Upgrading Your Home Theater for Blu-ray
By Greg Robinson
Earlier this week, we gave you ”3 Reasons to Avoid Blu-ray (For Now).” Now, we’re not knocking the technology, just making the case it’s not for everyone. For those ready and eager to adopt this new format, you’ll want to first make sure your system is “Blu-ray Ready.”
Just as Windows Vista requires your computer to have a certain processor speed, hard drive size and video resolution, there are similar “minimum system requirements” to be aware of when upgrading to Blu-ray. Do you have a high definition display? Does your display have an available DVI or HDMI port? Do you have the necessary cables? Is your receiver (or processor) capable of decoding a Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD soundtrack? What are these Blu-ray “profiles” I keep hearing about? These are all important questions, so let’s step through them one at a time.
Display
Unlike DVD, Blu-ray is a high definition format. That means you’ll need a high definition display in order to see the improved detail that comes with the format’s increased resolution. Whereas off-air, cable and satellite HDTV is transmitted in either 720p or 1080i, Blu-ray Discs are typically encoded at 1080p. Although most Blu-ray players can be configured to output video at 480i, 480p, 720p or 1080i, you’ll obtain optimal results when using the 1080p output setting.
Since Blu-ray video is encoded at 1080p, you’ll get the maximum video performance from your Blu-ray Disc if your television has a 1080p native resolution (1920 x 1080). If your display is 720p, Blu-ray will still look great – but if you’re buying new, go for 1080p.
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[Link: electronichouse.com]
