What cable for 720p and what type of DVD?

David462

I have a TV that supports as high as 720p. I also have an Xbox 360 that is connected up with component cables, and a fiber optic cable to the surround sound. Can I get a better picture if I use something like HDMI cable?

Also, do regular DVDs show in 720p with this setup, or is that only the HD-DVDs? And if so, does the 360 support HD-DVD or do I just need to get a player, and once again do I use component or HDMI here?

Stew4HD

The 360 over component will output 1080i, which is HD. If your 360 supports HDMI, then the only upgrade would be having both audio and video on one cable. You won't really get a better picture with HDMI.

For your second question, DVD has a resolution of 480. Many of the newer DVD players do upconvert standard definition (SD) to near HD quality. HD DVD is a dead format now. You could dig around and find an HD DVD player out there but ther is a limited number of titles available. The 360 does not support HD DVD alone. Again, you could hunt around and find an add-on unit that was made for the 360 for HD DVD playback.

I suggest getting a bluray player if you want "true" HD video playback.

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Scottnot

Although (as Stew4HD said) regulard DVDs output at 480 and Many of the newer DVD players do upconvert standard definition (SD) to either 720p or 1080i/p, the fact is, your TV will also upconvert the DVD player's 480 signal to 720p for screen display.

I also have a smaller (32") 720p set, and find that the picture quality of upconverted SD DVDs to be "near HD" in terms of quality.
Also, I find that on my particular set, the TV does as good a job of upscaling as a newer DVD player (I have both and don't see any difference).

Bottom line: don't expect to see any dramatic improvements upgrading to a new DVD player, your TV probably does well enough.

Loves2Watch

That depends on the size of the screen in many cases. SD material will look much better on a 32" TV than it will on a 50".

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David462

So is 1080i for the 360 better than 720p or did you just suggest 1080i since I am running component cables?

Loves2Watch

I would suggest 1080i as you always want to get the best/most resolution you can.

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Friends don't let friends buy Korean brand TV's or Blu-ray players.
Main HT Room - Panasonic PT-AE4000U, Draper Premier 119" 16:9 Projector Screen, Panasonic TH-85PF12U Plasma TV, 6 Conrad Johnson LP275M Amps, Anthem Statement D-2 Pre/Pro, 6 Thiel SCS4 Speakers, 2 REL T-1 Subs, Infinity Interlude 120S Sub, Simaudio MOON Orbiter Universal Disc Player, ELP Laser Turntable, 2 Dish Network ViP 622 DVR's, Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray Player, Onkyo DV-HD805 HD DVD Player.

Bigloww

That would depend on what your TV's true native resolution is. If it is 1280 x 720, then 720p would be the better choice most likely. Little to no conversion going on. But if it is 1366 x 768 (more common), 1080i would be a better choice in many cases. It is usually better to have your TV down convert a 1080i vs upconvert a 720p. Either way, you won't see much improvement most likely. Try both and see if you do. What is the model of your TV?

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Bigloww

And as far as his goes, Scott pretty much nail it on the head. If you are using an Upconverting DVD player via HDMI, the player will upconvert the 480p to whatever you set it as (720p/1080i), and then your TV will convert that signal to its native resolution. If you connect your DVD player via component and progressive scan, it will send the 480p directly to your TV for it to upconver to it's native resolution. It will not be true HD like Blue Ray or HD DVD, but it will be better than 480i SD.

HD DVD lost and Blue Ray won the war. However, since you have a 360 and may want to dabble on the HD side without forking over $$$. Fry's still stocks the HD DVD addon for the 360. It comes with the player, remote and the King Kong HD DVD movie all for only $35 (the remote is worth that alone).. And you can still find quite a few HD DVD movies on the web for only $5 a pop. Cheaper than SD DVD's. But you wont find any new releases. And if you use your 360 as a DVD player, this will save your drive. Just a though. You can also get a decent Blue Ray player for around $200 now, so in good shape there too.

http://www.frys.com/product/5024355?...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw...=hd+dvd+movies

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Commit to the Indian..

In Loving Memory of Junkie, The Rizz, Eagle and the Boys.. They are gone (wasted in fact) but not forgotten..

