HDTV -- Help

[Devhux]

I'm just starting to get into the HDTV lingo, and have one main question:

If an HDTV-compatible display offers support for 480p, 720p, & 1080i resolutions, would the 720p (progressive scan) be better or worse than the 1080i (interlaced)?

Also, tying into this, would an XBox with the High-Definition A/V pack support these three resolutions?

Two other pieces of info which may help:

- The display has an aspect ratio of 4:3 (not 16:9 widescreen)
- To connect to the XBox, I'd be using YPrPb (Component video) inputs -- if this is right.

[Apex]

Well, I can't say about the xbox, because though I do have an xbox, it's still sitting in the corner of the room, still sealed in the box. I decided to give it away on this site. :)

In terms of HDTV, it's been debated which is better, 720p and 1080i. Some say one and others say the other. I hear that most material looks better in 720p, but TV's that can really do 1080 have the advantage because when 1080p comes out...

[ArkiStan]

Ok I'm gonna assume 1080i is interlaced and 1080p is progressive. So I thought all HD broadcast is progressive. Am I wrong?

[Devhux]

Originally posted by ArkiStan
Ok I'm gonna assume 1080i is interlaced and 1080p is progressive. So I thought all HD broadcast is progressive. Am I wrong?

Actually you are correct in assuming "i" means interlaced, and "p" means progressive, which is why I ended up asking the question in the first place. If the display supported 1080p, it would be a no-brainer -- but it doesn't. That's the problem with HDTV -- so confusing at times.

[LPMiller]

Originally posted by Apex
Well, I can't say about the xbox, because though I do have an xbox, it's still sitting in the corner of the room, still sealed in the box. I decided to give it away on this site. :)


Let me be the first to say that I think LPMiller really deserves an Xbox.

[Devhux]

Originally posted by LPMiller


Let me be the first to say that I think LPMiller really deserves an Xbox.

Go and buy one then, I'm not stoppin' ya. :D

(hehe. Of course, I have something I know you'd want even more than an XBox, but I like it too much to give it away). :P

[IrishSS]

Originally posted by GuruX


Go and buy one then, I'm not stoppin' ya. :D

(hehe. Of course, I have something I know you'd want even more than an XBox, but I like it too much to give it away). :P

You are a sick, sick man.... :P

[Brendan]

Originally posted by LPMiller


Let me be the first to say that I think LPMiller really deserves an Xbox.

I also this LPMiller deserves an Xbox. (you get points for selflessness, right?)

[Devhux]

Originally posted by IrishSS


You are a sick, sick man.... :P

Why did I not see that one coming? (LOL)

No, seriously it isn't bad at all -- just a piece of computer hardware I picked up, that's all. :)

[mkivman]

GuruX, HDTV is very maddening. I know I was confused before buying my Sony 53" rear projection HD monitor. I'll try to explain briefly.

Most HDTVs do not include the HDTV decoder box. That means all this debate about 720p and 1080i doesn't matter, because 100% of all DVDs come in 480i! So why do DVDs look so much better on HD monitors then? Because all HD monitors will upconvert interlaced signals to progressive scan. So apples to apples, HD monitor will beat any regular interlaced TV. If you want the 720p or 1080i, only the satellite dishes from Dish and DirecTV offer it. You still need to spend $600-1000 on a hdtv decoder box!

There is misconception that progressive scan DVD players are much better than interlaced DVD players. It's not completely true because all HD monitors upconvert interlaced signals to progressive. Depending on the quality of your HD monitor, the difference may not be noticeable at all. On my Sony HD monitor, using s-video from an interlaced player, my TV automatically does what's called reverse 3:2 pulldown. This is a technique used by better HD monitors to convert video back to film framing before displaying to the TV. Result? Smoother video. So why buy progressive scan dvd players? Because if you buy the better ones with the Faroudja or Sage chipset (which I did, Panasonic rp-56) they will do a better job of the reverse 3:2 pulldown. Result? Movie images appear very smooth.

Your Xbox should work fine using component video. It's 3 cables, just like you said.

[ArkiStan]

thanks mkivman,
that answered a lot of questions for me too.

[mkivman]

ArkiStan, you're welcome. BTW, you guys really shouldn't play video games for long durations on projection TVs. The static images on video games tend to burn into the screen. Buy a projection HD monitor if you want to watch movies. Buy a CRT tube TV if you wanna play video games. The better HD CRT tubes like some of the Sony WEGAs are progressive scan, but very costly. Just my two cents.

[mallowjr]

Does regular analog cable look that terrible on HD rear projection TV sets? In Best Buy they have digital feeds and most of their HD TVs look outstanding, but in my local hi fi store they show analog feed (ESPN college basketball) and it was the worst looking thing I've ever seen (I had them turn the lights off and on too).

I have digital cable, but I think they are still broadcasting in analog but just over digital lines. Anyways my cable looks fine on my directview NonHDTV...but i'm afraid of what it looks like on RP HDTV.

But I'll mainly be playing games and movies anyways...but still I need 4:3 because most games are 4:3.

-ELmO

[mkivman]

Hey Elmo, cable TV looks just OK on RP HDs. Why? The cable company sends digital to your cable box, your cable box converts to analog and sends to your TV. You lose some resolution in the translation. That's why I'd rather wait to get an HD Dish and a HD decoder box when they're more affordable.

BTW, if you're shopping for RP HD monitors, Sonys come with auto-convergence. This is a *BIG* deal. A lot of other brands require you to manually do convergence, which is a tedious chore of lining up a grid of lines until they look straight. Why do you need to do this? Because the lenses on your projector get misaligned over time and you need to adjust them.

[mallowjr]

Yeah, but how many digital channels are there? Everything I hear is it's only 3-4 channels come in widescreen HDTV...how is that worth it? I mean do you get everything else in digital at leat so it looks cleaner than the analog signals?

-ELmO

[mkivman]

Dang it, leave it to Elmo to expose the truth about HDTV, that it's not worth it. :-)

That's why TV manufacturers are selling mostly HD monitors instead of real HDTVs with decoder box built in, because the 720p and 1080i programming is non-existent. So the only people buying HD monitors right now are people who want a regular bigscreen TV and need something that can grow with them when HDTV becomes more popular.

[ArkiStan]

Yeah I think HD decoder boxes (currently around $800-$1000) are gonna get ridiculously cheap once everything become a little more standard. It's just not worth it yet, unless you have enough money available to throw around.

[ken]

Nevermind. go to the website on the other thread