FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions about DVD players [Text View]

PDA

View Full Version : FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions about DVD players

PooperScooper

12-30-05, 11:21 AM

PooperScooper

12-30-05, 11:21 AM

reserved for questions and links to answers

Ja Phule

12-30-05, 12:12 PM

Why do I still have black bars on my widescreen tv? Why does my image seem stretched? What is pillarboxing?

[Great! Thanks...larry]

WaxDonuts

01-17-06, 01:41 PM

First Post :)

What is 3:2 frame pulldown?

Should this pulldown be done by the DVD player or the television?

What is 3:3 frame pulldown?

Donny Bahama

02-13-06, 10:59 AM

What do all those (custom resolution) settings mean on my upscaling DVD player?

What effect will it have on the picture when I adjust each of the following: HorizFreq, Video Width, HSyncTotal, HSyncActive, VSyncTotal, VSyncActive, HSyncPol, VertFreq, VideoHeight, PreHSync, PostHSync, PreVSync, PostVSync, VSyncPol

Why does this six weeks old sticky post contain only questions? :D ;)

rbmcgee

02-18-06, 08:39 PM

Why did AVS split HD-DVD from the regular DVD forum?

jay19bm

02-28-06, 06:59 PM

Where are the answers to this FAQ list?

rweiss

03-01-06, 04:31 PM

That's what I want to know!

Hedonist

03-14-06, 01:36 AM

what sort of FAQ is posted without answers? Seems like a waste of time...gimme back the 2 minutes I wasted on this thread ;)

PooperScooper

03-14-06, 04:07 PM

Sorry. I've had little time to spend on the FAQ. And you can see that there hasn't been any people rushing up to volunteer. :)

larry

cp1966

03-25-06, 06:01 PM

suggestion; If someone knows a good, short answer to one of the questions, post it. Then maybe pooperscooper can link ithe response to the question listed on the first thread.

I for one, am somewhat knowledgable on some of these topics, but I am in no position to make a fool of myself :)

CT_Wiebe

04-23-06, 06:08 PM

Why do I still have black bars on my widescreen tv? Why does my image seem stretched? What is pillarboxing?
Snip . . . You know the answer, Why didn't you answer it? I'm tired of answering this question :eek:.

1. -- Basically black bars on the top and bottom are because the 16:9 format (1.78:1 width to height) is not the ratio that "Widescreen" movies are shot in. They're usually shot in 1.85:1 up to 2.40:1 which will leave black bars at the top and bottom when shown in their correct AR (aspect ratio). The exception is Widescreen IMAX movies, which are shot in the 1.78:1 (16:9) format.

2. -- Pillar boxing is the placement of black bars on each side of a 4:3 video when shown on a 16:9 display.

What is 3:2 frame pulldown?

Should this pulldown be done by the DVD player or the television?

What is 3:3 frame pulldown?1. -- 3:2 pulldown is the process which is used to convert 24 fps (frames per second) movies to 30 fps video.

2. -- This pull down has to be done in the DVD player, because our displays run at 60 Hz = 30 fps.

3. -- 3:3 pulldown doesn't exist, AFIK. There is no need to convert 30fps to 30fps.

What do all those (custom resolution) settings mean on my upscaling DVD player?

What effect will it have on the picture when I adjust each of the following: HorizFreq, Video Width, HSyncTotal, HSyncActive, VSyncTotal, VSyncActive, HSyncPol, VertFreq, VideoHeight, PreHSync, PostHSync, PreVSync, PostVSync, VSyncPol

Why does this six weeks old sticky post contain only questions?1. -- Read the manual for the player, it should tell you at least a little about them.

2. -- You have to identify the DVD player. Most players don't have those adjustments. You need to read up on video display technology to get the detailed information (and that can get very technical very fast).

3. -- Because it takes a lot of work to find where (if at all) these questions are answered.

Why did AVS split HD-DVD from the regular DVD forum?1. -- Because this forum is for Standard Definition DVD, per the title. Hi-Def players have their own unique set of problems and perfomance characteristics.

-----

To everyone else: because it takes a lot of work to find where (if at all) these questions are answered :eek:.

JKent

05-04-06, 08:20 PM

3. -- 3:3 pulldown doesn't exist, AFIK. There is no need to convert 30fps to 30fps.

this is from the Pio site (regarding the 5060 plasma). I don't pretend to understand it--maybe it's just ad hype:

"We think that films should look like what the director originally captured on film. But unfortunately, when they're transferred from film to DVD, films often lose something in the process. That “something” is their unique, natural imagery, and that's why our Advanced PureCinema™, with 3:3 pulldown at 72 Hz, is important. It faithfully and accurately restores that original film-like look to movies on DVD (and yes, even on videotape)"

I don't know what they do, but DVDs look great on my 5060, even tho I play them on a 10-yr-old Toshiba DVD player. Not progressive, not upscaling. Does the Pio do the upscaling?

polychromeuganda

05-11-06, 03:49 PM

1) Is DVI/HDMI better than component?
DVI signal is before digital to analog conversion which cannot improve the signal.

2) What is an upscaling DVD player?
The DVD player attempts to connect-the-dots to add scan lines that were not present in the recorded images. The result is often visually pleasing, but will not contain additional detail not previously present. This feature is associated with digital (HDMI) video output and is of particular interest when the DVD is better than the display is at scaling to the display's native resolution.
3) What is an upconverting DVD player?
(see upscaling DVD player above)
The DVD player attempts to connect-the-dots to add scan lines that were not present in the recorded images. The result is often visually pleasing, but will not contain additional detail not previously present. This feature is associated with analog (component, VGA, SCART) video output and is of interest for either CRT projectors or for digital displays without HDMI when when the DVD is better than the display is at scaling to the display's native resolution

4) What is this "macroblocking" everybody is talking about?
Macroblocks are always present in compressed video, they are genereally visible as the square blurs that show up in fast action scenes or square splats of junk when there is a signal problem, e.g. fingerprints on the DVD, satellite TV during a blizzard. Why they show up is a long story...
In the beginning the FFT begat the DCT which begat JPEG, which begat MPEG the 1st which begat MPEG the 2nd, which begat MPEG the 4th, which begat Ray, the Blue... And in all of these the DCT was computed within an 8 x 8 box, these being the third power of two, for the powers of 2 are sacred unto the hardware and also the most fertile radix of the FFT and all its descendents for all generations. These 8x8 boxes are the veseels of the spectral powers that compress the frothy ergodic image bits into a solid block, packed and full of bit-entropy. So great is the power of these blocks that they are called the MACRO-BLOCKS. Whenever the foolish attempt to starve their bits or err when serving them, their wroth cannot be concealed and their form shows itself blotting out all things - yea crushing dissenting detail within their bound. Woe be to them who starve them or serve their bits in error, for they shall see only the block.

5) What is deinterlacing?
De-interlacing is the interlacing that converts a stream of pictures to a video signal suitable for broatcast and display on a CRT. The face of the CRT is coated with phosphors that light up when excited and then fade out. If the phosphors don't fade quickly, all motion turns to a blur. If the phosphors do fade quickly, the top of the screen has faded before the bottom has been excited. If the pictures were sent twice as fast, then there would have been only 6 TV channels instead of 12. So... to get from top to bottom twice as fast first only the odd numbered scan lines are sent, and then back to the top and then the even numbered scan lines are sent. The original TV cameras used an image-orthicon tube scanned just like the display tubes. When they send a 24fps movie out on NTSC TV systemsat 30fps it causes a visual stutter called judder if they just repeat 8 of the 24 frames to get the 30. It looks a lot better if the frame changes in between even and odd scan lines since those scan fields go by 60 times a second. On the PAL systems they speed the film up to 25fps which shifts the voices and music off key, but that became fixable when computers became fast enough.
De-interlacing film that was converted to video is just finding the interlaced fields that go with each frame and merging them.
De-interlacing true video has a problem... Objects in motion moved in between the even and odd fields. There can be a noticable haircomb look to vertical edges that were in motion... "combing". If the frame rate is doubled each frame contains one up-to-date field and one stale field. Blending the fields blurs the moving parts of the image. Tracking the motions and synthesizing a frame in the middle of the two fields makes it possible to recover foreground objects in the center of the frame. Objects entering the frame, or being revealed behind objects in motion can't always be fixed up this way. There is no perfect solution to this problem.

