I am looking at buying a converter to convert sdtv cable to 1080p.
- I want to know if a converter box like the dvdo edge will make the sdtv look as good on my 1080p screen as it does on my crt sdtv?
- Will choosing composite or component from the cable box to the dvdo edge make a difference in the quality of the scaling?
-Which converter box is as good the dvdo edge at scaling, but cheaper?

I am looking at buying a converter to convert sdtv cable to 1080p.
- I want to know if a converter box like the dvdo edge will make the sdtv look as good on my 1080p screen as it does on my crt sdtv?
It will make it look as good as it possibly can, but SD video is still much lower resolution than 1080p. It will NOT 'look' HD; digital HD video @ 1080p has about 6 times as many pixels as SD 480i.

I suspect that your CRT is much smaller than your 1080p display, and this alone accounts for much of the difference.

Don't forget that to convert from 480i SD video to 1080p you must first de-interlace, then scale the image. The quality of the de-interlacing is critical and one of the many reasons a quality video processor (like the Edge) will often outperform the internal processors of many displays.

Will choosing composite or component from the cable box to the dvdo edge make a difference in the quality of the scaling?
Yes it will. Use component, not composite. If you have digital cable use HDMI if that is an option, particularly if your cable box can output a native 480i digital signal (not all can.)

Which converter box is as good the dvdo edge at scaling, but cheaper?
As good, but cheaper? Doesn't exist. Yet.

You can, however, spend much more. ;) There are cheaper options but nothing as good for the price.

The Edge is so popular here on AVS because it is the first video processor to reach this price point with its capabilities. Prior to the Edge you would be spending thousands.

Thank you for your reply. :)

My pleasure.

Prior to the Edge you would be spending thousands.

. . . or not. Hence, the interest in the Edge.

What's that old saying? You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

It really depends on your screen-size. Yes, size matters. Edge improves the picture on a 110" screen but you can tell it's SD because there is 6X less information spread over a lot of area. But on a 42 or 50 inch plasma, (4-5 X less area) the picture actually does look almost HD--or a lot better. But then the SD picture wasn't as bad either.

The other thing that makes a difference is how far back you sit at a given screen size. Obviously, if you sit back far enough you can't see how bad SD really is....

I think it's worth it and like the Edge even though I am not currently using it (got a Denon AVP with Realta T2).

Hi,
I am currently using my Sr6003 to upscale the SD cable signals and send them to my 50G10 plasma. It looks somewhat better than sending signal directly to the TV without upscaling. I realize it would probably never look really very good, no matter how it is upscaled. However, would Edge produce a significantly better PQ with SD cable compared to AV receiver upscaling or is it mostly a waste of money (likely >500$), because SD cable is just not very good?
P.S. I am also using BD-83 for DVD upscaling, so Edge will be used mainly for SD cable.

No receiver will do as good for video processing as a VP. That being said, SD is tough as it is generally not that good to begin with. The Edge does a respectable job with SD, but whether you would be happy really depends on your expectations.

Thanks for the reply! I am thinking specifically about upscaling SD cable. More specifically, would DVDO upscaling of SD cable produce comparable PQ to upscaling of SD DVD by Oppo or other decicated DVD players? Right now, upscaling SD cable through receiver the PQ is nowhere near SD DVD PQ from my Oppo.

Thanks for the reply! I am thinking specifically about upscaling SD cable. More specifically, would DVDO upscaling of SD cable produce comparable PQ to upscaling of SD DVD by Oppo or other decicated DVD players? Right now, upscaling SD cable through receiver the PQ is nowhere near SD DVD PQ from my Oppo.

Not a chance. Remember, a DVD, though also 480i native, like SD, is a MUCH better starting source. Resolution is only a small part of performance. How much compression, signal to noise ratio, etc... all come into play. Cable/Satellite are horrible with most those other parameters. So though any VP/receiver can take a 480i signal and boost it to 1080p, it boosts the good and the bad. A crappy 480i upconverted to 1080p will still be crappy, just more crappy lines. :)

Now the benefit to a VP is that they have other aspects besides the deinterlacing/upconverting. Some have digital noise reduction, mosquito noise reduction, etc...

Not a chance. Remember, a DVD, though also 480i native, like SD, is a MUCH better starting source. Resolution is only a small part of performance. How much compression, signal to noise ratio, etc... all come into play. Cable/Satellite are horrible with most those other parameters. So though any VP/receiver can take a 480i signal and boost it to 1080p, it boosts the good and the bad. A crappy 480i upconverted to 1080p will still be crappy, just more crappy lines. :)

Now the benefit to a VP is that they have other aspects besides the deinterlacing/upconverting. Some have digital noise reduction, mosquito noise reduction, etc...

