upscaling
Latest
PS3 will eventually upscale your awful DVDs
In the fourth and final part of N'Gai Croal's epic and quite informative interview with Phil Harrison, the Sony head of worldwide studios discusses his company's cultural approach to marketing in Japan. Mr. Harrison explains that in order to engender trust in Japanese consumers, Sony should start divulging more information and features earlier, even if they aren't quite "perfect" yet. His example? "You know, we're not sure when it's coming, but we're going to have DVD upscaling on Playstation 3." He follows up with, "There you go. There's a scoop for you."Though it's up in the air as to when a PS3 firmware update will enable a feature found in standalone Blu-ray players, it should work as a sufficient stop-gap to those still waiting for Blu-ray versions of Bloodrayne and American Ninja 4: The Annihilation. DVD upscaling might not boast the "wow" factor of pure HD content, but the Algebra of Wows dictates that it should be worth several thousand anti-mehs. At least!
Sony's Harrison on Euro PS3: 1,000 PS2 games at launch
As you can probably imagine, the reaction to Sony's newly-spec'ed European PS3 hasn't been all that warm, so Three Speech decided to hit up big Phil Harrison himself to get responses to the criticism straight from the horse's mouth. Perhaps the biggest relief to nervous Eurogamers will be Harrison's claim that over 1,000 PS2 titles will be available on the PlayStation Network at launch fully software-backwards compatible (despite the Euro PS3's removal of PS2 hardware), a list of which will be made available online on the 23rd or perhaps even sooner. However, it's clear from the way Harrison dodged a question about the importance of backwards compatibility that Sony does not place a lot of weight on the feature, instead hoping that people will go out and spend loot on games and Blu-ray flicks. One possible positive revealed by Harrison was the fact that the PS2 Emotion Engine chips being omitted from European (and possibly all future) models are not the same ones mass-produced for the PS2 itself, but rather, are manufactured specifically for the PS3 -- meaning that Sony will indeed see a significant cost reduction which could theoretically be passed down to the consumer. Want some more potentially good news? How'd you like all those legacy games to utilize the PS3's upscaling ability and add new life to your favorite classics? Well that's exactly what Sony plans to do with a firmware update this summer, claims "Rumor Reporter" Bruce Kelly, whose sources tell him that the company is looking to bring 1080i/720p support to its upcoming emulator. Kelly goes on to say that Sony will add compatibility for select games in batches of ten or so, but hopes to eventually offer support for almost every title on PSN. We'll believe this one when we see it, but if Kelly does turn out to be right, we don't think Sony will be hearing one more word about that discarded Emotion Engine. Read - Harrison interview [Via Joystiq]Read - Upscaling rumor [Via PS3 Fanboy]
Xploder PS2 HDTV upscaler reviewed
While there's plenty of options for upscaling all those non-HD DVDs you're not ready to give up just yet, there's not a whole lot you can do to improve how your collection of past-gen video games look on your spiffy HDTV, apart from simply using a good component cable. Video game accessorizer Xploder is trying to rectify that situation somewhat, however, releasing its "HDTV Player" for the PS2, which the folks at Reg Hardware recently got a chance to test out. While they seems to have had better results than some of the other earlier reviews, they weren't without their share of problems, with the boot CD that tweaks the PS2's resolution requiring a few tries before it got going, and some games reportedly looking "like they'd been blown up in Photoshop" when they tested 'em on a 32-inch LCD. On the whole, however, they found that most games did "look a little sharper," and they seem to have been particularly taken with the metal tin the whole lot comes in. Whether that's enough to justify the $40 price tag or not, you'll have to decide for yourself.
Interact-TV unveils MyTellyHD Linux-based media server
While Interact-TV is no stranger to the media center arena, the company is taking a diversion from its previous PMP / storage-based offerings to unveil a fully-featured Linux-based media center for your AV rack. Aside from sporting a sleek, almost space-aged design, the unit can play back / save DVDs to your video library, automatically lookup DVD cover art and meta data, burn recorded TV shows to DVD, import video files from a networked PC, output in 480i or 720p, and handle AVI, DivX, MPEG1/2/3/4, WMV, JPEG, Cinepak, DV, QuickTime, RealMedia, H.263, and H.264 formats. Moreover, this box offers up a thorough audio / photo management system, one-touch recording as a PVR, and access to a bevy of extraneous information via the Telly Portal. As if this weren't enough, you'll also find an upscaling DVD player within, and if you're curious about the components running the show, there's 512MB of RAM, up to a 400GB hard drive, dual-layer DVD burner, six-channel audio, component / S-Video / composite outs, NTSC TV tuner, IR trackball remote, optional wireless keyboard, gigabit Ethernet, FireWire, USB 2.0, and a complete lack of fans due to the passive cooling system. Vista may be getting most of the limelight on this day in particular, but the MyTellyHD packs quite a wallop for a low-key Linux HTPC, and considering the fairly low $899 starting price point, there's not much to grumble about on this one.
PS3 scaling functionality unearthed
Warning: a truly awful pun awaits you at the end of this post.In updating the software development kit for PS3 developers, Sony has enabled scaling functionality that was previously thought to be non-existent in the base hardware. An interesting and rather technical article at Beyond3D explains how Sony has enabled developers to combat the image downscaling issues that has been known to affect owners of certain HD televisions. If you recall, the PS3 had previously been unable to upscale resolutions (like the Xbox 360's Ana chip) from 720p to display on 1080i-only televisions, instead downscaling images to a less impressive 480p.Though Sony's solution is far from complete, Beyond3D notes that the latest SDK implements hardware accelerated horizontal scaling. It's still up to developers to take the feature all the way, but the enhancement already decreases the memory footprint left by less elegant upscaling techniques. It might appear that a secret piece of hardware is slowly being "unlocked" here, but a more likely explanation is simply that Sony is slowly but surely tweaking their development software (and the way it utilizes the existing PS3 hardware) to enable proper scaling functionality in lieu of an obvious and dedicated scaler chip. It will likely become mandatory for upcoming games to support this new hardware scaling solution; older games like Resistance may eventually see a patch implementing better scaling. More information will surface as tech sites analyze and contribute to this report, but it's nonetheless reassuring to see Sony being mindful of the problem and taking action to brush off that chip on their solder.[Thanks, Jonah.]
Meridian MV-D1 iPod dock outputs 1080p content to your HDTV
You know what they say, if Apple won't provide a way, blaze your own trail anyway. Granted, the vernacular might be a bit off, but apparently Meridian gets the gist of it, as it showcased the MV-D1 iPod video dock at CES as a means of getting a "real HD video experience" out of that yet-to-be-widescreened 5.5G rendition. The primarily glossy red device casually holds your iPod video, and provides a Source, Format, and Connect button to go along with the volume keys, and houses Marvell's 88DE2710 digital video format converter to handle the upscaling. Reportedly, the dock can take any stored SD / HD media and output it via HDMI, cleaning up the noise and artifacts in the process. Moreover, the unit can be powered by either USB or your average AC plug, and even includes digital audio out for a (somewhat) "true" high definition experience. While pricing and availability information wasn't readily available, we're sure Meridian won't keep us iPod-toting HD freaks waiting for too much longer. Click on through for a closeup.
Let It Wave showcases bandlet upconverting for 100Hz / 120Hz HDTVs
It's no secret that blowing up snapshots with a low-res master just doesn't yield pretty results, but Let It Wave is trying to convince us all that its "Super-Resolution Bandlet Technology for HDTV Up-Conversion and Frame Rate Conversion" can do just that for SD content that yearns to mimic HD. The company will be demonstrating said technology here at CES, showcasing its miracle-working algorithm "on flat-panel applications," primarily 100Hz / 120Hz LCD and plasma displays. Its spatio-temporal geometric bandlet reportedly "restores details hidden in the original SD material and produces no flicker and no jaggy artifacts," and it even claims to do so without introducing blur. With all these 120Hz TVs being under the spotlight here in Vegas, we sure hope these folks can get this stuff out on the shelves rather quickly, and while it doesn't make mention of a hard release date just yet, hopefully we'll catch a glimpse ourselves and see if it's just snake oil.
Rotel unveils pricey 1080p upcoverting RDV-1093 DVD player
For the person who just has to have everything, or is willing to spend more money to stick with DVD than cave in and buy two separate high definition players (or not), Rotel has announced the forthcoming RVD-1093 upscaling DVD player. The high-end boutique has cranked out yet another snazzy looking standalone flagship device, which touts 1080p upcoverting, a built-in scaler, HDMI, component / S-Video / composite outputs, and silkly smooth progressive scan playback. Additionally, the device plays nice with recordable discs, SVCDs, JPEGs, MP3 / WMA CDs, and even the lost-but-not-forgotten DVD-Audio format. To somewhat justify the lofty pricetag, the company points to its "switching power supply" which reportedly touts "an advanced pulse circuit and individually regulated supply stages to generate optimal voltages," and also boasts about the wideband DA converters, "Adaptive Geometrical Chroma Mapping," optical / coaxial digital audio outs, NTSC / PAL-compatibility, RS-232 interface, and discrete IR commands. We're still not entirely convinced this player is worth the $1,499 asking price, especially considering the forthcoming price drops in the Blu-ray arena, but those still interested can pick one up sometime this quarter.
Keian intros KDVD850HDMI upscaling DVD player with DivX support
While we've seen quite a few luxurious upscaling DVD players come through for those still quietly sitting the fence as the Blu-ray / HD DVD war wages on, Keian's KDVD850HDMI offers up another reasonable substitute to full-fledged high definition discs, and throws in DivX support to boot. Aside from kicking plain ole DVDs up to 1080i via HDMI, playing back DivX files, and touting the admittedly strange dual microphone inputs for that karaoke flair, this unit also touts the ability to render picture-based slideshows and play back MP3 / WMA from USB thumb drives or flash memory cards (SD, MMC, MS, xD). Of course, you'll find the typical coaxial / optical digital audio outputs as well, and while this unit isn't apt to win any awards in the quality department, it should help your (presumably depleted) post-Christmas bank account out by demanding just ¥10,800 ($91).[Via Akihabara News]
Oppo DV-981HD 1080p DVD player reviewed
If you've got a 1080p HDTV, haven't already jumped on the HD DVD or Blu-ray bandwagon -- or maybe you only own the as yet non-upconverting PlayStation 3 -- and need a good DVD player look no further. Techdigs took a look at Oppo's just released $229 DV-981HD DVD player and decided it's hit the price/performance sweet spot perfectly. We feel the need to mention that Oppo includes the HDMI cable with its high def player (seriously Sony, we're not going to let you off the hook for that), and analog 5.1 audio outputs (don't think we forgot about you Toshiba). Overall the reviewer found the speedy menus, good performance on Silicon Optix's HQV tests courtesy of the included Faroudja scaler and easy-to-use remote. Of course, this player isn't for everyone, most HDTV owners are probably just fine with the older OPDV971H or OPDV970HD depending on setup, but if you want to watch DVDs at 1080p, this is probably the player for you.
PS2, PS1 480i games hampered by crazy jaggies on the PS3
When we heard the PS3 was going to feature a whole PS2 chipset for the sake of backwards compatibility, we didn't think it would suck so much. Beyond the games that are straight-up freezing or glitching out on the new box -- for which Sony is promising a patch -- the PS3 seems to be having heaps of trouble with 480i games in particular. In a sort of "double your jaggies" scenario, that's sure to leave fans of classic PlayStation titles delighted, the PS3's upscaling method for the low-res titles introduces all sorts of "jaggies" and artifacts into the image, as can be seen above in a splitscreen comparison between the PS3 and PS2 in Final Fantasy X. Some speculate that the PS3 lacks the necessary upscaling hardware, making a firmware update impossible for now, but we're hoping that somewhere in that heap of PS3 horsepower, Sony can find a way restore that beautiful shimmer to Tidus' hair. Peep a comparison video after the break.[Via Joystiq]
PS3 not all that upscale after all
I hated to have to break this disappointing news to the shivering PS3 fanboys camped out in the cold and wet at my local Best Buy, but somebody had to do it:As it turns out, gamers who own older HD sets that feature only 480i, 480p, and 1080i resolution input capabilities will have to settle for the display quality being downsized as the game boots in its 480p mode rather than upscaling the image from its more desirable 720p mode to the TV's 1080i. We tested this development on older HDTV sets with games designed for 720p but not 1080i -- Resistance: Fall of Man, NHL 2K7, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07, and Need for Speed Carbon. Sure enough, the system downshifted all four titles to 480p rather than moving up to 1080i. The PlayStation 3's competitor, Microsoft's Xbox 360, does upscale 720p games to 1080i if the HD set supports the latter resolution but not the in-between and commonly-employed 720p resolution. One guy countered (illogically) that he didn't care because 360 controllers are too big for Japanese hands. Apparently he still thinks we're wrasslin' with the Duke, although it might have been the hypothermia talking.[Thanks Nathan]
Denon unveils DVD-1930 1080p upscaling universal DVD player
Denon has a proven track record in the 1080p upscaling game, and its latest entry-level player looks to be yet another winner. Replacing the DVD-1920, the DVD-1930 sports a "premium" silver enclosure, HDMI output (HDCP compliant), optical / coaxial digital audio out, and support for SACD / DVD-Audio in addition to DVD. While you won't have much luck tossing any HD discs in here, this device sports a Faroudja DCDi chipset and 11-bit video DAC to fool your eyes into seeing 1080p footage from those plain ole DVDs. On the audio side, it touts 5.1-channel surround via analog outs for SACD, while DVD-Audio can take advantage of HDMI's single cable simplicity. Of course, you can expect the usual MP3, WMA, and JPEG playback here as well, and it even boasts built-in Dolby Digital / DTS decoders. So if you're still patiently waiting for that ever-elusive HD DVD / Blu-ray combo player to emerge, or just want a solid upscaling universal player in your AV cabinet, you can pick up the DVD-1930 now for ¥49,800 ($423).[Via Impress]
Onkyo's upconverting DV-SP504 gold DVD player
Onkyo has got a new all-purpose player for the super-villain wannabe in your life, or anyone else that digs the gold-encrusted home theater look, we suppose. Apparently an update to the two-year-old DV-SP502, the incrementally-named DV-SP504 will handle your basic DVDs, CDs, and SACDs, as well as DivX, MP3, and WMA files stored on your choice of recordable optical discs. The biggest upgrade to the earlier player is the addition of HDMI output, which you can use to upscale DVDs to 1080i. It also adds Onkyo's VLSC (Vector Linear Shaping Circuitry) system, which'll supposedly work its magic to remove noise and make your music and movies sound as good as they can. Look for this one to set you back about $370 when it drops November 15th.[Via Akihabara News]
JVC's DR-MV7S VCR / DVD combo recorder promises to upscale VHS
Although we're huge fans of convergence around here -- i.e. packing as many functions as possible into a single device -- our love of feature-creep has never extended to VCR / DVD combo units which, with double the amount of mechanical parts, make them twice as likely to end up at the repair shop or in your attic. Well there must still be some consumer demand out there for these disasters waiting to happen, as manufacturers continue to crank them out, always looking for a way to differentiate their device from countless others. We haven't really seen too much innovation in this space for awhile, but now JVC has broken out a new unit called the DR-MV7S that not only does recording on both sides of the divide (including DVD+R and DVD-R), it actually promises to upscale your crappy old VHS tapes for better viewing on that HDTV set. The engineers at JVC must really be some miracle workers, because the MV7S's internal scaling chip apparently cranks those old home movies up to 720p or 1080i over an HDMI connection, allowing you to relive embarrassing moments from your past with even greater clarity. Other nice touches on this $270 wonder include MP3, WMA, and DivX support, bidirectional dubbing between DVD and VHS, and an iLink input for transferring newer, slightly-less humiliating footage from your DV camcorder. Supposedly this model is available immediately, but with such lofty and untested ambitions, we'd follow HDBeat's advice and make sure you buy one from a store with a long return period and no restocking fee.[Via HDBeat]
Cary Audio Design intros DVD 8 upscaling universal player
If you're still a fence sitter in the HD DVD / Blu-ray war, and you just can't part with that sweet sounding 5.1 audio collection, home theater boutique Cary Audio Design has a new universal player that should fit the bill quite nicely while the high definition blows are being thrown. The DVD 8, debuting at CEDIA, plays nice with DVD, SACD, and DVD Audio, and sports the oh-so-touted 720p / 1080i upscaling thanks to its component / HDMI (with HDCP, no less) outputs. The device features an impressive 24-bit Cirrus Logic 4360 DAC, as well as digital and analog 5.1 outputs to meet multi-channel expectations, and apparently supports both NTSC and PAL playback. If you're looking to consolidate that home theater setup while waiting for the ever elusive HD DVD / Blu-ray combo unit, the DVD 8 will begin shipping later this month for a currently undisclosed (but presumably costly) amount.[Via Talk About: CEDIA]
Denon's new 1080p upscaling DVD players
If you can't make heads nor tails of the whole HD DVD / Blu-ray debacle but still want a taste of 1080p, Denon's new lineup delivers just that. Realizing some people are still waiting to see how the next-gen optical disc war pans out, Denon has unveiled three new 1080p upscaling DVD players that are marginally more affordable than its more luxurious options. Apparently Denon is marketing these units to easily fit into any custom installation by labeling each model "CI," although we can't really think of how else to install a DVD player. Regardless, the DVD-3930CI ($1,499), DVD-2930CI ($849), and DVD-1930CI ($369) all offer 1080p upconverting over HDMI and SACD / DVD-Audio playback. The DVD-3930CI sports the same Realta HQV chipset as in the DVD-5930CI, Denon Pixel Image Correction (DPIC), on-board keystone correction, and Burr-Brown PCM-1796 DACs. The mid-ranger features the Silicon Optix REON VX chipset and DPIC while the DVD-1930CI steps down to a Faroudja DCDi chipset and a more economical version of the Burr-Brown DACs. Not much has changed outside of the technical rundown, as all of the units feature Denon's subtle black styling and promise to deliver that "uncompromising quality" we've come to expect. If you need something to hold you off awhile longer before choosing an HD format, or maybe a good reason to see what you've been missing on DVD, Denon's two higher-end models can be grabbed now while the DVD-1930CI will be available in August.
Philips' Cineos HTS9800W HTIB with wireless rears
Home theaters in a box are not for everyone -- most people we know prefer to assemble their entertainment systems piecemeal -- but if you're in the market for such a product, then Philips is offering a fairly stylish new HDMI-equipped system with convenient wireless rear speakers that may be right up your alley. The Cineos HTS9800W is a 6.1-channel package (three 125-watt fronts, three rears, and a 150-watt subwoofer) with a slimline, upscaling DVD player that supports DVD+/-R discs, DivX-encoded video, and MP3 CDs, along with all those Super Audio CDs that we're sure you've been collecting over the years. Not a bad setup, especially for your bedroom or guest house, and it's available now for around $650.[Via Shiny Shiny]
Unboxing the Samsung BD-P1000
Life sure is good in The Man Room. First these guys got a hold of Toshiba's HD-A1 HD DVD player before almost anyone else, and now they've also managed to score a Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-ray unit a full six days before the official release, capturing the entire unboxing process for us to enjoy. Since the first Blu-ray titles won't go on sale until tomorrow, initial impressions are limited to the player's design, menu layout, and upscaling abilities, with the HD-A1's output used as a reference point in the latter category. The good news here is that the 500 extra bucks you'll have to spend to pick up the Samsung do indeed give you a few initial advantages over the Tosh, such as the snazzier packaging (big deal), more attractive case, and perhaps most importantly, significantly faster startup and load times. On the downside, the HD-A1 showed slightly better upconverting abilities than the Blu-ray model, and The Man Room also experienced a rather unnerving shrinking and flickering of the menus when connecting to a 1080i projector. As for us, we're gonna wait until some reviews start showing up online before we decide to either shell out the cash or wait for the Sony, the Pioneer, or maybe even the PS3 to come out. Keep reading to check out the remote and a shot of the main menu...
NeoDigits' Helios HVD2085 upscaling DVD player reviewed
Matt Burns has a thorough review of the NeoDigits' Helios HVD2085 upscaling DVD player (also known as the NeuNeo HVD2085) over at our sister blog HDBeat, and not only does he train his own experienced eye on the unit's video performance, he actually goes so far as to set up a single blind test at one of the big box retailers pitting the Helios against the store's top traditional player. In his private testing, Matt finds that the component and HDMI-equipped Helios delivers a superior picture quality compared to a standard Sony DVP-NS725P progressive scan unit (although, as he admits, it's not an apples-to-apples comparison), most notably in how it is able to smooth the picture -- but it doesn't really live up its advertised claim of improving a movie's resolution. He also digs the Hitachi-inspired remote, clean and intuitive menus, and plethora of connectivity options, although the construction here sounds a bit flimsy. At least in terms of pure picture quality, the big box customers were in total agreement with Matt; they overwhelmingly chose the $250 Helios over the almost-$300 Harmon Kardon DVD 22 in the random sampling, citing both its superior color and sharpness.
