TV resolutions are measured in scanlines 525 for NTFS (@60hz)and 625(@50hz) for PAL. Scanlines are the horizontal lines that control the VERTICAL resolution these numbers are the MAXIMUM a TV can use. The HORIZONTAL resolution (a single scanline) is unfixed. Usually not all the available scanlines (VERTICAL resolution) are used, so you have less scanlines.
So for a DVD at 720 X 480 the picture on the TV would use 480 of the available scanlines with 720 pixels per scanline.
BUT, and heres the beauty of TV, TV's dont scan from top to bottom like a pc monitor does. A TV interlaces its scanlines, what this means is on one pass all the odd numbered lines (starting from top of screen going to bottom) are displayed and on the second pass all the even scanlines are displayed. So each pass is only 50% of the picture (think correct width but only half the height). Which is why the quoted hz of any TV format is double that required to get smooth moving pictures IE 2 frames (odd and even) make one picture (to the human eye).
Because the human eye can be tricked so easily a picture containing less information will still look good on TV. For high quality video, resolutions do not need to be anywhere near as high as you would think, for example a (widescreen) film may be 640x272 (note the few vertical scanlines) yet the picture remains good EVEN when zoomed up to fill the TV screen (get rid of the black borders top and bottom). A 420 X 360 would be very good quality for TV.
Now you are probably wondering WHY do monitors use much higher resolutions (if you aren't you should be) and the reason for this is DETAIL. You typically sit somewhere from 6 to 12 feet from a TV and at this distance your eyes cannot define fine detail.
You can test this by taping a newspaper to your TV screen and then go and sit in your normal TV viewing chair. Can you read the newsprint? Of course you can't (unless you sit VERY VERYclose to the TV). But on a monitor you need to be able to define fine detail hence the higher resolutions.
Also TV resolutions do not have enough pixels to form small writing (fonts) correctly AND because of the TV's interlacing (interlacing is also an excellent form of anti-aliasing) the fonts become smudged and virtually unreadable.
For more info go here:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/vidres.htm#QuickHor
The EASIEST and probaly most cost effective would be to buy a cheap DVD player (for your bedroom) and burn your movies onto CD as VCD's or SVCD's. Even better get a DVD player that will play DivX/Xvids and burn your movies in those formats.
Controlling movies from the pc to another room will soon get annoying as only one display will show the video file and you seem to have forgotten about the sound (it aint pumped down the video channel is it).
HTH
Sorry it was long winded.
PS. If playing movies on TV get Zoomplayer (Google for it).
