Ok, thanks guys. I'm currently contemplating replacing my HTPC setup with a DVD player + scaler combo. If I went the DVD player/scaler route, To fit in budget I'd then be considering the pro's and con's of getting an older, component only, DVD player SDI modified or getting a newer player with interlaced digital output. For example Arcam DV88 with SDI mod vs Arcam DV79
One of the things in favour of the HTPC is that it can play region 1 disks at 48Hz and avoid 3:2 pulldown and associated judder. I'm still a bit confused though. I use a piece of software on the HTPC called reclock to better syncronise the audio and video clocks for smoother playback. If I'm playing a R1 DVD, reclock's information window tells me that the framerate recorded on the disk is 23.975Hz. Reclock then speeds up the playback (audio and video) very slightly to make it exactly 24Hz and because the graphics card is set to 48Hz exactly (using powerstrip on the PC) a simple doubling of the framerate is required and super smooth playback results.
What I believe normally happens in a DVD player playing a R1 disk is that the 3:2 pulldown process is applied to the 23.975Hz framerate to arrive at 60Hz on the DVD players outputs (component, digital or whatever) to make it compatible with a USA TV set. Am I right in thinking that the frame-rate recorded on the disk itself is 23.975Hz rather than 60Hz. The 60Hz is just the result of some processing internally within the DVD player?
So getting back to the original question, if the SDI is outputting 60Hz, does that mean the mpeg decoder is doing the 3:2 pulldown processing?
Allan