Samsung Supposedly Gimping Component Inputs on 2011 Displays
One can only hope that this is some cheap April Fool’s joke. CE Pro has apparently received word from Samsung that their 2011 display lineup will limit component video input to 480p. Obviously, this will put the lineup at a competitive disadvantage so it seems a bit hard to fathom.
File this one in the rumor bin until we see some reviews.
There has been a lot of buzz on industry forums that all of Samsung’s new D Series LED TVs will now only support a maximum resolution of 480p.
This had me puzzled so I put on my investigator cap.
After searching all of the forums on the topic it all looked grim. No one could shoot down this rumor. Next was Samsung’s website. It said that it supported up to 1080p on component in the user manuals. This, however, was impossible!
I have seen incorrect documentation from many manufacturers before so I did the old-fashioned thing: I called Samsung.
My friend picked one up, I’ll
My friend picked one up, I’ll try to test tomorrow! Though I honestly don’t see this as an issue.
Awesome!I think it is an
Awesome!
I think it is an issue though for certain people. Original XBOX 360 owners, for example, wouldn’t be too thrilled.
My friend has an original
My friend has an original Xbox so should be easy to test then.
Why I don’t think it is a big concern that most people who will be buying a new HDTV either have new equipment or have an AVR that will output component sources via HDMI.
Now if this was an AVR with restrictions on component inputs I’d be pissed and not purchase.
Very odd if true and not an
Very odd if true and not an April Fools day joke. Closing the analog gap seems pointless since the HDCP master key was leaked.
I don’t know that the HDCP
I don’t know that the HDCP thing is too relevant for the industry at large. To me, it makes little sense to limit an input device. AFAIK, everything regarding closing the analog hole has been related to limiting the source device and not the display device.
They use the excuse for
They use the excuse for wanting to limit analog as an anti-piracy method. Anyone who wanted to pirate any source could either rip a disc directly or use the HDCP key to do it. From my view, any limiting of analog just hurts legitimate early adopters of HD. This all stems from the annoyance that I have to jump through hoops with my legitamate hardware and movies/games than I would if I used ripped stuff and imported region free hardware. (I have a component only HD-DVD player still laying around LOL)
And I agree with you, limiting the display device seems really weird compared to limiting source devices.
The article is wrong about
The article is wrong about 1080p on component being impossible. It’s possible and looks great. I have an origional xbox360 and used to use 1080p component to my Sony 60A3000 TV. The 1080i limit was self imposed, just like this 480p limit…
That’s correct for some
That’s correct for some displays. I’m not sure exactly what the author meant with the comment regarding 1080p. I wouldn’t be surprised if the 2011 Samsung displays all ended up supporting 1080p despite what the Samsung rep said. The manual is probably correct.
I was under the impression
I was under the impression that the analog sunset was only related to Blu-ray (or other AACS protected content, if it existed). So it is about source device’s output, not the end-point — the display. So it makes no sense for Samsung to have done this. AFAIK it is not required by any standards body that the display’s inputs be limited to 480-lines over analog.
There are plenty of legitimate component sources for 720p/1080i, most commonly is a cable or satelite box or a first generation Xbox 360.
I’ll be interested to see what is found out when people actually get hands on with the D series.