[bruce-leroy]

Hi,

I am thinking of getting a blu ray player, possibly a sony bdp s760.

Unfortunately, I am out of touch with technology, and haven't kept up to date with developments since dvd was at it's early stages. However, having recently converted to skyHD, and being impressed by it, I have decided to take the plunge with blu ray.

However, my LCD TV only goes up to 720p/1080i (I should have bought a 1080p set, but it was a bit of an impulse buy at the time). I assume it will be compatible, but is there a big difference in the quality between 1080i and p? I think I saw a thread where some people where arguing that there wasn't a big difference between the two.

I am interested in the Sony as it has wi-fi for convenience. However, I would consider a non wi-fi player as I have a wireless router for my desktop and laptop. At the risk of sounding silly, would I be correct in assuming that I could use my laptop (which has ethernet) to connect to and install firmware for the blu ray player? Or can it not work this way?

Also, I don't have a dedicated AMP/receiver and speaker set. I only have a Yamaha all in one 5.1 sound system (comprising of amp, sub and speakers) which doesn't have any multichannel outputs (last time I checked) nor HDMI output. It is connected to my dvd player via optical.

If I just connect a blu ray player to the yamaha using optical cable, how would this affect playback of blu rays with, for example, 7.1 dolby digital or DTS HD soundtracks and such-like? Basically, will I get sound through my system? I'm not sure on this one, so any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks.

[pops107]

Originally Posted by bruce-leroy

Hi,

I am thinking of getting a blu ray player, possibly a sony bdp s760.

Unfortunately, I am out of touch with technology, and haven't kept up to date with developments since dvd was at it's early stages. However, having recently converted to skyHD, and being impressed by it, I have decided to take the plunge with blu ray.

However, my LCD TV only goes up to 720p/1080i (I should have bought a 1080p set, but it was a bit of an impulse buy at the time). I assume it will be compatible, but is there a big difference in the quality between 1080i and p? I think I saw a thread where some people where arguing that there wasn't a big difference between the two.

I am interested in the Sony as it has wi-fi for convenience. However, I would consider a non wi-fi player as I have a wireless router for my desktop and laptop. At the risk of sounding silly, would I be correct in assuming that I could use my laptop (which has ethernet) to connect to and install firmware for the blu ray player? Or can it not work this way?

Also, I don't have a dedicated AMP/receiver and speaker set. I only have a Yamaha all in one 5.1 sound system (comprising of amp, sub and speakers) which doesn't have any multichannel outputs (last time I checked) nor HDMI output. It is connected to my dvd player via optical.

If I just connect a blu ray player to the yamaha using optical cable, how would this affect playback of blu rays with, for example, 7.1 dolby digital or DTS HD soundtracks and such-like? Basically, will I get sound through my system? I'm not sure on this one, so any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks.

Hello bruce-leroy,
Yes you will get sound through the optical to your system 5.1DD and you may also get DTS as long as your yamaha supports it.

How big is your tv and how far from it do you sit? depending on the answers you give will help with 1080i vs 1080p question

Iam not shoure about the laptop and firmware hope some one else can help you with that one

[pops107]

Have a look at this if you are only watching in 1080i why spend so much?

Samsung BDP3600 | Blu-ray Player | Richer Sounds £189.95

Sony BDPS560 | Blu-ray Player | Richer Sounds £239

LG BD390 | Blu-ray Player With MR DVD Playback | Richer Sounds £249

Just a thought all got wireless as well

[bruce-leroy]

Originally Posted by pops107

Hello bruce-leroy,
Yes you will get sound through the optical to your system 5.1DD and you may also get DTS as long as your yamaha supports it.

How big is your tv and how far from it do you sit? depending on the answers you give will help with 1080i vs 1080p question

Iam not shoure about the laptop and firmware hope some one else can help you with that one

Thanks for the suggestions. I have also been considering s560 and lgbd90. My yamaha does have dts, and my LCD is 32 inches with a viewing distance of between 6-8 feet.

[Avi]

Originally Posted by pops107

Have a look at this if you are only watching in 1080i why spend so much?

Just a word of caution in that "1080i" has a frame resolution of 1920x1080 same as 1080p just a different transmission method. Some displays have poor film based deinterlacing and can struggle with film at 1080i input. Depending on the display model and its native panel res etc 720 progressive may produce better results in terms of fewer image artefacts.

Another point to consider is motion judder if the display doesn't support 1080p/24 (or IVTC processing). Blu-ray film output at 60hz uses a 3:2 frame repeat that can lead to noticeable judder in panning shots etc.

AVI

[Nic Rhodes]

but when processed correctly there should be no difference between 1080i and 1080p on 24p film based material.

[Avi]

Originally Posted by Nic Rhodes

but when processed correctly there should be no difference between 1080i and 1080p on 24p film based material.

I agree.

1080i film from my HD DVD player looks stunning when processed properly for example.

AVI

[bruce-leroy]

My TV is the Philips 32inch 32PFL7562D, bought 2 years ago. I was going to go for a Panny 32 but went for the philips even though it was 1080i. Maybe I should have gone for 1080p for future proofing purposes but I wasn't planning to upgrade to blu ray anytime soon (at the time).

Here is a review from the techradar site:

Philips 32PFL7562D review from TechRadar UK's expert reviews of Plasma and LCD TVs

There is a mistake in that review, stating the set is 1080p rather than 1080i.

Looking up online reviews, verdicts are generally positive for what was a budget (to medium end) LCD for around the 600GBP mark just 2 years ago!

[bruce-leroy]

Originally Posted by Nic Rhodes

but when processed correctly there should be no difference between 1080i and 1080p on 24p film based material.