Thanks, sounds like DVDO would not be worth it for my use!

Thanks, sounds like DVDO would not be worth it for my use!

You probably won't find a cheaper more reliable scaler that can do a decent job with SD content. If your concerned about compression artifacts get a flea as well...both units do a remarkable job on decent SD signals.

Have you ever taken a closer look on you CRT when watching video> you can still see the compression noise in the image it's just too small to notice.

[Query deleted due to lack of response from here and answer found elsewhere.]

Thanks, sounds like DVDO would not be worth it for my use!

Perhaps. It is really hard to tell because so much depends on the persons expectations. For some a slight improvement is worth any cost. For others, not so much.

As another said, on a whole, the Edge is probably going to be the largest bang for the buck piece out there should you decide to try one.

I have a large SD DVD collection in a Sony 400 carousel. I was wondering if an EDGE would be good to upscale those discs to my old SharpVision 1080i (61"). For BD I have an LG BD 300, but obviously not for the hi-def content yet, I use it for Netflix streaming while I wait for the arrival of the Panny V10 65". But since I have all those dvds, I thought it might be a prudent choice. All thoughts welcomed.

Which Sharp do you have? No display is interlaced, so it would be either 720p or 1080p. Also which Sony changer do you have?

Which Sharp do you have? No display is interlaced, so it would be either 720p or 1080p. Also which Sony changer do you have?

He said it was old, so it could be a CRT RPTV. I believe there were SharpVision ones.

That, or he may mean his display only accepts up to 1080i?



I have a large SD DVD collection in a Sony 400 carousel. I was wondering if an EDGE would be good to upscale those discs to my old SharpVision 1080i (61"). For BD I have an LG BD 300, but obviously not for the hi-def content yet, I use it for Netflix streaming while I wait for the arrival of the Panny V10 65". But since I have all those dvds, I thought it might be a prudent choice. All thoughts welcomed.

I would suspect you'd be happy with it. I think it does a very nice job with DVD's.

Plus if your new TV supports 1080p24, you can actually set up the Edge to output 1080p24 for film content.

He said it was old, so it could be a CRT RPTV. I believe there were SharpVision ones.

LOL. That's right, Raistlin...it is OLD! About 7 years now since I made my first dive into really Big Screen TV! It's a SharpVision RPTV model # 61RWP5H, a cutting edge tv back then, it still ouputs excellent 1080i, but it's time for it to retire.

I would suspect you'd be happy with it. I think it does a very nice job with DVD's.

Plus if your new TV supports 1080p24, you can actually set up the Edge to output 1080p24 for film content.

But won't the EDGE be redundent enhancement for a new plasma like the V10?

But won't the EDGE be redundent enhancement for a new plasma like the V10?

I guess it matters how satisfied you are with the deinterlacing/scaling on that TV ... as well as what features it has.

For a 1080i CRT, you would probably end up outputting 540p (same timings)...I am sure the Edge would help to some degree, but I might almost suggest putting the $500-$650 into a new set as that will certainly make a larger improvement.

So, on a NEW tv, say, the 65" V10, my old SD DVDs will look significantly better with the EDGE than to simply play them native straight to the TV? If that's the case I feel it's worth it to drop the extra dough ($550), on the EDGE if it makes my older DVDs play better on the new plasma, (I know Blu-Rays will rock without extra help) Whaddaya think?

So, on a NEW tv, say, the 65" V10, my old SD DVDs will look significantly better with the EDGE than to simply play them native straight to the TV? If that's the case I feel it's worth it to drop the extra dough ($550), on the EDGE if it makes my older DVDs play better on the new plasma, (I know Blu-Rays will rock without extra help) Whaddaya think?

What thread have you been reading exactly? With qualifiers like "help to some degree" and "slight improvement", I'm not sure how you ended up at "significantly better". :confused:

The EDGE is a great piece of gear and lots of bang for the buck, but if you're a discerning viewer SD will never look great.

Buy the new plasma and play your DVDs. THEN decide if you need a VP. I fear that some people purchase an EDGE expecting miracles. You might not see it that way, and your Plasma may do an acceptable job anyway! :)

hey all, long time lurker here. I am interested in purchasing the EDGE or one of the newer Atlona scalers. I have a 40 inch sharp aquos 1080p LC-40E67U and my ps3 via HDMI and my xbox 360 via component look very good to me. Im not the biggest videophile, so I'm not too picky.

