Come to think of it, I am pretty sure my TV is doing an upconverstion already. Toshiba 52HM84.

Here is what I am taking from this...

The current DVD technology intentionally limits the resolution of the video and perhaps the audio. Copy protection is a real problem. Upconversion may result in a sharper picture, but not necessarily. This can be done in the DVD player or on the TV.

HD DVD is technically achievable, though the industry is not sure how to handle it yet. It will come out someday...

HDMI at this point means very little. A DVD player w/ HDMI out most likely pumps the same same quality of signal over a much more complicated pathway.

Another question:

It does kind of tick me off when "copy protection" results in the inability to view what I have purchased or the quality to which I can view same. I had this situation over the Holidays when staying at a ski rental. I wanted to watch a DVD with a portable player. The only TV available was an old unit with a coax input only. They did have an old VCR connected, with composite video input. You know the rest, no way to pass the DVD through the VCR. Copy protection. Greedy bastards.

With all the software out there, is there any way that a ripped, cleaned, copied, pirated, whatever you want to call it, DVD might actually play better because the copy protection might have been eliminated? Acedemic curiousity only, pertaining to the digital copyright debacle. It would be ironic, wouldn't it...

Thanks,

jocko