ninjatutle
Premium
join:2006-01-02
San Ramon, CA
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
| HTPC, same quality as stand alone player to TV? BluRay?
I have a DVI (PC) to HDMI (TV) cable connected from my PC to 32" Samsung LCD TV. I don't have a stand alone DVD player and have been using the PC as the DVD player. The video card is Nvidia 8800GT.
So is the quality the same? I want to add a Blu-Ray rom drive to rent BR movies from Netflix. Would I be able to view movies like I currently am? Would I benefit from Blu-Ray as my tv is only 32" and is 720. |
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Airwolf
Don't be shy now. Come on, catch a ride
Premium
join:2001-10-30
Windsor, ON
clubs:
4 edits | AFAIK, HDMI uses the same signaling for video as DVI.
HDMI supports hot-plugging/swapping and digital audio.
Not sure if HDMI supports longer distances before degradation. |
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ninjatutle
Premium
join:2006-01-02
San Ramon, CA | What I'm concerned about is the picture quality, if it's the same. If a stand alone DVD or BluRay player is better then PC based setup. |
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dadkins
Can you do Blu?
Premium,MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA
 ·Comcast
| said by ninjatutle  :What I'm concerned about is the picture quality, if it's the same. If a stand alone DVD or BluRay player is better then PC based setup. Most PCs that are BD capable will out pace set top Blu-ray players.
Your machine will be WAY more than any STB! 
The issue you are going to run into is displaying a 1080p picture on a 720p set.
It will be fine, just not as detailed as it would be on a 1080p display/HDTV.
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Think outside the Fox... Opera |
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Anonymous_
Anonymous
Premium
join:2004-06-21
127.0.0.1
clubs:
2 edits | reply to ninjatutle
max is 5 metres (~16 ft)
higher-quality construction (24 AWG, tighter construction tolerances, etc.) can reach lengths of 12 to 15 metres (~39 to 49 ft)
1080P should be fine. on an 720P set |
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BillTager
join:2000-09-20
Charlotte, NC
| reply to ninjatutle
The video quality should be fine. The problem with blu-ray HTPCs is that there are very few options available to get the new HD audio formats working as seamlessly as stand alone players; even stand alone players have their own issues . If you want more info about this, avsforums.com is the best place to do research.
Ultimately, you'll have to decided if you want the convenience and simplicity of a stand alone player, or the integration features of a HD HTPC.
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Praise be to my Cadillac |
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BF69
join:2004-07-28
Camden, TN
| reply to dadkins
said by dadkins :said by ninjatutle :What I'm concerned about is the picture quality, if it's the same. If a stand alone DVD or BluRay player is better then PC based setup. Most PCs that are BD capable will out pace set top Blu-ray players. Your machine will be WAY more than any STB! The issue you are going to run into is displaying a 1080p picture on a 720p set. It will be fine, just not as detailed as it would be on a 1080p display/HDTV. Not sure if they even make 1080p 32" TVs. Even so there is no discernable difference at that screen size between 720p and 1080p. In fact you'd be hard pressed to find any difference in anything under 50 inches. |
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dadkins
Can you do Blu?
Premium,MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA
·Comcast
3 edits | said by BF69 :said by dadkins :said by ninjatutle :What I'm concerned about is the picture quality, if it's the same. If a stand alone DVD or BluRay player is better then PC based setup. Most PCs that are BD capable will out pace set top Blu-ray players. Your machine will be WAY more than any STB! The issue you are going to run into is displaying a 1080p picture on a 720p set. It will be fine, just not as detailed as it would be on a 1080p display/HDTV. Not sure if they even make 1080p 32" TVs. Even so there is no discernable difference at that screen size between 720p and 1080p. In fact you'd be hard pressed to find any difference in anything under 50 inches. Don't know either, no one ever said they did.
OP stated he had a 720p set.
Blu-ray will look better than a SD DVD on that set.
Viewing distance.
From 8 feet, no, from 4 feet, yes.
»A/V Chat FAQ »What is the proper viewing distance from your TV
Not everyone wants or needs a home theater.
Some people do sit closer than the standard 8-10(more?) feet from their sets.
Trust me, on my 17" laptop I can see the difference between 720p and 1080p.
This is because I am ~22 inches away from it.
From across the room, it could be 480 and no one could tell the difference.
EDIT: Sharp makes at least one 32" 1080p HDTV...
»shop2.frys.com/product/5496929?s···_RSLT_PG
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Think outside the Fox... Opera |
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