Originally posted by oppodigital:

---

In order for an HDTV to show the best possible picture quality, the video signal must be converted to the "native rate" of the display (the primary resolution that the screen supports). This can be performed either within the TV itself, or externally at the video source. Although it is true that every HDTV comes equipped with circuitry to perform this conversion, generally the set manufacturers use basic, unsophisticated scaling chips that do an inadequate job. The TV may enlarge the video to fill up the screen, but usually does not address many complicated issues in properly handling of the video signal to create the best possible picture quality. For optimal display result, it is best to feed the HDTV with a native HD video signal so that the TV does not have to do the zooming. How well the conversion from Standard Definition to High Definition is performed by the circuitry in the electronic devices will determine how good the video image looks on screen. In the case of DVD, which is still encoded at Standard Definition resolution, this is almost always best performed within the DVD player so that the display's own internal components won't have to struggle with these steps and can simply present exactly the signal provided to them.

---