Do 1080p Upscaling DVD Players Work With 1080i TVs?

Most upscaling DVD players will upscale a DVD to the highest resolution your television supports.

An upscaling DVD player is compatible with multiple HDTV formats, not just 1080p. As long as your TV supports 720p, 1080i or 1080p it will upscale the DVD into the best compatible format.

1080i vs 1080p

The resolution of 1080i and 1080p is the same; 1,920 by 1,080 pixels. The difference is in how the image is displayed in that resolution. 1080i displays an image using an interlaced signal, meaning that an image is divided into lines and each frame displays every other line. 1080p displays images in progressive scan, so every single frame is a complete and total image. Progressive scan images can be clearer than interlaced images, especially on larger televisions.

Compatibility

When connected through an HDMI or component video cable, an upscaling DVD player will convert a DVD image, which is usually just 480i resolution, to the highest resolution available on the television set. This may be 1080p, but if the set does not support 1080p it may only be 1080i or 720p.

Considerations

According to CNet writer David Carnoy, the differences between 720p, 1080i and 1080p are "almost very difficult to see...especially from farther than 8 feet away on a 50-inch TV." If you're upscaling a DVD to 1080i, it will look almost identical to a DVD upscaled to 1080p, and most people won't be able to tell the difference at all.

References

• Connected Home Media: The Many Benefits of an Upconverting DVD Player
• CNet Reviews: 720p vs. 1080p HDTVs - 2009 update

Resources

• Gizmodo: Ten Things You Should Know Before You Buy an Upscaling DVD Player