PLEASE HELP!!! DVI/HDMI vs. Component

[Crowman]

I was hoping someone could help me with a couple of questions...

1. I have a Sanyo PLC-XP30 LCD projector that has a DVI port on it under ‘computer.’ I have an EAD TheatreVision P DVD player and it does not have a DVI or HDMI port on it, however, I believe the player has a buffer on it that deals with flag errors on DVD’s etc. Could someone tell me whether they think it would be worth the effort to get the Denon 2910 DVD player which has DVI and HDMI as a replacement for the EAD DVD player? The EAD has component video. Will the image be any better with a DVI cable? I spent a lot of money on the EAD but it has been a while... I am now running cables and mounting my projector in my new home and trying to figure out whether it would make sense to actually run DVI cables to the projector.

2. A friend is purchasing the Samsung HLP4674W DLP television and I was wondering whether the picture for a. DVD and b. HDTV would be better with DVI or HDMI verses component video? If someone could explain in semi technical jargon it would really help my understanding. Thanks!

[DrJRapp]

There is no simple answer to that question. To start, is your projector capable of displaying 720p or 1080i? I am not familiar with that model. The primary advantage of a DVI connection on a display, IMHO is that it allows for using a so called "upscaling" DVD player such as the Denon 2910. An upscaling DVD player will internally process (convert) the 480p signal to 720p or 1080i, which are HD resolutions, through the DVI connection only. This does not make the DVD signal HD, but does increase the number of lines being displayed on screen simultaneously making the picture appear sharper. Some players with this upscaling capability do have much better picture quality than non-upscaling players on many displays. Also, there is an advantage to the all digital connection with some players and some displays, yeilding lower picture noise due to the elimination of digital to analog conversion in the stream of video.

You will notice that "some & many" which are not definites and absolutes, apply in both instances, therefore my comment that it is not a simple answer.

Question 2 is even more difficult to answer. Some HD Sat & cable boxes have HD output over component that rivals the quality of the DVI connection.

[Crowman]

PLC-XP30 Projector

Thankyou for your response. I found a page at projectorcentral.com that says the HDTV compatability is as follows:

Compatibility: HDTV:
1035i, 1080i, 720p
575i

There is a lot of other information that I dont really understand

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Sanyo-PLC-XP30.htm

Does this mean that my projector will be able to convert 480p to 720p or 1080i? i.e. would it be worth swtiching to the Denon DVD 2910 from an EAD theatrevision P in order to utilize this functionality.

thanks.

[DrJRapp]

Your projector is capable of delivering 1280x1024 dpi max resolution so it should be able to display both 720p and 1080i. That doesn't mean it will convert it. Only display devices with onboard processors do that. That may have to be done externally. There are two ways to accomplish that. (1) You should benifit from the use of a DVI connection and a good upscaling DVD player. (2) As an alternative let me suggest you stay with your current player and consider a processor such as those made by DVDO. That way you can upscale all your sources to 720p or 1080i.