[mythtv-users] Upscaling SD content on an HDTV set

Richard Woelk richardwoelk at yahoo.ca
Fri Nov 2 02:42:28 UTC 2007



David Fishburn wrote:
> I am about to purchase an HDTV (either 720p or 1080p).  We still have
> an old 27" CRT and would like a larger TV.
>
> Based on what I have read (here and the internet) and the distance I
> will be from the TV, there is actually no advantage to getting a 1080p
> set.
>
> 99% of the material I watch will be SD.  Many of the HDTVs I have seen
> display a nearly unwatchable SD signal.
>
> A couple of questions:
>
> 1.  I used MythArchive to create a DVD of some of my SD shows.  If I
> take this in and watch it on the new HDTVs, will it accurately
> represent what I will see when I watch an SD recording at home?
>
> 2.  Will Myth do "something" for me to make a regular SD recording
> better when displayed on the HDTV?  Will it upscale the image?
>
> Is there anything else I need to be aware of, or how to improve things
> for the transition?
>
> There was a good thread started here
> (http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users/290750) "HDMI: HD
> beatiful, SD not", but it fell short of responses.  Essentially it
> said to run the TV and it's native resolution and Myth will upscale.
> There was no conclusive response on whether this worked or not.
>
> I am looking at any of these TVs currently:
> Samsung LN-T4053H (40")
> Samsung LN-T4061F (40")
> Toshiba 42H167 (42")
> LG 42LC72 (42")
>
> If someone has any feedback regarding this, please pass it along.
>
> TIA,
> Dave
>   
Dave,
    Using a 42" screen, you won't be able to see all 1920x1080 pixels 
further than about 4-5 feet away, but one reason I went to a 1080p set 
is that it is hard for computers to output a good interlaced signal.
I have a 61" Samsung DLP, and I find that mythDVD looks better than my 
standard DVD player hooked up via component.
I don't have an HD capture solution, so my mythtv watching is always SD 
from a PVR-250 capture card. It is definitly watchable from 8 feet away.

I used to have a 26" HDTV CRT set that could do 1080i from its HDMI 
input. I tried a few times to get my Geforce 5200 to output a proper 
1080 interlaced signal with no luck, so I just ran it at 720p.
   
Its also a lot harder to play games in interlaced mode. (PC or xbox360)

HTH

Richard







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