New iPod Upscale Video to HD

A couple of upcoming iPod docks come with the standard "video out" feature, but with a twist—they'll upscale your images to 720p or 1080i. Pretty nice, but don't expect a full-on HD image, and brace yourself for the respective price tags.

Straight out of Macworld comes the DLO HomeDock HD, a sleek iPod dock with an HDMI output (along with composite and S-Video connections), an RF remote, and the ability to upscale standard-def iPod video to 720p or 1080i. Now, let's make something clear from the get-go: like upscaling DVD players, an upscaling iPod dock won't magically turn your iPod video into crystal-clear HD. Instead, upscaling devices interpolate 480p signals to take better advantage of 720p- and 1080i-capable displays. The results vary, of course; in the case of the DLO HomeDock HD, CrunchGear blogger Matt Hickey was impressed enough with the demo to call the HomeDock one of the cooler offerings at Macworld.

Another new contender: the Creative Xdock HD, which not only handles HD upscaling duties but also juices the audio as well, using a technology Creative calls "X-Fi Crystalizer" and CMSS-3D (enough initials for you?) to turn stereo sound from the iPod into full DTS surround sound (akin to receivers that convert stereo tracks to Dolby Digital Pro Logic II surround). Even better, the Xdock HD (which debuted last week at CES) can wirelessly transmit audio to the bundled X-Fi receiver.

Good stuff, but neither of these high-end docks come cheap: the DLO HomeDock HD will retail for $249 when it hits stores this spring, while the Xdock HD (also due this spring) will sell $399.