[mythtv-users] dumb hdtv questions

[Cory Papenfuss]

> It's the high resolution.  Also 1080i is harder to play than 720p not
> just because the high resolution but also because most people like to
> deinterlace it on progressive displays.
>
 	Just from a raw pixel rate you've got this:

Signal	Resolution	Pixels			Relative pixelrate
NTSC:	720x480 at 30Hz	= 0.345Mpixel at 30Hz	= 1:1 (480i)
480p:	720x480 at 60Hz	= 0.345Mpixel at 60Hz	= 2:1
540p:	960x540 at 60Hz	= 0.518Mpixel at 60Hz	= 3:1
720p:	1280x720 at 60Hz	= 0.912Mpixel at 60Hz	= 5.3:1
1080i:	1920 at 1080@30Hz	= 2.074Mpixel at 30Hz	= 6:1
1080p:	1920 at 1080@60Hz	= 2.074Mpixel at 60Hz	= 12:1

 	Figure it takes a 450MHz machine to play SDTV DVD.  Multiply by 6 
to get 1080i HDTV and you get 2.8GHz machine.  Grossly inaccurate due to a 
multitude of reasons, and oversimplified, but it gives you a ballpark 
figure of how many more pixels need to be calculated compared to SDTV 
(480i).

-Cory

*************************************************************************
* Cory Papenfuss                                                        *
* Electrical Engineering candidate Ph.D. graduate student               *
* Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University                   *
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