Is it worth buying DVD-movies?

[Sikander]

Originally posted by loinburger
HDTV's will probably become more prevalent when they make the switch from analog to digital broadcasting.

True, but the best HDTVs don't tend to exceed the capabilties of the best DVDs at this point so there's really no reason to switch from a quality standpoint until that changes.

[Nostromo]

True, but the best HDTVs don't tend to exceed the capabilties of the best DVDs at this point so there's really no reason to switch from a quality standpoint until that changes.

Aren't current DVD's maxed out at 480p? And most HDTV's can display between 720p and 1080i, some of them can even do 1080p.

[Sikander]

Originally posted by nostromo


Aren't current DVD's maxed out at 480p? And most HDTV's can display between 720p and 1080i, some of them can even do 1080p.

It was my understanding that while many DVDs are in that lower quality band, some are capable of higher resolutions (i.e. true HDTV signals).

[Nostromo]

I'm pretty sure standard DVD's don't go beyond 480p. I guess we'll have to wait for some of our pundits to settle the issue.

Cnet about the new Toshiba HD-DVD:

The resulting image was jaw-dropping, even on a modestly sized Sony 32-inch LCD flat-panel and a 42-inch Panasonic plasma. Of course, we also auditioned the player on our Sony KD-34XBR960 direct-view CRT reference monitor. Minute details on The Last Samurai HD-DVD--the blades of grass, the cresting waves, the pores of the actors' faces, the stitching of uniforms and tapestries--leapt from the screen with startling crispness. It was among the best high-def images we've viewed, free of the softness and noise that are often seen on some overcompressed or poorly transferred HD cable and satellite broadcasts. The nighttime ninja attack in chapter 19 displayed deep and resonant blacks, free of noticeable false-contouring or blocky artifacts. Of course, the Toshiba HD-A1 can also play standard DVDs at high-def resolution (via the HDMI output only). We lowered our expectations accordingly--upscaled HD video quality can't be expected to compete with material that's natively encoded at high-def resolutions--but the results were more than acceptable: the HD-A1's video-upconversion-processing capabilities were on a par with those of the better players we've seen.

Who wants to see Tom Cruise's pores up close?

http://reviews.cnet.com/Toshiba_HD_A1/4505-6463_7-31736203-2.html?tag=toc

[Sikander]

Nostromo,

After doing a little reading it seems that DVD native format is 480i. Progressive scan DVD players can convert this signal to 480p. So it looks like I'm wrong here.

(edit) Even further reading tells me that you were correct in that native DVD format it 480p. It converts to 480i for non progressive scan equipment.

[hexagonian]

Buy used DVDs, as well as wait for slashed price breaks at retail stores. Unlike VHS, the quality does not noticably degrade on a used DVD.

I get most DVD movies for $5-10 each that way...

[DanS]

Actually, native DVD format is 480i, not 480p. A progressive DVD player "weaves" the 2 fields together on film source and deinterlaces the 2 fields together on video source.

However, standard definition TV 480i broadcast is 640x480, while DVD 480i is 720x480. There's also more color information on a DVD than a standard definition TV broadcast, among other things. This all shows up to good effect on HDTVs.

Bottom line is that the DVD format is pretty good on most materials, even in a world of high definition very large displays. Of course, if the cost difference between DVD and HD-DVD/Blu-Ray is pretty low, I would get the HD-DVD/Blu-Ray. The difference out of the gate seems to be pretty low, when you look at the $500 Toshiba HD-DVD player. That's about how much the first DVD players cost about 10 years ago, and inflation has marched on since that time.