Hello

The following note has been added by calibre since v121b



Have you made this reset ?

Regards
alex
Yes-- I always do a reset after the firmware update (and the HDMI cables are disconnected for the reset as well as the update).

Are you feeding this via component ?

I have noticed the vertical offset over component affects my 1080i picture causing it to shake. By adjusting the offset slightly the picture stablizes as normal. I suspect this is related to the comment on the update about position over component. If your xbox is feeding via component perhaps it is related (just a thought). I noticed between the updates the effect comes and goes but a repositon fixes it.

The XBOX360 feeds via a component input into the Vantage. There is a band about 15% of the height of the screen filled with noise and moving lines running across the bottom of the image.

Please note-- this was present in firmware 1.2.1 with the XBOX at 1080i, was fixed in firmware 1.2.1c, and then was present again in 1.2.1d. Clearly something was changed by Calibre in the firmware which both fixed and now causes this problem. In all 3 firmwares the XBOX360 works fine at 720p.

Lore

you guys that use the VHD with the XBOX, don't you have a delay due to video processing? this should influence negatively the raction in moving the joypad or not?

The main problem I have is that when switching from a 1080i to 576i via component in from a Sky HD STB that the system fails to Sync have to reselect the input channel or restart the Vantage HD. Running output at 1280x720p60. Not sure if anyone else has seen this with other STBs and I know Calibre were able to reproduce it :)

Overall I'm still waiting for the test paterns so that I can get the output geometary correct and try to work out what the various options really do. Things are certainly better in the more recent releases but I still think that it is very confusing as to what it actually does :)

Hello.

For NEC PLASMA user : 2 known issues for v121d have been added on Firmware update page (http://www.calibreuk.com/firmware_update.php).

Regards
alex

Sta: I noticed major lag when connection my xbox360 via the VHD. I also saw no picture improvement either, so that was a big disappointment. Needless to say I now by-pass the VHD now.

lorelevitt: I'm curious; do you see any picture improvement with the 360 using the VHD?

Sta: I noticed major lag when connection my xbox360 via the VHD. I also saw no picture improvement either, so that was a big disappointment. Needless to say I now by-pass the VHD now.


that was what I feared!

well, maybe the improvement comes only with an interlaced signal, but in my opinion the best result with the 360 is with 720p

thanks for your response ;)

Sta: I noticed major lag when connection my xbox360 via the VHD. I also saw no picture improvement either, so that was a big disappointment. Needless to say I now by-pass the VHD now.

lorelevitt: I'm curious; do you see any picture improvement with the 360 using the VHD?

I don't see any lag when I fed in at 1080i...but then again I don't have any noise processing turning on. Just using the Vantage to deinterlace to 1080p for my HP 6580 DLP. I thought the picture on OBLIVION looked better through the Vantage than directly into the TV but not like its very noticable. Still I think for what we paid for the Vantage, I expect it to work on the XBOX360 at 1080i.

I have a really stupid question, I am unable to use the component inputs for H.D. resolution. My JVC HM3000u and my RCA DTC100 do not work properly or not at all. I had only been using the digital inputs before excluding the RCA, and thought the problem was in the tuner but when I connected the JVC I realized, the problem was with the processor. I am also having problems with the processor since the upgrade to the newest firmware. It appears to be overheating or some other malady is occuring since it fequently dose not properly respond to the remote control commands or forgets individual settings for each input. I may try and reinitialize the download again and see if this corrects the problem other than that, I do not know what else I can do. By the way, the fan sounds horrible. Should not Calibre, be expected to fix this problem instead of us? This could be a causality of the problem with my processor , overheating!

Hi People,
I loaded v121d.
The Vantage-HD menu displays OK on my monitor.
I then did a system reset.
I then connected an s-video signal to the Vantage-HD input.
The Vantage-HD menu does not show that it is receiving an s-video signal.
Has anyone else had this problem?
Has anyone been able to successfully use the Vantage-HD with v121d with an s-video input signal and HDMI output?
Thanks for any help.
Regards,
Mitch Murray

Hello !

Planned for Release v122 week 38 2006 (http://www.calibreuk.com/release_schedule.php)

Regards
Alex

By way of new features, this release includes:
"Added custom colour offsets in the custom colour temperature settings."
This was one of the items on my wish list, so I'm pleased to hear this. However, I'm perplexed that test patterns seem to have disappeared.

The new firmware like any after the 1.14c has major switching input issue for me. It now takes something like 10 secs to switch inputs. And I mean all inputs from HDMI to S-video and Composite. It seems like it takes 2 secs to switch, 2 secs to decide if it is 50hz or 60hz, then 2 secs where I see half the picture, 2 secs where I see the top half in green and blue and bottom half black before it stabilise.

It also does not solve the problem that I have where it does not detect that my HD cable box which outputs 576i on SD channels. It shows that it is a 1080i output and as a result does not allow me to use the MNR which is what is most important in a SD channel. My Hitachi Projector and a VP30 which I previously had did not exibit this problem. Ya the component output on this unit also basically results in the same problem.

