Perhaps the word “easier” was the wrong one to use. Maybe “better” would have been more accurate. Although I do think that it is easier too!

It is my understanding that it is always better to duplicate content then to remove it. When something is upscaled nothing is lost. When something is downscaled content IS lost. While artifacts are an issue with both processes I think it is felt that the end result is almost always better when upscaling as opposed to downscaling. It is the loss of content that makes the downscaling process more difficult. I don’t mean in it’s simpliest form of just removing pixels but when it is done with picture quality in mind. In order to minimize the effect of downscaling the processor must have the ability to work in an adaptive manner to produce a picture that is still pleasing to the eye. When upscaling I don’t think the task is quite as difficult. It is this complexity that places me in the buy a decent player with a good scaler camp.