View Full Version : Wii in 1080P? Here's how
or so i read...
found an interesting read on the web:
In the video/audio -phile world, people pay high premiums for fairly little significant benefits to their systems. However, in some cases, there comes a time where premiums don't mean quality and quality doesn't mean it can't come cheap.
What I speak of is the existence of a device called a "scaler", which is typically a set top box that will take a low resolution video signal(such as the one coming from the Wii) and bump it up to full high definition resolution through various video algorithms.
A good scaler will run you around $250, which seems like a steep price for most... but to videophiles, money is no object and they'd rather watch everything in the resolution their screen was designed for.
Luckily, there is a cheaper and better method that is a well kept secret: software scalers. The idea is that you take a computer(preferably one based on at least a PIII and a Geforce 4) and run your video inputs and outputs through it, via the video card and a video capture card.
An inexpensive system(unless you want to use your primary one) comes cheap when all you need is a 1Ghz processor, 256MB of ram, and a fairly recent video card(nothing else is required if you're using it as a dedicated system). The capture card, depending on whether you want composite or component in can range from $40 to $250, respectively.
After you have that set up, though, everything's easy. Just download DScaler(www.dscaler.org), configure it to your liking, enable scaling up to your TV's full resolution, and voila! Instant psuedo-HD Wii(I only say psuedo because the content is still at 480P; it can only add lines based on what was there to begin with... in any case, it'll look fantastic).
anyone care to try and confirm this true? :beer:
ajrettke
12-09-06, 06:35 PM
2 problems I see...
first, running a video game through a capture card will cause a decent amount of latency which will affect your gaming unless your playing a turn based game (i've seen up to 1 second lag in some capture cards)
second, it's not really a high def picture, it's just stretching/enlarging an existing picture. Your HD TV should be able to do this for free. when you plug in your composite/component/vga/dvi source
-maddog-
12-09-06, 08:30 PM
Is there any truth to Nentendo is going to release a hd version of the wii?
zexmarquies01
12-09-06, 08:39 PM
Is there any truth to Nentendo is going to release a hd version of the wii?
i highly doubt nintendo will release a HD version. it would go completly agenst the whole idea of the wii.
the wii is cheap to make. So it sells for less. But its cheap enough to make a good profit from each console. nintendo doesn't believe in Microsoft and sony's marketing plans. They don't like the idea of losing money on a console.
and making a HD version would force production cost to raise and potentially cause nintendo to either make less per console, or make them lose money on each console.
Speciale
12-09-06, 09:25 PM
2 problems I see...
first, running a video game through a capture card will cause a decent amount of latency which will affect your gaming unless your playing a turn based game (i've seen up to 1 second lag in some capture cards)
second, it's not really a high def picture, it's just stretching/enlarging an existing picture. Your HD TV should be able to do this for free. when you plug in your composite/component/vga/dvi source
Many people play vid games through video capture cards, i use a USB capture card i got with my dell (laptop), there is software outthere that enables you to do this (IE run a PS2 or something through this and play on your computer). My capture card didn't seem to be supported but my step brother has an ATI capture card and it works fine.
In short, with the right software (or hardware) there doesnt seem to be latancy issues...but i dont know...
OniKoroshi
12-10-06, 02:17 AM
Any fixed pixel display will do its only upscaling and deinterlacing but its going to depend on your display itself on how well it does this. In all honestly, regardless its not going to make that big of a difference unless your tv is absolutely horrible at rescaling.
Vengance_01
12-10-06, 02:58 AM
not a bad idea, but I think I rather just get a decent Scaler rather than deal with an ungly older PC to handle the job. Not a bad idea though. But lets face it, Wii is a SD system, but they want it to be fun, not wow lets look at the pretty graphics. I really hope Wii catches on and we see some very unique and interesting games.:)
Neuromancer
12-10-06, 03:04 AM
second, it's not really a high def picture, it's just stretching/enlarging an existing picture. Your HD TV should be able to do this for free. when you plug in your composite/component/vga/dvi source
Well duh...
I love watchign SDTV stretched to 16:9... is that any differnet? (its better then watching 4:3)
Your right no need for a PC...
OniKoroshi
12-10-06, 04:00 AM
Stretching and rescaling aren't the same thing.
rainless
12-10-06, 05:10 AM
Is there any truth to Nentendo is going to release a hd version of the wii?
I'm gonna go way, waaaaay out on a limb and say: No.