I also have a nintendo wii and a ps2, both get hooked up with a component cable but thats where the problem is. The ps2 picture looks pretty blurry and also pixelated at times and only outputs to 480i. Would the EDGE do an ok job of upconverting the ps2 to get a decent, smoother picture with a bigger resolution? Im not expecting Bluray quality or even native HD quality, but even some of my 480i cable channels look alot better than my ps2. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks and great info here on this forum.

hey all, long time lurker here. I am interested in purchasing the EDGE or one of the newer Atlona scalers. I have a 40 inch sharp aquos 1080p LC-40E67U and my ps3 via HDMI and my xbox 360 via component look very good to me. Im not the biggest videophile, so I'm not too picky.

I also have a nintendo wii and a ps2, both get hooked up with a component cable but thats where the problem is. The ps2 picture looks pretty blurry and also pixelated at times and only outputs to 480i. Would the EDGE do an ok job of upconverting the ps2 to get a decent, smoother picture with a bigger resolution? Im not expecting Bluray quality or even native HD quality, but even some of my 480i cable channels look alot better than my ps2. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks and great info here on this forum.

What games look blurry to you? Are you using first or third party cables? What mode are you viewing your games in? Are you stretching them to fit widescreen or pillarboxing them with bars on the left and right?

Have you tried games that support 480p (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_HD_Enhanced_PS2_games)? There are hundreds of variables at work here...

What games look blurry to you? Are you using first or third party cables? What mode are you viewing your games in? Are you stretching them to fit widescreen or pillarboxing them with bars on the left and right?

Have you tried games that support 480p? There are hundreds of variables at work here...

Im using a 3rd party universal gaming component cable. Currently playing Madden 09 for ps2 (Madden on ps3/360 has been horrible thus far, as far as gameplay goes) and it does not support 480p, only 480i. The best picture I get right now is setting the ps2 to Full screen mode and my tv to "smart stretch". The game is very playable, but still is blurry at times and also pixelated. And my xbox 360 looks very good with that same component cable.

So I am wondering if an EDGE would give an improvement to a 480i signal, like my ps2, old dvd player and also my Wii, which is 480p. I seen very few review pics and vids of the EDGE in action but it does look promising

Im using a 3rd party universal gaming component cable. Currently playing Madden 09 for ps2 (Madden on ps3/360 has been horrible thus far, as far as gameplay goes) and it does not support 480p, only 480i. The best picture I get right now is setting the ps2 to Full screen mode and my tv to "smart stretch". The game is very playable, but still is blurry at times and also pixelated. And my xbox 360 looks very good with that same component cable.

So I am wondering if an EDGE would give an improvement to a 480i signal, like my ps2, old dvd player and also my Wii, which is 480p. I seen very few review pics and vids of the EDGE in action but it does look promising

Not sure I can be of much help to you. I'm not a big fan of 3rd party cables--especially multi-system ones. I also don't play sports games (unless you count Burnout).

It sound to me like you're setting your PS2 up to output a 4x3 image and then using "smart" stretch so that it fills 16x9. Can't say I'm much of a fan of that either. :eek:

Here's the best I can do for you ATM. 480i via S-video. Final Fantasy XII. As always, taking pictures of a TV doesn't always reveal much, but you asked. :)

I suspect your stretching of the image is the biggest issue. Does it look "less blurry" if you don't use "smart stretch", or any type of stretching for that matter?

Not sure I can be of much help to you. I'm not a big fan of 3rd party cables--especially multi-system ones. I also don't play sports games (unless you count Burnout).

It sound to me like you're setting your PS2 up to output a 4x3 image and then using "smart" stretch so that it fills 16x9. Can't say I'm much of a fan of that either. :eek:

Here's the best I can do for you ATM. 480i via S-video. Final Fantasy XII. As always, taking pictures of a TV doesn't always reveal much, but you asked. :)

I suspect your stretching of the image is the biggest issue. Does it look "less blurry" if you don't use "smart stretch", or any type of stretching for that matter?

those pics arent too bad. So I would probably be better off connecting my ps2 to my hdtv with a S-video cable? I've also set my ps2 to 16:9 mode and it looks more distorted.

those pics arent too bad. So I would probably be better off connecting my ps2 to my hdtv with a S-video cable? I've also set my ps2 to 16:9 mode and it looks more distorted.

No--I just used S-video as it is only capable of 480i, and I was too lazy to find my component cables. S-video should not look better than component unless the component cable you have is garbage.

The PS2 does terrible 16x9 or "widescreen" for most games. Set it to "normal". It seems as if your TVs options are Sidebar, Smart Stretch, Stretch, and Zoom.

Use Sidebar. Anything labeled stretch or zoom is going to screw with the picture and the way it was intended to be viewed. I don't think you want half the field cut off in "zoom", nor do you need your players looking a) short and fat (stretch) or b) warping to become short and fat as they approach the edge of the screen (smart stretch).

