[cjking]

I ordered a Toshiba SD330ESB because I wanted a player with component outputs which I could connect to my Iscan Pro deinterlacer and from there to the component inputs on my new rear-pro Toshiba TV.

Due to delivery delays on the TV it was several weeks later before I could test this setup.

The DVD player works fine when connected directly to the TV, however when connected via composite, S-Video or Component to the Iscan the end result is the top few lines of picture get shifted slightly to the left/right. (Is this called "tearing"?)

My old DVD player connected via S-Video does not have this problem, so I do not believe it is a problem with the TV, cables or Iscan.

I think it's a bit late now to return the DVD player - it certainly can't be resold as new. Also, the fact that it works perfectly when connected directly to the TV means it may be difficult to persuade anyone that it's faulty.

What do I do? Just write off the player and next time buy one from a local shop who will let me test it first?

[cjking]

Well this is bizarre.

It now appears the problem only happens with the one DVD I happened to be testing with. On the video clips on Digital Video Essentials there is no problem.

So I will be able to use the SD330 with my Iscan after all. I've noticed that the Iscan does improve on the deinterlacing built-in to my Toshiba TV, it also cleans up some colour errors I noticed on the DVE disk when I had the player connected directly to the TV via component.

[bonzobanana]

Sounds like macrovision protection so should effect more than one dvd, it should in theory effect all protected dvds. Might only be a problem on pal dvds and not ntsc dvds or vice versa.

[cjking]

It looks like you are right - the third DVD I tried, another movie, also had the problem.

Presumably this is just a feature of the model and not my particular player?

This player only cost £60. Apart from this problem I really like it - but would anyone care to recommend another cheap player with component outputs?

There must be a way of disabling that poxy macrovision!!!
How many people copy DVD's to video for christ-sakes!!!! And what's the point of copying from DVD player to DVD recorder when PC's do a perfect duplicate of your DVD without any problems!
Is macrovision still valid??

[bonzobanana]

I certainly agree with you uzey as I've been saying for a long time now macrovision is pointless. However the Macrovision corportation has done a brilliant job of conning AV companies into fitting this useless protection.

CJking would be best served by a dvd player without macrovision protection.

The only one I can think of is the Kiss DP-450 which needs a simple adaptor cable for component output also needs a internet downloadable firmware upgrade which is macrovision free. Cost of player somwhere in the region of £125 I think.

I have a spare Ebench KH6777 player which has component out, progressive scan and is macrovision free but unfortunately is missing the remote. It is based on a high quality zoran chipset though and has 10bit video decoding at 54mhz. Its also got a full 5.1 decoder with dolby dd/dts/dpl2. Open to offers or swops if you just wanted something to try out.

[cjking]

I did some more testing, and the problem is not as straight-forward as I thought. I have two DVD sources and two displays, a TV and an LCD projector. In both pairs the newer item is a Toshiba. The problem only happens if both DVD and display are Toshiba. Connect the Toshiba DVD player through the Iscan to projector and all is OK; Connect my old Wharfedale player through the Iscan to the TV and all is OK; Connect Toshiba DVD player through the Iscan to Toshiba TV and the problem occurs.

I have found one movie DVD where it definitely doesn't happen, "Liberty Heights", presumably because that doesn't have macrovision (apparently not all do because the movie-makers have to pay to use it.)

Movies with aspect ratios greater than 2.0 are not a problem, because if affected the affected area falls within the black bars anyway. Oddly enough though, if I use "Cinema mode" on the TV to stretch the picture and get rid of the black bars, the problem then appears at the top of the stretched picture.

Is it possible that the Toshiba products are deliberately designed to work together to screw up the picture if there is a third device in the signal path? (Presumably the motive would be agressive implementation of macrovision.)

[andypandy]

I think this sounds like a compatability problem between the DVD and the TV set on those connections.
Exactly the same thing was reported between Panasonic TV's and Pioneer DVD players only when connected via RGB AND it didn't apear on every DVD.
Granted the actual fault was different - the panasonic picture would apear to have lighter bar of colour near the top part of the screen. The solution there was to NOT use RGB and the picture was faultless.

As I said, a fault appears not on every DVD , but only via RGB. - All sounds very similar.