Even the standard DVD will get a performance bump this year. Look for both high-definition DVD players and some standard-def models to offer upconversion to either 1080i or 1080p.

You won’t get the same detail and quality from the interpolation as you would from a disc mastered at high resolution, but you’ll see an improvement. “We’re making up five-sixths of the information you’re seeing on the screen,” says Pioneer’s Walker. “We have to take 300,000 pixels and turn them into 2 million, and we’re guessing at that content, based on the information on the original DVD.” He says the process makes a DVD look a lot better than it normally does, “but you don’t get the same detail as you would with Blu-ray.”

Players like the Oppo DVD-970HD ($149), Toshiba’s SD-6000 ($129), and LG’s DN788 ($79.95) upconvert standard DVDs (480i resolution) to 720p or 1080i to take advantage of the high-resolution capability of a high-end display. Note that only images sent via HDMI can be upconverted to 720p or 1080i. If you use component video connectors, the resolution bump is limited to 480p because of copyright technology. For 1080p TV owners, the LG DN 798 ($109.95) and Rotel’s high-end RDV-1093 ($1,499) upconvert standard DVDs to 1080p resolution.

More Stories from The New HD

• The New HD Introduction
• HD DVD and Blu-ray Learn to Play Together Dual-format players and discs could open the door for mass adoption of high-definition DVD in the months ahead.
• Standard DVDs Get a Resolution Boost Upconversion breathes new life—and higher resolution—into standard DVDs.
• The Buzz Around 1080p With 1,080 lines of resolution, “Full HD” 1080p is all the rage in the display world.
• HD Content Expands Exponentially In 2007, DirecTV will dramatically expand its HD offerings and the Internet could emerge as a significant HD provider.
• High Resolution Comes to Audio Surround sound just got sweeter. We take a look at the latest formats and developments in high-resolution audio.