34 inch screen, 1080i... go Blu or upscaling? - Blu-ray Forum

dmdrake · 02-20-2008, 04:29 PM

I have a Panasonic CT-34WX54 34-inch (CRT, native 1080i). My question is should I 'bother' with Blu or just go with a good upscaling standard player like an Oppo? I read that under 42" Blu-ray is really wasted... true/false?

Thanks for comments!

Dave

MrXpress · 02-20-2008, 04:36 PM

False, as long as you don't sit a mile away from the screen. Heck, I even noticed a substantial difference on a 32" LCD that I used to have. The color and sharpness are tons better on the Blu-rays (provided a good transfer), so I say go for it.

MacHaggis · 02-20-2008, 04:39 PM

It's all a function of how far you are from the screen.

For the size you mention, if you are beyond 5 ft. or so from the screen, you start losing detail, unless you have incredible eyesight.

- Bogdan

chasarms · 02-20-2008, 04:42 PM

I wouldn't buy a BD machine for that TV. You are going to pay 3-5x the cost of an upscaler for a minimal improvement in PQ.

But, if you need a new player anyway, I might consider BD hoping that I would have a bigger 1080p monitor sometime down the road.

dmdrake · 02-20-2008, 04:42 PM

Thanks for the quick response guys! We sit back about 10ft.

Dave

Sonny · 02-20-2008, 04:44 PM

Oh its still worth it

,the argument is with screen size & 1080p vs. 1080i which im not getting in to.

esteban2 · 02-20-2008, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmdrake

I have a Panasonic CT-34WX54 34-inch (CRT, native 1080i). My question is should I 'bother' with Blu or just go with a good upscaling standard player like an Oppo? I read that under 42" Blu-ray is really wasted... true/false?

BD looks MUCH better than "upconverted" DVD, even on 34".

ajc68 · 02-20-2008, 04:52 PM

It's very much worth it. I have a 32" Samsung with BD and it's a major improvement. All I have to do is throw on an upscalled DVD after watching a BD, and it's no contest. The BD is soooooooo much better it's not even close. Furthermore, it's the future, so you may as well start building your collection now, rather than double-dipping later. And trust me, you won't want to watch your SD DVD's after you've gone Blu. It's a no-brainer, go Blu.

Blu As Hell · 02-20-2008, 04:53 PM

Hey Dave!!! Welcome to the forums. Even with having a 34 inch 1080i tv the difference between Blu-Ray and Upscaled DVD is incredible. Besides go ahead and get a Blu-Ray player and it will upscale your DVDs as well.

DisneyKrayzie · 02-20-2008, 04:54 PM

How long to you think you will own that TV? If you plan on Buying a new tv anytime soon then you might want to invest in Blu-Ray rather than upconvert.

tron3 · 02-20-2008, 04:55 PM

False. My 34" 16:9 Sony wega is a tube set that does 1080i with only DVI and HD component inputs. (Other inputs don't do HD.) So I watch using HD component at 1080i and the picture is still stunning. I can hardly wait to get a great Sony LCD and rewatch everything.

MrXpress · 02-20-2008, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmdrake

Thanks for the quick response guys! We sit back about 10ft.

Dave

The way I look at it, your TV is going to be displaying about 2,000,000 pixels no matter what. Now, you could either fill it with 2,000,000 pixels of data, or fill it with 345,600 pixels of data, so obviously the former should look better, the degree to which varies with screen size and seating distance. There are other benefits too, like interactive menus and features and such, as well as improved color. In fact, when I popped in my first Blu-ray the first thing I noticed wasn't the sharpness, it was the color and depth of the image. You may want to try turning to HBOHD or something and watch a couple movies on there and compare with a standard DVD and see how apparent the difference is.

(of course, I'm a staunch believer in that 1080p is overrated and that 720p is fine, so it may be best to just ignore everything I say

)

DAMNSAM77 · 02-20-2008, 05:02 PM

FALSE!!! Total FUD, sorry you head to read that, glad you decided to come here to get the facts. Even a Blu-ray player playing a BD movie at 720P would look better than ANY UPSCALING DVD player playing a DVD. You can google some Upscales DVD versus BD screen shots of the same movie and see for yourself.

