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scaling posts

PlayStation 3 can scale after all

by Donald Melanson posted Jan 26th 2007 at 6:10PM

The PlayStation 3's hardware scaling capabilities (or lack thereof) have been a serious point of contention since word first got out of the console's potential shortcoming, which left owners of HDTVs of a certain resolution unable to use their sets to their fullest potential with the console in its current state and unsure they'd ever be able to do so. Well, it looks like Sony may have a few tricks up its sleeve, with Beyond3D reporting that the company's latest software development kit includes measures that game makers can take in order to implement "hardware accelerated horizontal scaling" in their titles, ensuring that they'll always look their best, even on 1080i sets. What's not so clear is what this means for all the current games that pump out less-than-desirable results when hooked up to the aforementioned HDTVs, with patches seemingly one option but no official word given on that possibility. Although you can bet that this won't be the last word we hear on the subject.

[Via Joystiq]

De-interlacing and scaling the most important buying factors?

by Darren Murph posted Jan 14th 2007 at 3:55AM

While the whole "1080i vs. 1080p" debate could likely go on for a good decade or so, having that oh-so-coveted "Full HD" logo slapped on your set evidently isn't the answer to all your HD problems, at least if you watch a good percentage of cable / satellite-provided content. A rather informative writeup / rant over at HD1080i lends a bit more insight into the ongoing discussion of when 1080p differs from 1080i, and goes on to explain that many incorrectly processed images cause quite a bit of dissatisfaction when it comes to quality, and oftentimes, it's not even your fault. Sure, folks outputting 1080p from an HD DVD or Blu-ray player get the benefit of seeing a progressive, pre-cleaned-up image, which basically removes all the hard work from your TV's internal scaler; however, for those watching a processed episode of TNT HD's Charmed, for instance, could witness a bit of "interlacing crop errors when de-interlacing is not done properly," rather than just a correctly rendered motion blur. Essentially, this fellow attempts to convince us that 1080p is an important matter, and it's great to have it there "when you need it," even though it's not likely that we see 1080p content coming through our cable STB anytime soon. So be sure and hit the read link to take a gander at yet another perspective, because a bit more research never hurt anyone, eh?

Microsoft shows off Ana, says no HD DVD in Xbox 360... ever

by Richard Lawler posted Jan 6th 2007 at 10:24PM

Microsoft recently had the guys from Ars Technica over to show how the Xbox 360 compares to the PlayStation 3 on one of Sony's own 1080p Bravias, and of course didn't find much difference except in cases where scaling came into play. They looked at the 360's hardware scaler, Ana, which means while it may lack the advanced digital A/V output of the PS3, it will allow every HDTV owner to play games in HD resolutions over component or VGA. Also of note was their response to questions about possibly putting an HD DVD drive in the console, the answer was a firm no, and even referred to the company's own format of choice as a potential "next Betamax". The lack of HDMI may be resolved soon, but with the high def war still very much in flux don't look for Microsoft to put all of its eggs in the HD DVD basket just yet.

Toshiba updates Regza LCD lineup for native 1080p

by Richard Lawler posted Sep 15th 2006 at 11:13AM

Toshiba added 1080p output to their HD DVD line yesterday and since you'll need a TV to watch that on, they also updated their US line with new 1080p Regza LCDs. Unlike the Japanese editions of these HDTVs, they include just one Ethernet jack for Toshiba's THINC network capability to stream photos and MP3s (but no video like the Pioneer Elite plasmas) from a connected PC. The 47-inch 47LZ196 and 42-inch 42LZ196 are part of the Cinema Series Pro line, include 12-bit digital video processing for enhanced colors, 8ms response time but most importantly for HD-XA2 buyers (or Blu-ray users, we won't ask where your 1920x1080 source comes from) feature Native Mode, to display pixel-for-pixel 1080p with no scaling or overscanning. They are both CableCard ready, with dual HDMI inputs and "high-gloss black cabinetry". According to the original press release, the 47- and 42-inch models are due this month with MSRPs of $4,599 and $3,399 respectively, however Big Picture Big Sound says they have been updated to expect them in October, with MSRPs of $3,999 and $2,999 respectively. Combining the sooner date and lower prices sounds like a fair compromise to us.

[Via Big Picture Big Sound]




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