untill I can afford a blueray or HDdvd player, I'm stuck watching standard DVD's (not like there are many available tittles of HD or BR anyway :rolleyes: )

my current DVD player has the option of component video...
what resolution are these capable of displaying??

What is the best cable to use to get the most out of a standard DVD player? I assume its 480P ?? is there anyway to convert it up to 720P ??

All DVD players output 480i and if there is component video output, that is available in 480i too. S-video output is 480i only. All other resolutions require component video or digital video output such as HDMI.

There is no compelling need for the DVD player to output 720p since all TV's accept 480i and if desired, will convert that to 720p.

Many DVD players offer the choice of converting to 480p for their output, some also convert to 540p (1080i) and/or 720p for their output.

It is not possible to say immediately whether the player's conversion to 480p or to 720p is better than leaving it at 480i. You would need to try it both ways or use friends' opinions or magazine reviews that involved your specific player and also your specific TV to determine that.

Regardless of the output format coming from a DVD player, a resolution test pattern played from a standard DVD will show at best the equivalent of 480 alternating dark and light spots in a full height column and 720 such spots in a full width row.

Video hints: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/viddoubl.htm

ok cool.... so would I get any more resolution out of using an HDMI cable over component video ??