Plus you also gotta think that a year or two down the road you might wind up with a 1080P TV, so dont limit yourself.

AikonEnt · 02-20-2008, 05:18 PM

Definitely worth it in my opinion. I have my PS3 connected to my 32inch 1080i Samsung and the difference is like night and day. I'd say my head would be roughly 7 or 8 feet from the screen when sat watching but the extra detail, clarity and colour is noticeable over SD.

ResOGlas · 02-20-2008, 05:28 PM

Blu-ray looked much better than upconverted DVD on my older 1080i 30" Panasonic CRT.

Kruzifixxion · 02-20-2008, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmdrake

I have a Panasonic CT-34WX54 34-inch (CRT, native 1080i). My question is should I 'bother' with Blu or just go with a good upscaling standard player like an Oppo? I read that under 42" Blu-ray is really wasted... true/false?

Thanks for comments!

Dave

Go for blu with your tv will look awsome!Take it from me i have the Sony wega KDxbr970 34 inch hdtv tube and it looks incredible with blu ray movies,honestly looke better than my bro's plazy in my opinion in color,sharpness that crt's always had black color as well.This tv is amazing it has not even let me go flat panel hehe probably won't soon.

Kuraudo · 02-20-2008, 06:25 PM

A lot of CRTS accept 1080i but only display 600 vertical pixels or
800x600, 1024x768 or 1280x960. Be wary of that.
However, Blu Ray looks much better even given the same resolution size
look here: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=37402
So you will still benefit by getting only blu. By the time you can afford a great TV at least you dont have to rebuy your collection man.

dmdrake · 02-20-2008, 08:35 PM

Wow!! I'm sold! Thanks for all the info. I really did want Blu!
Now I just need to wait for the Panasonic DMP-BD50... and tell the kids that college isn't really necessary after all!

Dave

cawgijoe · 02-21-2008, 12:15 AM

I have a Sony 34XBR800 that I've owned for six years now....it's 1080i native and I have both OTA/Directv/PS3 running through it and we sit about 8 to 10 feet away..........Blu-Ray and HD look awesome.

Go for it.

DavePS3 · 02-21-2008, 12:37 AM

I run both upconverted DVD's and Blu-Ray on a Loewe 31" CRT at 1080i and the Blu is more like a photograph. Edges are dead solid, colors are bang on... it's not a night and day difference at that size, sitting 8 ft. away but make no mistake, it is noticable.

02-20-2008, 04:29 PM	#1
dmdrake Junior Member Member since:Feb 2008 Blu-ray collection:789 DVD collection:1	34 inch screen, 1080i... go Blu or upscaling? I have a Panasonic CT-34WX54 34-inch (CRT, native 1080i). My question is should I 'bother' with Blu or just go with a good upscaling standard player like an Oppo? I read that under 42" Blu-ray is really wasted... true/false? Thanks for comments! Dave

02-20-2008, 08:35 PM	#18
dmdrake Junior Member Member since:Feb 2008 Blu-ray collection:789 DVD collection:1	I'm sold! Wow!! I'm sold! Thanks for all the info. I really did want Blu! Now I just need to wait for the Panasonic DMP-BD50... and tell the kids that college isn't really necessary after all! Dave

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02-20-2008, 04:36 PM	#2
MrXpress Member Member since:Oct 2007 Location:Tampa, FL	False, as long as you don't sit a mile away from the screen. Heck, I even noticed a substantial difference on a 32" LCD that I used to have. The color and sharpness are tons better on the Blu-rays (provided a good transfer), so I say go for it.

02-20-2008, 04:39 PM	#3
MacHaggis Active Member Member since:Aug 2007 Location:Burbank, CA Blu-ray collection:102	It's all a function of how far you are from the screen. For the size you mention, if you are beyond 5 ft. or so from the screen, you start losing detail, unless you have incredible eyesight. - Bogdan

02-20-2008, 04:42 PM	#4
chasarms Active Member Member since:Feb 2008 Location:St. Louis Blu-ray reviews: 1	I wouldn't buy a BD machine for that TV. You are going to pay 3-5x the cost of an upscaler for a minimal improvement in PQ. But, if you need a new player anyway, I might consider BD hoping that I would have a bigger 1080p monitor sometime down the road.

