[Costas]

This is very interesting. It is the latest I have just received from Pioneer following my latest query on the subject. It covers DVD players but also extends to plasma displays

Quote
"It is my understanding that any manufacturer or third party company that has been supplying a DVD player with PAL prog output, has thus far been doing so illegitimately. Subsequently large mainstream manufacturers like Pioneer have not offered any official upgrade or new models including PAL prog output capability. That is until they can legitimately do so.

Technically all plasma displays are indeed inherently progressive display devices. An interlaced signal is interpolated and produced on the display in progressive fields. In my mind the most significant shift in viewing experience will be the introduction of a digital interface rather than the restrictions and unnecessary digital to analogue conversion we have to apply with todays analogue connections (composite, S-Video, RGB, component, etc).

For example when playing a DVD: Data from the disc is converted into an analogue output from the DVD player whether PAL, NTSC, Interlaced or progressive. In the case of a digital display device like a plasma the analogue input signal is then converted and interpolated from analogue to digital in order to address the pixels on the screen.

Hopefully by the end of this year we will have (following approval from the worlds electronic, broadcast, film and music industries) a new digital interface (which has already been named HDMI / High Definition Multimedia Interface). This will spawn the introduction of new DVD players and display devices that can for example take the data from a disc, transmit it out of a new type of connector and securely pass it to a digital display device, (No more unnecessary A-D and D-A conversion). Now that should be
an interesting shift in performance . . ."

End of quote

Encouraging news but about time in my opinion. Don't you think that the major manufacturers are very short-sighted when it comes to getting their act together over this sort of thing. They always seem so paranoid about guarding the source material and ensuring that adequate protection is in place before they embark on anything like this.

In reality it seems to me its always the consumer that has to pay in the long to keep upgrading to the new "standard" of kit. Unsurprising then that they will try and sell you a new box of tricks every year or so.

[Gordon @ Convergent AV]

HDMI is a digital audio and video interface. The video part of it has DVI as a subset so DVI to HDMI adaptors will be available.

You have to remember that the info on the DVD is interlaced so you'll be getting less AtoD and DtoA this way but you will be limited to the performance of the DVD players de-interlacing chipset. It's going to be a year or so before we see any devices with an HDMI output I'd think. DVI out DVD players are on their way. Linns Unidisk will be one fo the first in a month or so. Samsung have on in USA already

Gordon