Blu-Ray or HDDVD that ouputs 480I with SD Discs?

I don't think so. There are very few players that output a 480i signal over HDMI.

I only know of two SD players that output 480i via HDMI--Oppo makes one, as does Pioneer (at least, they did).

I use the internal processor of my projector to do all the "upconverting"--I feed my projector 480i via component from my SD DVD player (it has no HDMI output--it was rated as quite good at Secrets for interlaced, but only fair for prog scan, so I let the PJ (quite highly rated for its internal scaling and deinterlacing) to the work). I also feed my pj the "native" output of my HD PVR and let it do the scaling and deinterlacing (for the same reason). When I get a hi-def player, I will compare its 'upconverting" to the projector and go with the better one for SD DVD and I will send it which ever hi-def resolution looks best (it's a 720p projector).

The Toshiba HD-A2 and HD-A20 allow 480i output through HDMI. It's not automatic, however.

The HD-XA2 does not.

Still, the A20 has the same Anchor Bay VRS scaling processor as the VP50, so why bother.

Plus, it can do 1080p/24 output with film based SD DVD's and HD DVD's.

The A2, A20 and A30 can definitely... Not sure for A35 but pretty likely.

BTW, my E1 (A2) and EP10 (A20) here in Europe outputs 576i like a charm.

--Patrice

That's good to know. What do you have to do to get 480i? Do you have to manually select it every time, or does setting it on one SD DVD cover you permanently, while leaving HD DVD alone?

Like others, I'm planning on eventually using an external processor (Reon VX in the Onkyo 905) to do all my scaling, and figured 480i was safest--leave the scaling AND the IVTC to the processor that knows what it's doing. Unfortunately, my HD-A1 does not allow this.


ABT1018

Well, certainly the VP50 (being a high end standalone video processor) provides far more scaling options, settings, adjustments, can process a number of different incoming signals... the VRS processor in the A20 player only scales discs to 1280x720 or 1920x1080. So, obviously it is a limited function application of the chip.

New to the FORUM and wondering what is better DVD-HD or BLU-RAY?
I live in a small town with no BLCKBUSTER or MOVIE GALLERY.

Any thoughts?

First of all, it is HDDVD, not DVD-HD. If you see DVD-HD on a DVD player, it is NOT an HDDVD player. An HDDVD player will say "HDDVD" on it, and HDDVD movies come in a "Red" case with an HDDVD logo at the top...in most cases.

On to your question...thats like asking, "Which is better, Male or Female". As most wise people know, it depends on your quality metric. Some (BD fans) would say "If it's bigger and could 'potentially' be better, then it's better". Other's (HD fans) would say "If it's available 'today' and can do the same thing for less money, it's better".

I say: If you are rich, buy both. If you are not, look at the catalogue of movies available on each and pick. If it's a wash with the movies, and money is a factor, go with HDDVD. If it's a wash with movies, and you're a "size matters" kinda person, go with Blu ray. Ultimately, they're more or less the same thing right now.

I recall reading that the Lumagen VP, not sure if it is only the new one to be released, XD, or one of the current models regarding 480p via hdmi, is that it is able to deconstruct to native interlaced and then perform its own 'better' deinterlacing and scaling.