HD Hype

[CCoug83]

What is all this hype about Divx HD on the homepage? Is it a new form of Divx? Or is it simply the regular codec encoded at a high bitrate? The samples up for download are amazing quality.

[jggimi]

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=81447

[DigitAl56K]

http://labs.divx.com/archives/000032.html

http://www.divx.com/hardware/detail.php?p=34

:)

[SeeMoreDigital]

Personally I find the specification for the IO DATA AVLP2/DVDL player is a little confusing.

Please see here (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&postid=558572#post558572).

It does not help that the player is being shipped without DVI video and 6Ch analogue audio outputs....

In all honesty I would not recommend anybody to purchase an HD player, without it having some form of digital output (DVI, HDMI or SDI)....


Cheers

[b0b0b0b]

actually all this news about divx hd has really reignited my interest in divx. The 2 keys are that these players can read divx files off of dvd's, and that they can output at fancy resolutions. Seriously, YPrPb or 5-bnc look really darn good. I think it's unlikely most people's video performance bottleneck is not having a dvi connector.

Anyhow, I think I know what I'm asking the wife for xmas. Finally she can get me something that I actually want. (Albeit with my own money, but that's another story)

[thekid]

Originally posted by SeeMoreDigital


In all honesty I would not recommend anybody to purchase an HD player, without it having some form of digital output (DVI, HDMI or SDI)....



I would actually recommend the opposite. I have yet to see a good display with DVI in work properly in any circumstance. Until tv manufacturers and CE manufactuers get their act together on what type of DVI connector and resolutions they will handle i find them useless.

thekid...

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally posted by thekid
I would actually recommend the opposite. I have yet to see a good display with DVI in work properly in any circumstance. Until tv manufacturers and CE manufactuers get their act together on what type of DVI connector and resolutions they will handle i find them useless. Do you have any high-def plasma screens with DVI?

I've tested my 42" 1280x768 HD plasma with some of my own 1280x720 Mpeg4 images and all of yours. And I have to say they can look truly stunning via DVI.

Now I'm not saying the analogue connection is poor, because it's not. However, edge detail, colour balance and motion blur is much improved via DVI.


Cheers

[thekid]

Originally posted by SeeMoreDigital
Do you have any high-def plasma screens with DVI?


Cheers

Yes, i've tested several, and several more DLP, LCD, etc etc high end TV's with DVI in and in each case the quality was not there.

and to further the proplem the inconsistancies between the resolutions supported by each tv and the device output was always an issue.

I have hope that someday it will work, and work very well. I just don't think we are there today

thekid...

[scharfis_brain]

[...] motion blur is much improved via DVI.

how can motion blur suffer from an analogue connection?
since when is an analogue connetion motion-compensated for blurring or deblurring the moving objects?

[manono]

Hi-

Yes, i've tested several, and several more DLP, LCD, etc etc high end TV's with DVI in and in each case the quality was not there.

I don't have Hi-Def television programs to test. Nor can I play Hi-Def sources over my DVD/MPEG-4 player, so I can't test that either. I can only test DVDs and AVIs at sub Hi-Def resolutions and, to my eyes, the improvement is significant. As you know, a digital source (DVD) fed through a DVI connection to a digital display keeps the signal digital all the way. That by itself is a major improvement over the digital->analog->digital conversions that take place when using component hookups.

and to further the problem the inconsistancies between the resolutions supported by each tv and the device output was always an issue.

True. But some DVD/MPEG-4 players support modifying the output resolution, and more are coming with this ability. I didn't have to do that, as the player outputs 720p (modifiable) to a fixed pixel 1280x720 DLP HDTV. This 1:1 pixel mapping combined with the all digital pathway makes for a marked improvement when compared to 480p output over component. This improvement was quite obvious when I switched from my previous DVD player. Even my wife, who's blissfully ignorant about such things, commented on the better picture.

I, for one, am anxiously awaiting the I/O Linkplayer 2 (if it has a DVI out) confirmed to be arriving in the US in November, or the Bravo D3 (no confirmed date yet, as far as I know) using the new Sigma chipset so that I can test some real HD sources. I'll expect to see an even greater improvement in the viewing experience. I join SeeMoreDigital in recommending that anyone purchasing a DVD(/MPEG-4) player or an HDTV make sure that they have some sort of digital connection.

[jggimi]

My LCD TV is 1280x720. The STB is configured to covert all HD/ED output to 1280x720p/60, regardless of broadcast format.

I have both component and DVI connections from the STB, and often switch back and forth between them. Because the STB has converted to 720p, I see almost no difference between component and digital connections.

I think the HDMI/DVI connection can look slightly crisper -- but only when the source is from HD video camera, and even then, the difference is so slight that it may all be in my mind. If it's a film transfer, I see no difference at all. Of course, the majority of HD I receive from my cable company is 1080i, converted to 720p by the STB.

Unfortunately, my DVD player is 480p component only, so I can't make any comparisons with it.I can't ask my wife for her opinion as to which is better, as she says she can't tell the difference between an SD and HD channel. Even though we watch SD pillarboxed. Right. I believe she thought the TV was a huge waste of money, and that's why she won't render an opinion.Should we move this thread to the HDTV forum?

[manono]

Hi-

Should we move this thread to the HDTV forum?

Although we've gotten a bit off topic, CCoug83 originally opened this thread to ask about the DivX HD samples.

If your cable company is like mine, your Hi-Def digital signal started life as analog. So, it's been compromised already. As I understand it, the only way to get a pure digital Hi-Def TV signal in the US is over a satellite.

I believe she thought the TV was a huge waste of money, and that's why she won't render an opinion.

Mine doesn't hesitate to tell me that she thinks the TV was a huge waste of money. My bulb blew before its time, and the replacement cost about as much as a new standard 21" TV set. She likes to bring that up also.

[jggimi]

I was thinking we could split the thread, leaving CCoug83's discussion here, and the rest could be moved.

Bulbs:

Well in the case of my LCD projector, my wife actually suggested we acquire a replacement bulb in advance, since web research told me that 1) bulbs often have early life failures, and 2) Panasonic, the only supplier, has had periods when they've been backordered for months at a time. So I have a spare on hand. If the bulb expires before our one year warranty period does, then Panasonic will ship us a free one, but this way we need not worry about the possibility of waiting months for it.

[SeeMoreDigital]

I guess it's my fault for taking this thread of topic. Sorry about that ;)

In response to CCoug83 original post... All the high-def encodes on DivX's site have been generated using their regular codec. However, they have been encoded using many more pixels and a higher bitrate.

Given the source. More pixels at the appropriate bitrate equals more detail :D

With regard to the analogue component verses digital video debate, it's true to say that there is not a massive difference between the two and unfortunately you are less likely to see much difference on a conventional 853x480 plasma screen.

Moving this subject on even further, Sharp have recently launched their Titanium Aquos range of LCD screens. Top of the range is the 45" LC-45G1E (http://www.lcd4u.nl/item1382.htm) which has a full high-def pixel count of 1920x1080. But at around £6,500 it's quite pricey.


Cheers