I‘m confused: I have a 4-year-old Mits 55 WS 55859 HDTV and a somewhat older Pioneer VSX-D509S AV receiver. The hulk of a TV is CRT-based, and it delivers great HD via OTA and local cable. The receiver also has given me excellent value for the money. Neither one of them, however, has HDMI or DVI interface. Thus the problem. With the prices dropping, I am seriously considering buying a new Toshiba HD DVD A-1 player. Based on my reading of this, other forums and magazines, it's still a little unclear whether I will be able to enjoy full HD from HD discs without either connection. So, to get the best the best picture and sound, will I need an HDMI or DVI connection between my TV, HD player and AV receiver? And, if so, is there some kind of converter device that can be used to provide this interconnectivity? Or will component connections suffice for now, as has been indicated in several forums? Finally, will I need an HDMI or DVI interface in order to receive the fullest benefit from the upconversion aspect of the HD DVD player for regular DVDs? Given my standard def DVD collection, this is very important to people who want to buy a HD DVD player. I can’t afford to replace my TV anytime soon, although I will upgrade to the appropriate AV receiver if necessary. So, any help with answering these questions is much appreciated.
You can enjoy current HD-DVD's in 720p or 1080i using the component connection from the HD-A1 to your HDTV. You can also enjoy DTS sound from the discs by using the coaxial or optical digital connection from the player to your receiver - or you can use the 5.1 analog connection for audio to enjoy DD+ or Dolby TruHD with the latest firmware. There is no need for an HDMI connection at this time since the Image Constraint Token (ICT) Flag is not enabled in all current releases. Almost all sources say that it won't be another 4 - 6 years until ICT is implemented if ever. By that time you may be in the market for a newer HDTV. Component connections for video will suffice for now. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060521-6880.html Upconverting standard DVD's are another matter. You will need an HDMI connection for upconversion if you are dealing with copy-protected SD DVD's. Non-copy protected SD DVD's will upconvert thru component.
It is my personal opinion that CRT based systems don't need up conversion as the CRT technology doesn't have a need for scaling. Its not a fixed pixel based technology. So what I mean is, using component video connections with a CRT will result in the same quality of picture as using an HDMI/DVI connection. I wouldn't worry about upconversion at all in your case. You will be happy with what you see via component using the HD-A1/XA1 since it has some of the best component outputs I every used. For your set configure it to 480i (yes 480i, its another personal thing) for SD-DVDs and 1080i for HD-DVDs. Why 480i instead of 480p? Unless your tv set actually has a faster scan rate than normal tvs (i.e. PC monitors) it would be better to do things in the interlaced scan domian instead of the progressive scan domian. Again, on most tube tvs including HD-CRTs everything is interlaced anyway so it doesn't make since to send the tv progressive frames when it can only paint pictures in an interlaced fashion. That one extra step can cost you some PQ. Ced
Thanks for all the input reference my HDMI confusion. I had figured the upconvert function of the HD-A1 DVD player wouldn’t work with component inputs on TV. It doesn‘t work, whether copy protected or not, on any of my inputs --- including the single RGB component input through which my HDTV cable TV box delivers excellent hi-def. Worse, however, with the only HD-DVD I’ve tried thus far, that input also doesn’t give me anything better than 480p. The Toshiba manual makes note of this possibility for “some” discs. Unfortunately, the only “possible” solution is a component to HDMI converter or adapter. Gefen seems to dominate this market, and we’re talking $250 to $400!. Cheapest I’ve found is StarTech VGAHD2HDMI component to HDMI converter (at about $170 to $180) … but does it really work? Anyone have some thoughts on this?
The HD-A1 can output HD-DVD's and backup DVD's in 720p or 1080i thru component. Just press the [RESOLUTION] button on the remote to cycle through the different output resolutions. I suggest choosing the 1080i output if you are using firmware less than 2.0. The "some" discs Toshiba was referring to would probably be where the ICT is enabled. So far none of the studios are enabling the ICT (not until 2011 when they will decide if they will) so the HD-A1 should be able to output all your HD-DVD's in 1080i thru component.
To re-iterate Yea the HD-A1 upconverts non copy protected SD-DVDs through component video. The HD-DVDs can be output at a resolution of up to 1080i over component video. Ced
