Would a HTPC give me a better picture than a progressive scan DVD player? (1 Viewer)

[Gregg Hart]

I have a Tosh 40X81 and am running a Tsoh SD-5700 Progressive Scan player. I was wondering if using a HTPC would yeild a better picture by using a 1440x540 image. The TV i have can only do 1080i, so no chance of upconverting to 720p or anything. 540p is the best it will do. I just didn't know if the diff between 540p and 480p is worthwhile enough to consider. Any thoughts?

Thanks.

Gregg

 

[Gabriel_Lam]

A well set up HTPC will give you (roughly, folks) the picture quality of a very good DVD plus a $2000 or so scaler.

 

[Steve Young]

What all do you need for a HTPC to do this?

Thanks

Steve

 

[Gabriel_Lam]

A reasonable processor (P3 850 or higher I'd suggest), 256mb of ram or so, an OK hard drive, a DVD-Rom drive, a modern DVD decoding program like WinDVD or PowerDVD, an overlay compatible video card like most modern cards (the ATI Radeon is a good low priced choice), and, if your TV doesn't accept VGA or DVI input, a VGA to Component converter (they're about $100-120).