Nils Luehrmann
Senior HTF Member
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2001
- Messages
- 3,513
While 1920x1080 displays have been available to consumers for over a year now, the vast majority of them do not accept a 1080p input. Several manufacturer reps have claimed that the only reason their 1920x1080 displays can accept a 1080i signal, but not a 1080p signal is because this is limited to HDMI v1.3 which, has not yet been released.
While it is true that v1.3 is not out yet, the folks at HDMI Licensing LLC say that all versions of the HDMI spec support 1080p video at 60Hz, and that it has always been and continues to be up to each manufacturer of these displays to include support for 1080p throughout the architecture of their displays. Without knowing for sure, it appears that manufacturers have decided the cost to support 1080p signals is currently too high, and that the lack of 1080p support wont have much of an effect sales.
So far, they may be right in regards to sales, as 1920x1080 displays have been selling well above industry expectations. Unfortunately though, I suspect many of the consumers who have bought these displays were either not told about the lack of 1080p support and thus assumed it would, and/or were told by eager-to-please sales clerks that once HDMI v1.3 is released, that they will be able to do an easy firmware update and this will “unlock” 1080p support. All indications are that not only would that not be the case, but there is even some doubt that previous HDMI versions can be easily updated with firmware and may in fact need a hardware update that may or may not even be possible for some models.
To complicate things further, the new HD audio codecs, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD will only be carried digitally in their native form over HDMI 1.3. So this also means those looking to buy new pre-amp processors or receivers will want to be sure their device has HDMI v1.3 or later, which will hopefully start showing up before the end of summer.
This is going to be particularly interesting, as Toshiba currently has plans to release HD DVD with HDMI v1.2a and not v1.3. If this is the case, this may explain some of the comments Toshiba reps made at CES saying that it's most likely that the initial HD DVD releases will have current standard DTS and Dolby Digital soundtracks. They went on to say that HD DVD players will have the ability to "transcode" the new high-res Dolby and DTS formats to PCM, which can then be carried over the current HDMI spec and should be compatible with a number of current HDMI compatible surround processors and AVRs. In addition, six channel analog outputs will be provided on the players, which could be used with the analog multi-channel pass-through connectors found on many current AVRs and surround processors.
BOTTOM LINE: While most interpolators are superb and do a very good job of converting progressive signals to interlaced and vise versa, ideally you want to prevent any unnecessary modifications to a signal as each time a signal is converted you risk adding processing artifacts into the image.
With that in mind, I would strongly recommend extreme caution when considering a purchase of a 1920x1080 display that does not accept a 1080p signal and even those that due, you may still want to hold off until HDMI v1.3 becomes available in the event there are any problematic issues regarding firmware and/or hardware updates. This is particularly true for those looking to buy HDMI audio processors, receivers, and switchers.
Of course, it is all in the eye of the beholder and everyone has their own particular standards of what is and is not acceptable. I recently spent a good deal of time playing around with Sony’s new 60” 1920x1080 SXRD RPTV, which did a remarkable job of interpolating a 1080i signal and displaying it progressively, and I would find it difficult to imagine that a native 1080p signal would look all that much better on that particular unit.
What ever you decide to do, just be sure to carefully read the specs, and know what you are buying and how future proof your device really is before handing over your credit card.
While it is true that v1.3 is not out yet, the folks at HDMI Licensing LLC say that all versions of the HDMI spec support 1080p video at 60Hz, and that it has always been and continues to be up to each manufacturer of these displays to include support for 1080p throughout the architecture of their displays. Without knowing for sure, it appears that manufacturers have decided the cost to support 1080p signals is currently too high, and that the lack of 1080p support wont have much of an effect sales.
So far, they may be right in regards to sales, as 1920x1080 displays have been selling well above industry expectations. Unfortunately though, I suspect many of the consumers who have bought these displays were either not told about the lack of 1080p support and thus assumed it would, and/or were told by eager-to-please sales clerks that once HDMI v1.3 is released, that they will be able to do an easy firmware update and this will “unlock” 1080p support. All indications are that not only would that not be the case, but there is even some doubt that previous HDMI versions can be easily updated with firmware and may in fact need a hardware update that may or may not even be possible for some models.
To complicate things further, the new HD audio codecs, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD will only be carried digitally in their native form over HDMI 1.3. So this also means those looking to buy new pre-amp processors or receivers will want to be sure their device has HDMI v1.3 or later, which will hopefully start showing up before the end of summer.
This is going to be particularly interesting, as Toshiba currently has plans to release HD DVD with HDMI v1.2a and not v1.3. If this is the case, this may explain some of the comments Toshiba reps made at CES saying that it's most likely that the initial HD DVD releases will have current standard DTS and Dolby Digital soundtracks. They went on to say that HD DVD players will have the ability to "transcode" the new high-res Dolby and DTS formats to PCM, which can then be carried over the current HDMI spec and should be compatible with a number of current HDMI compatible surround processors and AVRs. In addition, six channel analog outputs will be provided on the players, which could be used with the analog multi-channel pass-through connectors found on many current AVRs and surround processors.
BOTTOM LINE: While most interpolators are superb and do a very good job of converting progressive signals to interlaced and vise versa, ideally you want to prevent any unnecessary modifications to a signal as each time a signal is converted you risk adding processing artifacts into the image.
With that in mind, I would strongly recommend extreme caution when considering a purchase of a 1920x1080 display that does not accept a 1080p signal and even those that due, you may still want to hold off until HDMI v1.3 becomes available in the event there are any problematic issues regarding firmware and/or hardware updates. This is particularly true for those looking to buy HDMI audio processors, receivers, and switchers.
Of course, it is all in the eye of the beholder and everyone has their own particular standards of what is and is not acceptable. I recently spent a good deal of time playing around with Sony’s new 60” 1920x1080 SXRD RPTV, which did a remarkable job of interpolating a 1080i signal and displaying it progressively, and I would find it difficult to imagine that a native 1080p signal would look all that much better on that particular unit.
What ever you decide to do, just be sure to carefully read the specs, and know what you are buying and how future proof your device really is before handing over your credit card.
They will probably find out by accident that their new widescreen TV shows a picture closer to what they saw in the theaters.
