, or 1080i on any of the component inputs on most newer sets, but I know there are tons of sets out there that have this stated configuration.

Show me a link that says any particular set will provide Progressive Scan on svideo and/or composite video inputs please.....
 

Michael Reuben

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Michael Reuben

The burden is on you to support your assertion that a TV's internal line-doubling is limited to component inputs. In nearly six years on HTF, I have never heard such a claim until now. And I know for a fact that it doesn't apply to my own set (a Toshiba TW65H80). Nor does it apply to Toshiba's current equivalent. Go here, click on "Technology and Benefits", and note the definition of "cinema mode" ("Sharp, accurate full-frame progressive images from any source").

M.
 

Michael TLV

THX Video Instructor/Calibrator
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Greetings

Pretty much all the HD sets on the market now have built in line doubling capability and they affect all inputs of the signal.

Antenna to Composite to S-video to Component Video.

Feed these TV's a 480i signal and the internal line doubling kicks in ... period ... making the signal 480p (Some also kick in the scaler to make it 540p or 1080i) They don't display 480i native ... doesn't happen.

Feed them a 480p signal ... and some pass it through native while others convert it to 540p.

Only the Panasonic RPTV's from two generations back could turn off the line doubler.

There is more to progressive scan than just the TV versus the DVD player for 3:2 pulldown. Good progressive scan DVD players output a cleaner signal via 480p ... and with better resolution. Take one of those cheap JVC players these days. The Progressive scan output is 460 lines ... ugh ... bad. You want a progressive scan signal giving you the full 540 lines ...

480i signals on most players seem to float in the range of 480 to 510 lines or so ...

I don't care how good the deinterlacer in the TV is ... if it doesn't give you back the missing 40 lines of detail that it never received in the first place. It's gone and it ain't never coming back if you use 480i.

Regards
 

John S

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Thanks for the heads up. But older models in particular maybe don't do it? I wish I had realized this, I probably would have bought a set that definetly did this. (I have a very large and great LD collection)

I worked on 8 HT rooms over the holdays, and at least what I seen, would at least lead one to believe that Progressive Scan is only available on the one 480i component input, and 480p and above goes on the one Component HD input. These sets were all older sets, I am sure.

I don't think my set does it either, if I had known this, I may have went with a differenct one. Heck as good as some of my Laserdiscs look on it via SVIDEO maybe my set is doing it. But even my manual leads me to believe it is only available on the one 480i Component Video Input.

You live and learn, and why I love this forum.
Most of the people I know bought HDTV monitors quite some time ago just as replacement TV's, and are only now starting to want to get into surround sound and HDTV.

I'm going to give my manual another once over and see what it says.

Ok, never the less, he should be feeding his HDTV monitor, with component video from his even cheapie dvd player???
 

RAF

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which brings up another point, not directly related to the current discussion but important nonetheless.

I, too, still have a sizeable LD collection (about 1800 titles) and I have found that in my particular case, using the composite input of the monitor provides the best LD picture. Unlike DVDs, LDs contain the video information in composite form and the separation takes place via a comb filter. Whether this separation takes place in the player itself (using the S-Video output in that case) or in the monitor (by using the player's composite video output) totally depends on where the better quality comb filter resides.

This is usually an easy thing to determine by trying both outputs and seeing which provides the better picture. One way to tell is to look at scenes heavy in reds - like title frames. The better comb filter will usually produce the less "noise" or red streaking or bleeding.

In my particular case, when I was using a SONY VW10HT LCD front projector as the monitor the picture from the composite output of the LD player (rather than from the S-Video output of the player) was definitely the better choice for me. That was because the SONY contained one of the best 3D comb filters available (also mentioned in Bill Cushman's review back in 2000 in The Perfect Vision.) Now that I use a Runco CL-710 DLP FP I still prefer the composite to the S-Video input for my LDs so I guess the comb filter in the Runco is better than that in my LD player.

With the advent of DVD and the storing of video in separated form on the DVdiscs the use of a composite output from the DVD player is not recommended since it adds two more levels of conversion to the video path. The only reason to even have composite output on DVD players is to maintain compatibility with older monitors that don't have S-Video or component inputs available.

Sorry for taking the thread slightly off-strack, but since S-Video and LDs were brought up here I felt a comment or two in that regard was appropriate.
 

John S

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I went through a bunch of work, to try this, and found the Svideo to be better. I agree, one should try both.
 

RAF

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And in your case, based on your results, the comb filter in your LD player is performing better than that in your display monitor. That's why there is no substitute for what your eyes tell you.

Take care.
 

Carl I

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Jan 5, 2004
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Well, got a cheaper priced component cable (Audio Resources), and I must say that the difference in that was staggering! So now I will be saving my pennies for some much better cables! Thanks SO VERY MUCH for the advice! You guys rock more than you can imagine!
 

John S

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Welcome to the next level, your are now running a true EDTV format. I am reasonably sure your TV is probably performing the progressive scan off of your 480i component connections/ input.
 

Carl I

Grip
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Jan 5, 2004
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Man, I'm afraid of how many levels I have to go! LOL!

My wife and I saved our money on buying the "F" series of the Hitachi's. Our mindset was that neither of us were all that familiar with how 16x9 RPHD TV's should look, so we wouldn't be too dang picky.

I love my set, but as of now I am drooling over what I might buy in the future!
 

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