Help for Newbe

[drouhard]

After a lot of studying/looking I'm about to get my first HDTV. I've decided to go for a Hitachi 57F710. It’s a CRT projection unit with 1080i resolution and one HDMI input. I also need to get a DVD player for it, both to watch, and to run a calibration disk. In reading about DVD players on the posts here, I think I've learned some, but am still confuse on some aspects concerning the players. If some of you could clarify things it would be much appreciated.

1. I read that up conversion on the DVD player does no good for a CRT TV (only for digital units like plasma, DLP and LCD). Then I read that it can be good if the upscaler in the player is better than the TV. So, which is the case - is it worth getting a player with up conversion for the Hitachi 57f710?

2. Does it make sense to run the player in progressive scan mode if the TV is 1080i?

3. I intend to have the DVD player and one of the satellite services connected. When I do the calibration using the calibration disk, does it only calibrate for the input on the TV that I have it connected to. In other words do I calibrate it once for the connection the DVD player will be connected to, then reconnect the player to the input the satellite is connected to and calibrate again?

Thanks In Advance

[57U]

1. Both are correct. It's less likely to see a difference on a CRT, however a good upconverting DVD player will improve the picture on almost any TV.

2. Try all options and see what you prefer.

3. Some TVs calibrate by input some by format. Not sure what yours is. In either case, some "tweaking" is almost always required because the SAT will be different from the DVD. There is a lot of variability even from programme to programme.

[drouhard]

Thanks for the reply
If the TV is calibrated by input, does that mean if I want to disk calibrate the HDMI and component inputs, I need to buy a DVD player that has both HDMI and componet outputs?

[57U]

You may simply be able to "copy" the calibrated readings to the other inputs and tweak from there.

If you got an upconverting player, you would be able to calibrate just about all inputs? Remember that calibration is not just science. Your eyes can also help you a bit.

[drouhard]

I don't understand. How would an upconverting player allow me to calibrate an HMDI input on the TV, If the DVD player did not have an HMDI output?

[Splicer]

DVD players only upconvert via a HDMI or DVI port. Component is just for progressive scan. Generally speaking the TV will up/down convert whatever signal it is being fed to its native resolution. ie...a CRT will convert to 1080i. A LCD will be 720p.

[drouhard]

Guys - I sure appreciate the answers, and I hope I’m not becoming too much of a pest, but it seems the more answers I get, the more questions that develop. Ok lets assume;

The TV is a Hi Def CRT rear projection with 1080i native resolution with one HDMI and two component inputs
The DVD player is progressive scan with component outputs, and a HMDI out put which will up convert to 1080 interlace

Ways to connect:

HDMI to HDMI connection and the DVD player up converting to 1080i ---or running the same connection but the DVD player not up converting to 1080i. Is it correct to say that which is best is dependent on weather the TV or the DVD player does the best up conversion?

Component to component connection running progressive scan. Does this connection make sense? Won’t the TV have to take the progressive scan input and convert it back to interlace at 1080. Why not leave the DVD player output as interlace?

HDMI verses component connection. With HDMI the digital to analog converting is done in the TV and with component connection the converting is done in the DVD player – Correct?

Finally, when using a calibration disk –when calibrating the component input, if I have DVD player in progressive scan and later connect a non-progressive device to the input, do I need to recalibrate the input for the non-progressive source? And the same question for calibrating the HDMI input, if I do it with the player in up convert mode, and later connect a non up converted source, does it need to be redone?

Maybe it’s simpler just to ask – with the above equipment and with my two sources being the DVD player and a HI Def satellite service input.
---Which connections would be best for the satellite and the DVD and what mode setup would be best for the DVD player?
---In calibrating the HDMI and component inputs using a calibration disk, what mode(s) should the DVD player be in?

Or are all the questions normally answered in the user manuals for the TV, DVD player and the calibration disk?