Upscaler for HD TV

[rama193]

Hi all,

First of all thanks to this forum which has given alot of info regarding HD TVs, AVRs and many such.

It was through the many posts on this forum that I got an fairly good idea and clarity about what to purchase and how to get max. out of the investment done on these hi-tech gadgets.

My query is regarding an upscaler for a HD LED/LCD TV.

I read a post on this forum from which I understood that Denon AVR 1910/2310 is a good purchase for a complete home audio + hd upscaler. Has anyone seen a considerable performance improvement in video quality from any DTH signal after using one of these AVRs? Is the upscaler performance of Denon 1910/2310 better than the one on-board on Samsung any series LCD / LED?

Please advise.

Thanks,
Rama

 

[freshseasons]

Nope.The Upscaler of Samsung or for that Any LCd TV is better than Denon 1910 or any other AVR in that category.
For Better Upscale feature AVR than TV please look for the other side of 100K Rs.

 

[rama193]

Thanks freshseasons.

Can you kindly suggest some models of such AVRs?

Also, are there any pure upscalers (not comboed with an AVR) in the 40-50K range?

 

[spirovious]

Avermedia has some upscalers.Cheap intex too is available.

 

[freshseasons]

Thanks freshseasons.

Can you kindly suggest some models of such AVRs?

Also, are there any pure upscalers (not comboed with an AVR) in the 40-50K range?

Looking for AVR with good upscaling and choosing it only because of Video scaling is waste of money. The primary role of AVR should be Sound Processing.A good AVR with Pass-through HDMI is recommended.I suggest rather use the saved money to get better source,Like BDp ,DVD or better Streamer media player that does excellent upscaling.
Find them here:
eBay India: Xtreamer HDD Media Player Full HD1080P WiFi 1 Yr wrnty (item 200441375029 end time 21-Mar-2010 16:40:38 IST)

eBay India: LATEST EGREAT EG-R2A BLU-RAY MKV WI-FI MEDIA PLAYER (item 110485952826 end time 24-Feb-2010 12:41:36 IST)

eBay India: ASUS O!Play HDP-R1 Full HD 1080p Media Player eSATA LAN (item 140385211867 end time 24-Feb-2010 14:20:32 IST)

WD Live TV also enjoys a good reputation with frequent firmware upgrades.
You will also find cheap Chinese made Media players that boasts HD upscaling but i strongly suggest you to stay away from them.They dont carry enough processing power to do justice to 1080 HD content.

 

[rama193]

hi rama.........,my advice you should go for dedicated video up-scalers....they make a world of difference.i have a sharp 42in lcd upscaled.i have a dvdo brand up-scaler though they are very expensive,but full future proof.you also need to use good cables in conjunction.i prefer nordost hdmi cabels.you can get more info from soundsmiths mumbai.:licklips:

Hi reddymail,

thanks alot for the reply. did u use DVDO Edge or the one amongst the VP models? Even though price is not a big deal, I'm trying to strike a balance between the investment and a proper quality.

I've read in some other post that the pure upscalers have a problem of audio - video sync. It is so said that the sync sometime fails with sudden flashing on screen sort of things? Is it so? How is your experience with the DVDO product?

Also thanks for the cables stuff.

 

[rama193]

Looking for AVR with good upscaling and choosing it only because of Video scaling is waste of money. The primary role of AVR should be Sound Processing.A good AVR with Pass-through HDMI is recommended.I suggest rather use the saved money to get better source,Like BDp ,DVD or better Streamer media player that does excellent upscaling.
Find them here:
eBay India: Xtreamer HDD Media Player Full HD1080P WiFi 1 Yr wrnty (item 200441375029 end time 21-Mar-2010 16:40:38 IST)

eBay India: LATEST EGREAT EG-R2A BLU-RAY MKV WI-FI MEDIA PLAYER (item 110485952826 end time 24-Feb-2010 12:41:36 IST)

eBay India: ASUS O!Play HDP-R1 Full HD 1080p Media Player eSATA LAN (item 140385211867 end time 24-Feb-2010 14:20:32 IST)

WD Live TV also enjoys a good reputation with frequent firmware upgrades.
You will also find cheap Chinese made Media players that boasts HD upscaling but i strongly suggest you to stay away from them.They dont carry enough processing power to do justice to 1080 HD content.

Hi freshseasons,

Thanks for the info.

I understand that the investment in AVRs for upscaling would go waste.

