Can't tell the difference.

[primal-nether]

Okay, I have a new computer with all the hardware I need to take-advantage of downloadable HD content(and a blu-ray drive soon to be installed) but I just can't tell the difference

I'm running a 5600 Dual-Core AMD processor, 8600GT NVidia card(DVI), 4GB Ram and have just added a 22" widescreen DVI Samsung monitor.
I've tried 2 different DVI cables and, whilst the video is clearer than a non-HD video file, I'm seeing no 'extra' detail of any kind.
I wasn't expecting to have my mind blown, but I did expect some kind of a difference.
Oh and the video is only as clear as a regular DVD used to be when I had a smaller display, so no gain there really.

To my knowledge I have all the right codecs. Indeed, a 'Haali Media Splitter' icon appears in my system tray whilst content is playing.
I actually am even noticing VHS-style 'grain' in the background as I watch stuff.

Any ideas?

Edit: I also have the latest drivers for my graphics card.

[kurbkidc]

IMHO HD is meant for big screens. 36"+
At those sizes you can DEFINETELY tell the difference HD makes. My solution to your problem is this:
1. return monitor
2. buy HDTV, say 50" (make sure its got DVI inputs)
3. hook it all up in your living room and bam...

Now you got the true HD experience, fire up an HD clip and tell me it isnt a significant improvement over its 480p counterpart. Good luck to you and remember, think big!

L8rz!

[pecobas]

On my system - Intel 6600 Dual core w/ 2g ram 7950 GX2 Dell 2405FPW monitor- there is a big difference, standard DVDs look ugly on my 24" monitor (even worse on my TV) ever since I got my Blu-ray player.

Is the downloaded content you are using as a HD sample properly encoded? P2P stuff should not be trusted and the bitrate on most D/L content (movie trailers etc) is not that high in order to keep the filesize down.

You may just have have bad content since you see VHS grain. I normally hear complaints of stuttering if the PC cannot handle HD content. Try CoreAVC codec anyways its pretty good for watching HD trailers on my older PC, I dont need a codec for my dual core PC everything plays fine.

[primal-nether]

Thanks. Yeah, my system can handle it easily, but I guess the content is just not good enough.
DVDs do look awful on this screen. I guess the downloadable stuff seen on certain P2P sites(if one were to download it) is akin to the sites offering 700mb AVI files of DVDs for download. The quality wouldn't be nearly as good as the file size is less than half that of the disc.

I'm just waiting on a power converter and then the Blu-ray drive is going in. I have some rentals so we shall see.

Thanks for your reply.