6) What is progressive scan?
Progressive scan is a video signal that sends all the scan lines sequentially from top to bottom, as opposed to interlaced. It isn't always the same as a de-interlaced signal, but it is always what a de-interlaced should have been...

7) What is native resolution?
Every current digital video technology assumes that each image is made up of a grid of pixels. Some current assumptions are that the grid is 352, 640, 704, 720, 800, 1024, 1200, or 1920 pixels wide, and 240, 480, 540, 576, 720, or 1080 pixels high. When a device must change the resolution of a signal in order to process it, it converts it to its native resolution, this conversion can never improve the signal, only degrade it.
For example, to fill its screen a digital video display (plasmaa, LCD or DLP) that with a native resolution of 800 x 600 must convert all incoming signals to 800 x 600 in order to display them. This conversion necessarily degrades the signal, the only choice is how to trade off blurring and ringing.
Analog systems have a different but analogous constraint called bandwidth. A CRT projector can potentially be driven to directly display any assumed grid resolution. If the image resolution exceeds the video bandwidth of the projector then details will blur. If the image resolution is too low, the CRT projector may be dim or show scan lines because it is drawing the image with too narrow a line. Practical CRT projectors have a limited selection of scan rates, corresponding to those useful for its bandwidth and spot size.

8) What DVD players output 480i via HDMI?
There is no reason to send interlaced video over HDMI, but if it convinces people to buy one, it will be on the box.

9) What DVD players upscale/upconvert via component outputs?
Its easier to find the feature on HDMI, but no list will ever be complete.

10) What is i.Link?
Sony's proprietary implementation of the IEEE-1394 standard generally known as FireWire. I.Link uses only the four signal pins, discarding the two pins that provide power to the device in favor of a separate power connector on Sony's i.Link products. (Edited from the Wikipedia article)

11) What is DenonLink?
A proprietary digital video interface used by Denon before Firewire was available. There are several incompatible levels and revisions.

12) Will I get a better picture if I buy an upconverting DVD player?
No, but your display device may produce a more pleasing result. If you have an LCD or DLP display, the result should not be more pleasing unless there's something wrong with the internal conversion to native resolution that this can help sidestep. If you have a CRT the result might be more pleasing... or not.

13) What is BTB? (and what is WTW?)
These are abbreviations for acronyms the refer to video signals levels beyond the displayable range that are used for synchronization. BTB stands for Blacker Than Black. WTW stands for Whiter Than White. There is a temptation to believe that 0v is black and 1v is white, but in fact it depends on the video system. Broadcast video is sent with the maximum signal being black because added noise, or snow, is more prominient on a small signal and less visible on white.

14) Do I have to pay $100 or more for a DVI or HDMI cable?
If you want to find a better price, try shopping around, try Froogle, try eBay. I'd say it was hard to spend $100 on one, but a fool and his money are soon parted, so you might as well spend it on the cable since she won't like any better after dinner at an expensive restaurant than she did before.
If you want one for free try dropping a lot of hints and see if anyone gives you one for Christmas.
If that fails and you want to have a $100 cable without the risk of becoming a guest at the county hotel, paying for it would be a good idea.

15) Will expensive component cables make a difference?
They will to your dealer... The simple technical truth is that RCA connector is so bad that nothing else makes much difference between cables less than 4 feet long. Even audio patch cords. At those lengths better coaxial wire with less loss only encourages more ringing between the discontinuities at the connectors which has a much worse effect on the picture than the high frequency loss. For long cable runs a lower loss cable may be helpful, a double sheilded cable will certailnly be more helpful. RCA to type F adapters make it possible to create an excelent cabling solution that is also cost effective. Braided sheilds are more forgiving, so be wary of foil sheilded cable, unsupported bends at the equipment ends will probably become too sharp and the sheild will develop gaps just as it does for repeated flexing.
Don't waste money on "gold plated" connectors. Gold isn't a superior conductor (silver is), its only value is corrosion protection, but it takes a thick coating to close the pores so the base metal oxide mushroom heads don't dominate the surface. The 5 to 30 micro-inch gold wash on consumer connectors provides little or no corrosion protection. It takes 100 to 300 microinches of gold over 60 to 100 microinches of nickel over at least 30 microinches of copper over the base metal to achieve reasonable corrosion protection.
Do replace cables more often... especially if you live in the city. Consumer cabling lacks any gas barriers, the fine wires in the shielding oxidize readily, especially in urban areas where sulfer levels are higher. Coaxial cables don't stand up well to abuse. Cables run across the floor decline rapidly.
Cables with that really nice feel - soft and flexible and smooth like butter - are worthless. From a technical standpoint the most desirable construction is a solid uniform silver tube containing a silver rod supported by stiffened air. The larger the diameter the better. The less a given coaxial cable resembles the ideal the worse it performs. Of course, the ideal one is a bit of a pain to install...

16) Which will sound better, coax or optical output on my DVD player?
Both, or neither if you prefer. There is no reason that either interface should have any bit errors at the bit rates used. That said, the coaxial interface has a greater risk of bit errors from ground loops (think "hum") and the optical link has a greater risk of bit errors from cable and connector damage and failure. In either case persistent subtle differences are unlikely, if there's a problem, you'll hear it.

17) What DVD players output 1080p?
The ones that say they do... they probably say "HDTV" or "HD-DVD" or "Blue-Ray" or "HD-DivX" or whatever the marketing gimmick of the week is. The "upsomething" ones may also produce the signal format. If all else fails try an HTPC.

18) What DVD players allow you to make custom resolutions?
People made their customary New Years resolutions long before there were DVD players. If you want a DVD player that will change the resolution of the signal, then you either want standards conversion PAL <-> NTSC or you want upconversion or line doubling. If you want one that will do a lot of things you've never been able to find, then you probably want an HTPC.

19) Why do I still have black bars on my widescreen tv?
Assuming you haven't been incarcerated, you probably need to let your DVD player or set top box know about your new TV. Somewhere this is a setup screen where you need to tell the signal source that it is sending the signal to a 16:9 display. The factory default for these devices is "4:3 Letterbox", which is what your old TV was.

20) Why does my image seem stretched? Help!
If everyone looks like Stan Laurel, then the signal source, the DVD player or set top box, is set to 16:9 and the display is 4:3. If everyone looks like Oliver Hardy, then the signal source is set to 4:3 and the display is 16:9. Some 16:9 displays are capable of outsmarting the signal source, you may need to check the setup.

21) What is pillarboxing?
When a 4:3 image is shown on a 16:9 display, the height is filled before the width, leaving extra space at the sides. When the opposite occurs displaying a 16:9 image on a 4:3 display its called letterboxing. What the US Postal Service calls a leterbox is known on the opposite side if the Atlantic to the Royal Mail as a pillarbox. That's why letterboxing looks a bit like a letter, and pillarboxing doesn't look much like a pillar. The names were chosen by someone who was feeling 'oh so very very clever' that day.

richardorser

05-12-06, 03:55 AM

I apologize for posting a reply rather than starting a new thread, but for the life of me, after 5 minutes, I could not locate a "Post New Msg." button.
I have a "Collectors's Edition Apollo 13" DVD that is quite old, came out when DVDs were pretty new. I find that I can not play it on my recent Panasonic DVD player. The case says "This disc is compatible with all DVD players displaying these symbols "1 NTSC & DVD Video" The ISBN # is 0-7832-2573-3.

Any idea why this disc should not work on my player. Thanks. Richard

junglejim9823

05-15-06, 02:31 AM

Excellent post uganda!

rprince71

06-02-06, 12:59 AM

I don't know what they do, but DVDs look great on my 5060, even tho I play them on a 10-yr-old Toshiba DVD player. Not progressive, not upscaling. Does the Pio do the upscaling?

I was looking through this site trying to get an answer to my question - do I need a new progressive scan and/or upscaling DVD player for my Pioneer 5060 plasma? Based on your comment (and I'm pretty sure the 5060 does do its own upscaling) maybe I should stick to my old 525 Pioneer non-progressive, non-upscaling player. And before you say "why not see how it looks?", I have to tell you that the 5060 is still in its box <gasp>. I know, I know but the home theatre room is not complete yet. So anyone care to comment on whether I need a new DVD player? Please reserve comments re the plasma in a box.