I also have 2 observations which I am still trying to determine but have anyone noticed this?

There seems to be stuttering in movements and pans. Both in Pal and NTSC. There seems to be more low level dithering like noise which is especially noticable in the dark scenes. Again I have not check to see if the black levels has been changed with this new firmware. But the noise also seems to be present in bright scenes.

Also why is there a RGB gain but not RGB cuts implemented? And yes I did a full factory reset without any HDMI input cables connected after the upgrade.

Oliver

Also why is there a RGB gain but not RGB cuts implemented?This is scheduled for the next release. See above.

And yes I did a full factory reset without any HDMI input cables connected after the upgrade.

Oliver

You mean during the upgrade, right hopefully?

You mean during the upgrade, right hopefully?


How can you do a reset during the upgrade? Its after the upgrade has finished. After the lights stop flashing......and reconnect the output cable, and see the menu for the first time after the upgrade, that when I do the factory reset. I went back to 1.14c and everything is smooth sailing again. Even switching from the factory default for the resolution, display type, frame rate which you all know will "reset" the unit happens in like 2 secs on 1.14c instead of like 6-8 secs on any of the firmware after 1.14c. Do not understand why it is so difficult to get it right.

Oliver

You didn't have HDMI connected during the upgrade do you? Or I just misunderstood you?

nope. No cables connected during the upgrade. After the uigrffrf says finish on the pc. I plug in only the hdmi output and do a factory reset.

Oliver

I also have 2 observations which I am still trying to determine but have anyone noticed this?

There seems to be stuttering in movements and pans. Both in Pal and NTSC. There seems to be more low level dithering like noise which is especially noticable in the dark scenes. Again I have not check to see if the black levels has been changed with this new firmware. But the noise also seems to be present in bright scenes.


I've asked the same question, but nobody replied. I do have small stuttering, expecially with 1080i @ 50HZ, but sometimes even with 576i @ 50HZ.

the stuttering is evident with soccer matches, when the camera follows the ball.

no reply from calibre as well

Firmware 1.2.2 is now released.

and can be found on our Website http://www.calibreuk.co.uk/firmware_update.php

Sta, when did you e-mail us and to which address did you send it?

I have been checking e-mail in and not seen one.

We still have members of staff out of the office, but I am trying to ensure all incoming e-mail are responded to as soon as possible

Firmware 1.2.2 is now released.

and can be found on our Website http://www.calibreuk.co.uk/firmware_update.php

Sta, when did you e-mail us and to which address did you send it?

I have been checking e-mail in and not seen one.

We still have members of staff out of the office, but I am trying to ensure all incoming e-mail are responded to as soon as possible

Just sent a PM, thank you ;)

Thank you for the PM, I have responded as best as I can

Hi,

Thanks for the updates - for those that are interested it appears to reset all settings when upgrading.

Also the one problem I have had recently still seems to be there ie when you change from a HD channel to a SD channel on my Sky HD STB (analogue Component HD input) it fails to lock the picture and you have to reselect the input channel.

Hi,

Thanks for the updates - for those that are interested it appears to reset all settings when upgrading.

Also the one problem I have had recently still seems to be there ie when you change from a HD channel to a SD channel on my Sky HD STB (analogue Component HD input) it fails to lock the picture and you have to reselect the input channel.

Thank you for your report.

Regards
Alex_t

Hi,

Well after an initial sucessful install of 1.2.2 I switched off my Vantage and when I tried to switch it back on there were no lights on it. I tried unplugging and plugging back in but no response at all. The OFF?Right arrow combination switched on the RED light so I reloaded the 1.2.2 software and no change on reboot there was no lights at all.

I returned to 1.2.1 and everything was back to normal.

I just upgraded to 1.22 and an old problem has re-emerged. This may have been a problem for a long time, but I haven't upgraded the firmware since 1.14c.

First, when inputting a 480i signal via component with the Picture format set to Normal, the aspect ratio is wrong. It isn't a 4x3 window. It's too wide. There is no problem with HD signals. However, with 1.14 I could fix this problem with the Picture Size adjustment under Picture Control, Picture Settings. With this firmware release Picture Size no longer exists.

However, there is an Aspect Ratio Adjust option. This would seem to be what I need to fix this problem. However, adjusting this control doesn't actually change the aspect ratio. It crops the image. When I adjust the image to get a 4x3 window you throw out picture information.

One of two things need to be fixed:

1: 480i component signals should show in a perfect 4x3 window when Picture Format is set to Normal.
2: Failing (1), the Aspect Ratio control should allow users to change aspect ratio to 4x3 without cropping the image.

Any ideas?

