TWC DVI vs. Reg HD Input

[gparris]

Thank you Paul, you get what you pay for, but in the case of a
good DVD player with a good processor like Faroudja, take what you paid to get, a great deal, a great deal more, for less with the Denon DVD-910 (under $300).

Lebowski: Find a way to get both hooked correctly for best picture, not second-best (no S-Video)!

summerfun: time to get a new DVD player for some of us!
PLEASE hook it up the way it was intended to an HDTV set: with component video cabling!:D

While we're on the topic of HDTV prices, I paid about $5500 for mine, on sale, and still it does better playing DVDs using the Faroudja processor and Monster-3 component cabling.
Although I doubt what you pay for a HDTV set really means you really get better in some departments like de-interlacing...not in my experience, and that's with dozens of HD sets.

Paul took his Sony, another decent set, and had it blessed (calibrated) by the best and still says his Denon player kicks!
I rest my case... thanks Paul!:D

[summerfun]

Originally posted by Paul S.
If you're comparing a shat $50 player to a $4000 TV, then you're right. I'm saying the PS is light years better on my Denon (which isnt all that costly) than my TV.

Then we have been agreeing all along, which is what I have been saying.

Originally posted by gparris
summerfun: time to get a new DVD player for some of us!
PLEASE hook it up the way it was intended to an HDTV set: with component video cabling!:D  

I do have mine hooked up to component cables, but Lebowski did not have an available component port, that is what started this.

[Paul S.]

Lets all meet up on 74th and state and duke it out

[Drummerboy]

Originally posted by summerfun
... many people find that the de-interlacer of the HDTV is actually better than the one in the progressive scan DVD player.

This can depend on how the DVD that is being watched was produced.  Most movies are produced in a "progressive" format.  In other words each full frame from the film was encoded to the DVD versus frames being split for interlacing.  For a "progressive" dvd it would be best to use component over S-Video so that the DVD player can feed as much of each picture as possible to the television in progressive mode.  
You will likely find that TV shows transfered to DVD, if not originally recorded in an HD format, will likely be from an NTSC source therefore the video will be interlaced.  In this particular instance I have seen where the DVD player was not able to de-interlace the video properly and I noticed occasional "scan lines" for lack of a better words.
Since you will be likely watching movies in their "original widescreen aspect ratio", they should be recorded in a progressive format so you will want to use component with progressive playback.
I would recommend exchanging the DVI cable to make sure it is not defective.  If no luck return it and find another local vendor with a different cable manufacturer.  You could buy the Monster cable just as a sanity check to figure out the problem and return the cable once you determined what the cause is.  I also agree that Monster is overpriced so stay away if you can.  I also agree with BillMilosz in that it may be that the cable box is a lemon so exchange that also.
Otherwise you're back to audio receivers doing your component video switching.

Good luck,

[BillMilosz]

One thing I didn't mention in my prior screed is that since DVI is a digital scheme (not analog, like component video)it has an "inherent" resolution to the signal it's carrying.  If your cable box is sending a 720p signal out the DVI port (1280 x 720, 60 frames per sec) and your tv is (for example) a Sony KF-60WE610 it has an LCD panel in it's projection engine with a native resolution of 1386 x 788, so it's got to re-jigger the digital signal to display the 1280 x 720 image on it's 1386 x 788  display.  I've never seen a Sony that does a good job of this, I suspect they spent most of their money on marketing and not much on digital resampling algorithms. That's why, if your set doesn't have a NATIVE FIXED PIXEL DISPLAY RESOLUTION matching the signal it's getting from the DVI (or some easily-divisible multiple 720x 480....1280x720.....1920x1080  etc) then you will see a WORSE picture from the DVI than the component.  This isn't the fault of the interface technology- it's a limitation of the quality level of up/down conversion & resampling technology which is used consumer digital TVs.

Component video can look very good indeed, but if want the VERY BEST....

By the way, a  friend of mine saw a 1080p Blu-Ray DVD on a 1920 x 1080 (progressive)DLP at an electronics tradeshow recently, and the manufacturer's rep told him that ONLY DVI could carry all this information properly- the component video interface just didn't have the bandwidth. These HD DVDs are the next generation of content and with prototypes like these being shown it won't be long before they are available on the market.  

Blu-Ray DVD record-play units are currently on sale in Japan; I understand there are some HD DVDs available there as well. Samsung will be offering DLP rear-projection sets with native resolution of 1920x1080 - which is 1080p, not really a broadcast standard but one which I suspect you will see HD progressive-scan DVD players offering when they hit the market.  

And- did you know that you can currently get some DVDs which have Windows Media  versions of the film in HD?  You don't play these on a DVD player, but on your COMPUTER; you'd need a good, fast PC, and Windows Media Player 9 along with a video card that can support resolutions like 1920x816 - and that video card needs component or DVI output to feed your HDTV monitor.

For example, Terminator 2 "Extreme Edition" has a HD version of the film in Windows Media format on one of it's discs, as do the films "Step Into Liquid", "Standing in the Shadows of Motown"  etc.  See Microsoft's site for more info: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/content_provider/film/HDVideo.aspx  

Microsoft is trying to give you another compelling reason to buy a "Media Center PC"  with this scheme.  If there's ever enough content available, it may catch on.  However, even though it uses a very good codec, Windows Media won't look as good as the 1920x1080 lower-compression HD DVD or Blu-Ray DVDs that should be available by this time next year.

[Drummerboy]

Originally posted by BillMilosz
Microsoft is trying to give you another compelling reason to buy a "Media Center PC"  with this scheme.  If there's ever enough content available, it may catch on.  However, even though it uses a very good codec, Windows Media won't look as good as the 1920x1080 lower-compression HD DVD or Blu-Ray DVDs that should be available by this time next year.

Great.  Another reason to hate Microsoft. :bang:

[Joseph S]

Feel free to read the parts where the MS Corp VP says,

the key point is that DRM enables new ways of experiencing content that we have not seen yet. The increased application of PC in these scenarios leads to more sales of PCs, benefiting us in the long term through growth of Windows sales.

In other news, T2 doesn't work with their latest beta and they still can't code either because it's too tough to create DRM for "open systems" for Microsoft but not Real? He must have seen those Enron tapes on CBS lately. Can't wait to read his firing during the next lawsuit.