Could you help a newbie

emad

Banned for trading fraud
Joined
Oct 5, 2003
Messages
303
Reaction score
0
Points
64
Age
54
Very new to video processing and scalers

I have a Pioneer 504 plasma and connected to it
DVD - via component (not progscan) BUT I will upgrade to a Pio 757i with progscan

XboX - via a highdef kit and will be modded to output progscan.

Sky+ - via RGB scart

I only want to improve the SKY+ picture quality as I am very happy with my DVD and Xbox pictures.

I do not want to spend the earth on it but up to £500 if I can see improvement - especially on channels with low bitrates.

Is this doable? If yes, then what do I need to buy?

The plasma mediabox has an unused VGA input in the front.

Many thanks

Emad
 
why not get one of the 2nd hand iscan ultras that are about, then you dont need to upgrade your dvd player..... alternatively go one step further ad get an iscan HD or lumagen DVI. All of these machines will inprove those areas you are looking and should do others as well

ad
 
Thanks buns

iscan ultra - lumagen DVI - iscan HD

errrr how much do they cost? could I find them for £500/£600 or is this a low budget.

You reckon the above can improve my dvd player's picture quality more than a progscan DVD?

Thanks

Emad
 
Hi Emad,

the iscan HD and lumagen DVI will cost more like £1k since they are new (the lumagen isnt even out yet). However, the iscan HD replaces the iscan ultra, so in the classifieds there are a few ultras easily within your price bracket. What it would do is take the interlaced signal you send it (say from your dvd player) and output it in progressive scan. What it can do that a prog scan dvd player wont is it can output in the native resolution of your display, so you could get even better quality than a prog scan player. It will definitely do the same thing for your sky+ and possibly the xbox. I guess it would then output to that spare vga input on your plasma.

The only thing you would need to check out is whether the ultra has all the connections you would want. I am not totally familiar so I couldnt say for sure

all the best

ad
 
buns this is very helpful explanation in simple english thank you.

One more question if I may

If the xbox or DVD already output progscan to the scaler/processor - the scaler will then have progscan signal coming to it from the source (xbox & DVD in this case), how will it react to that? will it just scale to the plasma's native resolution (as there is nothing to deinterlace), or will it try to deinterlace and cause inferior picture quality - due to overprocessing?!

Thank you for all the help

Emad
 
Emad,

You know..... im not sure! Ive never actually tried to do it or even thought about it..... i could guess but that is the extent of it! Maybe you could ask iscan ultra owners this question. It may even be hidden in an earlier thread somewhere if you can search for it.

And there is word from distributors mouth, the lumagen vision dvi isnt far from your budget and will have all of the latest abilities (i.e. you could do dvi output). I myself have the model above this lumagen on order (alot based on the knowledge that Gordon is the supplier) and certainly would recommend any product that involves him!

ad
 
Thank you buns

Over to Gordon then...any idea Gordon
 
If you feed a progressive signal into an Iscan it splits the image and you end up with two images on screen, It looks very strange and unwatchable.
 
Will the Lumagen Vision DVI do 1:1 pixel mapping like the Iscan HD?
Looked at the spec sheet but couldn't quite tell :D
Are they similar beasts (with the Lumagen not having the audio delay facility)?

Cheers, Paul
 
emad,

If you are looking to improve just Sky then you are probably best with a video processor like the iScan Pro or iScan Ultra secondhand. These can be found for about £200 for the Pro and £350 for the Ultra.

However having said that, I think as the 504 is basically a Plasma TV it is a bit tricky to introduce a video processor and stop the meia box getting involed in the processing. Having said that I thnk Joe is using a Lumagen video processor with his 434.

Best thing to do is have a chat with Joe (www.tmfsolutions.co.uk) as he has quite a bit of experience with the 434/504 range and processors.

HOWEVER, there is not much a processor can do with bad bitrate signals from Sky...garbage in = garbage out :) or to put it another way, you can't polish a turd! :)

Good Luck! :)

JJ
 
They are similar but different. Lumagen tends to be a higher end product and of course it will do the mapping. It will also deal with dvi signals better I believe..... id go for the lumagen, then again, i already have :D

ad
 
Jason

Thank you for the advice and your input. You are right, I just want to improve Sky+ picture as the DVD and XboX with progscan output (after I upgrade the DVD and modchip the xbox) will look great on the 504. Hence, the reason I do not want to spend al lot of money on the video processor.

I will get in touch with Joe and see what he has to say about it, especially if he himself runs a 434.

Thanks again

Emad
 
Emad, you want to try an ultra? And we still need to sort out your cable lengths!! The ultra is likely to be the most cost effective for you, 2nd hand or new. You are welcome to try mine.
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom