Problems getting my amp to upscale from 1080 > 4K

[steveharman]

We have a Gigablue UED 4K box with OpenVix, coupled with a Sony STR-DN1080 amp and a Samsung QE43Q60 4K TV.

The amp offers the facility of upsampling 1080p content to 4K. On the Gigablue/OpenVix I've set the Menu > Setup > Settings > Audio & Video > video output to 1080 @ 50hz. Sadly though I get no apparent "4K" as far as the TV is concerned, which shows the input resolution as 1920x1080. I've tried rebooting the box, amp & tv without success.

On closer inspection the help docs for the Sony amp state: "The upscaling function works only when video signals are received via the HDMI IN jacks. HDMI input signal must be 1080p/24 Hz 2D signal". Would I be right in thinking that as there only seem to be options for 1080p 50/60hz on the Gigablue/Openvix mean I won't be able to get the amp to upsample 1080 to 4K - as the amp is expecting 1080/24Hz ?

Thanks

 

[ronand]

Seems like it. I wouldn't worry about it anyway. You can either output 4k from the gigablue or in any case the TV will be doing the upscaling. Its not going to make much of a difference as upscaling cant create detail that is not there

 

[steveharman]

Thanks for the reply.

Something I've never fully understood with the video output setting on the Gigablue - if I set it to 2160 ("4K"?) - does that mean the box will "magically" upscale any lower resolution content from TV and media up to 4K? Great if it does, but I couldn't find that in any manuals. And again if I set the output to 2160 should the TV detect that resolution and show "2160 x ???" as its source/input resolution?

 

[cactikid]

I have a Zgemma H7S 4K set to 2160 and hdmi is going to 4K Sony tv and quality will upscale from 1080 upwards when on a UHD channel.

From tv to input on Amp i use a spdif cable for audio.

If on a sd quality picture is crap and doubt if could get any better.

 

[ronand]

You cant truly improve whats not there. SD will be SD upscaled or not. All that upscaling can do is a bit of edge smoothing with interpolation but its guesswork at best

 

[steveharman]

I have a Zgemma H7S 4K set to 2160 and hdmi is going to 4K Sony tv and quality will upscale from 1080 upwards when on a UHD channel.

From tv to input on Amp i use a spdif cable for audio.

If on a sd quality picture is crap and doubt if could get any better.

Thanks. Can you clarify "will upscale from 1080 upwards when on a UHD channel" please?

 

[cactikid]

My zgemma H7s 4K will as on tv i see it flickers when it changes automatically to a 4K broadcast and better sharper picture

 

[BrianG61UK]

does that mean the box will "magically" upscale any lower resolution content from TV and media up to 4K? Great if it does, but I couldn't find that in any manuals.

Strictly speaking, upscaling simply means stretching to the correct number of pixels.
It's a misunderstanding that upscaling, by definition, makes it look better.
It is possible to upscale and do various things from edge enhancement up to full artificial intelligence to try and fill in extra detail, but upscaling doesn't imply any detail enhancement like that will happen.
Even if there is some kind of image enhancement, it will only in rare cases look nearly as good as if the original source matched the final resolution.

 

[cactikid]

Looked up specs on the amp and it says 4K but not on port 1.

https://www.sony.ie/electronics/av-receivers/str-dn1080/specifications

 

[adm]

Strictly speaking, upscaling simply means stretching to the correct number of pixels.
It's a misunderstanding that upscaling, by definition, makes it look better.
It is possible to upscale and do various things from edge enhancement up to full artificial intelligence to try and fill in extra detail, but upscaling doesn't imply any detail enhancement like that will happen.
Even if there is some kind of image enhancement, it will only in rare cases look nearly as good as if the original source matched the final resolution.

+1 There is no magic going on in upscalling. If the original material is Standard Definition (SD), or lacks detail or the picture appears blurry because it was broadcast with a high compression then no matter what tricks are performed in a box or TV the upscalled picture is very unlikely to be any different. Don't be fooled into thinking some of the things you see in TV programs such as CSI etc., such as blowing up a blurry photo to magically show a face or number plate in full detail, are actually possible or real. In the real world it will be more like Crimewatch CCTV pictures where after the experts have spent hours enhancing the picture the result are still s**t and the faces of the suspects are barely recognisable.

Often some of the fancy enhancement features on a TV can make the picture look worse and it's better to disable them. There is a very good reason why TVs in retail outlets are only showing animated films or content from Blueray rather than anything broadcast via terrestrial or satellite. Also, if the source material is UK broadcast @50Hz and interlaced it's not a good idea to output it from your box at 60Hz or maybe progressive.

 

[cactikid]

Maybe i should have added my 1080 will upscale from 1080 to 4K but not through my amp as its not a 4K MODEL

Can you see it changing from 1080 to 4K on a 4K channel ?