David462

Bigloww:

yeah my reso is 1280x720. Its on the Panasonic 42" plasma (keep forgetting the model number).

so if I put a DVD in my 360 connected up with component cables and my 360 is set on 720p mode, is that the best I can get? I also didn't think I can use a Blu Ray player unless my TV supports 1080p. So if it can though, is Blu Ray going to give me the best picture? I guess I just want to max out what my TV can do which I guess is 720p.

thanks

Loves2Watch

Try it both with 1080 and 720, see which looks best to you. Some here say that 1080 looks better even though your display is only 720...

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Friends don't let friends buy Korean brand TV's or Blu-ray players.
Main HT Room - Panasonic PT-AE4000U, Draper Premier 119" 16:9 Projector Screen, Panasonic TH-85PF12U Plasma TV, 6 Conrad Johnson LP275M Amps, Anthem Statement D-2 Pre/Pro, 6 Thiel SCS4 Speakers, 2 REL T-1 Subs, Infinity Interlude 120S Sub, Simaudio MOON Orbiter Universal Disc Player, ELP Laser Turntable, 2 Dish Network ViP 622 DVR's, Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray Player, Onkyo DV-HD805 HD DVD Player.

Bigloww

If 1280x720 is really your native res, 720p will be the way to go. But from what I have seen, most 42'' plasma displays are 1,024 x 768. Still 720p, but not the base resolution. If this is the case, 720p will most likely be your best choice as well. But as Loves stated, see for yourself. I doubt you will see much difference either way. My native res on my 50'' plasma is 1366x768, so it is usually better to down convert from 1080i than to upconvert from 720p, even though the diff is greater. Less overall correction and guessing. But not really the case in your situation.


And even though your TV is 720p and not 1080p, it still will definately benifite with Blue Ray or HD DVD. With my 768p plasma I can tell a pretty substantial difference between upconverted SD DVD and BD/HD DVD.. Some movies more or less than others, but overall no doubt. It will also vary with other factors like tv size vs viewing distance. So see for yourself.. 1 cheap way to test is to grab that 360 HD DVD addon for only $39 at Fry's.. King Kong (that comes free) will be a good test bed to see what you think..

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Commit to the Indian..

In Loving Memory of Junkie, The Rizz, Eagle and the Boys.. They are gone (wasted in fact) but not forgotten..

David462

yeah I think it is actually 768, I was just guessing but knew it was close to that.

I might get that HD DVD player for the 360 but does anyone know if HDDVDs can be rented at say a Blockbuster now? I think if I got one though I'd probably just buy a bunch off the site since htey are 5-$8 anyways. Only thing then is I am stuck with that selection if they arnt making anymore.

If I have a Blu Ray player, I am guessing it has to play Blu Ray only? That might be the way I go that way if I get another TV in 1080p I am good to go.

Bigloww

No, BB and Netflix do not rent HD DVD's anymore. But as you can see from Amazon and a few other sites, you still have many HD DVD's you can buy (pre 2009) for $5-$10. That will keep you busy for a while. You can play SD DVD's in the addon and it will also upconvert SD DVD if connected HDMI or VGA..

There are a couple cheap Blue Ray Fathers Day sales going on as well. Best Buy has an Insignia BD player onsale for $129. Not the best BD player on the market but will do the job with BD playback. Blue Ray players will also play/upconvert SD DVD's as well. Some BD players (usually the top tier) do a better job at UC than others.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1217029959586

__________________
Commit to the Indian..

In Loving Memory of Junkie, The Rizz, Eagle and the Boys.. They are gone (wasted in fact) but not forgotten..

Loves2Watch

If your TV is 768, 1080 signal may give you a better picture due to it being higher resolution than 720.

__________________
Friends don't let friends buy Korean brand TV's or Blu-ray players.
Main HT Room - Panasonic PT-AE4000U, Draper Premier 119" 16:9 Projector Screen, Panasonic TH-85PF12U Plasma TV, 6 Conrad Johnson LP275M Amps, Anthem Statement D-2 Pre/Pro, 6 Thiel SCS4 Speakers, 2 REL T-1 Subs, Infinity Interlude 120S Sub, Simaudio MOON Orbiter Universal Disc Player, ELP Laser Turntable, 2 Dish Network ViP 622 DVR's, Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray Player, Onkyo DV-HD805 HD DVD Player.

David462

now im a little confused

my TV displays up to 720p. I would like to watch movies in that resolution. I currently use my 360 with component cables. I am not getting the best my TV can put out with that?

So if I get a Bluray player, even though it is not a 1080p TV, it will play Blu Ray discs on 720p? And if the bluray player plays regular DVDs, will it upconvert to 720p?