DVD Quality on Regular Television - No Different from VHS, Correct?

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Armed and DWI

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With a regular television (non-HDTV), the visual quality of a DVD movie is no different than that of a VHS, correct?

Moreover, if I have a VCR and DVD player hooked up to my regular TV, I'm not going to be able to distinguish between the Matrix on VHS or DVD, right?

The reason I ask is because I have tried this myself on 2 different regular TVs and could not tell a difference (my last eye exam was 20/20 vision), and my friend (wears glasses) insists that he can tell the difference. I think he is influenced by the placebo effect though.
 
No. DVD will still provde a superior picture over VHS. It is pure digital (unlike a tape, which is analog). I notice a big difference in quality beteen VHS and DVD. I would NEVER but a VHS movie again since i got my DVD player. Not to mention most DVDs come in 16:9 Widescreen aspect ratio (with the bars along the top and bottom) and VHSs come in standard fullscreen 4:3 ratio. Even on a normal TV the widescreen aspect ratio provides a sharper picture.

JJB
 
To me, there is a huge difference between DVD and VHS video. The image is a hella lot sharper and, like JJ, I am a fanatatic about widescreen versions (16:9) and can't stand to watch movies in 4:3 anymore. The other advantage, of course, is sound, which makes VHS look like a 8-track. A friend of my family has a THX 5.1 system in his home, and watching Episode 1 on it is simply amazing. DVD is simply the best.
 
Yea, i have a dolby digital 5.1 system in my bedroom, and its great. The sound is excellent and much better then VHS's stereo sound

JJB
 
Well I'll be damned.

Strangley, in my room where I have a 25" television next to a 19" computer monitor, the DVDs still look better on the computer.

Followup question: Will even a coaxial cable broadcast look better than a VHS too?
 
coax is the worst for picture quality.
video is next
then s-video
and finally component video is the best.
its like 60Hz. it bothers some people but others arent affected at all. some people can see the image quality change while others cant.
 
I just luv DVD. Much better than crappy VHS & the sound, don't get me started on the sound. :D
 
overall DVD is much better resolution and video quality.
but, it is also dependent on who did the master and what quality the original production the master was made from.
I have found certain producers/distributors make sub standard quality dubs of some of the classic films (Goodtimes for instance)
I just bought a copy of "The Over the Hill Gang" and the color was faded in places (almost like early attempts at colorization)
video was slightly out of focus and poor quality. I hadn't noticed the cd was made by Goodtimes or I wouldn't have bought it.
they are cheap reproductions made from videotape recording of 'restored' films. I will be much more wary in the future.
 
Originally posted by Armed and DWI
Strangley, in my room where I have a 25" television next to a 19" computer monitor, the DVDs still look better on the computer.
Well that's not so strange. A computer screen is made sharp to make for better readability. Therefor a DVD movie with it's high quality and sharpness will look great. A TV on the other hand is made a bit fuzzy so that the picture will look smooth from a distance even on a crappy "normal" movie or TV program. A DVD will look less good because of this.
 
Originally posted by Armed and DWI
Strangley, in my room where I have a 25" television next to a 19" computer monitor, the DVDs still look better on the computer.
take this for instance... what would be more expensive? a 21-inch monitor or 21-inch tv? monitors have a much better picture.

but who wants to sit in their computer chair and watch a movie? get a tv with component input, sit back, and enjoy. }:>
 

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