DVD in PS3/blu-ray player that can upscale DVDs to 1080p vs blu-ray disc?
I hear that PS3 that are updated via the interwebz and certain stand-alone blu-ray players can upscale DVDs to be seen in 1080p. Does that make DVDs just as good as blu-ray discs, or is there more to be considered than just resolution?
ALL Blu-ray players, which include the PS3, upscale DVDs to 1080p.
However, the quality of the result varies. While NONE will upscale and match the sharpness of a Blu-ray version of the same movie (Although technically the result of upscaling is an HD image you can’t obtain extra detail by upscaling DVDs), some players (e.g. Oppo BDP-83 do a significantly better job than others (e.g. PS3). It depends on the video processor in the player … and like in HDTVs, some are better than others. The difference between Blu-ray and well upscaled DVD are subtle at best on a small, lower resolution HD display (e.g. 720p 30″ HDTV), but become more pronounced on larger displays (e.g. 1080p 100″ projector screen).
So … DVDs are not going to look as good as Blu-ray, but for many types of movies/programs there is some question whether paying a premium for Blu-ray is worth it for the relatively small increase in image quality. Many people feel it isn’t, and either don’t bother with Blu-ray at all, or reserve it for movies they feel deserve the highest possible image quality.
That said, image quality is more than just resolution. In fact, resolution is only the 4th most important determinant after dynamic range/contrast, colour accuracy and colour saturation. none of which are (significantly) improved in Blu-ray vs DVD (Blu-ray does use a different “color space”, with a somewhat broader gamut of colour). In addition, catalog Blu-ray movies are often produced from remastered HD versions of the original print, which can mean a better image than that on the DVD from an older print. Finally, sound on Blu-ray can also be superior to that on a DVD (although improvement may only be appreciated on a good surround audio system).
Bottom line: video and audio quality from a DVD — even at it’s best — will not be as good as Blu-ray. The degree of difference varies with the movie and the equipment used. Whether it’s worth paying extra for the improvement is a personal choice.
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