YarDost

06-03-06, 03:35 PM

polychromeuganda

06-03-06, 11:44 PM

I would like to know about the above as well as it ties into my question. I have a recently purchased Samsung 61" DLP TV with 1080p natiive resolution and I need to purchase a new DVD player due to my current player dieing. So the answer to the above and below questions would help me make a more intelligent decision on how much money to spend.
There is a lot of emphasis put on D/A converters when listing the specs on DVD players. I was wondering if the D/A converter is still a factor on players that have HDMI outputs? Is the converter being bypassed as the unconverted digital content is sent to the TV or one should still look at the specs closely to make sure you are getting a higher bit higher MHz D/A converter even on those players?
If the monitor is attached to the HDMI output from the DVD player, then any D/A converter in the DVD player is not used.

D/A converters are frankly inexpensive and relatively easy to make extremely well, but MHz and bit resolution are the wrong specs to look at, dynamic linearity, missing codes, glitch energy/clock leakage are probably responsible for more of the visual quality differences, and they aren't listed on the DVD player specs.

If the HDMI output is used, then specs never given are probably more important. Can the player detect and correct ECC errors and read the disc enough faster than required to retry small defects and smudges? (Or does it freeze for every microscopic particle of dust) How well does it really handle high data rate scenes? Does it create blockiness or drop frames? Do you like the way it handles subtitles? Does it responed well to the remote control, or does it think about it for a while first and then decide if it will do as you ask?

As far as reviews go - the magazines don't bite the hand that feeds them, the subscribers aren't their customers, the advertisers are. The greatest integrity that any of them aspire to is that they preview the reviews with the advertisers and allow them to ask that unfavorable reviews not be run. It is common that flaws are simply overlooked and that reviews only cover the positive points of the equipment.

YarDost

06-04-06, 01:19 AM

Thanks for a detailed response uganda. So considering the above, the question would be:
Should I spend the extra money on buying a good upconversion DVD player or should I buy a decent player from Sony (e.g. DVPNS50P/S) and Panasonic for around $50 and hold off till the dust settles on HD DVD wars?
Any model recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

kwief

06-07-06, 08:54 PM

YarDost I'm so glad you asked your question and wish I had asked it a few weeks ago! Let me tell of my experience and you can go from there. I'm new to this whole game so don't know all of the technical ins-and-outs of HDTV but sometimes experience is the best factor!

I purchased my Samsung HLS5087W 50" DLP 1080p screen a few weeks ago; at the same time that I bought the display, I was steered into buying a Samsung HD850 upconverting DVD player for a $100 (a drop in the bucket compared to the total bill!). I am absolutely awed by the pq delivered by Dish satellite...amazing! But, I can't get over the feeling that my DVDs look no better when played on this HD850 via HDMI than they do on my ten-year-old non-progressive Sony player with RGB cables. I am torn between wondering if I got ripped off or if I missed something in the set-up (though I tried every option and combo of options in the menu). And, the more I read in this forum, the more I think that an upconverting player is not necessary with the new display.

I am actually going to return the HD850 now while I can get my money back and move my old player to join the display.

ADU

06-10-06, 10:04 PM

It's possible other HDMI players could look better on your display than the 850/950. May also want to check out what other users of your display have tried and had good results with in the Displays forum.

ADU

06-10-06, 10:04 PM

Add'l info that may be useful to newcomers.

DVD & Video Basics:
What are Video (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video), Television (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television) & HDTV (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-definition_television)?
What are DVDs (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#1.1) & DVD Players (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD_player)?
DVD described in more detail (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD)
Basic considerations in choosing a DVD Player (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#1.5.1)
DVD Player search engine (http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers)
*Members' players & displays (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=611824)

DVD Disc Formats:
DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-R DL, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD+R DL, DVD-RAM... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD_formats)
DualDisc (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DualDisc) & DVD Plus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD_Plus)
MiniDVD (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiniDVD)
More on Dual-Layer Discs (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#1.18) & Layer Changes (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#1.27)
Format Wars (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Format_war)

DVD Player Connections:
Television & DVD connections (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_and_video_connector)
More on DVD player connections (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#3.1)

-----Type----- -------Resolutions--------
Digital Analog 1080p 1080i 720p 480p 480i
Video & Audio
HDMI (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI) X s X X X s
RF Coaxial* X X

Video only
DVI-D (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVI) X s X X X s
YPbPr Component (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Component_video) X f f p X
Y/C S-Video (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-Video) X X
Composite (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composite_video) X X

Audio only
S/PDIF Coaxial (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SPDIF) X
TOSLINK Optical (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOSLINK) X
Denon Link X
L/R Stereo RCAs X

s- on some upconverting players.
f- on a few upconverting players (may require hack, or only work
with unprotected discs).
p- on progressive players.
*- generally only included on lower-end or DVD/VHS combo players.

What is i.Link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FireWire)?
Q: What is Denon-Link?
A: (Fom Denon's site) "Connected via a shielded twisted pair (STP) RJ-45 fitted cable to a Denon Link-compliant A/V amplifier, the balanced transfer offers lower voltage than coaxial or unbalanced cables. Since Denon Link is far less susceptible to radiated noise, it ensures the highest level of signal transfer. The Denon Link interface is able to transfer high grade LPCM 24-bit, 192kHz, 2-channel and 96kHz, 24-bit, multi-channel digital output. Denon Link uses low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS). Transfer capabilities of greater than 1.2 Gbps at a differential voltage of approximately 0.3 Vpp are possible."
What is a DAC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital-to-analog_converter)?

Video & Audio Info for DVD-Video:
*What is the DVD-Video (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD#DVD-Video) format?
What are NTSC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTSC) & PAL (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PAL)?
Differences between PAL & NTSC DVD-Video discs (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#1.19)
Audio formats used with DVD-Video (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#3.6.2)
Dolby Digital, Dolby Surround, Dolby Pro Logic & DTS (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#3.6.3)
More on DTS (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#1.32)

Other DVD & CD Video Formats:
VCD (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_CD) & SVCD (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Video_CD)
cDVD (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiniDVD)
MPEG-1 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPEG-1), MPEG-2 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPEG-2) & MPEG-4 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPEG-4)
DivX (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DivX) & XviD (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XviD)
Players with DivX or Xvid (http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers?DVDname=&Search=Search&divx=1&dvdportable=&dvdchanger=&dvdtv=&chipset=&orderby=Name&hits=25&Submit2=Search)
HDV (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDV)
H.264/MPEG-4 AVC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.264)
VC-1 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VC-1)
WMV/WMV9 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Media_Video) & WMV HD (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WMV_HD)
Players with WMV9/WMV9HD (http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers?DVDname=&Search=Search&dvdportable=&dvdchanger=&dvdtv=&wmv9=1&chipset=&orderby=Name&hits=25&Submit2=Search)

DVD & CD Audio/Music Formats:
CDDA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Book_%28audio_CD_standard%29)
DVD-Audio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD-Audio)
SACD (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Audio_CD)
MP3 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP3)
WMA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Media_Audio)
MPEG-4 AAC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPEG-4)
HDCD (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDCD)
FLAC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FLAC)
*Differences between CDDA, SACD & DVD-Audio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Audio_CD#Comparison_of_SACD.2C_DVD-Audio.2C_and_CD)
More on SACD and DVD-Audio (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#3.6)
Players with DVD-Audio (http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers.php?DVDname=&Search=Search&dvdportable=&dvdchanger=&dvdtv=&dvdaudio=1&chipset=&orderby=Name&hits=25&Submit2=Search)
Players with SACD (http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers.php?DVDname=&Search=Search&dvdportable=&dvdchanger=&dvdtv=&sacd=1&chipset=&orderby=Name&hits=25&Submit2=Search)
Players with both DVD-Audio & SACD (http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers.php?DVDname=&Search=Search&dvdportable=&dvdchanger=&dvdtv=&sacd=1&dvdaudio=1&chipset=&orderby=Name&hits=25&Submit2=Search)

Interlacing, Deinterlacing & Reverse Telecine:
What is Progressive Scan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_scan)?
(Note that the "scanning" part of Progressive Scan applies mainly to CRTs since other technologies may display/update all lines/pixels of a progressive image more-or-less simultaneously.)
What is a Progressive Player (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#1.40)?
What is Interlacing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interlace)?
Differences between Progressive & Interlaced (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#3.8)
What is Deinterlacing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deinterlacing)?
What is 3:2 Pulldown, Reverse 3:2 Pulldown, Reverse or Inverse Telecine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecine)?
More on Reverse Telecine/3:2 Pulldown (http://www.dvdfile.com/news/special_report/production_a_z/3_2_pulldown.htm)
Reverse Telecine illustrated (http://www.animemusicvideos.org/guides/avtech/video2.htm)
What is Motion Compensation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_compensation)?
What is Faroudja DCDi (http://www.av-outlet.com/en-us/dept_335.html)?
DCDi in more detail (http://www.gnss.com/tch_dcdi_overview.phtml)
*DVD Deinterlacing technology explained in depth (http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_7_4/dvd-benchmark-part-5-progressive-10-2000.html)
Silicon Optix Realta (http://www.siliconoptix.com/chipProducts/Realta/) and Reon (http://www.siliconoptix.com/chipProducts/ReonVX)
Q: What are "Cadence Detection" & "Flags"?
A: See Progressive vs. Interlaced (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#3.8), Progressive Player (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#1.40) and Deinterlacing technology (http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_7_4/dvd-benchmark-part-5-progressive-10-2000.html).

