Test One
Sony Sky Digital digibox RGB
tech+link SCART to SCART cable
JS Tech RGB Scart to Component converter
tech+link Component Video cable
Silicon Image iScan Pro (set to RGBHV output)
generic VGA to VGA cable
Panasonic TH-50PHW5B plamsa
Good Things
Picture is much better than Sky Digital RGB scart into Tuner, similar to the difference between a interlaced DVD versus a progressive one (quelle suprise). Cleaner picture, with less artifacting; even on channels that are normally very poor. Text and graphics in interactive services and channel selection are clear and defined. Even the BBCi service's video window, the quarter screen one in the top right, looks like real video and loses the twitter. My daughter watches "Story Makers" on CBeebies, and ordinarily the hair on the puppets looks twittery and undefined; with this set up, each hair is clear and visible. Some of the music channels are usually horrible, but now look more than fine. Another example are news channels, these are the most challenging as their source material can be video or film or low grade video from NTSC or PAL or anything, but looked very good. Channels that are normally good, now look fabulous.
Bad Things
Chroma bug lives! Particulary on kids channels with lots of bright primary colours; even the Nick Jnr logo is chroma bugged to hell, but Blue's Clues everything one screen has it! I've read of this beast, but my Arcam DV27 doesn't really suffer from it (I've only seen one mild instance), and now know what people mean. However, the iScan
Ultra has a chroma bug fixer, which is essential. Chroma bug is not limited to DVDs, but any MPEG2 source.
Chroma Bud description .
At default settings the picture is flatter, however, easy fixed by adjusting the knobs on the front and adding some contrast.
Test Two
Nintendo GameCube RGB
Nintendo SCART cable
JS Tech RGB Scart to Component converter
tech+link Component Video cable
Silicon Image iScan Pro (set to RGBHV output)
generic VGA to VGA cable
Panasonic TH-50PHW5B plamsa
Good Things
Picture is a bit like running PC games with ant-aliasing turned on. Graphics look smoother, but not quite as sharply defined; however, you can turn up the sharpness on the iScan Pro and it looks better. I am hoping that the iScan Ultra allows you to change picture settings per input, which would be very nice indeed. Anyway, Mario and Star Wars and Super Monkey Ball all look higher resolution rather before; especially curves.
Bad Things
PAL60 makes top third of the screen flicker. Don't know if this is the iScan or the Component convertor, but in white/bright screens it's horrible. Regular PAL this does not happen.
Summary
Overall improvement of Sky Digital picture is fabulous, even on poor quality channels; and anything involving text looks great. Video games look higher resolution. But definately need the Ultra not the Pro model, as chroma bug and lack of inputs and no remote rule it out.
If I had a choice with new plasma, I would buy iScan Ultra rather than Tuner box. Spending a £1000 or so (inc cables) after the fact will take some consideration.
If I decide to purchase an iScan Ultra, I will also get a Nintendo Component cable (<£20, cheaper than converter box) and some extremely high quality VGA cable.
Thanks again to IVOJO for lending me an iScan Pro to test, and enable me to post results here.
StooMonster
PS: Now off to ask my brother-in-law if I can borrow his CenterStage scaler.