Home Video Asylum

TVs, VCRs, DVD players, Home Theater systems and more.

HD and HD upconvert and 3D questions

In my theater I run a Panasonic PT-AE100U 720p projector. This particular projector is very well regarded for its ability to show 480p DVD's in what appears to be near HD quality. I'm running a standard, not upconvert Toshiba DVD player. Would an upconvert player improve the picture on 480p DVDs or are the chips doing this inside the projector as good or better?

My problem with buying into one of the HD formats is not the potential obsolescence of the player but rather that I would end up with a library of $29 movies in an obsolete format.

Meanwhile, for about $55, less than the cost of two HD disks, Friday at Wal Mart I got the following collection of 480p movies
These were either $2.96 or $5.88
Enought to take me through the winter (well maybe not quite).
Eragon
Flyboys
Walk the Line
Message in a bottle
Mystic River
Alexander
Batman Forever
DaVinci Code
Hitch
Lethal Weapon 4
The Producers
Scooby Doo
Sleepers
Walk the Line

I am especially anxious to see how Flyboys and Eragon look on my 100-inch screen, both with great flying special effects.

A basic problem remains that $20 -$30 for an HD disk had better be something I really really want to see in HD, when I can get all of this for about the cost of 2 HD disks

Meanwhile I've been to Beowulf twice, once in non-3D and once in 3D. The 3D version was very impressive and I have been wondering why the 3D version cannot be transfered to DVD and sold with glasses.. Not sure exactly what the 3D projector at the theater is doing that can't be duplicated at home. But I see "Meet the Robinsons," using similar 3D technology in theaters was not released in 3D on disk.

The 3D stuff if it can't be done at home is good enough to really get people out to the theater, and the 3D version of Beowulf is doing very well at the box office.

I would be willing to pay $20-$30 for a 3D disk of Beowulf if it would play in 3D on my projector. But straight HD,...naw...my 720p projector on a well-made 480p disk is of comparable sharpness to what I see in the theater in standard non-3D movies each week.

FWIW, hhgregg has Toshiba HD players on sale for $149 this morning.


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Topic - HD and HD upconvert and 3D questions - DavidLD 05:02:18 11/24/07 (5)

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