What is an upconverter?
Upconverting DVD players take a standard definition DVD and use upsampling techniques to make it appear to be higher resolution. You might see upconverters claiming to be 1080i or 1080p, but it’s not true high definition, since your picture quality is limited by the source content on the disc itself. So while you might get some additional detail on larger HD TVs, the difference between upscaled content and true HD content will be clear.
Upconverting a DVD consists of taking a standard-definition DVD and “upsampling” it to appear to be at a higher resolution. Despite the labels that they are “1080i” or “1080p” DVD upconverters, they are not the same as watching your DVDs in true high definition, since the source content is still limited by the content on the DVD disc itself. What you will see is some increased detail and clearer colors, however. Upconverting works best on displays with fixed pixels–namely plasma or LCD TVs. If you use them with standard CRT televisions or with some projectors, the upscaling feature may not result in a better image. It’s also important to note that all Blu-ray players are excellent DVD upconverters.
