Can you get HD DVD quality with no HDMI cable?

by Admin on February 9, 2010

If you have a HD DVD player but a HDTV (55 inches) that doesn’t support HDMI, can you still get HD DVD quality? I know that you won’t be able to upconvert, but I’m not worried about that.

{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }

McLovin February 9, 2010 at 11:53 am

i have an hd dvd player and i tried both HDMI cables and the cables that came with the player and there is very little difference with the two. the HDMI cables make the picture look a tad crisper than the standard cables but honestly, you are not missing that much.

gDübb¹ ® February 9, 2010 at 11:53 am

use component cables!

wowbango February 9, 2010 at 11:53 am

Actually, you’re a little mistaken. The best you can do is probably upconvert. IF you can only use let’s say Component cables, you wont get the full benefit of HD-DVD and probably only get 1080i (Depends on your set and if you HD-DVD player can output 1080p through component, which is unlikely) Your HD-DVD player will still upconvert to a maximum 1080i resolution.

Marcus R February 9, 2010 at 11:53 am

Agreed – component cables can get you to 1080i in most situations. But if your tv doesn’t support HDMI if probably can’t do 1080p anyway. Check it out.

historian February 9, 2010 at 11:53 am

Wait a minute — you’re confusing cable types with definition quality.

If you really have an HDTV, then it supports some kind of HD input. If it really doesn’t support HDMI, it probably supports DVI, which is essentially the same except that you need a separate connection for the audio. You can hook a DVI output to an HDMI input (or vice versa) if the plugs on the end of your cable are the proper ones.

Upconverting really doesn’t have much to do with the basic question — how do you get an HD signal into your TV?

He who must hold the remote February 9, 2010 at 11:53 am

Yes.

I had both my BluRay and HD-DVD player hooked up with component cables. When I added the HD cable box, I converted to HDMI, but had to go back to component for the BluRay as it did not want to work through the 4-port HDMI switch I bought.

A/V Truths February 9, 2010 at 11:53 am

Here’s a simple chart comparing HD video quality. Give it a quick look. Click right here: http://www.avtruths.com/scanlines.html

Now, it is POSSIBLE to send "HD-DVD quality" (1080p) over a component cable, but most Hollywood studios require a "limitation" on the analog HD output (component) of all HD-DVD (and Blu-ray Disc) players. Hollywood decided to only allow a "standard HD quality" (1080i) signal to pass through the component jacks. Copyright concerns (sigh).

If you like the way HD broadcasts look on your "55-inch" HDTV, then you’ll love how an HD-DVD (or Blu-ray Disc) player will look on it. Believe it or not, you can even see an improvement in HD-DVD over regular DVD on an analog (480i) TV. The improvement in color and contrast alone is worth the upgrade in price over standard DVD.

The real advantage of the HD-DVD (and Blu-ray Disc) isn’t the video, it’s the AUDIO. For the first time ever consumers can listen to COMPLETELY UNCOMPRESSED digital audio in their own homes. The quality of sound far surpasses standard DVDs and CDs. Click this link for a little more info on "Uncompressed" digital audio: http://www.avtruths.com/uncompressed.html

JTJ21M February 9, 2010 at 11:53 am

common mistake is belief you cannot get full 1080p through component cables. you infact can as long as its supported by your tv and the component youre connecting to the tv. My xbox 360 allows for 1080p through component cables on my sharp 32 inch lcd tv

Leave a Comment

Previous post:

Next post: