DVDs look terrible on new 4K TV

[countryknight]

So if this actually outputs VHS at 1080i via HDMI with the requisite upscaling, this sounds like the best option for capture so I can convert all of my VHS from the 80s and early 90s to Blu-Ray, right? Anyone else care to chime in? I have about 50 tapes and home movies I need to convert. (Super 8 film conversions will then be the last on my list and I'm all digital)

[chip75]

Originally Posted by countryknight

So if this actually outputs VHS at 1080i via HDMI with the requisite upscaling, this sounds like the best option for capture so I can convert all of my VHS from the 80s and early 90s to Blu-Ray, right? Anyone else care to chime in? I have about 50 tapes and home movies I need to convert. (Super 8 film conversions will then be the last on my list and I'm all digital)

Would there be any point in putting VHS quality video on Blu-ray? You'd be better off converting the tapes into 1:1 video files (with a capture card or box) on a PC and backing them up, either way they're going to be upscaled to your TV's native resolution.

[mar3o]

Agreed. No point in transferring VHS tapes to blu-ray. Encode them to DVD-9 to get the best quality out of DVD (Keep in ind DVD specs require the bitrate to be 10mbps or under, and that's including all audio tracks added into that bitrate). Or encode them to a digital file and you can set the bitrate as high as you want to maximize the quality. The only benefit blu-ray would give you is if you want multiple high-bitrate encodes on a single disc. Blu-ray wouldn't be limited to 10mbps like DVD.

If you end up watching them on a 4k set, it will end up being upscaled anyways one way or another.

[lagunaseca]

Bluray supports 480p resolution so why go to DVD? I think you can take VHS up to 720p with proper upscaling from the converter. DVD would be the worst option today. It's better to rip to a high bitrate MKV (H264/FLAC) and keep that as your master. If you need to create a bluray you just convert the audio and the video stays untouched.

[azmodeous]

I had a similar situation arise when I got my UHD player. It plays 1080p blu-ray and UHD beautifully but any resolution less than that it automatically upscales to 4K/60fps and that made watching DVD's damn near intolerable at times. I actually worked around it by playing all DVD's on my ps3 since it upscales DVD to 1080p/24 fps when viewing movies any further upscaling is handled by my tv.

[Jodi]

Originally Posted by elwaylite

Whats a DVD?

If I had a bad DVD, it would make a shiny, cool looking coaster for my Coca-Cola!!

[countryknight]

I want everything on Blu-Ray as that gives me only one format, and BD holds a lot more video than DVD does (fewer discs). Also, as this will be something that has to be backed up (multiple copies of the BDs and a couple of hard drives, I have a LOT of video from when I was young) for family archives. I've looked at a few options and don't know if I should get a TBC and use pro equipment (super expensive) or do post-processing to sharpen the detail as much as I can. I've seen examples and it does look better. I'll only have 70 inch 4K (or even 8K, who knows in a few years) TVs to view on from here on out. I have one 70, and the smallest TV in the house is a 50. That is likely to become a 65 in a quick hurry with Prime Day or Black Friday. Frys now regularly has 65 4K HDR sets for sub $500 now.

[DJR662]

The only DVDs I am watching are anime titles that have not been released on Blu-ray (in the west), and they all look fine to me considering the source.

Besides the Japanese DVD of Kill Bill Vol 1, I don't have any movies on DVD anymore.

[StingingVelvet]

Can't say I have this problem. I've been watching Star Trek Voyager DVD episodes here and there lately, as well as some Stargate SG-1 and they look pretty much the same to me as only my old 1080p TVs. I have my Sony 800 set to upscale directly to 4k as well.

[SlaughterX]

"DVDs look terrible..."

Should have stopped right there. I don't think I have even watched a DVD on either of my 4k TVs.

[Talal86]

I just watched Ju-on: The Grudge and it looked pretty good imo, I've seen worse blu rays

I liked it so much, that I dug up my entire j-horror dvd collection and will give them all a rewatch

[mysticwaterfall]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

Can't say I have this problem. I've been watching Star Trek Voyager DVD episodes here and there lately, as well as some Stargate SG-1 and they look pretty much the same to me as only my old 1080p TVs. I have my Sony 800 set to upscale directly to 4k as well.

I think Voyager actually looks slightly better, myself. Most of my other DVDs look about the same though.certainly ad I have said in other threads none look worse. Now if something could make the Dr Quinn Dvd look good, that would be something.

[Trekkie313]

Bigger question, how does VHS look?

[C.mcbraggins]

Originally Posted by kansashoops

Reminds me of the time way back when, when I got my first HDTV, and all my VHS tapes looked absolutely terrible on it.

Scaling things up by 2x (e.g. from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160) is fine. Scaling up by 5.3x (from 720x480 to 3840x2160) is bound to look kind of fuzzy, no matter how good the scaling algorithm. There's just not enough information to work with.

That upscaled image in the middle looks like ifs from one of those over processed Universal Blus! LOL

[roguejp]

Originally Posted by SlaughterX

"DVDs look terrible..."

Should have stopped right there. I don't think I have even watched a DVD on either of my 4k TVs.

Then you are in the lucky position that everything you want to see is out on blu-ray, I guess .

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by azmodeous

I had a similar situation arise when I got my UHD player. It plays 1080p blu-ray and UHD beautifully but any resolution less than that it automatically upscales to 4K/60fps and that made watching DVD's damn near intolerable at times. I actually worked around it by playing all DVD's on my ps3 since it upscales DVD to 1080p/24 fps when viewing movies any further upscaling is handled by my tv.

Dunno what player you've got but the Sony X800 is a superb upscaler of DVD and it does it at 4K24 too instead of baking in the 3:2 pulldown for a 4K60 output.

I also thought that upscaling to 1080p24 first and then letting the TV handle the rest was the optimal solution, but seeing as NTSC's pixels fit rather snugly into UHD's (x24, albeit in the wrong aspect ratio) then direct upscaling can be just as good. I just got done watching S7 of Archer on DVD and while it ain't nowhere near HD it held up very nicely indeed.

[mysticwaterfall]

Originally Posted by Trekkie313

Bigger question, how does VHS look?

I know you are being sarcastic but I can somewhat answer this. About 10 years ago I converted all our tapes to dvd-r. Watched one the other day for a little bit. Close ups actually weren't too bad. The biggest issue was when there was say, a landscape and people running against it a little far off. People would be a mess and lots of other issues.

Granted, I can't say they particularly looked that great on my old TV either

[motorheadache95]

I actually keep a 32" 720p LCD that I use for anything "sub HD," like DVDs and older video games. DVDs look aight on a small screen. I can't watch them on my 65" 4K OLED

[Blu Bull]

The few DVDs I've watched on my 65" 4K OLED have been OK, clearly not UHD, but far from unwatchable.

[C.mcbraggins]

In regards to DVDs on a 4k display AND HDMI player (DVD/BD/UHD), the looks of them depend on the source (Film, TV show shot on interlaced video) and how they were mastered/compression. Generally, recent DVDs of films new and old (from newer anamorphic editions) will look reasonably decent on a 4k display. However, when you get into PD stuff, some non-anamorphic transfers, and very early anamorphic DVDs (like 1997 Warner and Sony), those look downright horrendous. The video shot TV show DVDs don't improve very much on a 4k since video shot material cannot show more detail/res than making 4k/HD transfers of film (which is why not many 80s/90s shows are even on Blu, and even some of those are just SD crammed on BD).