[mythtv-users] Blu-Ray/HD-DVD versus MythTV HD recordings

[Steven Adeff]

On 3/19/07, Yeechang Lee <ylee at pobox.com> wrote:
> Brian Wood <beww at beww.org> says:
> > I would certainly not buy a PS3 just for a Myth frontend, but if you
> > are looking for the cheapest BR player available, and also get a
> > machine that can run Linux and perhaps Myth, it's certainly a
> > bargain.
>
> Speaking of Blu-Ray, how do recordings on Blu-Ray (and HD-DVD) discs
> look compared to what MythTV can do with undiluted recordings from
> high-bandwidth HD cable channels over FireWire, or via ATSC? I realize
> that the discs offer the potential for 1080p versus 1080i for cable
> (or ATSC), but does this actually make a difference in practice?  What
> if a good-quality scaler like Bob is used?


I assume you mean purchased BluRay/HD-DVD discs. They are much much
much better than anything you will see on TV.
They are encoded at 1080p with h264 at a higher bitrate than broadcast
mpeg2. A typical 1.5hr movie can be somewhere around 25-30GB in h264.
On top of that, they support lossless surround sound.

Of course, on anything smaller than say 50" you probably won't notice
much difference in detail between these and a properly upscaled DVD.
Though the extra color information and better black levels would be
apparent if your screen is capable of displaying at this level.

the short of it, if you have a small or older HDTV don't worry about
either format unless you want to start buying the movies now for a
future large HDTV purchase.

Personally, I'd say wait until the proper dual-format players start
coming out and drop to around $800 or lower.

-- 
Steve
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