02-20-2008, 04:44 PM	#6
Sonny Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Aug 2007 Home Theater Gallery:8 Blu-ray reviews:6 Trading Score:1	Oh its still worth it ,the argument is with screen size & 1080p vs. 1080i which im not getting in to.

02-20-2008, 04:52 PM	#8
ajc68 Active Member Member since:Jan 2008	It's very much worth it. I have a 32" Samsung with BD and it's a major improvement. All I have to do is throw on an upscalled DVD after watching a BD, and it's no contest. The BD is soooooooo much better it's not even close. Furthermore, it's the future, so you may as well start building your collection now, rather than double-dipping later. And trust me, you won't want to watch your SD DVD's after you've gone Blu. It's a no-brainer, go Blu.

02-20-2008, 04:53 PM	#9
Blu As Hell Blu-ray Guru Member since:May 2007 Location:Macon Georgia 4K collection:120 Blu-ray collection:461 DVD collection:4 Blu-ray reviews: 1	Hey Dave!!! Welcome to the forums. Even with having a 34 inch 1080i tv the difference between Blu-Ray and Upscaled DVD is incredible. Besides go ahead and get a Blu-Ray player and it will upscale your DVDs as well.

02-20-2008, 04:54 PM	#10
DisneyKrayzie Active Member Member since:Jan 2008 Location:Los Angeles, CA	How long to you think you will own that TV? If you plan on Buying a new tv anytime soon then you might want to invest in Blu-Ray rather than upconvert.

02-20-2008, 04:55 PM	#11
tron3 Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Aug 2004 Location:New Jersey Blu-ray reviews:3	False. My 34" 16:9 Sony wega is a tube set that does 1080i with only DVI and HD component inputs. (Other inputs don't do HD.) So I watch using HD component at 1080i and the picture is still stunning. I can hardly wait to get a great Sony LCD and rewatch everything.

02-20-2008, 05:02 PM	#13
DAMNSAM77 Special Member Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Jun 2007 Location:Beautiful Colorado Home Theater Gallery:37 Blu-ray collection:1507 Trading Score:3	FALSE!!! Total FUD, sorry you head to read that, glad you decided to come here to get the facts. Even a Blu-ray player playing a BD movie at 720P would look better than ANY UPSCALING DVD player playing a DVD. You can google some Upscales DVD versus BD screen shots of the same movie and see for yourself. Plus you also gotta think that a year or two down the road you might wind up with a 1080P TV, so dont limit yourself.

02-20-2008, 05:18 PM	#14
AikonEnt Blu-ray Guru Member since:Oct 2007 Location:Crawley, UK Blu-ray collection:246	Definitely worth it in my opinion. I have my PS3 connected to my 32inch 1080i Samsung and the difference is like night and day. I'd say my head would be roughly 7 or 8 feet from the screen when sat watching but the extra detail, clarity and colour is noticeable over SD.

02-20-2008, 05:28 PM	#15
ResOGlas Active Member Member since:Jul 2007	Blu-ray looked much better than upconverted DVD on my older 1080i 30" Panasonic CRT.

02-20-2008, 06:25 PM	#17
Kuraudo Active Member Member since:Feb 2008	A lot of CRTS accept 1080i but only display 600 vertical pixels or 800x600, 1024x768 or 1280x960. Be wary of that. However, Blu Ray looks much better even given the same resolution size look here: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=37402 So you will still benefit by getting only blu. By the time you can afford a great TV at least you dont have to rebuy your collection man.

02-21-2008, 12:15 AM	#19
cawgijoe Special Member Member since:Feb 2007 Trading Score:1	I have a Sony 34XBR800 that I've owned for six years now....it's 1080i native and I have both OTA/Directv/PS3 running through it and we sit about 8 to 10 feet away..........Blu-Ray and HD look awesome. Go for it.

02-21-2008, 12:37 AM	#20
DavePS3 Blu-ray Guru Member since:Jan 2007 Location:Toronto Home Theater Gallery:56 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:1	I run both upconverted DVD's and Blu-Ray on a Loewe 31" CRT at 1080i and the Blu is more like a photograph. Edges are dead solid, colors are bang on... it's not a night and day difference at that size, sitting 8 ft. away but make no mistake, it is noticable.

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