Quote:
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Originally Posted by tomdkat
This is perfectly valid as a DVI connection does not require HDCP but I _think_ HDCP does require a DVI connection. 
So, if people have a DVI connection between various video sources (DVD players or HD receviers, etc) and their displays and they are NOT watching HDCP encrypted material, everything will work fine.
Catch my drift?
You can read more about some testing that people with DirectTV can do now here:
HDTV, HDCP, and YOU!
Peace... |
It's all academic with the new Momitsu V880:
This unit upconverts current-generation DVDs to
hi-def user-selectable 720p or 1080i (to be more
correct, it upconverts to VIRTUAL hi-def since the
original current DVD source remains at 480p). Unlike
either the Samsung HD931 or the Bravo D-1, the
V880 accomplishes this feat via EITHER the DVI or
component outs/ins. This means that a DVI
"in" on your set is unnecessary.
I got my V880 last week and have never seen an
image on my year 2001 65-inch RCA Scenium from
any DVD like this. This replaces my Panasonic RP-56
which was no slouch either. But the V880 is a
quantum leap in imaging technology, if my eyes are
any gauge. The audio also marks a significant
improvement in speech clarity and overall perceived
range.
The V880 was shipped to me with the macrovison/copy
protection turned OFF(thus no HDCP concerns), which
allows SETUP to either 720p or 1080i. The native
480p setting out of the factory is VERY good. But switching
to either 720p or 1080i will knock your eyeballs out of
their sockets. Word of caution: When the hi-def settings
were chosen, it took my set at least 3 minutes of multi-
colored horizontal snow before everything re-set itself
and the menu came back. Don't know if this is simply
the electronic "match" between the player and the HDTV,
or something else. I found little difference between the
720p or 1080i, except for the long time-interval for the
re-set as mentioned above. The remote control on this
unit is cheesy and perhaps should be replaced by the
manufacturer with a better, more durable model. The unit
also responds quite slowly to remote control commands.
At 1080i the V880 upconverts reference-class DVDs like
North By Northwest and the Superbit version of The Fifth
Element from outstanding, to positively 3-dimensional,
glassy-smooth images that rival any D-VHS I've seen
so far. The greatest improvement, however, is to be found
on something like the notoriously bad MGM transfers such
as some of the earlier Bond films; those are converted from
'lousy' to 'very good'. In between are the 'average' transfers
which now become beautifully clear and sharp, a very
noticeable improvement by any standard.
I can see why Jack Valenti and the MPAA would want to stop
this technology in its tracks, particularly since this not only
makes re-purchase of your existing stash of current-generation
DVDs by native Hi-Def disks totally unnecessary, but means
that the virtual hi-def image can itself be transferred to D-VHS
or any other such machine. Such are the vagaries of the
marketplace. The so-called 'first sale doctrine' means that in
any case if you own a DVD or a player outright, you have the
absolute right to use it any way that you want for your
own internal personal purpose, so I don't think Mr. Valenti or
his cohorts will have any success in stopping it, at least from
that perspective. I suppose that, in one form or other, the
new chips that drive the V880 will become standard in most
players as time goes on, for competitive if for no other reasons.
I think many manufacturers may wait for the DVI/HDMI controversy
to be decided first, also.
Anyway, I thought other of your readers might want to know
my experience with this machine. At less than $300 delivered,
I don't think there's anything on the market to match this
at ANY price. And I have no interest either in the manufacturer
or anyone else connected with the V880. I'm just a movie buff.
Milt R. Smith
mrsmith2002@yahoo.com