Upconversion/Scaling:
Q: What is an "Upconverting Player"?
A: The short answer-- a player that scales DVDs from their normal 480 (or 576 in the case of PAL) lines of resolution to HD resolutions such as 720p, 1080i or 1080p usually via HDMI or DVI.
*Upconversion explained in detail (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=477740)
Upconverting players (http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers?DVDname=&Search=Search&dvdportable=&dvdchanger=&dvdtv=&dvdupscaling=1&chipset=&orderby=Name&hits=25&Submit2=Search)
*Impressions of upconverting players (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=423609)
*Threads on various upconverting players (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=609190)
*Some players that support 480i via HDMI/DVI (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=614206)

DVI, HDMI Color Space Issues
What's the difference between RGB (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RGB) & YCbCr (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YCbCr)?
What are 4:4:4, 4:2:2 & 4:2:0... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chroma_subsampling)?
Q: How do I know which setting to use with an HDMI or DVI connection?
A: Most players will default to RGB when connected to a display via DVI, and default to one the YCbCr options when connected via HDMI. And that's usually the best way to go. See player instructions for more.

Aspect Ratio Information:
Q: What is a "Fullscreen" or "Fullframe" DVD?
A: A DVD designed for display on a 4:3 (aka 1.33) Aspect Ratio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspect_ratio_%28image%29) TV screen.
Q: What's the difference between "Pan & Scan" and "Fullscreen"?
A: Pan & Scan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_and_scan) DVDs are simply Fullscreen DVDs where a Widescreen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Widescreen) film has been reformatted to fill a 4:3 screen.
Q: What is an Anamorphic Widescreen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anamorphic_widescreen) or "Enhanced for 16:9/Widescreen TVs" DVD?
A: A DVD designed for display on a 16:9 (aka 1.78) aspect ratio TV screen.
More on Anamorphic Widescreen (http://www.dvdfile.com/news/special_report/production_a_z/anamorphic.htm)
*Digital Bits Ultimate Guide to Anamorphic Widescreen (http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/anamorphic/)
What are Letterbox (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letterbox) & Pillarbox (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillar_box_%28film%29)?
More on TV Aspect Ratios (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_of_television#Aspect_ratios)
How do the DVD Aspect Ratios work? (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#3.5)
What is OAR (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspect_ratio_%28image%29#Original_aspect_ratio_.28OAR.29)?
Differences between Fullscreen and Anamorphic Widescreen DVDs (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#3.5)
Examples of Widescreen vs. Fullscreen (http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/special/caveat_emptor.htm)
Can black bars be eliminated? (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#1.38)

Protection Systems:
CSS Encryption (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content-scrambling_system)
Macrovision (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macrovision)
HDCP (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDCP)
DRM (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Rights_Management)
Region or Regional Codes (R1, R2, etc.) (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#1.10)
More on Region Codes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD_region_code)
RCE (Regional Coding Enhancement) (http://www.dvdtalk.com/rce.html)
More details on copy protection issues (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#1.11)
Q: Can Regional restrictions be disabled on some players?
A: See Region links above and here (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#6.4.2) for more.

Where to Look for Region, Aspect Ratio, etc. on a Particular DVD Title:
Details such as the Aspect Ratio, etc. of a DVD can usually be found on IMDb's DVD Details tab (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119116/dvd). For comparison, details of the original theatrical or broadcast presentation (OAR) can be found on the Technical Specs tab (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119116/technical). (Note that IMDb currently only lists info in its DVD Details tab for discs available through Amazon.com. See the following links for info on other regions/editions.)
DVD Compare (http://www.dvdcompare.net/): Compares details of DVDs from all regions.
DVD Beaver (http://www.dvdbeaver.com/): same as above, but also provides some more detailed examples and screenshots from different DVD editions.

Calibration, Evaluation & Reference Discs:
*What are PLUGE, BTB, WTW, black/white crush, and how do these effect my player and/or display (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=494606)?
*DVD Player Benchmarks (http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/masterindex_video_players.html)
THX Optimizer (http://www.thx.com/home/dvd/optimizer/index.html) (included in the extras on THX-certified DVDs)
DVE (http://www.videoessentials.com/)
AVIA (http://www.ovationmultimedia.com/avia.html)
HQV Benchmark (http://www.hqv.com/benchmark.cfm)
GetGray (http://www.calibrate.tv/)
DVD Demystified demo disk (http://dvddemystified.com/disc.html)
Q: Where can I buy DVE or AVIA online?
A: Try the authors' links or Amazon.
Q: Can I find DVE or AVIA at local retailors?
A: Try Borders or Barnes & Noble.
ISF recommended DVDs (http://www.filmsondisc.com/ISF_Reference_DVD_Program.htm)
*AVS DVD Reference List (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=372989)
DVD Demystified recommended DVDs (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#1.48)

DVDs with Known Video & Audio Issues:
Known problems/solutions with certain DVDs on certain players (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#1.41)
Discs with known lip sync issues (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#1.35)
Another list of problem discs (http://www.dvdreview.com/movies/html/problem_list.html)

Macroblocking & Other Compression-Related Artifacts:
(Still looking for other links/articles on this.)
Q: What are "Macroblocking" (MB) or "Block Artifacts"?
A: Motion-related artifacts of the lossy MPEG compression used in DVD-Video that look like blocks or smudging of detail in areas of the screen that are in motion. The effect is most noticeable on DVDs with poor encoding or low bit rates (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bit_rate), though it may be evident on higher bit rate DVDs where there's alot of motion. Some players and displays will "enhance" or "diminish" the effect more than others. See the links in this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7270763#post7270763) for more.
See also Compression Artifact (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compression_artifact), Motion Compensation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_compensation), Lossy data compression (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lossy_compression).
Q: What is "Mosquito Noise"?
A: Compression artifacts that appear around high contrast edges, or the edges of moving objects, so-called because they often resemble insects flying around peoples' heads.
Q: What is "BNR" & "MNR"?
A: Block Noise Reduction & Mosquito Noise Reduction.

Other Picture Quality Issues:
Layer Changes (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#1.27)
*CUE, the Chroma Bug, or Chroma Upsampling Error (http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_8_2/dvd-benchmark-special-report-chroma-bug-4-2001.html)
Q: What is "ICP"?
A: 4:2:0 Interlaced Chroma Problem. See the article on Chroma issues (http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_8_2/dvd-benchmark-special-report-chroma-bug-4-2001.html) above for more.
Edge Enhancement (http://www.videophile.info/Guide_EE/Page_01.htm)
(Most DVDs will have some degree of Edge Enhancement to begin with. However, many players and displays may also further enhance edges or ringing through their own processing and sharpening routines. Many titles on the AVS DVD Reference List (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=372989) were chosen for their comparitively low levels of EE and compression artifacts.)
Judder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecine#Telecine_judder) (See also links above on deinterlacing/reverse telecine.)
Jaggies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaggies)
Q: What are "Combing", "Feathering" and "Twitter"?
A: See Deinterlacing (http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_7_4/dvd-benchmark-part-5-progressive-10-2000.html).

Firmware:
What is Firmware (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#1.47)?

