PlayTV upgraded with upscaling, more DVR features
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Maxx @ Apr 6th 2009 2:20PM
ok I will ask what I am sure has been asked before but should be included in any article about this.......
Is there an indication about when/if its comming to the US ?
Chad @ Apr 6th 2009 4:04PM
Of course not. That would be silly since the US doesn't use DVB-T.
SimbaDogg @ Apr 6th 2009 4:32PM
@Chad
you and i both know thats not what he meant...
anyways, it would be nice if they actually brought this DVR device to the US. I might actually start recording my shoes w/ this rather than getting them through..."other sources"
IseWise @ Apr 6th 2009 4:39PM
Why cant it just pull down free OTA here in the states? Someone please explain this to Maxx and I, other than "because USA doesnt have DVB-T." Why cant Sony just make a USB OTA HD tuner for the states?
DrXym @ Apr 6th 2009 7:13PM
It must be feasible to produce tuners for different markets. Assuming the software has the proper level of abstraction it shouldn't really matter too much to 95% of the code how the listings or video / audio data was pulled from the ether, be it ATSC, DVB-T, DVB-S or whatever.
EatingPie @ Apr 6th 2009 4:29PM
You are called "EngadgetHD" but you seem to be completely unaware of one huge fact in the HD industry: All fixed-pixel displays do upscaling internally. That means every LCD, DLP, LCOS/SXRD and Plasma.
Some TVs, like the high-end Sony XBR4/5/6 cost more *because* of the scaling technology built in. So you don't actually *need* an upscaling DVD/STB/Play
Yet you say "Among the new additions, upscaling should bring a sharper picture to HDTVs *everywhere*." That is not true. Many TVs -- see Sony XBR reference -- actually upscale better than something like this.
But the whole "Upscaling Myth" is propogated by sites like EngadgetHD, who should know better. I really wish you would tell people their TV already upscales and they may not need this feature (quality does vary). It could actually save your readers some real money in the end!
-Pie
SimbaDogg @ Apr 6th 2009 4:38PM
stop trying to come off smarter than you really are.
if you have an upscaler that is in your DVR, DVD player, etc...and its NOT AS good as the upscaler in your swank HDTV then your tv will upscale the signal itself. IF you have a VERY high quality piece of video equipment, but your TV is a budget basement tv, or maybe just oen w/ a scaler that isn't that great, then in this case, yes your tv will use the scaler in the device.
so really, dont try to bash on engadgethd...or scream about the "upscaling myth" when it certainly isn't the case. Some people will def benefit from the scaler in this, some will not.
Richard Lawler @ Apr 6th 2009 4:41PM
We've posted about upscaling, both within the display itself and on external hardware many times. The post doesn't say "Buy playTV to get upscaling." Whether or not this affects your picture quality depends on how its performed on the system or within the display, but there's at least a chance it will be improved by doing it on the system itself before sending the signal over. It's worth checking out if you have one.
EatingPie @ Apr 6th 2009 4:57PM
Thanks for the response Richard. You are absolutely right, it depends on the quality of the TV you own. However, I think "TVs already do scaling, and yours might do a better job than that newfangled Toshiba DVD player" bears reminding, since I have been an avid reader of EngadgetHD from the getgo, and don't recall this point being made.
To SimbaDogg, I'm not sure where you say I'm wrong. Though my post was a little too strongly worded, bordering on rude, which I regret. (My apologies to Richard.)
I actually had a paragraph about cheaper TVs having crappy scalers -- meaning an upscaling DVD player would be a better way to go -- but I cut it for brevity (crap my post was too long anyway!). Should have left it in, I guess.
But indeed, it does depend... thing is, most people are *completely oblivious* to the fact that their brand new Sony LCD scales video to 1080p all by its lonesome, and does a deadly awesome job at it. This is because Best Buy, et. al., can sell them an upscaling DVD player if they leave out all the facts (ie upscaling DVD player isn't necessary with this TV, but would definitely help with that one!). Of course, retailers are in this to make money, not be your friend and give full disclosure.
-Pie
EatingPie @ Apr 6th 2009 5:04PM
Double post... Don't ban me... pleasseeee..... :-D
"if you have an upscaler that is in your DVR, DVD player, etc...and its NOT AS good as the upscaler in your swank HDTV then your tv will upscale the signal itself."
That there is not true.
Assuming a 1080p TV for simplicity... If you upscale the source to 1080p at the player end, the TV receives it and displays it. Period. The only time the TV's scaler comes into play is when you feed the TV something *lower* than 1080p. IE, you *must* set your DVR/DVD player, etc. to output the source's native resolution (disable the DVR/DVD player's upscaling)... it doesn't happen automatically.
See what I mean about confusion!
-Pie
Nick @ Apr 6th 2009 8:29PM
One point about your "TV already upscales" comment. I think we would all agree that a Pioneer Elite has a fairly decent scaler, correct? Well then, explain to me how a DVD sent to an Elite at 480p looks worse than a DVD upscaled on a PS3 to 1080p?
The PS3 can't possibly have a higher quality scaler in it than the Elite does. Can it?
EatingPie @ Apr 6th 2009 10:22PM
The answer is, I don't know. I'm not familiar with the Elites any more. Were it a Sony XBR5 or XBR6, I'd say something was wrong, because an upscaled DVD on a Sony looks the same as a 480p DVD scaled by the TV. I convinced my friend to test it, and he ended up returning his Toshiba upscaling DVD player to Best Buy.
Pioneer used to be known for the best line doubler (480i --> 480p) on the market back in the CRT days. Sony has more or less stolen that crown with their scalers on the high end XBR series (XBR5 or XBR6). The only published difference between an XBR5 and XBR6 (last summer) was the higher quality scaler... and those were the two top of the line TVs.
But this all goes back to my original point. You are not *guaranteed* to get better results from an upscaled source (which is what the article said). The converse is also true (which, I admit, I should have said originally). A good scaler in the TV does not *guarantee* better results than a good upscaling source. What was true with the old line doubler days is still true with the modern scaler days: you need to check both and see which is better.
The mythical part is that we just *assume* upscaling devices are better. And that's just not always the case.
-Pie
corey smith @ Apr 7th 2009 12:26AM
480i conversion on the elites range from sucky to average at best, even on the 141.
EatingPie @ Apr 7th 2009 7:03PM
Well, I don't remember old Elite model numbers, but my example was the pre-HDMI days. I don't even think they had DVI at that time. (The format war on AVS back then was who would win between HDMI and Firewire!)
And let me tell you, with the TV I bought -- a Mitsubishi 73711 -- NONE of the cost went into the line doubler. It has to be the worse one ever put in any device ever in the history of TV! I had to factor in the cost of an external line doubler when I got it. But, man, it has the best picture! Still beats the hell out of the Elites... when you don't feed it 480i. :D
-Pie
Nick @ Apr 10th 2009 7:36PM
By why oh why cant i record a show and then via an option copy it to my little used PSP so I can watch the show on the train to work....
Such a missed oppertunity !!
Extinction @ Apr 14th 2009 2:40AM
You can. You can also use Remote Play