Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: About progressive scan

my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

»	Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE » Community » The Afterlife » About progressive scan

Author

Topic: About progressive scan

Frank Angel
Film God

Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 03-01-2004 11:00 AM

I am a little confused about DVD players that claim have progressive scan. I understand that while the DVD player can have progressive scan capabilities, I don't see how that can improve performance on any display unit that is designed to produce a picture by interlacing the scanning lines. A DVD player, be it an interlace or progressive scan unit, cannot change the way the picture is displayed by the display unit, right? Or am I missing something here?

I recall Toshiba made a TV set that used progressive scan processing (by storing the image as it was received and then displaying it all at once as a complete progressive scanned picture). But if the display system is interlace, what difference will the DVD player make? It's like a sound system that sends a stereo signal to a mono playback system.

Someone enlighten me.

| IP: Logged

Paul Linfesty
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1383
From: Bakersfield, CA, USA
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 03-01-2004 12:46 PM

first, a progressive scan DVD player is also an interlaced DVD player, which is the default.

You're absolutely correct, a DVD player with progressive scan does nothing for interlaced TV's, since you have to send out an interlaced signal from the DVD to playback on a standard TV.

The progressive scan mode is there for "future-proofing" so that when (if)you do purchase that progreSsive scan TV, you already have the progressive scan DVD player ready.

And while it is true that progressive scan TV's can take an interlaced signal from a DVD player and convert it to progressive, it is using a logic chip to do so, and in some cases might get the 3:2 cadence wrong, while a DVD player will make the interlaced info progressive on the basis of encoded flags on the DVD itself (although in a few occasions, these flags have been improperly encoded).

| IP: Logged

Ian Price
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1714
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 99

posted 03-01-2004 04:06 PM

That said, a progressive scan DVD played on a video monitor that can display a progressive scan singnal looks very good. All HDTV ready displays will accept a progressive scan signal so DVDs will look better on these displays than the same DVD on an interlaced display.

| IP: Logged

Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!

Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 03-01-2004 07:33 PM

Progressive scan really only has meaning for CRT type displays. As for HD...the "standards" are 480i, 480p, 720p and 1080i though there is 1080p. Digital display devices don't work on the scan line thing so at that point they will essentially turn everything into the progressive scan look. Technology also is making the 3:2 pull down conversion better and better are more of a matter of fact. While I'm still a big proponent of scalers...some projectors now really have that area reasonably well covered except for having multiple inputs.

Steve

| IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

Printer-friendly view of this topic

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.