Other Links:
*DVD Demystified FAQ (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html)
DVD Forum primer on DVD (http://www.dvdforum.org/faq-dvdprimer.htm#1)
Add'l links from the DVD Demystified FAQ (http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#6.4)
Videohelp.com (http://www.videohelp.com)
The Widescreen Museum (http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/index.htm)

*Stickies. *Also recommended.

Tks sincerely to PooperScooper for his assistance.

PooperScooper

06-11-06, 09:11 AM

Besides ADU's post, I noticed a couple other posts from about a month ago answering some questions. Thank you! Sorry for missing them until now.

larry

suplex

07-02-06, 04:17 PM

Ok everyone, here is the very last link anyone will ever need if they have any DVD questions.

It's called: DVD Demystified (F.A.Q.) and they update it constantly. The current updated version is: July 12th, 2007.

http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html

You'll have to scroll down the list to find your particular question, but then just click on it and it will take you right where you have to go.

This is really the best thing I have seen online to answer DVD questions and something everyone should have bookmarked.

spurdy

08-17-06, 01:01 PM

In the beginning the FFT begat the DCT which begat JPEG, which begat MPEG the 1st which begat MPEG the 2nd, which begat MPEG the 4th, which begat Ray, the Blue... And in all of these the DCT was computed within an 8 x 8 box, these being the third power of two, for the powers of 2 are sacred unto the hardware and also the most fertile radix of the FFT and all its descendents for all generations. These 8x8 boxes are the veseels of the spectral powers that compress the frothy ergodic image bits into a solid block, packed and full of bit-entropy. So great is the power of these blocks that they are called the MACRO-BLOCKS. Whenever the foolish attempt to starve their bits or err when serving them, their wroth cannot be concealed and their form shows itself blotting out all things - yea crushing dissenting detail within their bound. Woe be to them who starve them or serve their bits in error, for they shall see only the block.Forgive my OT-ness, but you, sir, officially rock. Thank you for brightening my morning with this delightful fusion of humor and hard-core geekiness.

PS- I love the very "Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch"-esque style. Now, so blessed with the knowledge of the Great Macro-Blocks, would that we might feast with much rejoicing on the fruit bats and breakfast cereals! ;)

steve68

01-11-07, 01:25 PM

wmcclain

01-11-07, 01:44 PM

I have what is probably a pretty dumb question, but here goes anyway. I read in a lot of threads that there is a copyright infringement that prevents upconverting over component and HDMI. So how is it that upconverting players are exempt from this?

Thanks,
Steve

The restriction is only on component, not HDMI. To get permission to use certain patents, the manufacturers agree not to support upscaling over component. Component signals are too easy to copy, as opposed to HDMI where the encryption has not yet been broken.

This is a stupid restriction. SD-DVDs can be copied perfectly already; there is nothing particulary precious about the upscaled images.

-Bill

steve68

01-11-07, 01:49 PM

Thanks for the quick response.

Steve

SGRSBSKIER

01-26-07, 04:47 AM

I still have Black Bars on some of my DVD's. I know some are suppose to be there when there 2.35:1 but some times they are there when there not suposed to be.
The problems:
The Three Musketeers 2.35:1 has the black bars the size of letterbox like if you made a 4:3 letterbox movie (like on the Sci-Fi Channel every once in a while) to 16:9. I had to set my TV to Expand to make the picture look right but every once and a while you could see aliasing this way.
Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury and Van Helsing: London Assignment are both 16:9 widescreen but they have black bars

Those are the only ones that I know don't work correctly. I have watched close to 30 DVD's in the past month and a half they are all rented from Blockbuster and are all the Widescreen Editions. The Three Musketeers is the last one I watched but I watched many movies between the the other two.
All the settings on the DVD player are correct, Proggressive through component cables to Mitsubishi WD-52525 DLP, DVD player is Samsung DVD/VCR combo DVD-V4600.

bjmiller48

01-29-07, 02:06 AM

Update: 6/11/2006

Out of the blue came a great contribution from AVS member ADU. What he did took a fair amount of effort and I appreciate it, and I hope others will too.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7809555&&#post7809555

I had missed this post. Some more answers: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7641277&&#post7641277

larry

Here's a start at a FAQ list for this forum. Please reply with any additions or if you want to volunteer to answer a question. Answers can be text only or have links to posts here at AVS or elsewhere in addition to some text. Hopefully this will be a group effort. Probably the best way to do this inside the forum software is to make each answer a separate post. So, in the 2nd post there will be the answered questions with a link to the post in the thread that answers the question. Editing separate posts will make things easier also. And once a question is answered and everybody is happy with the answer, I'll can delete any "collateral" posts in this thread.

1) Is DVI/HDMI better than component?
2) What is an upscaling DVD player?
3) What is an upconverting DVD player?
(see upscaling DVD player above)
4) What is this "macroblocking" everybody is talking about?
5) What is deinterlacing?
6) What is progressive scan?
7) What is native resolution?
8) What DVD players output 480i via HDMI?
9) What DVD players upscale/upconvert via component outputs?
10) What is i.Link?
11) What is DenonLink?
12) Will I get a better picture if I buy an upconverting DVD player?
13) What is BTB? (and what is WTW?)
14) Do I have to pay $100 or more for a DVI or HDMI cable?
15) Will expensive component cables make a difference?
16) Which will sound better, coax or optical output on my DVD player?
17) What DVD players output 1080p?
18) What DVD players allow you to make custom resolutions?
19) Why do I still have black bars on my widescreen tv?
20) Why does my image seem stretched? Help!
21) What is pillarboxing?

I am questioning the all too brief answer to number 9. It seems a little inadequate for such an important question, although I to agree that this section is an enormously useful contribution. For most experienced viewers, or in double blind reports, the difference in quality between a 480P signal and an upconverted one from a DVD player is disputable. So the question of interpolation with filters (this is how upconverting works) through analog outputs (component) becomes very complex. I have yet to see a company claim in their manual that the interpolation is available through component output, and although i have tried very hard, I have never seen a video display that looked better upconverted seen through any analog input. So I am asking for help. Is there a list as number 9 suggests? Has anyone ever seen with certainty that interpolation is outputted through component and finally has this ever been objectively verified by the display showing the HD resoloution numbers 720P or 1080i displayed when compoment is hooked up? Thank you very much for any information you all might have on this issue.

silenttreater

02-24-07, 12:08 AM

Are there DVD players that will play PAL content without any codes entered? I have been looking at this Philips DVP5960. School me!

kinsonapril

05-18-07, 06:27 AM

informative post, support! :)

mrd999

05-21-07, 03:44 PM

-----Type----- -------Resolutions--------
Digital Analog 1080p 1080i 720p 480p 480i
Video & Audio
HDMI (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI) X s X X X s
RF Coaxial* X X

Video only
DVI-D (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI) X X X X s
YPbPr Component (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Component_video) X f f p X
Y/C S-Video (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-Video) X X
Composite (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composite_video) X X

Audio only
S/PDIF Coaxial (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SPDIF) X
TOSLINK Optical (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOSLINK) X
Denon Link X
L/R Stereo RCAs X

s- on some upconverting players.
f- on a few upconverting players (may require hack, or only work
with unprotected discs).
p- on progressive players.
*- generally only included on lower-end or DVD/VHS combo players.

DVI-D is capable of 1080p - I have my LVM-37W1 running at 1080p to my PC via DVI-D right now. I think some people assume DVI-D doesn't do 1080p because of HDCP issues. There are older 1080p DVI panels out there without HDCP support - no 1080p sources will output at 1080p on these panels because they can't establish an HDCP handshake. But there are some out there with HDCP support, like my panel - although I have yet to test the HDCP on this set, I use it strictly with the PC.

My video card doesn't support HDCP. I think this means it won't display 1080p sources, like a blu-ray or hd-dvd drive, because those devices have drivers which won't provide a 1080p signal unless HDCP is established. I think Windows Vista reinforces this model by providing additional protection of the data path between a 1080p source and the video out. These devices may only work on Vista - not sure. Perhaps someone else can chime in.

Anyhow, so yeah DVI-D can do 1080p. In fact, DVI-D can do up to 1920x1200 @ 60hz, and with two DVI-D cables utilizing dual link, it can do up to 3840x2400 @ 33hz, according to wikipedia. HDMI is still a better option, as it is one cable that can easily match two DVI-D dual link cables.

