Upscaling question.

[patrickjs89]

Hello all, new to the forums here and still learning about blu-ray players. I own a Samsung BDP-1500 and I have been very impressed with the picture quality. My question is, for a DVD movie to be upscaled to 720/1080 high definition, does it HAVE to be connected via HDMI, or does it matter if it's connected component or HDMI?

[zicmubleu]

Originally Posted by patrickjs89

Hello all, new to the forums here and still learning about blu-ray players. I own a Samsung BDP-1500 and I have been very impressed with the picture quality. My question is, for a DVD movie to be upscaled to 720/1080 high definition, does it HAVE to be connected via HDMI, or does it matter if it's connected component or HDMI?

Component cabling can deliver up to 1080i, it is a specification limitation not an actual wire issue per se. HDMI generally is considered capable of 1080p but the newer spec, 1.4, allows it to deliver 4K which is twice as wide and twice as tall pixel wise. Existing cables are generally not rated for anything more than 1.3 but most will probably handle the 1.4 spec if they are not too long. It is a matter of the electronics on each end handling the higher bit rates, etc. Component cable is only spec'd to 480 (not sure if it is i or p) and S-video is about the same I think. However you would need to check your player's manual to be sure that the upscaled image is delivered over the component cables, I would think so, but if the player only upscales to 1080p for example, then the specification would not allow it to be delivered across component cables. Just try it and see what you get, if you don't have to enlarge the image on your TV set to get a full screen using the component cables you should be good to go.

[RazorFromHRSnet]

although component video is capable of carrying a 720p and 1080i signal, your BluRay play will only upscale over an HDMI connection.

The reason being, the movie studios didn't want upscaled movies going out over analog (component) because the digital (HDMI) output has what is called HDCP encryption on it.

It's stupid, cause you can do a perfect pixel for pixel rip of a DVD on a computer pretty damn easily... LOL.

That rule is there for BluRay's right now, but can be turned on or off on an individual title basis. The studios agreed to hold off on implementing it for awhile because so many people have HDTV's with only component inputs, or with DVI inputs that are not HDCP capable.