There is NO truth that Nintendo is going to release an HD version. No HD version, no 720p, no DVD player. None of it. Most of these rumors were started by delusional Nintendo fanboys in the midst of all the hype around the Wii's launch.
At this point Nintendo is going to make do with what they've got. They never were particularly big into the whole "add-on" thing (they only had the network adapter for the gamecube for about a week). So I wouldn't bet on seeing any sort of HD-DVD or Blu-ray attachment either. I don't think the Wii GPU could handle that anyway.
Just thank your lucky stars that they at least have wifi installed.
Randyman...
12-10-06, 05:57 PM
Well duh...
I love watchign SDTV stretched to 16:9... is that any differnet? (its better then watching 4:3)
Your right no need for a PC...
Really? I guess if you like Image Distortion, and just care about filling up your 16:9 display. I personally can't STAND "Stretched" 4:3! The proportions are no longer correct, and everyone looks fat :) . Every single Bar/Restaraunt I have been to has thie 4:3 stretched to 16:9 - and it drives me up the wall!!! :bang head
I'd MUCH rater see 4:3 with the Black Veil at each end - still looks natural. If only everything was shot in 16:9 to begin with.
But simple Upscaling and a serious Video Processor are indeed 2 different things.
Speaking of D-Scaler - something like that sounds PERFECT for an HDTV that doesn't do Upscaling so well (like the Westy's, etc). What is the deal with D-Scaler? It saeems like development has ceased. Anyone use it regularly? I have a box that would be perfect for this!
:cool:
i would just play in 480p, making it 1080p has no advantage to me if its going to look the same as 480p
i would just play in 480p, making it 1080p has no advantage to me if its going to look the same as 480p
Um...have you even seen HD before?
FudgeNuggets
12-12-06, 05:16 PM
Scalers are hardware/software tricks. I've got an expensive upscaling DVD player and the movies look a lot better on it in 1080i than on a regular DVD player at 480p but by the same token, a few of my HD-DVDs which are recorded natively at 1080i/p totally blow anything that the upscaling players processes to 1080i. It's trickery and will make it look better to a certain extent, but it's still not going to touch any native 720/1080p graphics from the PS3 or 360.
knight_of_knee
12-12-06, 05:31 PM
Well it also won't look as good as graphics from the PS3 or 360 because it doesn't have the same expensive hardware in it either, but you're right it's not going to look like it would if it were originally 1080p.
OniKoroshi
12-12-06, 05:58 PM
Well the graphics on the xbox and ps3 are programmed to be 720P so they have that extra information whereas the Wii only has native 420P at best. Don't even consider the graphical power of the machines. Think of a static image and trying to rescale that image. There is more information in a higher resolution image so the rescaling algorithm of your tv has more information to work with.
-maddog-
12-13-06, 05:46 PM
i highly doubt nintendo will release a HD version. it would go completly agenst the whole idea of the wii.
the wii is cheap to make. So it sells for less. But its cheap enough to make a good profit from each console. nintendo doesn't believe in Microsoft and sony's marketing plans. They don't like the idea of losing money on a console.
and making a HD version would force production cost to raise and potentially cause nintendo to either make less per console, or make them lose money on each console.
I personally consider it already overpriced for what it is.
Cyrix_2k
12-13-06, 06:03 PM
Scalers are hardware/software tricks. I've got an expensive upscaling DVD player and the movies look a lot better on it in 1080i than on a regular DVD player at 480p but by the same token, a few of my HD-DVDs which are recorded natively at 1080i/p totally blow anything that the upscaling players processes to 1080i. It's trickery and will make it look better to a certain extent, but it's still not going to touch any native 720/1080p graphics from the PS3 or 360.
same here. However, DVD players & the Wii are two seperate things. IIRC, DVD has a higher native resolution than 480P, so detail will be gained by going to 1080i. However, the Wii is a native 480P device so you're not going to gain much by scaling to 720P/1080i/1080P.
DVD has a higher native resolution than 480P
are you sure?
FudgeNuggets
12-14-06, 04:59 PM
are you sure?
No, that is not accurate. 480p is as good as it gets on DVD unfortunately.
Cyrix_2k
12-14-06, 05:11 PM
okay, well I guess it's not technically true that DVD is encoded at over 480p. However, your standard 4:3 480P (EDTV) TV's resoultion will be 640x480. A normal DVD will be encoded at 720x480 to fit 16:9 so there is some extra resolution when you upconvert to 1080i/720p. In summary, our HDTV picks up an extra 80 columns of information through our DVD player's upconversion.
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