It's also interesting to note that RF-Coaxial can carry digital video over QAM channels, so it isn't strictly analog, and can support all those hd video resolutions. In fact, I believe in the US, all broadcasts will be transitioning to digital by 2009.

spurdy

05-22-07, 12:40 PM

In fact, DVI-D can do up to 1920x1200 @ 60hz, and with two DVI-D cables utilizing dual link, it can do up to 3840x2400 @ 33hz, according to wikipedia. HDMI is still a better option, as it is one cable that can easily match two DVI-D dual link cables."Dual-link" doesn't refer to using two DVI cables in parallel. A single DVI cable or device can be "single-link" or "dual-link" by specification. Dual-link cables/connectors have additional pins, and can carry two digital DVI data links over one cable/connector (enabling the high-bandwidth resolutions you mentioned).

Look carefully at the Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVI), specifically the "Connector (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVI#Connector)" section and DVI pinout (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:DVI_pinout.png) diagram.

troyhash

08-01-07, 01:32 PM

I have a Mits. 65732. Love it! I have an old Samsung progressive scan DVD/VCR combo. It looks good with composite hookup. Finally purchased component cables from monopricecom but picture is "worse!". 480i is better than 480p with progressive scan. Picure is very blurry with 480p. I have always heard how much better component was than composite. What is my problem? Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

ontherocks

09-05-07, 11:37 AM

wmcclain

09-05-07, 06:51 PM

I have a basic question. (BTW this is not about HD-DVD)
I understand that DVD standards for video resolutions are 720×480 (NTSC) or 720×576 (PAL). (i.e. 480i/p or 576i/p)
Is it possible to author a DVD with higher resolution videos and then play them in a regular DVD player??
I have a 1080p avi file. Can I make a regular DVD out of it with the same resolution and then play it back in my regular DVD player??
If so how??

No, not generally. There are a few players that will play HD divx files and other things, but none of the major brands. See the HD checkboxes on this search page: http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers

You have a lot more flexibility in file formats with a PC, of course.

-Bill

ontherocks

09-06-07, 09:45 AM

Actually I didn't mean to just burn the avi file to a DVD and try to play it in a player BUT to author a DVD (convert to .vobs) and then play it in a DVD player.

wmcclain

09-06-07, 10:06 AM

Actually I didn't mean to just burn the avi file to a DVD and try to play it in a player BUT to author a DVD (convert to .vobs) and then play it in a DVD player.

Same answer. SD-DVD players do not play HD contents (with the exceptions noted previously).

-Bill

Hal900x

10-15-07, 03:41 PM

8) What DVD players output 480i via HDMI?
There is no reason to send interlaced video over HDMI, but if it convinces people to buy one, it will be on the box.

No reason? Seems like this would be a useful feature for those with external scaler boxes, something I'm considering. You want a pure digital signal, but no deinterlacing or upconversion...you'd want your dedicated scaler doing that.

shawfwey

10-27-07, 12:32 AM

sevraider

11-21-07, 02:53 PM

wmcclain

11-21-07, 03:29 PM

(not sure if this questions belongs in this forum. please move it to relevent area if need be)

It probably would be more appropriate in one of the HD forums.

My question is related to whether or not HD dvd's are really HD.

Yes, they are.

If you buy a 1080P TV (currently the highest TV display possible) aren't the HD-dvd movies subjected to that display cap of 1080p?

Yes.

Or does an HD-dvd raise the TVs display capabilites so that it surpasses 1080p?

No.

my question stems from some of the newer upscaling 1080p dvd players in the market. My belief is that since a TV CANNOT go higher then 1080p that would mean that a HD-dvd is in fact just a 1080p dvd; and a dvd player that upscales to 1080p is doing the same thing as an already HD-dvd encoded disc.

You lost me there. Standard definition DVDs images contain 720x480 pixels (NSTC). HD-DVD and Blu-Ray contain 1920x1080. You can upscale SD-DVD so that the image fits a HD display, but the source is still Standard Definition, not HD.

-Bill

tigerkc

11-21-07, 03:36 PM

(not sure if this questions belongs in this forum. please move it to relevent area if need be)

My question is related to whether or not HD dvd's are really HD.
If you buy a 1080P TV (currently the highest TV display possible) aren't the HD-dvd movies subjected to that display cap of 1080p?
Or does an HD-dvd raise the TVs display capabilites so that it surpasses 1080p?

my question stems from some of the newer upscaling 1080p dvd players in the market. My belief is that since a TV CANNOT go higher then 1080p that would mean that a HD-dvd is in fact just a 1080p dvd; and a dvd player that upscales to 1080p is doing the same thing as an already HD-dvd encoded disc.

Am I understanding this wrong?

Although a DVD player can upscale to 1080p from say 480i/p source, the information is still "calculated" from the 480i/p. The extra pixels (difference between 480 and 1080) are "estimation" vs an HD source (say 1080p) has all the "exact" pixel (contents) for the panel to display. You'll see a difference between the two.

sevraider

11-21-07, 06:24 PM

You lost me there. Standard definition DVDs images contain 720x480 pixels (NSTC). HD-DVD and Blu-Ray contain 1920x1080. You can upscale SD-DVD so that the image fits a HD display, but the source is still Standard Definition, not HD.

-Bill

So even if the DVD player up-converts the sd-dvd signal to 1080p, the pixel count will remain at 720x480.

correct?

wmcclain

11-21-07, 06:38 PM

So even if the DVD player up-converts the sd-dvd signal to 1080p, the pixel count will remain at 720x480.

correct?

The signal sent to the display will have 1920x1080 pixels, but these have been interpolated from the 720x480 source. This can work better than it sounds, but it is not the same as a 1920x1080 original source.

-Bill

crengineer

12-28-07, 11:19 PM

wmcclain

12-29-07, 06:48 AM

I have several dvds that say they are enhanced for wide screen tv's but when I play them with my Sony upconverting dvd player over HDMI I still get the letter box format on my HDTV. I understand that this is for maintaining the original theatrical aspect ratio. But if the dvd is enhanced for widescreen tv's then why is the letterbox still present.

I have my dvd player set to 16:9 display mode.

Thanks in advance.

Jay

If there are black bars on all four sides, then I would say the discs are mislabeled.

If there are black bars above and below and the OAR is wider than 1.78:1 (=16:9) then that is the way it is supposed to be. See http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/High-Def_FAQ/Joshua_Zyber/High-Def_FAQ:_Why_Dont_the_Black_Bars_Go_Away/764

-Bill

chuck12604

01-02-08, 06:29 PM

Now that I have a DVD HD player, I had a choice to make. Do I hook the HDMi from the cable to the TV and componet from the DVD to the TV (my TV only has one HDMI input.) Or HDMI from the DVD to the tv and componet from the cable to the TV?

I thought I would lose a little by having the componet to the TV. As it turned out. I see no difference in the componet to the TV in HD, and the DVD (HDMI)
looks fantastic.

bjmiller48

01-02-08, 10:43 PM

You absolutely want to rum the HDMI from the DVD player rather than the cable box. All hd DVD players upconvert SD DVD's only through the HDMI output, not component. This has to do with content protection but is another example of industry nonesense as they are protecting an analog signal. On the other hand you have already said that the signal from the cable box was fine with component, so you are all set, Barry.

SamBD

01-06-08, 05:14 AM

wmcclain

01-06-08, 06:58 AM

Hi, I have a question about DVD player connection. I want to connect my (1) DVD player to receiver via HDMI, then receiver to TV via HDMI. (2) Same DVD player directly to the TV via component. I want the connection like this because sometimes I may want to watch DVDs without turning on my HT. My question is, with this set up: (1) will I be able to watch audio-video via hdmi when my receiver is "on"? (2) Will I be able to watch audio-video via component when my receiver is "off"?........Thanks.

I see no problem. Most players transmit on HDMI and component simultaneously, but you should check that your player does this, or has a way of switching.

Obviously you'll have to run audio separately for (2).

