Interesting low price scaler?

Boris Blank

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Looking for a VGA adapter/transcoder for my XBox I came across this;
http://www.viewsonic.com/products/video_vb50hrtv.cfm#top
Interestingly it appears to scale Svideo and Composite input upto 1024x768 and outputs it as VGA. It also has RGB (15 pin vga type connector) pass-thru.

Here's a review;
http://www.iemag.com/review_preview/accessories/vb50hrtv/index.asp

Whilst not exactly cutting edge, its the kind of thing I've been looking for to display Sky, Xbox etc on my CRT. As most of my viewing on the CRT is approx 95% DVD's using a Cinematrix modded DVD player, I'm loathe to spend good money on a "decent" external scaler which would have little use. This may very well be what I and a lot of other folks are looking for.

No 50hz option (yet?) but it does do 60hz & 75hz, the TV tuner is probably useless over here and it might not deal with PAL input but even without these it appears to be a bargain!! Quality may not be of a high-end order but then again at that price I wouldn't expect it to be!

I'm keeping an eye on this, poverty forces me to wait a while before taking a risk and getting one - any of you with cash to burn willing to get one and review it here?
Regards,
Paul
 
The monitor refresh rate is an interesting option. Slightly worried by the reviewers comment of a "somewhat lofty price" of $129. I reckon thats about £95.

Go on Paul, throw caution to the wind and splash out on one of these babies. I'm dying to hear what it looks like on a big screen:D

Regards
 
Originally posted by Chris Frost
Go on Paul, throw caution to the wind and splash out on one of these babies. I'm dying to hear what it looks like on a big screen:D

Regards


What!!??? Gimme a break, I just coughed up for my Xbox and Cinematrix mod and I'm skint mate! "Throw caution to the wind"? Its me that will get thrown out by the wife if I buy yet another pressie for "both of us"! You should be locked up for incitement to purchase Mr Frost!

Yep, it may not hit the quality highs on a big screen but its cheap enough to interest me and if it did a half decent job I'd be fairly happy and if nothing else it should get rid of scanlines which bug me when I do occasionaly watch SKY or something via Svideo (I know, its a crap picture but the odd programme does look good on the big screen and if its boxing, 3am and you're half ****ed, quality doesn't really matter!) but I reckon it might actually be quite good for the XBOX and anything else it could do would be a bonus.

I read somewhere that someone was hooking their Xbox upto a projector using an HTPC with DScaler - having to resort to things like this borders on the ridiculous. Microsoft should have enabled VGA output on the Xbox from launch, I mean using a PC to transcode a PC-based console is just silly (no matter how good the display maybe!).

Anyway, its an interesting product this Viewsonic thingy and hey, from little acorns.............!

Ohh, forgot to mention, the Viewsonic review was done by console gamers, so the price, based on the fact that they see it as an accessory for a PS2 is to them expensive. The Viewsonic also won an award in some professional magazine or other which again makes me think its not some cheesebox Heath Robinson type gizmo.

Cheers,
Paul
 
Originally posted by Nic Rhodes
http://www.scancom.ltd.uk/products/tv4000.htm

Is this the UK equivalent with PAL tv tuner?

Well spotted Nic, yep, looks identical other than the case colour. The specs fdor the PAL version (which appears to take NTSC input as well!) are slightly different but this could well be due to their being incomplete. £125, which is higher than the US version which can be had for $95 or so (but vat, shipping etc would need to be added in).
So its been under our noses all the time.... Notice they also have a full blown scaler at £850 or so plus some other very interesting kit , yep, good call Nic, a very good call!

Paul
 
Hi Uncle Eric,
Simplicity itself!! Although I've not used it much as yet, still have to set up my amp and speakers properly and tidy the room up for serious viewing! I like it though, very, very pleased with it - its exactly what you always said it was, a brilliant idea well implemented. Just had a bit of a bad press so didn't take off the way it should.

I'm going to do a comparison between it and an HTPC (mind you I'm no expert, I'll call it as I see it) in the next couple of weeks but my initial reaction is that the display is much the same , i.e. very good! No combing as yet but I haven't tested it yet (and in some ways I don't care about a "serious" test, I'm happy with what I see already). True plug and play! More later once I've set it all up properly.


I see there is also a IR remote control mod available for it - see http://www.booster-corp.com/article/articleview/34/1/2 for info (in French, babelfish will translate the page). The remote's pretty crappy looking but you can use a Pronto. You can fiddle with Gamma, colour, resolution, etc, etc.

I take it you've heard the latest rumour that the PSM-2 will be an external device only but can still be connected by cable directly to the guts of the player if required rather than by Svideo or Component input into the device? Sorta like an external internal mod!
Regards,
Paul
 
Originally posted by PaulB
Hi Uncle Eric,
I take it you've heard the latest rumour that the PSM-2 will be an external device only but can still be connected by cable directly to the guts of the player if required rather than by Svideo or Component input into the device? Sorta like an external internal mod!
Regards,
Paul

Hi Paul,
Yes I have. I assume one would still have to send in their DVD players for the PSM-2 connection. I would also guess that there will be a considerable price hike for this external model.

Best Wishes
Eric
 
Originally posted by PaulB

yep, good call Nic, a very good call!

Glad to be of service, has been on my interesting and pending pile for some time just underneath the Cinematrix!
 
Originally posted by PaulB


Just noticed, our old friend the Cheesebox is on this same site!! I'm not sure whether thats good or bad!?
Paul

I'd take it as a bad sign persoanlly. I 'splashed out' on a Cheese Box, because I could. All I can say in it's defecne is if you turn down the brightness it hides the video noise, and it sorts out scan line problems with CRT's.

Against it is the video noise problem, which reduces detail levels and it boosts colour saturation levels too much.

Someone get one of these boxes on demo and i'll send you the cheese box to compare if you do. If it's better i may get one of these nicer boxes but otherwsie avoid like the plague.
 

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