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Author Topic: Using Blu Ray for theater projection Louis Belloisy Expert Film Handler Posts: 120 From: morris, ct usa Registered: Jun 2006 posted 11-24-2008 03:06 PM                        I work in an old restored movie house and we are starting a classic film series. We have a Sanyo digital projector (model unknown) and we use a regular dvd player for presentation. we are using regular off the shelf dvd's (with license). We use my new sony dvd projector and the quality of the picture and sound is very good. However we have done a little research and really cannot find a pro version of a dvd player, as such. The projector is located about 50 feet from the screen, in the mid orchestra section, projecting on a screen that is 30' x 20'. My question is, will a blu-ray player give us a better presentation. I know nothing about blu-ray but several, knowledgeable people told us that the presentation will be better than our current player, using the same dvd discs. any ideas? louis  |  IP: Logged Joe Tommassello Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 547 From: Coatesville, PA, USA Registered: Jan 2008 posted 11-24-2008 03:57 PM                  It really depends on your projector's resolution. If it is capable of 720p or higher AND has an HDMI input you will get a 50% increase in resolution on the screen. The player performs a process called "upconverting" to maximize the use of the data on the DVD. Of course if you have 1080p resolution on your projector you could use blu-ray when available and more than double your resolution.  |  IP: Logged Cameron Glendinning Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 845 From: West Ryde, Sydney, NSW Australia Registered: Dec 2005 posted 11-24-2008 04:04 PM                     Yes It will look noticably better than dvd. http://www.blu-ray.com/info/  |  IP: Logged Louis Belloisy Expert Film Handler Posts: 120 From: morris, ct usa Registered: Jun 2006 posted 11-24-2008 04:21 PM                        thanks guys, i do not know the model or resolution of the projector. i will have to talk to the stage guys for that info. sounds encouraging so far. louis  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 11-24-2008 07:20 PM                        It won't look too much better using the same ol' crappy DVDs, but it will definitely look better with actual Blu-rays. Get a new projector while you're at Wal*Mart.  |  IP: Logged John Hawkinson Film God Posts: 2273 From: Cambridge, MA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 11-25-2008 03:42 PM                     There are a lot of conflicting opinions about how good "upscaling" or "upconverting" can look. Not only that, but it depends a lot of the exact hardware you have (exact model of projector and DVD player), as well as on how you have them connected. Some people fall in Joe's camp (it won't look much better), others in Cameron's (it'll look much better). There's no dispute that it will not look as good as BluRay Disc itself, of course. Joe T. is also correct that you need to be using HDMI in order for upscaling to work. --jhawk  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 11-25-2008 07:18 PM                        quote: John Hawkinson Joe T. is also correct that you need to be using HDMI in order for upscaling to work. Not if you have an external scaler that can deal with analog component or SDI.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 11-25-2008 10:08 PM                     I believe JH was referring to using a Blu-Ray's upscaler...you need to use its HDMI out to take advantage of the internal upscaler. By and large, I'm finding that external scalers do a superior job and allow for aspect ratio conversions and such. Steve  |  IP: Logged Joe Tommassello Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 547 From: Coatesville, PA, USA Registered: Jan 2008 posted 11-26-2008 03:57 PM                  Do external upscalers get around the HDCP compliance?  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 11-26-2008 04:14 PM                     HDCP shouldn't be a factor when playing standard definition DVDs.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 11-26-2008 04:37 PM                     The only scaler that I'm aware of that deals with HDCP is the Barco ACS-2048. It was ready before their projectors were! Steve  |  IP: Logged John Hawkinson Film God Posts: 2273 From: Cambridge, MA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 11-27-2008 12:25 AM                     I think Joe's question was whether external upcalers let you use a projector that doesn't support HDCP. The rational for the question is that DVD players that do upscaling typically only do so through HDMI/HDCP output, and not through HD component output. So if you have a video projector that doesn't support HDCP, you're out of luck for upscaling. (Bobby, if you can cite a DVD player that upscales to 1080p and doesn't require HDCP, I'd love to hear about it. I'm not aware of any.) I assume the answer is Yes, external upscalers will output a component HD signal or an SDI signal, and do not require HDCP in the projector. Steve, what external upscalers do your recommend? --jhawk  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 11-27-2008 06:59 AM                     I've been quite pleased with the Extron DVS304 for analog stuff. The Barco ACS2048 does a decent job too. Folsom, in general, (a Barco company now) makes good scalers. I haven't played with it very much, but many seem to like the Christie CineIPM2K. It isn't HDCP compliant yet...but the Christie DCinema projectors are (all being made today and all previous 2K models can be upgraded to HDCP compliance). Steve  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 11-27-2008 11:57 AM                     Doesn't the kind of "software" being played have something to do with how HDCP functions in HDMI? The level of copy protection in standard definition DVD video is somewhat limited. Blu-ray has more features, including the image constraint token (which I don't think has been used yet on any movie discs).  |  IP: Logged John Hawkinson Film God Posts: 2273 From: Cambridge, MA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 11-27-2008 12:00 PM                     Well, in the context of DVDs, I believe upscaling DVD players require HDCP if the DVD is CSS-encoded, as of course they all are. Yes, it is ironic that you can get an 1080p BD image out of a BluRay player without HDCP, but cannot similarly get an upscaled DVD image. --jhawk  |  IP: Logged

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