Does BDP upscale the DTH Signal to good HD level ?

Also the players you suggested look more like media players rather than live TV upscalers? Am I missing something here?

I'm exactly looking for an upscaler which can upscale the DTH signal and also the input from DVD player. Do the players suggested do my job?

Please advise.

Thanks,
Rama

 

[cmsajith]

I suggest invest in a good TV with good upscalers

 

[rama193]

Can you please suggest some as I'm unable to find one such.

 

[Sumain]

Dear Rama193,

It seems that the DVDO Edge standalone upscaler is from Anchor Bay Technologies. See link below:

Anchor Bay ? DVDO Edge

The Denon 1910 also uses the Anchor Bay Technologies chip for video upscaling. (it used to ealier use a Faroudja chip). See

Denon USA | AVR-1910

My question is, why should the upscaling results be any different?

Needs more research, don't you think?

 

[deba]

Are there any external 1080 upscalers availabe which can be connected to a standard DVD player.Hope it will perform much better than the upscalers found in DVD players and TVs.

 

[sud98]

Upscalers are expensive and you will find them useful in having more flexible and high end system. You could have a video processor like DVDO Edge or the one from Emotiva. They would be much better than TV/AVR/DVD player quality but would show noticeable difference in larger screens. These processors can be used with power amps so that you get the best of both audio and video and dont have to buy an AVR.

 

[rama193]

Dear Rama193,

It seems that the DVDO Edge standalone upscaler is from Anchor Bay Technologies. See link below:

Anchor Bay ? DVDO Edge

The Denon 1910 also uses the Anchor Bay Technologies chip for video upscaling. (it used to ealier use a Faroudja chip). See

Denon USA | AVR-1910

My question is, why should the upscaling results be any different?

Needs more research, don't you think?

Hi Sumai,

Thanks for the suggestion.

Did some and found that the the chip in Denon AVR 1910 is ABT 1030 and the one in DVDO EDGE is ABT2010 which considered the best chip for video processing.

Also, it seems the implementation of 1030 on 1910 is not so very excellent as done in edge and that Denon used some cheaper chips for analog and other modes of scaling on board to be more competitive in terms of pricing (from other posts).

Denon 2310 uses ABT2010, but again people complain of the quality of output again pointing to inferior implementation of the ABT2010 chip.

So can I comfortably zero on DVDO EDGE? But, please let me know if my understanding is wrong or there is a betterupscaler.

Thanks,
Rama

 

[rama193]

Upscalers are expensive and you will find them useful in having more flexible and high end system. You could have a video processor like DVDO Edge or the one from Emotiva. They would be much better than TV/AVR/DVD player quality but would show noticeable difference in larger screens. These processors can be used with power amps so that you get the best of both audio and video and dont have to buy an AVR.

Hi sud98,

I'm planning to buy a 46/55" LCD and a good projector later. I went for LCD demo and did not get satisfied by the video quality from the DTH signal. So started searching online and decided to have a specific tool for each action which does its best.

I'm ready to pay for the perfect quality.

Thanks for the reply. But can you explain or direct me reg. directly using power amps for sound. Do you say that I dont require an AVR if I use a processor like edge? But then, who is going to the job of creating the surround effects? Please explain.

Thanks,
Rama

 

[venkatcr]

Thanks for the reply. But can you explain or direct me reg. directly using power amps for sound. Do you say that I dont require an AVR if I use a processor like edge? But then, who is going to the job of creating the surround effects? Please explain.

These questions surprise me, as they are very very basic. I am assuming you are honest and hence replying to them.

There are 3 parts to an HT system. The source - usually a DVD Player; a receiver - usually referred to as an AV Receiver or AVR, and a display - that could be a TV or a projector.

The source plays the DVD and sends the video and audio signal out to the next unit. In most cases, the audio needs to be pre-amplified and then power amplified. This is done by a AVR that has a surround sound processor and a amplifier built in. The AVR can send the video signal either processed or pass it through as is. If the DVD scales the video, the AVR and the TV can pass the signal and display the signal as is.

Which is better depends a lot on the unit. For example, if you take a DVD Player such as Oppo 983, no other unit can scale as well as that can. If you take mid to high end TVs, they can also scale very well. Similarly mid to high end AVRs such the Denon 2310, the Onkyo 8xx, 9xx, and the Yamaha xx3 series scale very well.

An external video processor such as DVDO processes only the video. You will need an AVR to process the sound in any case.

Independent video scalers were popular some years ago when AVRs did not have scalers built in. But today, all TVs that claim FullHD will have a scaler built in. Most AVRs that cost 50K and above have scalers built in. Many DVD Players also have scalers built in.

Why have a video processor in the AVR and TV? Because a DVD Player can only process what is on the DVD. It cannot input nor process any other signal such as DTH. For that you need an unit that can accept a TV signal as an input and then process it. Only AVR, external processors, or TVs can do that.

Cheers

 

[gopscreative]

Dear Rama193,

It seems that the DVDO Edge standalone upscaler is from Anchor Bay Technologies. See link below:

Anchor Bay ? DVDO Edge

The Denon 1910 also uses the Anchor Bay Technologies chip for video upscaling. (it used to ealier use a Faroudja chip). See

Denon USA | AVR-1910

My question is, why should the upscaling results be any different?

Needs more research, don't you think?

Hi what will be the cost of DVDO Edge?

 

[Sumain]

Hi,

Just to share some information that I came by.

It seems that many DTH providers are working on High Def TV signals. Perhaps we may see some availability even during the coming commonwealth games.

So, perhaps, an expensive upscaling solution may only be a temporary measure, since soon the signals themselves may become HD.

I myself was very tempted to replace my current Denon 1908 AVR with the 1910 when I heard of the upscaling capabilities. The advice that I was given (even by Denon dealers) was that I may be disappointed, and that the upscaling capabilities built into my TV may be good enough anyway. In any case, I should wait for the HD signals to become available, which may happen in a year or two. (Till then, I was advised to sit a little distance away from the TV).

(The information about HD signal becoming available in the near future has come from an acquaintence who works for a company which provides the chip level programming for the set top boxes for DTH companies.)

So, maybe it is sensible to just wait...

 

[Sumain]

Rama193

Which TV do you have? Or intend to buy?

Perhaps the TV is good enough, and a separate upscaling solution may not be needed at all.

All HD TVs upscale any incoming signals up to the tv's native resolution (unless of course the incoming signal is already HD).

Also, how large is your TV and how far away from it are you watching from? If it is a large TV and / or you are sitting very close, then upscaling the picture is necessary. Otherwise, if you are sitting say 12 ft away from a 32" tv, then upscaling or no, it will make no difference.

So please tell - (a) TV model and size and (b) viewing distance so that members may advise you whether you need a separate upscaling solution at all.

Cheers

 

[rama193]

Hi,

Just to share some information that I came by.

It seems that many DTH providers are working on High Def TV signals. Perhaps we may see some availability even during the coming commonwealth games.

So, perhaps, an expensive upscaling solution may only be a temporary measure, since soon the signals themselves may become HD.

I myself was very tempted to replace my current Denon 1908 AVR with the 1910 when I heard of the upscaling capabilities. The advice that I was given (even by Denon dealers) was that I may be disappointed, and that the upscaling capabilities built into my TV may be good enough anyway. In any case, I should wait for the HD signals to become available, which may happen in a year or two. (Till then, I was advised to sit a little distance away from the TV).

(The information about HD signal becoming available in the near future has come from an acquaintence who works for a company which provides the chip level programming for the set top boxes for DTH companies.)

So, maybe it is sensible to just wait...

Thanks Sumain for the info. (sorry for the late reply as I was out of city from thursday. Just back)

 

[rama193]

Rama193

Which TV do you have? Or intend to buy?

Perhaps the TV is good enough, and a separate upscaling solution may not be needed at all.

All HD TVs upscale any incoming signals up to the tv's native resolution (unless of course the incoming signal is already HD).

Also, how large is your TV and how far away from it are you watching from? If it is a large TV and / or you are sitting very close, then upscaling the picture is necessary. Otherwise, if you are sitting say 12 ft away from a 32" tv, then upscaling or no, it will make no difference.

So please tell - (a) TV model and size and (b) viewing distance so that members may advise you whether you need a separate upscaling solution at all.

Cheers

I'm planning to buy a samsung 5-series/6-series hdtv-probably 46/55 inch and my viewing distance is around 14 feet. I read an article regarding the viewing distance and size of TV based on which I've selected this size.

Actually even though there'll hd transmission soon, we need a dedicated upscaler for viewing older dvds till blue ray becomes very popular and my library grows....

My idea is like: let the lcd do its work of displaying whatever it is capable of and I'll enable it to display the best..

So, planning to buy a DVDO EDGE, the best of its kind in the market now.