Samsung DVD-HD850

[rajeev28]

I bought a Samsung DVD-HD850 and connected it to my 42" Phillips HD plasma with the supplied HDMI cable. I watched 5th Element on SuperBit and although the picture was exceptional, what I couldn't understand is why I could not tell a difference between the 480, 720 and 1080 settings when I switched the HDMI Select button on the remote. I would assume that the picture difference would be substantial or at least noticeable when you double the lines of resolution from 480 to 1080 but I can't see a difference. Am I doing something wrong?

Thanx

[Krispy Kritter]

Your TV has a fixed resolution, most likely 720p or 1080i. The TV converts all signal to its fixed resolution, unless it is already in that resolution. It sounds like you are using the DVD remote to change the output format, however the TV just converts it to its native resolution.

Since you are seeing no difference when you switch output resolutions, it sounds like your dvd player and TV both have similar conversion capabilities.

[manono]

Hi-

If it's truly an HDTV, and not EDTV, then I believe the resolution of the Philips plasma models (maybe you can give the model number) is 1024x768. So, whichever you choose, you're not getting 1:1 pixel mapping, and therefore no benefit from the 720p or 1080i upconversion, as the TV is resizing the picture again. In such cases, the best picture could very well come from 480p, as then it gets resized only once. You'll have to decide for yourself if 720p looks any better. I don't believe in your case that 1080i would be the best choice. Calibrating the display might also make the differences more obvious.