Comments on: HDTV, Blue-ray, HD DVD, HDV, PVR, TV & Macs

By: Daniel

Daniel — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:56:32 +0000

Noted and thank you again Bruce for taking he time to respond. Very appreciated. Best regards from Guadalajara, Mexico.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 19:07:55 +0000

@Daniel yes, although your DVD player is connected to your 720p TV that player can at best 'upscale' your (non-HD) DVD-resolution content to fill the TV screen. A Blue-ray player connected to the same TV will not have to upscale the media on a Blue-ray disc so will deliver a true high resolution (HD) image. If you playback a DVD disc in a Blue-ray player you will not get true HD, since this would also involve upscaling. So in answer to your question a Blue-ray player would be better in the sense that you will have the new option of buying HD content (rather than DVDs) to watch in true high definition. Whether you'd notice any difference in upgrading to a 1080p 'full HD' TV is debatable (that probably depends on the size of the room/ how far you sit from the TV); the upgrade from DVD to Blue-ray will certainly deliver a more noticeable improvement in picture quality.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:48:52 +0000

I have a HDTV (1280 X 720) concected to a HDMI-DVD player. I would like to know if I purchase a Blue-Ray player and start using Blue-Ray movies, will the Blue-Ray player work on OK with my HDTV?(better than my HDMI-DVD) or should I just wait to get a new "Full HDTV" to work with the Blue-Ray player?

Thanks for the advise.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 08:03:18 +0000

Thanks for the update Jakez. Here is the state of play for HD DTT in the UK.

By: Jakez

Jakez — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 00:05:05 +0000

High Definition is now being trialled in NZ (Waiatarua transmitter and others) at the moment, have a look in the forums there is a 1080i loop running at the moment and I have heard that 720p will also start today...

By: Bruce

Bruce — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 08:29:32 +0000

Erick, current HD DVD [FAQ] and Blue-ray players [FAQ] feature backwards compatibility with CD and DVD formats. They also "upscale" DVD video so it looks better on high definition screens, apparently.

By: Erick

Erick — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 00:24:34 +0000

I have DVD's and I want to buy a HDTV player or a Blue Ray player. I want to know if I can still play the regular DVD's in eather one of the new players.

Thanks

By: Bruce

Bruce — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 20:25:28 +0000

Here's a good in-depth post about the AC-3 audio situation on Macs

Thanks Rob; same link as per my update from 18.06.07, just above the EyeTV screen cap. As you say, it's a good post. I've added both the A52Codec and Perian QuickTime Components to my system.

By: Rob

Rob — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 19:02:20 +0000

Nice information, Bruce. Detailed as usual.

Here's a good in-depth post about the AC-3 audio situation on Macs:

http://www.thismuchiknow.co.uk/?p=24