If what you're seeing with your PS2 set to normal and your TV set to sidebar looks radically different to pictures 1 or 3, then first try a different cable (1st party go for cheap used at Gamestop/EB/Ebay). If that doesn't clear it up then yes, I'd say the EDGE would be an improvement in this area for you.

No--I just used S-video as it is only capable of 480i, and I was too lazy to find my component cables. S-video should not look better than component unless the component cable you have is garbage.

The PS2 does terrible 16x9 or "widescreen" for most games. Set it to "normal". It seems as if your TVs options are Sidebar, Smart Stretch, Stretch, and Zoom.

Use Sidebar. Anything labeled stretch or zoom is going to screw with the picture and the way it was intended to be viewed. I don't think you want half the field cut off in "zoom", nor do you need your players looking a) short and fat (stretch) or b) warping to become short and fat as they approach the edge of the screen (smart stretch).

If what you're seeing with your PS2 set to normal and your TV set to sidebar looks radically different to pictures 1 or 3, then first try a different cable (1st party go for cheap used at Gamestop/EB/Ebay). If that doesn't clear it up then yes, I'd say the EDGE would be an improvement in this area for you.
Thanks for the tips. I used sidebar mode and it didn't really improve much. Still pixelated and jagged and there is also some ghosting. I don't think its the cable because my 360 looks really good and also my Wii in 480p looks fairly good. Is there any sites that show comparison pics of ps2 games (and SD dvd for that matter) through a scaler and without?

You probably won't find a cheaper more reliable scaler that can do a decent job with SD content. If your concerned about compression artifacts get a flea as well...both units do a remarkable job on decent SD signals.

Have you ever taken a closer look on you CRT when watching video> you can still see the compression noise in the image it's just too small to notice.

Yeah, I must say ... I've been extremely happy with the Edge / Flea HDMI combo I've been using for a while now.

The best answer is that it all depends. When you are trying to evaluate how much benefit you get out of a scaler like the Edge when going from 480i to your native display resolution, you almost need to try it out. I had a recent reminder of just how much difference their can be and it was surprising.

I use a Tivo HD and the first part of the day of the Digital Transition the Tivo was having progrmming issues with OTA content and channel assignments. It basically could not find anything OTA. My normal route is native output from the Tivo HD to the Edge to my 72" Samsung DLP on HDMI.

I had never ran an antenna lead directly into the Samsung prior to that day. It was a complete shock how bad the picture was. The 480i digital OTA broadcasts looked simply awful. They were there, just darned ugly! Fortunately, a couple of hours later, Tivo had their act together and doing a channel scan found all my OTA digital channels. So it is all relative, why SD direct off the antenna is so bad on my Samsung is anybody's guess. It just is and to me it was unwatchable. If there was any question in my mind if the Edge was worth the price that comparison settled it because I watch very few movies off DVD, Bluray or cable these days but I do watch lots of news and public affairs programming and half of it is still SD. Without the Edge and the Tivo, the big DLP is just lousy as a TV.


Yoiur mileage my vary. The native output of the Tivo straight to HDMI is better than OTA off the antenna in on the Samsung. It should not be, but it is. The Tivo output enhanced by the Edge is phenomenally better than the antenna direct. With some other TV the result might be much closer. If I could afford a Flea I would stick that in the chain and would get something even better probably.

Thanks for all your replys. What I'm looking to do is quite simple, really. I have 400 dvds in a Sony carousel (so I don't want to move them out of there), that I want to look good on that new plasma. So, from the Sony (HDMI out)to a scaler, like the EDGE, to my new plasma, they will look AS GOOD AS POSSIBLE, right? From the aggregate of posts here I get the idea that a dedicated scaler is going to be better than any found on-board the plasma or AV receiver or DVD/BD player. And for me ANY NOTICABLE improvement would be worth the extra 500 or so bucks to get an "EDGE" up on my viewing experiance. I know that, with a new 65" plasma, I'll have a great piece of equipment, so the thought that I could enjoy my legacy stuff looking its best is driving my decision to get the scaler. The only thing which could dissuade me is if there is strong practical evidence that the Panasonic TC-P65V10 plasma has as good, or better, scaler chip than the EDGE, effectively eliminating the need for another box. I'm just going by the enthusiasm for the EDGE I've seen on this forum, so I assume it's not for nothing that so many of you use such devices. I've very much appreciated your thoughts and suggestions, and thanks so far with putting-up with a newbie to this topic. I'm counting on you all to help me get my movies and sports looking as awesome as the technology (and the wallet) will allow.