BluRay without HDMI question

[ChiDisneyFan]

Seeing the great deals on a bluray player this season is enticing. The problem is I have a 47'" Panasonic rear projection HDTV bought in 2001 that has no hdmi connections. I truly enjoy watching HD content on this tv from directv and know I would love to see movies in bluray even at 1080p with component connection. But would it be worth it to get one now since it will not upconvert all of my standard dvd's? Just wondering if I should wait till this tv goes and am able to watch in 1080i. How does 1080p compare to 1080i?

 

[Petraman]

with bluray players as cheap as they are right now, I would say don't wait, go for it! Even with composite the bluray movies will be amazing, the only thing you will lose is the upconvert. I just bought a bluray player from walmart for $49 (Black Friday), so go for it and enjoy.

As far as 1080p and 1080i , the p is cleaner and smoother, but unless you are looking at them side by side on a very good tv, you won't notice the difference. Many of the entry level tv's out right now say 1080p, but their scan rate, etc is so low that it really is no better than 1080i units

 

[JB2K]

Seeing the great deals on a bluray player this season is enticing. The problem is I have a 47'" Panasonic rear projection HDTV bought in 2001 that has no hdmi connections. I truly enjoy watching HD content on this tv from directv and know I would love to see movies in bluray even at 1080p with component connection. But would it be worth it to get one now since it will not upconvert all of my standard dvd's? Just wondering if I should wait till this tv goes and am able to watch in 1080i. How does 1080p compare to 1080i?

Does this TV have a "DVI" connection? Most rear projection HD sets built before 2006 have a DVI plug, which was intended to be an HD standard that never quite panned-out.

For anyone with a DVI HDTV, you can buy a HDMI adaptor (that connects to the DVI plug) for under 20 bucks at most mass merchandisers/electronics stores. That, along with an HDMI cable and a red/white audio cable will all connect nicely to your Blu-ray player (and give you the best possible picture your TV can offer).

The difference between 1080p and 1080i is the scanning ("p" is for pixelated and "i" for interlaced). 1080p, of course, is the highest resolution available.

 

[Petraman]

Does this TV have a "DVI" connection? Most rear projection HD sets built before 2006 have a DVI plug, which was intended to be an HD standard that never quite panned-out.

For anyone with a DVI HDTV, you can buy a HDMI adaptor (that connects to the DVI plug) for under 20 bucks at most mass merchandisers/electronics stores. That, along with an HDMI cable and a red/white audio cable will all connect nicely to your Blu-ray player (and give you the best possible picture your TV can offer).

The difference between 1080p and 1080i is the scanning ("p" is for pixelated and "i" for interlaced). 1080p, of course, is the highest resolution available.

That is a great idea about the dvi adapter. I totally forgot the older models usually had a dvi input.

The "p" in the 1080p actually stands for "progressive" rather than "pixelated".
In a nutshell the "i" interlaced process takes the odd lines of resolution and fires them then about 1/3oth of a second later it draws in the even lines of resolution. Your naked eye can't see the process, but the minimal delay does create a blurring effect, and can be quite noticeable in a fast action scene.

With the "p" progressive process it fires the lines of resolution all at the same time which gives a more clean picture especially when viewing fast action motion scenes.

Cool thing is JB2K's idea about the adapter should make your reg dvd's upconvert now which would be nice, I would try that if I were you. I googled and found adapters for around $30.

 

[Golf4food]

Check www.monoprice.com for adapters. Use them for HDMI cables, too. No reason to waste your money anywhere else. Bigger stores will just rip you off. I have more expensive cables and I have cheaper cables from Monoprice and there is zero difference in end result.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10419&cs_id=1041902

 

[ChiDisneyFan]

Thanks for the great replies. From looking at my specs, this Panny model 47w x49 does not have DVI unless I am missing something...

GeneralEnclosure Color Dark gray
Video Interface Component, composite, S-Video
Digital Television Certification HDTV monitor
Product Type 47" rear projection TV
DisplayAdditional Features On/off timer, velocity modulation scanning, horizontal edge correction, vertical edge correction, video noise reduction, auto power off, on-screen menu
Comb Filter 3D-Y/C digital
Display Menu Language English, French, Spanish
Progressive Scan Progressive scanning (line doubling)
Image Aspect Ratio 16:9
Display Format 1080i
Technology Projection
Diagonal Size 47" - widescreen
Color Temperature Control Yes
Preset Channel Qty / List 16
Projection Display Technology CRT
Remote ControlType Universal remote control - infrared
PowerPower Device Power supply - integrated
Compliant Standards EPA Energy Star
ConnectionsConnector Type 1 x composite video/audio input ( RCA phono x 3 ) - front ¦ 3 x composite video/audio input ( RCA phono x 3 ) - rear ¦ 1 x S-Video input ( 4 pin mini-DIN ) - front ¦ 2 x S-Video input ( 4 pin mini-DIN ) - rear ¦ 2 x component video input ( RCA phono x 3 ) - rear ¦ 1 x fixed/variable audio output ( RCA phono x 2 ) - rear ¦ 1 x center channel audio input - rear ¦ 2 x audio line-in ( RCA phono x 2 ) - rear ¦ 1 x monitor output ( RCA phono ) - rear ¦ 2 x RF input ( F connector ) - rear ¦ 1 x RF output ( F connector ) - rear