-Bill

bjmiller48

01-06-08, 12:07 PM

Hi, I have a question about DVD player connection. I want to connect my (1) DVD player to receiver via HDMI, then receiver to TV via HDMI. (2) Same DVD player directly to the TV via component. I want the connection like this because sometimes I may want to watch DVDs without turning on my HT. My question is, with this set up: (1) will I be able to watch audio-video via hdmi when my receiver is "on"? (2) Will I be able to watch audio-video via component when my receiver is "off"?........Thanks.
Another approach is to skip the receiver with the HDMI connection and go straight to the TV with it. Then take an audio digital output from the DVD player to the receiver. That way, the TV gets the A-V signal, and the receiver can be added in when you want surround sound.
Barry.

shoebobs

01-29-08, 11:58 PM

Hi

From reading these forums I think I know the answer to this, but haven't seen this exact question, so I would like clarification.

I just got the samsung LNT4069 and the quality is really good when watching HDTV content. However, when I use my standard DVD player, I am not impressed. Mainly the colors seem very bland. Is this because of the DVD player or should I be concerned about the TV? Can I expect quality similar to the HDTV content if I get blu ray? What about an upconverting dvd player?

I watched a bit of the simpsons movie and I thought the quality was great, but for Gladiator and LOTR:Fellowship of the Ring the quality was dissapointing.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

wmcclain

01-30-08, 07:36 AM

I just got the samsung LNT4069 and the quality is really good when watching HDTV content. However, when I use my standard DVD player, I am not impressed. Mainly the colors seem very bland. Is this because of the DVD player or should I be concerned about the TV? Can I expect quality similar to the HDTV content if I get blu ray? What about an upconverting dvd player?

I watched a bit of the simpsons movie and I thought the quality was great, but for Gladiator and LOTR:Fellowship of the Ring the quality was dissapointing.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

All these systems have about the same color capability, but your display needs to be calibrated for each input separately. See brief notes on calibration discs here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9889995&&#post9889995

How is the DVD player connected to the display?

Note that some movies use distinct color grading for effect: LOTR is a pretty severe example, especially in the first two films.

-Bill

shoebobs

01-30-08, 08:31 PM

All these systems have about the same color capability, but your display needs to be calibrated for each input separately. See brief notes on calibration discs here:[had to delete URL cause system won't let me post URLs since new user - Shoebobs]How is the DVD player connected to the display?

Note that some movies use distinct color grading for effect: LOTR is a pretty severe example, especially in the first two films.

-Bill

Thanks for the info, I'm going to get a calibration disc. The DVD player is connected with component cables right now, as the HDMI cables are in the mail.

I don't want to hijack this thread so I'll post anymore questions about calibration I have in the LNT4069 owners thread/calibration thread.

Thanks again

vandelay101

02-18-08, 05:24 PM

wmcclain

02-18-08, 05:53 PM

OK guys here's my problem. I just bought a Samsung 71f 1080p native set. I already have a samsumg 480p combo dvd/receiver. I am not going to buy a new upscaling dvd player just for the HDMI, because my samsung dvd player has components anyway and I read that the TV will also upscale the image to the native 1080p of the set.

Question....I can output the sd dvd as 480i or 480p. So should I let the set convert the 480p signal to 1080p, or 480i to 1080p. Which process is considered the "proper method" with the least amount of changes to the original signal.

There is no firm rule. It depends on the gear. Try both. Which looks better?

Could someone give me a walk-thru of how the 1080p set would treat each signal?

480i: the display deinterlaces 480i to 480p and then scales the 480p to 1080p.

480p: the player deinterlaces 480i to 480p and the display scales the 480p to 1080p.

-Bill

bjmiller48

02-18-08, 06:06 PM

OK guys here's my problem. I just bought a Samsung 71f 1080p native set. I already have a samsumg 480p combo dvd/receiver. I am not going to buy a new upscaling dvd player just for the HDMI, because my samsung dvd player has components anyway and I read that the TV will also upscale the image to the native 1080p of the set.

Question....I can output the sd dvd as 480i or 480p. So should I let the set convert the 480p signal to 1080p, or 480i to 1080p. Which process is considered the "proper method" with the least amount of changes to the original signal.

Could someone give me a walk-thru of how the 1080p set would treat each signal?

Thanks,

Rob O.
There is no rule here,and no device even nearly as sophisticated as the human eye. Try it both ways, in different conditions with diferent source materiasl. You might even want to play with the commercially available DVD set up discs that offer grids and test patterns but I wouldn't bother. You understand that one or the other does the de interlacing, so experiment to see which picture looks best. My guess? The display sounds newer and probably has a better deinterlacer-scaler than the combo unit. I put my money on the 480i signal looking the best, Barry. Let us know!

LR6AGB001

02-19-08, 03:29 PM

I've been using (720p) HDMI for the past couple of years and just came across GetGray's calibration disc. It's my understanding that the Sony 975v passes BTB through component but I wasn't sure if reducing picture & brightness setting is still necessary.
http://archive2.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=465186&highlight=975v
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

senjey

02-22-08, 11:33 AM

I have bought a philips DVP5982 upconverting DVD player last night. I am able to get audio and video through A/V cable. But when i connect through HDMI cable, I am not getting audio. Anyone please explain how to get audio and video both through HDMI cable. My tv is a Vizio 37" lcd. thanks in advance

thenry1989

03-10-08, 03:47 PM

wonderful post. this should clear things up a bit.

Pats/Hokies Fan

03-23-08, 11:27 PM

Help :

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13454648&posted=1#post13454648

I have a Vizio 47" 1080p LCD (16:9) and the Sony DVP-NS72HP. I'm using the HDMI 1 input on the 1080p 16:9 TV.

When I play a DVD, there are black bars for widescreen formats and way too huge black bars in anamorphic widescreen formats. You can tell the image needs to be stretched (vertically only). It's real easy to tell, as the first film I watched showed an old television that was supposed to be square and it was rectangular (too wide). The TV has a zoom mode which corrects the ratio, but then you lose the sides of the image. Definetly don't want that, give me the full image at the proper ratio. The TV doesn't have a mode that stretches vertically only so.....

I set the settings back to "4:3 Output" -- "Normal", which displays it in 4:3 and then I use the TV's zoom mode to adjust the image to the proper format. That's the only setting I've changed. Unfortunately, now, the image just doesn't look as good.

Is there any other way to adjust this ?

I'm stunned that the DVD player doesn't display the films in the correct aspect ratio. Which leads me to assume that I'm doing something wrong, but I've tried every single option on the video settings.

Why does this occur ? I'm confused as to why the widescreen films aren't taking up the full 16:9 display when used over the HDMI input. This didn't happen on my old DVD player over the component inputs.

Thoughts ?

wmcclain

04-20-08, 10:25 AM

The Add'l info posting on the first page of this thread has a section Aspect Ratio Information which has all the links needed to understand the issue of Anamorphic vs 4:3 letterboxed DVDs, but the question comes up from time to time and I thought I would summarize it here.

This is not about anamorphic lenses for projectors. See the stickies in the Constant Image Height (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=7&f=117) forum for that.

Nor is it about the sometimes unexpected black bars at the top and bottom of some movies. See Why Don't the Black Bars Go Away? (http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/High-Def_FAQ/Joshua_Zyber/High-Def_FAQ:_Why_Dont_the_Black_Bars_Go_Away/764 ) for more on that.

If you have unexpected black bars on all four sides: read on.

In brief, there are two ways of putting widescreen titles on DVD. 4:3 letterboxed is less desirable; anamorphic is better. The undesirable 4:3 letterboxed was more commonly used in the earlier years of DVD, but you still find examples. These are the ones that display black bars on all four sides.

The two ways of authoring a title on DVD are as 4:3 and 16:9. This is confusing because old-style TV displays are also called 4:3 and new widescreen displays are called 16:9, but this is something different. Even more confusing, movies also have aspect ratios and some are (or are close to) 4:3 and 16:9, but that is not the real issue here either.

The difference between a 4:3 and a 16:9 title on a DVD is just a flag on the disc indicating how the disc space is used. The maker of the DVD sets the flag and the player has to read it and process the image data properly.

Why have two methods? Because DVD allows only so much image data: 720x480 (NTSC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ntsc)) and 720x576 (PAL (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pal)) pixels are the most DVD-Video can hold, never any more. We would like to use that space efficiently, packing as much image data into it as we can. Depending on the aspect ratio of the movie, we might do it one way or another.

4:3 is "perfect" for old movies and TV shows where the aspect ratio of the program is close to 1.33:1, the traditional Academy Ratio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_ratio). Every pixel on the DVD is used for good image data, nothing is wasted.