How do you mean "processed correctly?" Do you mean calibrating? Not much of an expert on these matters sorry - more of a plug and play guy but keen to learn when I have the time (which is not much).

edit - I assume you are referring to the TV's in built processing facilities, dependant on the quality of the set.

[Avi]

Originally Posted by bruce-leroy

How do you mean "processed correctly?" Do you mean calibrating? Not much of an expert on these matters sorry - more of a plug and play guy but keen to learn when I have the time (which is not much).

One of themost basic elements is correct deinterlacing of the two fields that make up a 1080p frame when transmitting it as 1080i. Some display don't perform this reconstruction properly and it can lead to image artefacts.

AVI

[pops107]

Originally Posted by bruce-leroy

Thanks for the suggestions. I have also been considering s560 and lgbd90. My yamaha does have dts, and my LCD is 32 inches with a viewing distance of between 6-8 feet.

Hello again, With your tv been 32" and sat 8 feet away you will never see the diffrence between 1080i and 1080p and also you will not see the diffrence between a player that is £350 and £120 and you could put the diffrence away to get your self a new tv just a thought with £230 left over your half way there for a 1080p set

Sony BRAVIA KDL37S5500 | 37 inch LCD TV 1080p HD Ready Freeview | Richer Sounds

[Ralphy1981]

Originally Posted by pops107

Hello again, With your tv been 32" and sat 8 feet away you will never see the diffrence between 1080i and 1080p and also you will not see the diffrence between a player that is £350 and £120

You will notice a difference Sound wise believe me.

My Pionner BDP-LX52 sounds absolutely fabulous. Much better than my old Panny BD35 or the PS3.

[pops107]

Originally Posted by Ralphy1981

You will notice a difference Sound wise believe me.

My Pionner BDP-LX52 sounds absolutely fabulous. Much better than my old Panny BD35 or the PS3.

Even with his 5.1 setup he has?

[Ralphy1981]

Originally Posted by pops107

Even with his 5.1 setup he has?

See my signature.

I only have a Sony HT-SF1300 All in One system and the BDP-LX52 has improved sound alot.

[Nic Rhodes]

so how do you know it will improve the OP system?

[bruce-leroy]

Thanks for the replies fellas. I was also thinking about the upscaling factor as I have a lot of SD dvds, and don't plan to get rid of them.

[Ralphy1981]

Originally Posted by bruce-leroy

Thanks for the replies fellas. I was also thinking about the upscaling factor as I have a lot of SD dvds, and don't plan to get rid of them.

I'd go for Oppo or Pioneer if upscaling is important.

[Avi]

Originally Posted by bruce-leroy

Thanks for the replies fellas. I was also thinking about the upscaling factor as I have a lot of SD dvds, and don't plan to get rid of them.

Upscaling as in resolution interpolation could be a potential problem area with your model of display. Its native panel res appears to be 1366x768 and this isn't an output resolution supported by any current Blu-ray player. The result is your screen will rescale/process the 1280x720 or 1920x1080 standard HD output res supported by Blu-ray players to fit its native res. It may be better to feed a 576p SD DVD signal to the display this minimizing the number of scaling processes whilst still benefiting from potentially better deinterlacing performance of the player. It may also be worth comparing 576i from the player over HDMI (if supported) to compare the player/display SD deinterlacing performance.

AVI

[Ian_S]

TV's that are 1366 x 768 resolution and accept only 1080i or 720p over HDMI can be quite problematic in terms of finding a player that gets the best out of both DVD and Blu-ray. This is largely down to the fact that players don't let you specify different output options depending on the disc. It's pretty much a one size fits all.

For Blu-ray, 1080i shouldn't be a problem, you will lose no resolution from the player sending it to your TV. The TV then reconstructs (hopefully correctly) the same image and scales it to the panel resolution. As you've seen with SkyHD this can work quite well.

For DVD it's trickier. 1080i isn't such a great choice. The BD player has to de-interlace, scale and then re-interlace, only for your TV to have to de-interlace and then scale again. And to make matters worse DVD's being interlaced in nature are harder to de-interlace properly in the first place and contain all sorts of gotchas, unlike a BD which is a pretty solid progressive source on disc.

I'd also ask whether your DVD collection is mainly UK or is there a large US component to it? If it's all UK PAL, then you may notice that BD's can be a little more jerky than you're used to. This is because they are created (mostly) at 24 frames per second, which becomes I think 30 (60 interlaced fields) per second using an uneven repeat sequence called 3:2 to make it fit 60Hz transmission.

UK DVD's and Sky (even HD) use 50Hz, and so when you have a 24p film, they speed it up 4% to be 25 fps, which is easily sent at 50Hz...

So, if you're not used to 60Hz and your TV won't take a 3:2 60Hz signal and smooth it out (some can) then you could notice additional stutters. Some don't notice, some hate it, other think it's there but not worth fretting over. Only your eyes can tell you. IF you're used to NTSC DVD's then it's just the same and may not be an issue.

So.... it might be worth keeping your DVD player for DVD's where you can adjust it to best suit the TV, and use 1080i for BD. 720p is an option but guarantees 2 scaling steps and you throw away more information to start with with BD's. It may work better for DVD's though.

If you don't mind fiddling depending on the disc type, then 1080i for BD's should be best and change to either 576i/p or 720p for DVD's. Some players such as I think Pioneer's may not do 720p, so double check before buying.

With a 1080p TV, the issues disappear a bit more in that you simply send BD's as is, and for DVD the player upscales to the same resolution. No further rescaling or de-interlacing is required and it's much simpler to understand.

It may be even with all the steps that DVD's still look better from a BD player at 1080i, this depends entirely on what you use now. BD players are getting quite good a DVD playback recently.