Does 480p compatibility mean Nintendo Wii can go bigscreen?

[blackstone]

I have two different displays that I can use for a new video game console (Wii) that supports 480i and 480p resolution.

I have a pretty decent 24 inch flat screen CRT WEGA tv. It does not support 480p. Only 480i. It does have component inputs, however.

My other choice is my new 20 inch widescreen NEC LCD computer monitor. It has a max resolution of 1680 x 1050, and has a killer glossy coating that makes everything look awesome. Excellent response time. Works great with FPS computer games.

Obviously, I would sit a lot closer to the LCD monitor than the TV.

The LCD monitor has a ton of inputs, including DVI, component, composite, ect. When I connect my gamecube to the composite video, however, it looks terrible in full screen mode. If I shrink it down in a picture-in-picture window it looks fine. But normal full screen TV mode is fuzzy. The effect is similar to what happens when I put the Gamecube which is 480i on a very large high definition TV. It is sort of blurry, blocky, ect.

My understanding is that 480i isn't really meant for large screens, or in this case computer monitors because you are sitting too close to something that doesn't hold up to that kind of scrutiny.

My question is, given that the Wii will output in 480p as well as 480i with the proper component cables, does that mean that the results will be better with my monitor? In other words, will the 480p compatibility allow the new console to be run on a monitor or large screen, unlike the 480i gamecube?

All things being equal I'd like to use the monitor, but not if it will look better on a standard TV.

 

[dorion]

I'm going to take another stab at this question.

Yes, but only if the game supports it. Look on the back of Gamecube games for something like progressive scan support. If it has one hold down B while starting up. There your Gamecube is outputting widescreen.

The Wii will adopt a similar approach or even make it automatic, but widescreen support is not required for games, so some games won't do widescreen.

So Yes your Wii will look good on widescreen as long as the game supports it, and so will your Gamecube.

 

[blackstone]

My question is, if I use 480P with the wii, will that cut back some of the blurriness on my monitor? Does 480P mean I will be able to sit closer, like at my desk. (You can't really do that with 480i, at that distance it doesn't look good).

 

[Pompeii]

420p has a considerably sharper picture than 480i. I noticed a very large difference on my 42" high def Plasma. Colors seemed more vivid, picture was sharper, even the response time seemed faster.

 

[blackstone]

420p has a considerably sharper picture than 480i. I noticed a very large difference on my 42" high def Plasma. Colors seemed more vivid, picture was sharper, even the response time seemed faster.

That would suggest that the progressive scan might make Wii more doable on my monitor. I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and test it when it comes out. Hopefully the component cables aren't too expensive.