Similarly, 16:9 is "perfect" for titles close to an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, which is the HDTV standard. All pixels on the DVD are used for image data.

[The astute reader will have noticed at neither 720x480 nor 720x576 are anything like 1.33:1 or 1.78:1. The pixels stored on the DVD are not "square"; they need to be stretched one way or another when displayed. This all happens automatically, so forget about it].

Where do wasted pixels come in? What if you have a title that is not 1.33:1 or 1.78:1? 2.35:1 is very common; see, for example, Master and Commander (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0311113/technical). The image has to include black bars above and below to make the original aspect ratio come out right. We don't like wasting valuable image space on black bars, but what else to do? The alternative would be either to stretch the image vertically, which would look weird, or to zoom it larger and chop off the sides, which no one wants.

An old article: The Ultimate Guide to Anamorphic Widescreen DVD (http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/anamorphic/index.html) has some example illustrations of the above.

So what's the problem? The problem is that the studios, especially in the early years, put widescreen movies on 4:3 discs. That means:

they waste precious image data by including large black bars on 1.78:1 titles, when they could have made a 16:9 disc and used all the space for image data. Or even larger black bars on 2.35:1 titles when a 16:9 disc would have required smaller ones.

your DVD player + TV see this as an old-style 4:3 program, so it is displayed in the center of the screen with black bars ("pillarboxes") on either side, in addition to the ones above and below. Again, you can distort the image by stretching it or zooming, but the image will never be as good as a properly done anamorphic disc: a widescreen title encoded on a 16:9 disc.

These problem discs are called 4:3 letterboxed. It seems like a serious technical error. Why did they do it? In 2000, Bill Hunt wrote:

So doing anamorphic on DVD is a win-win situation for everyone, right? Sure. But there was a time, early on in the history of the format, where the studios were reluctant. In many cases, they simply didn't understand the anamorphic feature of DVD. You'd be surprised how many studio executives in charge of DVD that I had to explain it to early on. And some were concerned that all that electronic "squishing and unsquishing" of the video signal would degrade the picture quality on current TVs. To be fair, some early players weren't so good at the process. But that problem has long since been resolved. Current DVD players almost universally render amazing widescreen images from anamorphic DVDs.

All said, it took a couple of years for some studios to finally make the move to anamorphic widescreen on DVD. Buena Vista and Fox have only recently started doing anamorphic transfers for their discs (Tarzan is anamorphic, for example, as will be Fox's upcoming Fight Club disc). But some studios have been doing right by DVD straight out of the gate, like Columbia TriStar, Warner Bros., New Line and DreamWorks (once they finally hopped on the DVD bandwagon). Others, like Paramount, MGM and Universal, soon adopted the feature on at least some of their releases. The bottom line, is that for many of the studios, anamorphic widescreen has become the rule for DVD, instead of the exception. And every major studio has now released at least a few anamorphic discs.

How to tell if a DVD is anamorphic? See the packaging hints in Anamorphic widescreen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anamorphic_widescreen#Packaging) or page 2 of Bill Hunt's article, which I quoted above and linked previously: The Ultimate Guide to Anamorphic Widescreen DVD (http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/anamorphic/index.html).

You can research DVD editions at the IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/), or at DVD Compare (http://www.dvdcompare.net/index.php) and DVDBeaver (http://www.dvdbeaver.com/).

Remember it only matters for widescreen titles. There is no need for an anamorphic Casablanca (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034583/technical).

What to do with your 4:3 letterboxed titles?

Live with them. Zoom in so they are full width. Replace them with anamorphic versions, if they are available.

For example, I have purchased anamorphic replacements for these titles, originally 4:3 letterboxed:

Brigadoon High Plains Drifter Last of the Mohicans Predator Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves A Room with a View

Sadly, I have a long list of titles where anamorphic versions are not available as of this writing, at least not in Region 1. They include:

1941 Armageddon Cutthroat Island The Doors Emma (Paltrow) Freeway The Ghost and the Darkness Hell in the Pacific Hope and Glory The Horseman on the Roof House season 1 Impromptu Ladyhawke A Life Less Ordinary A Midsummers Nights Dream (Kline) Picnic at Hanging Rock Queen Margot The Rocketeer Sliding Doors Streets of Fire (available on HD-DVD) Walkabout While You Were Sleeping Withnail and I

There are many more. Some of these may be available from other regions as anamorphic PAL discs. A good reason to have a multisystem player.

Else, we wait for anamorphic new editions, or better yet, Blu-Ray.

Finally, the distinction between letterboxed and anamorphic goes away for Blu-Ray and HD-DVD: they are always 16:9 and use "square" pixels; none are anamorphic. If titles require aspect ratios other than 1.78:1 the black bars are included as part of the image.

A speculative aside. Skip over this part if you're not interested in what might have been.

A good question: why only two ways of authoring DVDs? Instead of a two-choice flag, why not a setting allowing a range of values covering all reasonable movie aspect ratios, not only the 2.35:1 of Master and Commander (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0311113/technical), but the even wider 2.76:1 of Ben Hur (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052618/technical)? Then there would never be a need to include black bars on the disc and the DVD would be filled with valuable image data. The player would scale the data as necessary to restore the original aspect ratio.

In fact, why have fixed x/y dimensions at all? Given disc space and bandwidth limitations, we'll accept that 720x576 = 414720 pixels per frame is the limit. Why not allow the DVD author to choose how this space is allocated in the horizontal and vertical dimensions? From a programmer's perspective it is just a pool of bits.

Answer: I don't know. Maybe when DVD-Video was designed there was not enough processing power in the players to allow this type of scaling. Maybe there was simply no interest in more complicated title encoding by the content providers. But Blu-Ray and HD-DVD were designed more recently, and they allow only one aspect ratio on disc: 16:9, square pixels, 1920x1080 max. All titles not 1.78:1 must have black bars as part of the image.

Now, to be fair, this is less of an issue with High Def media, which has plenty of resolution for most consumers. And as long as we live in a world where 1920x1080 is the maximum display size there is no place to put the extra pixels of resolution anyway. The Constant Image Height users with anamorphic lenses on their projectors could make use of anamorphically encoded HD discs now, so they complain sometimes. And if displays with resolutions greater than 1920x1080 or wider than 16:9 are ever common we may wish the standard had included selectable aspect ratios.

-Bill

LesFex

06-25-08, 08:18 AM

Hi Guys,

I am planning to get new DVD player for my sis and looking for some good online stores. I have checked some shopping sites like silkfair.com. Can anyone suggest me other online stores?

andy sullivan

11-24-08, 01:08 PM

Think maybe it's time to dump this post or start a new one more specific to today's market. This is the first post in five months.

nascaptain99

12-15-08, 04:28 PM

Just got a samsung hd tv hooked up my std dvd player and my picture play blue. maybe someone out there can help me. hooded up tv and dvd with component video cable.

wmcclain

12-15-08, 05:01 PM

Just got a samsung hd tv hooked up my std dvd player and my picture play blue. maybe someone out there can help me. hooded up tv and dvd with component video cable.

Check your cables carefully. Make sure the plugs are in the same colored sockets at both ends.

I know some Samsung displays have a blue mode for calibration. Make sure it is not turned on.

-Bill

nascaptain99

12-15-08, 05:09 PM

Cables are hood up to color code. on the tv where to you find the on off control for the blue mode. Could the cables be bad

bjmiller48

12-15-08, 05:17 PM

Just got a samsung hd tv hooked up my std dvd player and my picture play blue. maybe someone out there can help me. hooded up tv and dvd with component video cable.

Since all DVD players will output component without selecting it, most likely you have failed to chose the correct input on your TV. Look for an input button on the TV remote, and with the DVD playerplaying a movie, go through the different inputs until you see the movie. Good luck.

wmcclain

12-15-08, 05:18 PM

Cables are hood up to color code. on the tv where to you find the on off control for the blue mode.

I don't know. It would be in the menus somewhere. Do you have a manual?

Could the cables be bad

Sure. Everything put together falls apart.

-Bill

onlinegadgeteer

12-20-08, 12:50 AM

Is it right the quality of DVD Player is excellent?

wmcclain

12-20-08, 06:47 AM

Is it right the quality of DVD Player is excellent?

Which DVD Player?

-Bill

gamehhh

03-08-09, 01:28 PM

thanks for nice info guys