DVDO Video Scaler

[fauzigarib]

Misterdoggy and others,

I know that I should be posting this elsewhere, but you guys just seem sooo knowledgeable here!

Just had a quick operational question about your video scaler. I'm seriously considering one of these to plug into my HT and I'm wondering how do you guys control the changing the inputs and coordinate that with the receiver / pre / pro?

I'm assuming that you have the audio plugged into the receiver and the video into the scaler, right? So when you switch to, say DVD, do you have to run a macro on your remote? Or do you physically switch both the scaler and the receiver to DVD?

Also, is there a video / audio sync issue at all?

How do you like the scaler, generally? Is there a huge difference that justifies the price? I'll be using it on my Panasonic AE 900 u...

Thanks for the help.

Fauzi

[fauzigarib]

Nudge nudge!!!

Guys... just looking for some help!



Fauzi

[WI Rotel]

Misterdoggy and others,

I know that I should be posting this elsewhere, but you guys just seem sooo knowledgeable here!

Just had a quick operational question about your video scaler. I'm seriously considering one of these to plug into my HT and I'm wondering how do you guys control the changing the inputs and coordinate that with the receiver / pre / pro?

I'm assuming that you have the audio plugged into the receiver and the video into the scaler, right? So when you switch to, say DVD, do you have to run a macro on your remote? Or do you physically switch both the scaler and the receiver to DVD?

Also, is there a video / audio sync issue at all?

How do you like the scaler, generally? Is there a huge difference that justifies the price? I'll be using it on my Panasonic AE 900 u...

Thanks for the help.

Fauzi

:huh:
Thats one I know nothing about!
Why not just get a DVD with the scaler in it like the new 1080p Rotel? or the new HD DVD or Blue Ray players. I haven't seen the Rotel, the HD DVD have fabulous fidelity but I don't know if they will ever become market viable since, as expected, there are companies already filing for the rights to stream HD movies through broadband connections, thus all you will need is a DVR type device.

[Nolan B]

Misterdoggy and others,

I know that I should be posting this elsewhere, but you guys just seem sooo knowledgeable here!

Just had a quick operational question about your video scaler. I'm seriously considering one of these to plug into my HT and I'm wondering how do you guys control the changing the inputs and coordinate that with the receiver / pre / pro?

I'm assuming that you have the audio plugged into the receiver and the video into the scaler, right? So when you switch to, say DVD, do you have to run a macro on your remote? Or do you physically switch both the scaler and the receiver to DVD?

Also, is there a video / audio sync issue at all?

How do you like the scaler, generally? Is there a huge difference that justifies the price? I'll be using it on my Panasonic AE 900 u...

Thanks for the help.

Fauzi

I can help as I have one and have done extensive testing with it. Too answer your first question you can either have both the video and audio (digital) run through the DVDO or just the video. It does do a audio Sync so it is benaficial to run it all through the DVDO. The actual swtich is done easily by a macro.

The DVDO will de-interlace your video without flaw..much better then any rotel product. You should find out if your TV accpts its native resolution and you can get 1:1 pixal mapping. I am not familiar with your panasonic model, but you can find more on processors and your TV on the link below.

If you plan on getting the DVDO VP50 it will serve you for a long time as its designed to de-interlace 1080i and will do so better then any internal chip in 1080p display devices or any future 1080p dvd player for years to come. The VP 50 will also doa goo job with standard DVDs and TV content.

Let me know what you hopes are from getting it and what video sources you are using it with and I can provide more detailed info.

link for further reference, if you do a search here for my posts I have asked a lot of questions and provided a lot of answers. Searching for displays which work well with the product can also be found here. I will also say the DVDO has some of the best customer service I have ever encountered.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=37

[fauzigarib]

Better than Rotel?!?!?! How?!?!?!

Vancouver,

Thanks for your response! And let's just hold off on the "Better than Rotel" comments, please!

A couple more questions from your answers: The Panasonic I mentioned is a projector. And from what I understand, 1020 is the native format for that pj.

Anyway, if you put the audio through the DVDO also, wouldn't that degrade the audio signal at all? I figure, if you're filtering it through another device, and if that device will alter that signal (which I'm assuming it will do to sync the sound with the video), that will be one more step for it to get degraded.

Therefore, if you end up putting the audio processing through your receiver and the video seperately through the dvdo, then that brings up the issue of syncing both interfaces. I guess you would have to separately change the mode on both units. I'm sure that can be done via the universal remote with macros, but what if you like to switch with the units themselves, and not use the remote? I know that there's a product out there called the Universal Translator that plugs from the DVDO's rs 232 port to the receivers rs232 port and syncs between teh two. Interesting product. I was just wondering how you folks are doing it.

BTW, Vancouver, have you tried the built in audio syncing on the DVDO? I hear that there are some problems with it.

WI Rotel - To answer your question, I think that a dedicated Video Scaler will do a better job of upsampling / upscaling your video than any dvdp , projector, etc. I feel that just because the circuitry is built around that... just like playing a cd on a cd player rather than a dvd player that plays audio. Just my feeling....

Thanks guys,

Fauzi

[misterdoggy]

Fauzi,

I thought I posted but it doesn't seem to be here.

I use DVDO for all my video. All video whether it is sat, dvd or whatever passed thru the DVDO ONLY.

All audio passes thru my processor.

You program your remote with a macro that switches BOTH the DVDO and the receiver to what ever signals you want.

The pure signal from the source does not need to pass thru a receiver unnecessarily, just like the audio portion does not need to pass thru the Video scaler unnecessarily.

Keep things simple. From all the posts I have read, there are problems with DVDO when you start getting into lip sync and audio.

