Tivo Newbie with really stupid question

[Pricele$$Vulture]

So I bought a Tivo HD and have a cable card installation scheduled for next week. Is it possible to record shows to the Tivo in Standard Definition then have it play back (upconvert?) to HD?
Thanks in advance,
Vulture

[dubluv]

So I bought a Tivo HD and have a cable card installation scheduled for next week. Is it possible to record shows to the Tivo in Standard Definition then have it play back (upconvert?) to HD?
Thanks in advance,
Vulture

as they say, "no question is a stupid question". with all the talk about upconverting DVD's to HD or near HD, it would seem a logical thought. however, it is my opinion that only a device like an upconverting dvd player or an hd dvd/blue ray disc player is capable of upconverting. that's not to say it won't happen sometime on a future tivo, but for now, i think upconverting will only be possible on the players i mentioned.

[bkdtv]

So I bought a Tivo HD and have a cable card installation scheduled for next week. Is it possible to record shows to the Tivo in Standard Definition then have it play back (upconvert?) to HD?Yes, the Tivos upconvert SD to HD -- just like DVD players -- when set to output at fixed 720p and fixed 1080i.

That said, keep in mind that the SD on most providers is not at all comparable to DVD quality. DVD video is typically 720x480 at 5-8Mbps. Verizon FiOS delivers many of its SD channels at 704x480 @ 4-5 Mbps, but most cable providers downconvert their SD to 528x480 or 544x480 @ 2.0-2.5 Mbps.

The satellite providers are even worse and downconvert their SD to 480x480.

[BanditWS6]

As bkdtv mentioned, you can set your TiVo HD to a fixed HD resolution and it will upconvert everything to that resolution. I've got mine on 1080i fixed, since my TV is a native 1080i set and its own 720p->1080i scaler looks too soft, plus I don't want to overtax the CRTs with too much resolution switching. (Yeah, it's an old school CRT-based rear projection!)

Looking at standard-def TV through the TiVo HD, it's easily the best SD has ever looked on my 57" TV, short of a DVD anyway. I've watched SD directly through the coax as well as through a SA 8300HD DVR, it was never this bright and clear. (Granted, on a screen that big, anything short of HD is going to look pretty nasty.)

[madscientist]

Along with my questions about audio (on another thread) I have questions about video as well (I guess I just don't know anything at all!!)

Can anyone explain the advantages/disadvantages to using a fixed 1080i (for example) vs. Local setting on my THD? I have a Sharp Aquos LCD TV and I use component video input directly from the THD to my TV (I'm looking into getting HDMI). I have a digital optical audio cable from the THD directly to my receiver.

My TV can do all different types of display, so I have it set to Local, and it seems to work OK. But, I do get a lot of weird video effects whenever I switch from watching TV (I watch almost exclusively HD channels these days) back to the THD screens and vice versa. Since my TV is LCD, not CRT, I don't think this hurts anything but it is slightly annoying.

Would it be better to set the THD to 1080i fixed instead? Is there anything to consider other than pure picture quality? Do I just test it both ways and see which is better?

[Bob723]

Posted by madscientist:
Would it be better to set the THD to 1080i fixed instead? Is there anything to consider other than pure picture quality? Do I just test it both ways and see which is better?


Hey madscientist,

Regarding your questions on video quality, try reading this thread: http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=379507