Which is better...HTPC or Upscaling DVD player?

as a side note for upscaling, you might want to check out FFDShow for the HTPC route.

THIS has a good guide on setting up FFDShow to upscale DVD's with some pretty impressive results :)
 
badbob said:
1024x768 is a 4:3 resolution, so when you playback DVD's it'll be displayed as 4:3 with the larger borders (for a 4:3 display), so you need to configure it so when it displays in DVD playback the aspect is correct. At least I think it does, luckily my screen is 1920x1080 which is a wide screen resolution.
Click to expand...

Yes earlier LCDs and Plasmas used 800x600 & 1024x768 pixels BadBob
However they were rectangular pixels 16:9 so the resolution was fine
 
Last edited:
Skyfall said:
Why an 8600? Radeon HD's are a much better choice for HTPCs and very cheap.

No one really answered his original question about uscaling though :P PCs upscale with programs like VLC just as well as any player IMO.
Click to expand...

I went for a Gainward Silent Pipe 8600GT 512mb card.

The reasons were because
  • Has HDMI built on the card
  • Silent Pipe Cooling / No Noisey Fan
  • Decent enough performance for some gaming (enjoy PC games on a big screen)
  • Sli compatible (add a 2nd card when prices fall or if you want to enjoy more recent PC games)

Ive added a 2nd for SLI gaming but actually havnt got round to doing any PC gaming yet. Too busy enjoying Hd-DVDs / Blu Ray and playing GT5
 
Last edited:
Having been into HTPC's for a few years, properly setup, the quality exceeds that of any mainstream upscaling HDMI DVD Player by a mile.. and HD looks as stunning from the HTPC as it does from my PS3/360+HD-DVD..

I've just built a new HTPC using a Asus P5E-VM motherboard, this uses the Intel G35 chipset (Onboard Graphics), and has a few perfect HTPC features

1. HDMI with HDCP on the motherboard, and easily switchable via hotkeys in windows should you boot with no TV/PJ switched on..
2. Passes LPCM 7.1 over the HDMI as standard.. a small but significant factor..

All food for thought..

With Vista Premium installed, the unit goes into/out of sleep perfectly, so 'quick' boot is sort of guaranteed if you use it this way..
The only 'daft' thing with MCE at the moment is it has no native support for launching BR/HD-DVD's without a lot of faffing around..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom