Hi to All

Just purchased my first Blu-Ray Player for my NEC 6PGXTRA and was wondering which HDMI to RGB Converter to purchase.

I was going to order HD FURY when I discovered that a newer and by the wriite-up a better model has just been released HD FURY 2.

Have anyone used either if so which one they would recommend for my PJ.

Thanks for any assistance.

Nick

Neither
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Your NEC is incapable of 1080p if that is what you are looking for which commands a 1920 x 1080 resolution.
http://curtpalme.com/Projector_Rankings.shtm
However 1080i is very nice . I would recommend puttiny your money into a good scaler
$200 you should be able to get a fOCUS CENTERSTAGE CS-1 OR 2 or even a CS-HD on ebay
Good Luck

The PG extra can do 1080p 60, although this is not something I would really recommend as the best resolution for it.

Hi
I own a Runco 930 (nec6pg xtra) 6255hrs use.I have had a runco scaler(line tripler),a Quadscan pro,Lumagen visionpro,Lumagen visionpro HDP and are currently running a Crystalio 3300 outputting analogue rgbhv.

Your PJ won't do 1080p,end of story,don't even waste your time or stress yourPJ.
Your PJ will do 1080i and 720p comfortably,even 768p.In all my experience,1080i shows too many interlacing artifacts,768p is a tad too soft,and the 720p is SPOT ON.

You can run a HD fury,just feed it 1080i from the BD player.It is not limited to 1080p.I have been considering one myself.If I bought one it would be the MKII version

As for a scaler,good reports on the DVDO edge,or you could try and pick up a used Crystalio which is streets ahead of the others that I have used with my PJ.
Cheer's Steve.

Edge will work wonders, but you still need either an HDFury, or some other card to translate hdmi to rgbhv (which is what your pj understands and wants.) - since the Edge only outputs hdmi.

I'm using the Edge into a Wyman card, into a pg9x - its wonderful. but you're putting a grand worth of convertors in front of a 500 (?) dollar pj.

I'm a huge proponent of the Sony Wyman cards; even with your NEC, you can use them just by grabbing a Sony switcher. Mine looks marvelous. Works without any scaler at all - tho I just feed 1080i most of the time. (I've found that my NEC really isn't that happy with 720p; it'll take it, but it always seems a bit unstable. I've actually had better luck with 960p. But again, you'll need a scaler, and the Edge won't do 960p)

Thanks Guys for your replies,

I have a DVDO scaler and i'm running the PJ @ 1080i and very happy with the result, your correct though I spend 2grand about 3 years ago to put infront of a 1500 PJ back then. I will but a HD Fury MK1 today and see how Blu-Ray @ 1080i looks. I'm expecting something special but fingers crossed.

Nick

Nick - which dvdo do you have? just asking - my PS3 outputs 1080i via component -> no reason to spend the money for the HD Fury, if your dvdo will accept and pass 1080i. Just a thought.

Nick,
Hello. I also have a 6pg xtra. I run 720p @ 72hz into mine via a vp50 and the sources are Sony PS-3 and Toshiba XA2.

The picture is as sharp as I would like :D given the screen size and viewing distance in my HT room.

I use the moome external HDMI box to get from HDMI to RGBVH.

wallace

Hi

I'd be interested to see what you think of the hd fury.

Cheer's Steve.

I'm using DVDO Iscan HD+
I have no problem with 1080i from my NEC Digital Set top Box but when I try Blu-Ray Pass through I get nil Pucture.
I guess I must need a HD Fury HDMI to RGB Converter?

Nick

I'm using DVDO Iscan HD+
I have no problem with 1080i from my NEC Digital Set top Box but when I try Blu-Ray Pass through I get nil Pucture.
I guess I must need a HD Fury HDMI to RGB Converter?

Nick

you should be able to watch BD; at least on this side of the pond, there is no hdcp flag over component; the one thing you prolly can't do is watch upconverted dvds over component. For that, you will need some kind of convertor.

like I said, I could set my PS3 to 1080i, and it worked via component thru my vp50; and I think, my VP30, but that was a while ago.

regardless, if your Iscan passes 1080i, you should be able to send it the same out of your BD player, into same input, at same res, at least with BD.

course, everything else was upside down when I lived in Brizzie, so ymmv.:rolleyes:

Picked up HD Fury the other day A$179.
It took me two days to find a Female 2 Female RGB Converter but thats another story.

I Just connected it and I must admit my NEC6PGEXTRA has never looked better via a Blu-Ray @ 1080i.
Standard DVD's also look about 40% Better played on the Blue Ray Player.

Nick

Glad to hear it works well for you. I just placed an order for the FuryHD 2 fo myself.

I have both a Fury2 and a moome EXT-FULLHD and have been trying them out on my Cine9/RuncoDTV-1200. IMO the Fury2 is not yet good enough at 1080p. The picture is sharp but jittery. It works great at lower resolutions. No problems, though, with the EXT-FULLHD. It is sharp and stable at 1080p60 but only if you keep the analog cable short, i.e., locate it near the projector. It also has the gamma boost that you will need unless you have another device to flatten gamma in the lower IRE's.

To be fair to Fury2, they have promised to fix this jitter issue (and others) and send the improved unit as a replacement. I expect it to be excellent then.

Alan, you should keep this in mind when you get your Fury2. If you just ordered it, it is likely you will get the new design anyway as they are supposed to start shipping next week.

I have posted my opinion over at Curt's site. If you can't find them, let me know and I'll send you the links.

Bob

I dont now why, but my PJ SONY G70 lock in 1080p/60Hz with DVDO VP30 and HDFury!

What do they go for? I just need the HDFury2 with component cable, plus 3x1 HDMI switch. Is CurtPalme the best deal going? None on eBay right now.

There's a revised version of HDFury2 just out now (3rd production run) which is supposed to solve all known issues:

http://www.curtpalme.com/Replace_my_HDfury2.shtm

if you don't need the power supply or the included cables with Curts site purchase, which are a pretty good deal, you can get a bare HDFury2 from Monoprice for a great price ;)

most people should buy the package from Curts site because very few people make their own cables and 9 out of 10 people will need the power supply

-Gary

Gary,

Thank you for the informative reply. Monoprice calls it the BLUE EDITION which should come with VGA cable. I can get an HDMI cable locally for $20.

Given that I will be plugging the unit directly into the female DB-15 on my RPTV, I don't really need any cables. Power supply appears to be just a generic USB cable which can be aquired cheaply if required.

Hopefully they have the latest series 3 and not old stock.

To be fair to Fury2, they have promised to fix this jitter issue (and others) and send the improved unit as a replacement. I expect it to be excellent then.Bob i'm sure it wil wind up to be a fine product but I will be surprised if it matches the moome stuff.Reason being is that Moome has been developing his modules for the CRT market for 6 years. Moome products have undergone many refiements and it's performance is not just something you're going to match in a couple of try's.

if you don't need the power supply or the included cables with Curts site purchase, which are a pretty good deal, you can get a bare HDFury2 from Monoprice for a great price ;)-Gary I don' tthink so, monoprice only carry's the old fury, not the Fury2.Accoridng to Curt's site, they are the exclusive distributor of the new model.

Gary,
Thank you for the informative reply. Monoprice calls it the BLUE EDITION which should come with VGA cable. I can get an HDMI cable locally for $20.
Hopefully they have the latest series 3 and not old stock. sometimes you can save a few sheckles somewhere else but there's quite a few good reasons to buy from curt's site instead.

I dont now why, but my PJ SONY G70 lock in 1080p/60Hz with DVDO VP30 and HDFury!
just becasue it's locking to that signal doesn't tell the whole story. A G70 could really benefit from a more advanced product like the Moome HDMI internal card for sony's.

I don' tthink so, monoprice only carry's the old fury, not the Fury2.Accoridng to Curt's site, they are the exclusive distributor of the new model.

sometimes you can save a few sheckles somewhere else but there's quite a few good reasons to buy from curt's site instead.

Mike P. was a big fan of the Fury stuff, he knows a good image for sure ;)

Monoprice just got the HDFury2 a few days ago

I was going to order from Curts site, but I don't need any cables or power supply of any kind so I had to take the opportunity here to save

as I warned before the HDFury2 without a power supply is a gamble but I use a VP50pro scaler that puts out some serious juice and powers cable runs that other devices couldn't dream of, 9 out of 10 setups need the power supply

-Gary

Hopefully they have the latest series 3 and not old stock.

Got this reply from MonoPrice today:

Thank you for your inquiry. It is the latest most updated version that wasn’t released from HDFury.com until just recently which was 11/28/2008. This is the latest among their HDFury2 models that’s currently up to spec.

Decision made! For $149 I'm willing to try it. Failing that, if I had to pay more, I'd go with the higher quality Moome EXT series.

Got this reply from MonoPrice today:



Decision made! For $149 I'm willing to try it. Failing that, if I had to pay more, I'd go with the higher quality Moome EXT series.

great!

-Gary

Got this reply from MonoPrice today:
Decision made! For $149 I'm willing to try it. Failing that, if I had to pay more, I'd go with the higher quality Moome EXT series. how will you know which is better?

Who cares Dragan. Moomes stuff is over $400. That's more than the projector is worth.

well I care Mark :p and if the HDFury2 is not up to snuff then you can bet I will let people know and head towards the moome, I have used moome stuff for years and have nothing but enthusiastic things to say about his stuff when it comes to his top notch PQ, but I wanted to try a HDFury2 after they finally got around to releasing a 10-bit 4:2:2 capable HDMI unit, I also wanted to try a XVUE box1021 unit as well after mikeebys comments and proof of its amazing performance

I will also say this, if you can get a internal moome card for your PJ, do it now!! don't fool around with anything else, me moving to the Barco gets rid of this choice short of Gregs mods when I get around to getting them

-Gary

That's interesting.

After careful evaluation of both the Moome XG DVI card (borrowed) and the Moome ISS HDMI card (purchased, at hideous expense, but we have to pay for the design/development), I decided they were both crap and I sold my ISS card.

Both had too hot signals, neither were sharper than analogue, and the ISS card won't sync to many sources, and the black level was not clamped properly - it moved around with the signal causing "shading".

Neither had proper 75ohm micro traces for the RGB signal tracks.

Now, I can't comment on the quality of the Full-HD card, as I'm not willing to fork out $430 to get *maybe* a marginal improvement over quality analogue, as well as the fun that is HDMI.....possible sync issues, uncontrolled colourspace conversions, uncontrolled levels expansions....all sorts of crap.

With your scaler I understand you have this in hand, but with a PC it's a nightmare. I have PERFECT bluray playback now with my PC. Perfectly smooth, no levels expansion, controlled conversion to RGB using BT709, with no banding whatsover.

I don't want to wreck it by going HDMI - that will cause a levels expansion, then a recompression, and god knows what it will do to the colourspace conversion.

Now, with a PG Xtra, worth about $500 maybe, how is it sensible to send $430 on a Moome box, which may have *marginal* improvements over a HD-Fury? That's nuts.

I tried a HD-Fury, borrowed from a mate. It sync'd up fine with my PC, unlike the Moome ISS card. But it looked no sharper than analogue. For me, a $150 + $$ for cable sideways move with no improvement.

Mark, that is all fine and dandy and sounds great, but no way in hell I submit myself to the torture that is a HTPC, been there and done that

so with scalers in a system you must use digital connections in and out or you would have tons of A/D and D/A that would destroy the picture, and digital into a scaler means digital out (unless you have certain mods ;) ;) ) so one must use a HDMI device at the PJ end

Mark you need to try a nice component blu-ray player and a scaler and use HDMI all the way, I think you would see a nice improvement vs looking for one from connecting digital DVI from the HTPC to a moome or HDFury

-Gary

Who cares Dragan. Moomes stuff is over $400. That's more than the projector is worth. what the heck does that have to do with anything?:confused: I thought it was pic quality that we're after. We're not rying to wind up with a matching washer/dryer here.:)

Mark, that is all fine and dandy and sounds great, but no way in hell I submit myself to the torture that is a HTPC, been there and done that-Gary amen to that.
there is absolutely nothing that an HTPC would deliver that's worth the nightmare of having a GDM computer in your HT. I have also never seen any of the problems Mark talks about. The Moome HDMI 1.2 card in my Marquee outperfromed my HTPC -analog connection in every way.

Mark you need to try a nice component blu-ray player and a scaler and use HDMI all the way, I think you would see a nice improvement vs looking for one from connecting digital DVI from the HTPC to a moome or HDFury

-Gary



No Gary, I do NOT.

You are 100% wrong.

My PC drives my NEC ISS switcher, which also drives a 24" CRT Triniton monitor.

The Bluray image on that monitor is nothing short of STUNNING. It is magical.

It laughs at 1920 x 1080i at at 96hz. 1:1 lines are etched, not just displayed. The contrast is through the roof, black is black, there is no banding (because the PC is set to retain levels, uses the correct BT.709 colourspace with the correct coordinates) and it is colour calibrated. The only thing that could be improved is the red primary could be a touch redder - Sony phosphurs are like that.

I want to see broadcast/studio monitor with an uncompressed feed, to see how close it is.

It definitively shows that my XG is the weak link in the chain. Not the source, not the analogue connection to the switcher. And I know that digital connection direct the the XG did not make any improvement, the weak link is further inside than the inputs.

I am quite familar with a VP50, to a Ruby, and a G90. While it is a very nice piece of gear, I did not see anything that made me want to ditch the PC and go components - quite the opposite in fact, as waiting for the menus and FBI warnings drove me nuts.

And then there's the fun fun fun with the firmware. My mates $$ bluray player won't play the James Bond collection. My PC will.

I just press the power button on the PC, wait 5 secs, click the Zoom Player icon, and pick my Movie out of the Playlist. All ripped and ready to go, with untouched video and losslessly FLAC converted audio. They play in 3 seconds.

AND it can playback hi res FLAC audio, AND it can record 3 channels of 1080i HDTV at once. And browse the internet, and play games, and everything else.

I admit it was not easy to get the PC to a state where I am happy with it. It took months of fiddling and searching for just the right filter combination, and just the right operating system. You cannot just install Powerdvd and go.

Spending $3000 on a bluray player + scaler + Moome + HDMI cabling, and possibly another $3-5k on a replacement high end surround processor to add HDMI (my Rotel (once flagship) only has 5.1 analogue inputs, not HDMI) is completely insane. Performance will be the same, and I can't have a proper media library- you have to mess with the goddamn discs.


And you guys are nuts if you think anyone will see the difference between a HD Fury for $150 and a Moome EXT-HD for $430 on a PG Xtra.

Spending $3000 on a bluray player + scaler + Moome + HDMI cabling, and possibly another $3-5k on a replacement high end surround processor to add HDMI (my Rotel (once flagship) only has 5.1 analogue inputs, not HDMI) is completely insane. Performance will be the same, and I can't have a proper media library- you have to mess with the goddamn discs.


no the performance will not be the same, HDMI video is better ;) you will find no one to argue that on this forum

and HDMI audio? it destroys analog 5.1 in every way

I went from analog RGBHV to HDMI on CRT, I went from analog 5.1 to HDMI 1.3 audio, I went from HTPC to scaler, not even close in all 3 cases nor would I ever even for a second to entertaining stepping back on any one of those

-Gary

********.

It all gets converted to analogue in the end, with a CRT projector and analogue speakers.

If you did see a difference (and it wasn't all in your mind, I never saw any 1:1 vertical lines at 1920 shots - you always harp on about improvements but never measure them), then you had crap gear.

you win :)

HDMI audio and video improvements are all in my mind, why spoil my fun? ;)

-Gary

I still use component with XG and moome 2nd gen card for XG never worked (did not sysc) for me. The second one did not work either.
But keeping the signal in digital domain from the source up to last stage analoge should be the way to go given we have well a designed HDMI-RGB card in place. Moome's card is way too expensive IMO for now and its performance seems need some progress.

No Gary, I do NOT.

You are 100% wrong.

My PC drives my NEC ISS switcher, which also drives a 24" CRT Triniton monitor.

The Bluray image on that monitor is nothing short of STUNNING. It is magical.

It laughs at 1920 x 1080i at at 96hz. 1:1 lines are etched, not just displayed. The contrast is through the roof, black is black, there is no banding (because the PC is set to retain levels, uses the correct BT.709 colourspace with the correct coordinates) and it is colour calibrated. The only thing that could be improved is the red primary could be a touch redder - Sony phosphurs are like that.

I want to see broadcast/studio monitor with an uncompressed feed, to see how close it is.

It definitively shows that my XG is the weak link in the chain. Not the source, not the analogue connection to the switcher. And I know that digital connection direct the the XG did not make any improvement, the weak link is further inside than the inputs.

I am quite familar with a VP50, to a Ruby, and a G90. While it is a very nice piece of gear, I did not see anything that made me want to ditch the PC and go components - quite the opposite in fact, as waiting for the menus and FBI warnings drove me nuts.

And then there's the fun fun fun with the firmware. My mates $$ bluray player won't play the James Bond collection. My PC will.

I just press the power button on the PC, wait 5 secs, click the Zoom Player icon, and pick my Movie out of the Playlist. All ripped and ready to go, with untouched video and losslessly FLAC converted audio. They play in 3 seconds.

AND it can playback hi res FLAC audio, AND it can record 3 channels of 1080i HDTV at once. And browse the internet, and play games, and everything else.

I admit it was not easy to get the PC to a state where I am happy with it. It took months of fiddling and searching for just the right filter combination, and just the right operating system. You cannot just install Powerdvd and go.

Spending $3000 on a bluray player + scaler + Moome + HDMI cabling, and possibly another $3-5k on a replacement high end surround processor to add HDMI (my Rotel (once flagship) only has 5.1 analogue inputs, not HDMI) is completely insane. Performance will be the same, and I can't have a proper media library- you have to mess with the goddamn discs.


And you guys are nuts if you think anyone will see the difference between a HD Fury for $150 and a Moome EXT-HD for $430 on a PG Xtra.

Mark, tell me what H/W components you have then send me a clone of your Harddisk :)

I'm with you on this one. For my XG, PC is the only way to go. I don;t want to spend $450 for moome & $2k for a VP50, just to max a raster and fix gamma.

you win :)

HDMI audio and video improvements are all in my mind, why spoil my fun? ;)

-Gary

Because I'm trying to save you from financial oblivion...

You're old enough now to be saving to set yourself up for life!! You should buy a house, not a 1209 + 60 blurays.

Unless, of course, you wanted to live with your parents all your life.


I just don't have the diposable income to even contemplate a full HDMI replacement of my gear, even if I thought it would be better. I have a mortgage and 3 dependants, and an unhealthy addiction to renewables sucking my funds - my solar panels get installed on the 17th..I'm so excited :)

Because I'm trying to save you from financial oblivion...

You're old enough now to be saving to set yourself up for life!! You should buy a house, not a 1209 + 60 blurays.

Unless, of course, you wanted to live with your parents all your life.


why don't you go stick it in a knot hole while you are hugging that tree?

you know nothing about me or my plans, and I thought we were talking about PQ here? :confused:

-Gary

Because I'm trying to save you from financial oblivion...

You're old enough now to be saving to set yourself up for life!! You should buy a house, not a 1209 + 60 blurays.

Unless, of course, you wanted to live with your parents all your life.


I just don't have the diposable income to even contemplate a full HDMI replacement of my gear, even if I thought it would be better. I have a mortgage and 3 dependants, and an unhealthy addiction to renewables sucking my funds - my solar panels get installed on the 17th..I'm so excited :)

I'm with Gary...screw the renewables. I use energy...I have no interest in saving it or recycling it.

Spend the money Gary. Life is too short to save it.

I'm 52 with a 6 month old daughter. I try to spend it as fast as I can and have the most fun with it.

why don't you go stick it in a knot hole while you are hugging that tree?

you know nothing about me or my plans, and I thought we were talking about PQ here? :confused:

-Gary

I'm sorry Gary. Make a million for me and rub my nose in it.

I'm with Gary...screw the renewables. I use energy...I have no interest in saving it or recycling it.

Spend the money Gary. Life is too short to save it.

I'm 52 with a 6 month old daughter. I try to spend it as fast as I can and have the most fun with it.



Who the hell are you and why should we care what you think?

Gary and I have niggled at each other for about 5 years - sometimes we even agree.


If you have a 6 month old daughter, then you will need to think about the future, dickhead.

Just make sure she doesn't shoot herself with all your stupid guns in your stupid "redoubt".

Spending $3000 on a bluray player + scaler + Moome + HDMI cabling, and possibly another $3-5k on a replacement high end surround processor to add HDMI (my Rotel (once flagship) only has 5.1 analogue inputs, not HDMI) is completely insane.

While you are certainly entitled to your opinion, your definition of value seems to be centered on the projector, upon which the price of every other component must be proportionate to. There are so many variables in individual setups and tastes that establishing $3K as an arbitrary cutoff to reach "insanity", is itself, insane.

My CRT PJ is probably the *least* expensive component in my HT, considering it was a used and fully depreciated when I purchased it. It doesn't make my $3.5K VP or $60K audio chain any less effective, as the performance of the unit used, versus new, is constant as long as it's properly maintained.

Who the hell are you and why should we care what you think?

Indeed.

Gary and I have niggled at each other for about 5 years - sometimes we even agree.



this is true :p but I will be damned if I can't figure you out Mark, I just don't understand progressives and I don't think I want to :D

-Gary

I'm with Gary...screw the renewables. I use energy...I have no interest in saving it or recycling it.

Spend the money Gary. Life is too short to save it.

I'm 52 with a 6 month old daughter. I try to spend it as fast as I can and have the most fun with it.

pretty much agree, I loves my cheap coal power and use plenty of it :p

my Christmas (am I allowed to say that) lights are sucking about 20 amps for 45 days;)

we have oil, we have gas, we have coal, and more of it than anyone, it is time to use it and plenty of it instead of trying to bankrupt the country on renewables before they have matured and lowered in price and all in tough times, sadly on Jan 20th that is going to fall on deaf ears

oh well enough politics, I would actually like to talk about the HDFury2 as I will have mine tomorrow ;)

-Gary

I just don't understand progressives and I don't think I want to

I think it means a person that is always angry!

oh well enough politics, I would actually like to talk about the HDFury2 as I will have mine tomorrow ;)

And I would actually like to get a notification that contains posts that are about the HDFury 2 and not about politics - there are other forums for that :)

So bring it on Gary - I know you are a big believer in feeding 422 YUV signals into the D/A converter so I am looking forward to your impressions on the HDFury 2.

Oliver

I got it. Monoprice came through with a great kit for a great price.

I'm running it directly from my Elite upconverting DVD player (1080i) in RGB mode to my Pioneer RPTV (VGA connector). No power supply.

The picture is great, stable so far, and I can not find any flaws on any test patterns. Highly recommended!

Not so stable with my Scientific Atlanta cable box (SA4250HD) which blanks out briefly when channel surfing. The black level also seems to be all over the map with this source. Other than that the picture is excellent.

I would actually like to talk about the HDFury2 as I will have mine tomorrow ;)

-Gary

Im using one with a Marquee 9500 Ultra with success. No issues at all. Love it.

Neither
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Your NEC is incapable of 1080p if that is what you are looking for which commands a 1920 x 1080 resolution.
http://curtpalme.com/Projector_Rankings.shtm
However 1080i is very nice . I would recommend puttiny your money into a good scaler
$200 you should be able to get a fOCUS CENTERSTAGE CS-1 OR 2 or even a CS-HD on ebay
Good Luck
Sorry but that doesn't make any sense. Why would you want a scaler instead of feeding your projector a nice 1080i signal?

Scalers are (for most people) useless in this day and age of native 1080p content. For this projector set your Blu-ray player to 1080i, use whatever HDMI converter you like, and feed it into your projector.

A scaler is not needed, nor recommended unless you have old VHS, Beta, or 480i content that must absolutely be scaled up.

1080i on my Barco Cine8 Onyx looks phenominal. My projector can 1080p too but 1080i for film content is pretty much the same thing as both are 1920x1080 resolution.

Kal

Got this reply from MonoPrice today:

Thank you for your inquiry. It is the latest most updated version that wasn’t released from HDFury.com until just recently which was 11/28/2008. This is the latest among their HDFury2 models that’s currently up to spec.

Decision made! For $149 I'm willing to try it. Failing that, if I had to pay more, I'd go with the higher quality Moome EXT series.

I'm sorry, but I have to chime in. Sorry if this sounds spammy.

This message from Monoprice is a load of crap. They got their hands on bunch of v2 (not v3) versions of CurtPalme.com exclusive HDfury2's from a Japanese buyer who was going to use them himself but then ended up reselling them all. They are not the final version. You can tell because they do not have the 3D hologram sticker on them as do all v3 versions.

They are not the final version, they will not be replaced. I wish it wasn't the truth as truly wish that Curt and I didn't get 10 emails/day from annoyed Monoprice customers because our URL is on the silly thing.

Monoprice has been emailing me wondering how they can replace them. They seem to have no idea what they have. They keep asking how they can get HDfury3's and I keep telling them they mean HDfury2 v3's. Sorry, but most people that email me end up simply returning them to Monoprice. Monoprice didn't buy them from HKmod/CurtPalme.com so the reseller agreement was broken and they will not get replacements.

For those that don't believe me: (note the dates - a good 10 days after they said they had the final version)


From: shawn.kim@monoprice.com
To: HKmod@curtpalme.com
Subject: Re: HDFury3?
Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:01:14 -0800

Hello,

Just wanted to know if you guys carry such a product called HDFury3? I know you have HDFury2, but just wanted to confirm if there’s an updated version of some sort? That would be all. Please advise asap, for I’m trying to order 20 of these items. Thank you.

Should you have any inquiries, please feel free to email us.

We appreciate your business.


Best regards,
Shawn Kim
________________________________________________


MONOPRICE, INC
www.monoprice.com

9477 London Way,
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
________________________________________________


After I responded about HDfury3 not existing and that they had HDfury2 v2's, I got:

From: shawn.kim@monoprice.com
To: kal@curtpalme.com
Subject: RE: HDFury3?
Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:37:41 -0800

Hello Kal,

What IS the difference between those 2 units? Those 2 units meaning

The HDFury2 version 3

And

The HDFury2 (standard)

I can only notice that the difference is the following: (v3 has an HDfury2 3D hologram sticker directly on the converter, not on the packaging)

Please advise if this is correct. Or if there are other specs I wasn’t able to catch.

Hey thanks a lot for the response. Cheers.

Sorry, but it annoys me when sellers start lying.

It should seem odd to most people that the monoprice version has a big "curtpalme.com" sticker on it. It was nevers theirs to sell in the first place.

If you can live with an older version that has issues and no chance of upgrade, and is missing cables and the power supply go for it. Everyone else who buys direct from hkmod through curtpalme.com gets a full warranty/upgrade path along with all the cables, power supplies, etc. that you need to set it up right.

See: http://www.curtpalme.com/Replace_my_HDfury2.shtm

Kal

Thanks, Kal.

While I'm very happy with what I have, it is extremely nice, helpful, and informative for you to chime in, and give "The rest of the story."

Not spammy at all, and I get as touchy about that as anyone. Your post should help anyone out there make an informed decision.

That said, when the V3s start going for 150 bucks, .....:D:D:D

Jon: Don't forget that you'll still have to add the power supply, other cables, etc.

Kal

for the record, the HDFury2 I received from monoprice was version 3 with final version hologram sticker and was exclusive curtpalme.com metal case with sticker that said so

HKMod when specifically asked said monoprice was going to get version 3 early Dec. and they are listed as a exclusive US distributor on HKMods website

Kal, I think HKMod is pulling your leg here and has shipped these to other vendors :( if not this is one messed up ordeal

-Gary

Yes. What a mess. HKmod didn't ship these direct. They're being bought up by Monoprice from customers who bought larger batches. Nobody else was supposed to get the metal case.

FWIW, if you follow the HDFury2 official FAQ, HKmod has mentioned a couple of days ago there's still a few remaining issues with the unit and that a v4 will be made. A mess indeed.

Kal

Gary,

now that you have Fury2, what are your impressions ?


@Kal:

It seems that neither monoprice nor HKmod are easwy to deal with...

Well I'm happy with mine. It is stable in both RGB and YUV mode, no wavy lines, no power supply! If I didn't know better I'd say it was a v3 unit.

By the way it was a full retail kit with VGA and Component RCA breakout cables, just missing power supply & power cable (which I don't even need and could be sourced locally if you need it).

Gary,

now that you have Fury2, what are your impressions ?


@Kal:

It seems that neither monoprice nor HKmod are easwy to deal with...

as soon as I get the 1209s rolling I will certainly let you know

what I have seen so far on my testing on some nice CRT monitors is very very impressive;)

-Gary

hi,
maybe slighty ot, but here goes.
Until now i've been using the predecessor of the HDfury with my BG808.
It takes it power from a connection to the comm port on the Barco.
Now i've upgraded to a Runco 1100.
The old device can't fit to the Runco so i'll need a HDfury.
My question is : is using an outside powersupply really necessary? I use a 12 m DVI cable. Is there no solution to take power from the comm port ?

hi,
maybe slighty ot, but here goes.
Until now i've been using the predecessor of the HDfury with my BG808.
It takes it power from a connection to the comm port on the Barco.
Now i've upgraded to a Runco 1100.
The old device can't fit to the Runco so i'll need a HDfury.
My question is : is using an outside powersupply really necessary? I use a 12 m DVI cable. Is there no solution to take power from the comm port ?

the Runco has a 12v trigger output, so you could custom make something to power the HDFury from that, simple electronics stuff and I am sure the trigger supplys way more than the 500ma the Fury requires

-Gary

as soon as I get the 1209s rolling I will certainly let you know

what I have seen so far on my testing on some nice CRT monitors is very very impressive;)

-Gary

Gary,

you're a tease :D

Oliver

I ordered mine via the advertisment on this web site (AVSFORUM). However, my Paypal receipt says that it went to adams@icboss.com and the company is IC BOSS.COM CO.,LTD . I did not see anything in there about www.curtpalme.com. Did I get the right one?

Thanks,

Doug

Yes Doug, don't worry.

IC BOSS company is the manufacturer of both HDfury and HDFury2.

John

John,

slightly of topic,
I bought the predecessor to the HDfury, the BG-dvi directly from you.
I have now upgraded from a 808 to a 1209 and the device doesn't fit anymore (spacing difference between port3 and comm port being a few mm off between the 2 models.
Is it possible to modify the device to fit a 1209 (or another way to make it fit) or isn't it worth it, ie it is very much inferior to the HDfury (for playing 1080p).

John,

slightly of topic,
I bought the predecessor to the HDfury, the BG-dvi directly from you.
I have now upgraded from a 808 to a 1209 and the device doesn't fit anymore (spacing difference between port3 and comm port being a few mm off between the 2 models.
Is it possible to modify the device to fit a 1209 (or another way to make it fit) or isn't it worth it, ie it is very much inferior to the HDfury (for playing 1080p).

You can probably make it fit (I think the interface standards are the same) but it may be simpler just go with a regular HDfury or the newer HDfury2. Better image quality too (as John has mentioned in the past).

Kal

I ordered mine via the advertisment on this web site (AVSFORUM). However, my Paypal receipt says that it went to adams@icboss.com and the company is IC BOSS.COM CO.,LTD . I did not see anything in there about www.curtpalme.com. Did I get the right one?

Thanks,

Doug


I can't find the advertisement. How much did it cost?

I too am looking to purchase an HDFURY2 to view my Bluray DVDs at 1080I over component fed to my Pioneer Elite RPTV. I found that EBUYHD.com has them for 149.99 but not sure if that comes with all the necessary cables and power supply etc.

Can I get the same product for cheaper at ICBOSS.com or monoprice?

Very confusing!

I too am looking to purchase an HDFURY2 to view my Bluray DVDs at 1080I over component fed to my Pioneer Elite RPTV.

You don't need the Fury to do that. All BD and HD players output 1080i over component. So far none of the movies have the flag turned on that prohibits this. But do get the Fury if you want to enjoy 1080i upconversion of your standard DVDs (this requires HDMI, from the player's point of view).

You can buy it for more via Curt's site if you want the kit with latest up-to-the-minute support and the power supply (costs more, but playing it safe).

Just to clear what the HDfury2 is useful for I have the following FAQ-type information on the order page here: www.curtpalme.com/HDfury2.shtm:

Can't I use the component output on my Blu-ray player and other devices?

No. Not without severe limitations:

- Blu-ray, HD DVD, and DVD players (as well as the Xbox360 and PS3) will not upscale standard DVDs to 1080p over analog outputs. They are limited to 480p output only. To avoid this limitation digital HDMI must be used.

- If the Image Constraint Token (copy protection) is enabled on Blu-ray or HD DVD discs reduces resolution from 1080p to 540p (1/5th the resolution) over analog outputs. To avoid this limitation digital HDMI must be used.

- And most importantly: The image quality is significantly worse over analog outputs. To avoid this limitation digital HDMI must be used.

The last point is important. I used the component output from my PS3 for many months before switching over to the HDfury/HDfury2 on my Barco Cine 8 Onyx CRT projector and the image quality difference was not subtle. My review (this was for the HDfury1 - HDfury2 is better):

"Got my HDfury a couple of week ago as I figured I should be trying one of these things out myself and see what all the fuss was about. I had heard that using the HDfury produced a better image quality than using component out on source devices such as HD-DVD and Blu-Ray players (not to mention that you can now upscale standard DVD's too), but I really wasn't ready for how much better the HDfury made my Blu-Ray movies look! I expected a subtle increase, but was shocked when I was presented with a substantial increase in image quality. I was pessimistic as Blu-Ray discs from my PS3 component output already looked fantastic on my setup so I really didn't understand how things could look better. I was already using what's considered the best component to RGB transcoder out there (the RTC2200) as follows: PS3 component out -> RTC2200 component to RGB transcoder -> 25' RGBHV cable -> Barco Cine8 Onyx projector. Man, was I wrong! Going digital and bypassing what's likely average quality DACs and op-amps in the PS3 made ALL the difference! The first things I noticed right away was the better dynamic range even just in the PS3 menus: The whites were just a lot tighter/purer/punchier/brighter, the contrast range is better, the colours richer, and the image is actually considerably (not just a little bit) sharper! The difference isn't subtle: I switched back and forth between the two and it's like a gray haze was removed when using the HDfury over the HDMI output vs. the component output. Over component the image lacked punch, wasn't as sharp and was somewhat muted. Using the HDfury also resulted in better small object detail. The smallest details and variances in image detail are now perfectly resolved. I didn't know what I was missing. I did try 1080p on my projector quite a bit and 1080p is 100% resolved now. No problems at all. 1080p looked fantastic. I had zero problems using the HDfury. Just plugged it in and that's it. Didn't even have to do any image shifting on the projector! I should have gotten Franck (of HKmod) to send me one of these sooner. Thanks Franck! Excellent work Jean! The engineering behind this thing is fantastic! Now I see what all the fuss is about!" - Kal (site webmaster)

Kal

John,
slightly of topic,
I bought the predecessor to the HDfury, the BG-dvi directly from you.
I have now upgraded from a 808 to a 1209 and the device doesn't fit anymore (spacing difference between port3 and comm port being a few mm off between the 2 models.
Is it possible to modify the device to fit a 1209 (or another way to make it fit) or isn't it worth it, ie it is very much inferior to the HDfury (for playing 1080p). Yes, It's off topic for sure. BG-DVI can be updated to afford the 1209 plugs spacing but this requires some skills to do this job (DB9 plug unsolder/resolder, cabinet cutout update). PM me f you're interrested to know how-to do it by yourself :)
John

hi John, I'm not that handy.
Is it worth doing, i mean, will it do 1080p at 48 or 72hz ?
The fact it draws it power from the comm port is a neat feature, not found back in the HDfury as i have no poweroutlet close to the pj.
There probably doesn't exist a commport - powerlead to power the hdfury.

hi John, I'm not that handy. I can do it for you but you have to resend the module to me. Is it worth doing, i mean, will it do 1080p at 48 or 72hz ? Yes, it certainly does 1080p48 and AFryia did 1080p72 @175MHz pixelclock as well (with reduced porches - see : http://www.curtpalme.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5906).The fact it draws it power from the comm port is a neat feature, no found back in the HDfury as i have no poweroutlet close to the pj.Yes, a very convenient feature for Barco PJ :). There probably doesn't exist a commport - powerlead to power the hdfury.No because HDfury1 ou HDFury2 only accept 5V +/-5% PS range while BG-DVI do accept 5-35V PS input ;)
John

I have got a Fury2 v3 that has handshake issue with Pioneer Elite 94txh AVR.
The avr refuses to output signal to the Fury2.
It works fine if routed directly from the source outputing to my XG.

I need the receiver to do audio decoding from HDMI source.

Yes, it certainly does 1080p48 and AFryia did 1080p72 @175MHz pixelclock as well (with reduced porches - see : http://www.curtpalme.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5906).Yes, a very convenient feature for Barco PJ
John


So are you saying a HDfury isn't better then the old BG-DVI module ?

So are you saying a HDfury isn't better then the old BG-DVI module ?John's been quoted in the past as saying that the HDfury1 is better than the BG-DVI since the signal traces are shorter and possibly due to better (newer) parts. The HDFury2 is then even further advanced. It's a complete redesign (HDMI vs DVI, among other things).

Kal

THx for the clarification.

Hello! Looking for some clarifications on the Monopirce HD Fury 2.

First and foremost, how do I know if I need a power supply? I will be running the PS3 --> CLUX11SA (audio decoder) --> HD Fury 2. I have a power supply on the CLUX.

The breakout is an HD15 to Component? Is it male or female on the Fury?

Verified that Monoprice has the hologrammed v3?

Thanks.

-Pie

Pie,

The HKmod project manager posted in his support forum over at my curtpalme.com site some of the "buyer beware" reasons why people should consider buying their HDfury2 from Curtpalme.com instead of places like Monoprice:

We have also made a list of what you are getting, what you are missing when ordering here [at CurtPalme.com] or from any other source that may be or not cheaper.

So here it is again (I'll put aside the fact that monoprice got v2 stock from japan and screwed people on replacement):

- Only Curtpalme.com gets PSU (power supply)/USB+5v as standard package, when buying from any other place, you will have to pay for extra PSU/USB+5v, here once again we are asking customers (retail and distributor) to order both of them, but most of the time they never do it, for your information, monoprice never ever ordered a single PSU.

- Only Curtpalme.com gets the component cable needed for hooking up to component displays.

- Only Curtpalme.com gets 24/24 support service through Email, while others are accepted through forum only.

- Only Curtpalme.com gets unit replaced for free on upgrades (means you end up with 2 units in hands) and even 40 usd credit when you ship it back. It means that our customer are actually getting discount when they met a problem. This have NEVER been seen anywhere.

- If you understood the above sentence, then you also understood that only curtpalme.com customers are NEVER left without screen or picture.

- Only Curtpalme.com ships worldwide with express tracking service and reach any place in the world within a week (in 99% of the case). All other places charge extra for shipping and a lot more for priority shipping with tracking.

- Only Curtpalme.com will be able to offer upgrade from PREVIOUS to NEXT version of HDfury product.

- Monoprice does not have the "RED" or "GREEN" edition needed by most home theater users, only the standard (VGA) "BLUE" edition.

- Monoprice does not sell the Advanced Kit with the GammaX product.

That's for the principal but the list goes on...

At the end, it's just a choice between CHEAP price and CHEAP service, or THE PRICE and THE SERVICE.

Kal

Pie,

The HKmod project manager posted in his support forum over at my curtpalme.com site some of the "buyer beware" reasons why people should consider buying their HDfury2 from Curtpalme.com instead of places like Monoprice:



Kal

Thanks for the info Kal.

I am in a situation where money is absolutely paramount. I bought the CLUX11SA external decoder, but the PS3 refuses to send audio to it because it doesn't act as an HDMI Sink. So I'm looking for the cheapest Sink I can find... one that doesn't piss my wife off severely... and the HDFury2 is it (and I future-proof my component-only CRT). So money is really the main thing here.

Also,I already have a nice DB15HD -> Component cable, so that would be redundant for me (I do need an F/F coupler, but that's easy). My only concern is the power supply and power need.

- Only Curtpalme.com gets PSU (power supply)/USB+5v as standard package,

This (and another post) suggests the power supply is simply a USB cable, and I can plug it into a USB device for power. Is that the case?

And from above posts, it looks like Monoprice has the v3 version now. Or is that something that's not true?

-Pie

Received my HDfury2 from Monoprice today. It works without power cable in my PS3->CLUX11SA->HDfury2 chain, though I have not tested video output yet (just that the PS3 recognized it and sent audio to the CLUX).

A few clarifications on Kal's and my own earlier posts...

Monoprice does ship the HDfury2 v.3 with hologram.
Monoprice's HDFury2 has www.curtpalme.com engraved on the unit.
Monprice's HDFury2 is the heavy, aluminum (gold) encased model.
Monoprice includes a DB15 to Component Cable in the blister pack.
Monoprice includes a DB15 F/M extension cable in the blister pack (1ft?).

Monoprice does not include a power cable. I didn't get a good look at the power connector, but I don't think it's a USB connection.

We have also made a list of what you are getting, what you are missing when ordering here [at CurtPalme.com] or from any other source that may be or not cheaper.

So here it is again (I'll put aside the fact that monoprice got v2 stock from japan and screwed people on replacement):
False. They are now shipping v3.

- Only Curtpalme.com gets PSU (power supply)/USB+5v as standard package, when buying from any other place, you will have to pay for extra PSU/USB+5v, here once again we are asking customers (retail and distributor) to order both of them, but most of the time they never do it, for your information, monoprice never ever ordered a single PSU.
True.

- Only Curtpalme.com gets the component cable needed for hooking up to component displays.
False. Mine came with DB15 to Component (gold connectors).

- Only Curtpalme.com gets 24/24 support service through Email, while others are accepted through forum only.
True.

- Only Curtpalme.com gets unit replaced for free on upgrades (means you end up with 2 units in hands) and even 40 usd credit when you ship it back. It means that our customer are actually getting discount when they met a problem. This have NEVER been seen anywhere.
True.

- If you understood the above sentence, then you also understood that only curtpalme.com customers are NEVER left without screen or picture.
True. Ignoring downtime with broken old unit. :)

- Only Curtpalme.com ships worldwide with express tracking service and reach any place in the world within a week (in 99% of the case). All other places charge extra for shipping and a lot more for priority shipping with tracking.
True. However, I live in California. Monoprice had heavily discounted next day shipping to CA residents. My overnight shipping was $8.50 for the unit plus some extra cables! Now that is unheard of!

- Only Curtpalme.com will be able to offer upgrade from PREVIOUS to NEXT version of HDfury product.
True. Though, as I've stated, my unit very clearly says "www.curtpalme.com" on it.

- Monoprice does not have the "RED" or "GREEN" edition needed by most home theater users, only the standard (VGA) "BLUE" edition.

- Monoprice does not sell the Advanced Kit with the GammaX product.
True Though I assume you can purchase the GammaX and power cable from curtpalme if you need them. And "blue" includes the HDFury2, a component cable, and M/F DB15 extension cable.

At the end, it's just a choice between CHEAP price and CHEAP service, or THE PRICE and THE SERVICE.
True. Service often comes at a premium. Monoprice was significantly less expensive than buying direct from www.curtpalme.com.

-Pie

Well it looks like HKmod changed their minds on a few things. Thanks for the heads up.

- Only Curtpalme.com will be able to offer upgrade from PREVIOUS to NEXT version of HDfury product.
True. Though, as I've stated, my unit very clearly says "www.curtpalme.com" on it.
That's because the support forum is at curtpalme.com. HKmod wants everyone to visit CurtPalme.com if they have questions/issues.

You won't be able to upgrade however. You'd need a transaction number that matches CurtPalme.com records to upgrade to future versions at a discount (as HDfury1 customers who bought through CurtPalme.com did to upgrade to HDfury2). Not an issue to everyone.

Enjoy the HDfury2!

Kal

Just got mine from monoprice and i had to fit a power adapter. My wife who didn't know i was changing anything said it looked better my setup HD DVR --> Onkyo 606 --> and XBox 360 --> Onkyo 606 also dreamcast --> Onkyo 606 output to HDFury 2. No left shift like i was having with another converter non-hdcp everything is now in 1080i and looks amasing