DVDO will take a 480i image and upscale it to 720p or 1080i and you will be very happy. NO processor can do what a DVDO can do yet. Not Anthem, nobody.

[Nolan B]

Vancouver,

Thanks for your response! And let's just hold off on the "Better than Rotel" comments, please!

A couple more questions from your answers: The Panasonic I mentioned is a projector. And from what I understand, 1020 is the native format for that pj.

Anyway, if you put the audio through the DVDO also, wouldn't that degrade the audio signal at all? I figure, if you're filtering it through another device, and if that device will alter that signal (which I'm assuming it will do to sync the sound with the video), that will be one more step for it to get degraded.

Therefore, if you end up putting the audio processing through your receiver and the video seperately through the dvdo, then that brings up the issue of syncing both interfaces. I guess you would have to separately change the mode on both units. I'm sure that can be done via the universal remote with macros, but what if you like to switch with the units themselves, and not use the remote? I know that there's a product out there called the Universal Translator that plugs from the DVDO's rs 232 port to the receivers rs232 port and syncs between teh two. Interesting product. I was just wondering how you folks are doing it.

BTW, Vancouver, have you tried the built in audio syncing on the DVDO? I hear that there are some problems with it.

WI Rotel - To answer your question, I think that a dedicated Video Scaler will do a better job of upsampling / upscaling your video than any dvdp , projector, etc. I feel that just because the circuitry is built around that... just like playing a cd on a cd player rather than a dvd player that plays audio. Just my feeling....

Thanks guys,

Fauzi

Putting your digital audio through the DVDO will not degrade the sound quality. At least it hasnt for me. You will need to do this in order to fixed the audio/video lip sinc. Dont feel bad for posting things here which are better then rotel. The fact is DVDO does things the rotel scaler/dvd players cant and does a better job then the things it can.

Which DVDO are you thinking of getting? If you hook it up to your projector send 1080i and all the test paterns on the DVDO work then you are getting 1:1 pixal mapping,. What you are trying to do is bypass the processor in the projector completely.

[misterdoggy]

I haven't found the lipsync to be a problem.

Everything is in Sync without going thru the DVDO

I'm using top quality digital cables, and a good rule of thumb is if you don't need extra cables, connections anything its better to go direct.

[Lex]

you are right, this does not belong in Club BW.

Moving it.

[LEVESQUE]

DVDO will take a 480i image and upscale it to 720p or 1080i and you will be very happy. NO processor can do what a DVDO can do yet. Not Anthem, nobody.

Not true, since the VP50 is not on the market yet... The DVDO VP30 is doing "bob" with 1080i and loosing resolution with interpolations, while the Gennum VXP scaler in the Anthem AVM50/D2 is doing true inverse telecine and per-pixel motion adaptive de-interlacing with 1080i.

The scaler in the AVM50/D2 is on par with Realta HQV for 1080i treatment(and with the latest reports, superior to the Realta with 480i signal), and in front of DVDO for 1080i treatment, and on par with the new ABT102 for 480i.

The next major firmware upgrade for the AVM50/D2 will enable per-input multiple memory banks, custom resolutions, custom gamma-curves and gen-locking.

The DVDO products are not really giving you much more then that... I was able to compare the DVDO VP30 to my D2 with a Sony Ruby, Toshiba HD-DVD player on a 110" screen, and the D2 was clearly superior with 1080i.

I actually sold my DVDO VP30 after trying the scaler of the D2 at 1080p. It's funny when you think about that. A pre/pro manufacturer is doing a better job with 1080i then a dedicated scaler manufacturer like DVDO, and ahead of the technological curve... Interesting...

Denon and all the other major receivers manufacturers will fallow Anthem this fall with Realta HQV and Gennum VXP integrated scalers in their flagship receivers. For once, a pre/pro manufacturer is in front of the giant receivers manufacturers... Funny.

[misterdoggy]

Not true, since the VP50 is not on the market yet... The DVDO VP30 is doing "bob" with 1080i and loosing resolution with interpolations, while the Gennum VXP scaler in the Anthem AVM50/D2 is doing true inverse telecine and per-pixel motion adaptive de-interlacing with 1080i.

The scaler in the AVM50/D2 is on par with Realta HQV for 1080i treatment(and with the latest reports, superior to the Realta with 480i signal), and in front of DVDO for 1080i treatment, and on par with the new ABT102 for 480i.

The next major firmware upgrade for the AVM50/D2 will enable per-input multiple memory banks, custom resolutions, custom gamma-curves and gen-locking.

The DVDO products are not really giving you much more then that... I was able to compare the DVDO VP30 to my D2 with a Sony Ruby, Toshiba HD-DVD player on a 110" screen, and the D2 was clearly superior with 1080i.

I actually sold my DVDO VP30 after trying the scaler of the D2 at 1080p. It's funny when you think about that. A pre/pro manufacturer is doing a better job with 1080i then a dedicated scaler manufacturer like DVDO, and ahead of the technological curve... Interesting...

Denon and all the other major receivers manufacturers will fallow Anthem this fall with Realta HQV and Gennum VXP integrated scalers in their flagship receivers. For once, a pre/pro manufacturer is in front of the giant receivers manufacturers... Funny.

Great Stuff. Good Feedback. I have the ABT 102 Card and didn't feel the VP50 offers anything for me since my Plasma only will accept 1080i and 1080p will be the next step.

I had heard that the Anthem D2 couldn't do everything the DVDO was doing but thanks for straightening out the record.

I am on the sidelines for the moment to decide about 1080p with all thats evolving, its really about to break.......