Which is better quality HBOHD or a DVD

[scottchez]

Is it true the HBO in HD and Show Time HD Channels both do 1080i?

Is it true that DVDs on a progressive scan can only do 480p?

Does this mean that watching a movie on HBO or Show Time HD is going to get you a better picture than the same movie on on a DVD?

If this is true how is HBO getting the source for the Movie? Do they have something better than a DVD?

[Mike123abc]

DVDs are 720x480 interlaced (59.96 frames/sec). Now smart DVD players can figure out how to deinterlace the DVD by detecting the 3:2 pull down of film (the conversion from 24 frames/sec film to the 59.96 video). If they detect the 3:2 pull down they know that the picture is really a progressive source and can then combine adjacent fields into a progressive frame.

So, the DVD video max is 720x480p under the right conditions. HBO/Showtime are displaying 1920x1080i. Now, some of the stuff is regular resolution stuff that is just upconverted to HD, so there is not a better picture than DVD (about the same). But, a lot of the movies/shows are in true HD. I believe both HBO/Showtime web pages will give a list of what movies have been upconverted and which ones have been mastered in HD.

35MM film is over 3000x2000 resolution. So, HBO/SHO simply rescan the film at 1920x1080i to get the high definition picture. DVD is scanned at 720x480. They have telecine machines that they load the film reels into that scan each frame at the desired resolution. They do color correction, etc. It is a pretty automated process.

[scottchez]

You mention smart DVD players.

What are they? Where do I get one? What models are smart?

(I'm new at this)

[Mark Lamutt]

Progressive scan dvd players. :)

[dtcarson]

Is progressive scan the same as 3:2 pulldown, ie, 'included'? Or do I need to look for a dvd player that specifically references 3:2 pulldown?

[BobMurdoch]

Note that some TVs do the conversion of the interlaced to progressive scan within THEIR circuits which achieve the same results or close to it (ie. no interlace lines on my Sony KP-57WV600 Rear Projection TV).

[Ron Barry]

To answer your question from a perception point of view. This is based on having the DVD content to compare to the HBO content.

I have seen some HBO-HD content that was truely amazing and surpases that of a DVD player. I have also seen some HBO-HD content that was not that great compared to the DVD content. The same goes for HD movies on ABC. Alantis was amazing in HD on ABC. In my opinion it is a mixed bag and it depands on how well the source was converted.

Based on the technology, It should be better but that is not always the case.

My 2 cents.