Large groups of corporations working together are not always your friend.
So, let's say you own a projector.
Woohoo!
Now, let's say you want to hook up a DVD player to that projector.
Awesome! Like a movie theater!
But now you want your DVDs to look good like when you play them off of your computer.
SWEET!
Unfortunately, at this point we are screwed. You see, because Hollywood is addicted to broken business models, the only way to play DVDs and have them output a high-definition signal (1080 pixels - basically a low end computer resolution) is to connect everything with HDMI cables. It is possible to transmit HighDef signals over component video (the kind of cables that everyone has). Indeed, that's how the digital cable we watched the world cup with worked. The thing to realize is that every single DVD player manufacturer refuses to put in this feature. It's been put in exactly once - the Zenith DVB-318. And then they changed the firmware to remove this feature.
Now, in order to play DVDs on my projector and not have them look like crap, I have 1 option, and it's a totally sketchy one. I have to track down a Zenith DVB-318 and then flash it with the original firmware and then it will work. Or, I can buy a Samsung HD 841 and then type up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right-b-a-b-a-start and then it will probably work.
This all sounds dumb. And kinda sketchy.
That's because it is. I have to purchase this Samsung model and hope that I magically get one of the models where the trick works. Or I have to track down a semi-discontinued product and then reflash it's firmware with sketchy stuff off the net just to get a feature that everybody wants.
Everybody?
Well, maybe not everybody. But HDMI inputs are pretty rare, and implementations vary and may or may not be able to shake hands with each other. And everyone who bought an HDTV before last year is screwed, as they only had component inputs. More to the point, I don't have an HDMI projector. All of this bullshit is designed to help "close the analog hole", but I think it's pretty obvious that the a-hole they are trying to close is not the a-hole causing all my problems.
So now I have a choice - either do this crappy solution, or just buy a computer to do it for me. Because computers have no problem upsampling, and the projector has VGA inputs, this is probably the right thing to do. But damn. That certainly is a huge, painful, nasty pile of research and technological design just to prevent me from displaying my legally purchased DVDs on my own private projector using user friendly technology.
Woohoo!
Now, let's say you want to hook up a DVD player to that projector.
Awesome! Like a movie theater!
But now you want your DVDs to look good like when you play them off of your computer.
SWEET!
Unfortunately, at this point we are screwed. You see, because Hollywood is addicted to broken business models, the only way to play DVDs and have them output a high-definition signal (1080 pixels - basically a low end computer resolution) is to connect everything with HDMI cables. It is possible to transmit HighDef signals over component video (the kind of cables that everyone has). Indeed, that's how the digital cable we watched the world cup with worked. The thing to realize is that every single DVD player manufacturer refuses to put in this feature. It's been put in exactly once - the Zenith DVB-318. And then they changed the firmware to remove this feature.
Now, in order to play DVDs on my projector and not have them look like crap, I have 1 option, and it's a totally sketchy one. I have to track down a Zenith DVB-318 and then flash it with the original firmware and then it will work. Or, I can buy a Samsung HD 841 and then type up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right-b-a-b-a-start and then it will probably work.
This all sounds dumb. And kinda sketchy.
That's because it is. I have to purchase this Samsung model and hope that I magically get one of the models where the trick works. Or I have to track down a semi-discontinued product and then reflash it's firmware with sketchy stuff off the net just to get a feature that everybody wants.
Everybody?
Well, maybe not everybody. But HDMI inputs are pretty rare, and implementations vary and may or may not be able to shake hands with each other. And everyone who bought an HDTV before last year is screwed, as they only had component inputs. More to the point, I don't have an HDMI projector. All of this bullshit is designed to help "close the analog hole", but I think it's pretty obvious that the a-hole they are trying to close is not the a-hole causing all my problems.
So now I have a choice - either do this crappy solution, or just buy a computer to do it for me. Because computers have no problem upsampling, and the projector has VGA inputs, this is probably the right thing to do. But damn. That certainly is a huge, painful, nasty pile of research and technological design just to prevent me from displaying my legally purchased DVDs on my own private projector using user friendly technology.