When I attempted to connect to the Calibre site this morning, I got

http://home.comcast.net/~tlhuffman/calibre.gif

When I attempted to connect to the Calibre site this morning, I got

http://home.comcast.net/~tlhuffman/calibre.gif


Either someone didn't pay their domain registration fee or all these firmware fixes have bankrupted the company. ;)

Either someone didn't pay their domain registration fee or all these firmware fixes have bankrupted the company. ;)


I'm no expert but the 404 is indicative that the page on the server is missing rather than the domain name not being found. An NSLOOKUP still finds the IP address for their domain.

Perhaps they forgot to pay Zeus...

I'm sure they'll get it worked out soon.

The custom aspect ratio control is broken. Instead of adjusting aspect ratio, it adjusts overscan, thus cropping the image.

Aspect Ratio control at default. Note the overscan.

http://home.comcast.net/~tlhuffman/off.gif


Aspect ratio adjusted downward in the horizontal plane to achieve a 4x3 window. Note the overscan.

http://home.comcast.net/~tlhuffman/on.gif

Furhermore, if you increase the horizontal aspect ratio, it works normally until about 120 at which point, the vertical plane starts becoming smaller.

during the set up to restore the old settings, I had to unplug the power jack for several times.

the power led was completely off and the VHD was stuck.

finally the default overscan has been set to 0% for digital inputs.....

Hi Everyone,

Please accept our apologies in regards to the Website. Our host is working on returning it as soon as possible. It went down yesterday PM our time here in the UK and I am told it was running briefly overnight, but the host entered some additional problems this morning.

They aim to have it running again this afternoon all being well, but at this moment cannot confirm any timescales.

I'm showing corrupted files following file download of 1.22. Have made several attempts since the website came back online.

There are still issues with the Calibre Website, although it is appearing back online at times, the site is still not back up and running.

Our hosts are working towards a solution. Perhaps the easiest way to verify the site would be to look at the news section. Once the site is back up and running the news section will display news from September 06. At present it is showing news from march this year only

Hi guys--

I certainly appreciate all the advice that the posters and Calibre have done on the firmware for the past few months but I'm really tired of "beta" testing the product. In a couple of weeks I'm going to put my Vantage up for sale on the forum marketplace for $ 1600 + packing/shipping/paypal fee. If you know anyone really interested in picking up a HQV-based unit, have them PM me or watch for the posting.

I've learned alot about being too early an adopter with this product. I've had my unit since April --so its been about 1/2 year and every firmware release brings new problems while solving older ones. This has been my first experience with such an immature CE product. There is no question that at times the REALTA and the Vantage can produce a beautiful picture but I am so tired of constantly trying to give it a "tune-up" with another firmware image.

I believe that the REALTA chip is NOT ready for CE applications--in the sense of the vendors not being able to understand the entire functionality of the chip, the interaction of the algorithms and software that Silicon Optix provides with the code that the vendors write. If a product is so complex and has its software so interwined that changing one module cascades into errors in others...products based on the REALTA will forever remain "beta." I also believe that the vendor shift seen at CEDIA from the REALTA to the GENNUM VXP is less about cost and capability and more about real world "workability."

I have been an official beta tester on operating systems from Microsoft going back into the 1990s-- and while I can tolerate playing around with such systems on my computers, I really want to relax in my home theater after work every day and not have to explain away technical problems when I have friends over on the weekends.

I have been complaining since I obtained the Vantage about the fact that it does not scale 4x3 correctly. Here's the documentation for this bug.

The images below are from a 480i NTSC component signal.

Example 1: Vantage set to Wide and projector set to Window. This passes the scaling duties over to the projector.

http://home.comcast.net/~tlhuffman/normal.jpg

In this case, the image measures 60-inches wide, which is correct for a 4x3 image in a 80-inch wide 16x9 screen.

Example 2: Vantage set to Normal and projector set to Native. This passes the scaling duties to the Vantage.

http://home.comcast.net/~tlhuffman/wide.jpg

In this case, the image is now 67-inches wide--7-inches too wide for a 4x3 window projected onto a 80-inch wide 16x9 screen.

lorelevitt - I think you covered your points on your last go around with the letters.

To be blunt, this unit works fabulously for me, so I'm sorry you felt it was not for you. Now that you've made it clear that you have no further involvement with the Vantage HD, could you stop posting knocks that serve little purpose?

Hi Tom,

I noticed that the program you show in your post is the "Jonathon Stewart" show, which is NTSC origin, but converted to PAL. It is possible that the 4:3 flag is incorrectly set when it is re-encoded to PAL...

It would be nice if you could try some other examples of native PAL 4:3 sources for this problem.

I noticed that the program you show in your post is the "Jonathon Stewart" show, which is NTSC origin, but converted to PAL. Nothing is converted to PAL. I don't have access to any PAL sources.

Spoke to the people from Calibre at CEDIA. Their Vantage operation is being taken over by Erika Pearson who guaranteed me that there will be an improvement in their software output. Unhappily, i am also upset with these reports of problems with the software and we having to do their beta testing. While I have put up with it in the past with computers and even a few home theater products I've reviewed, the Vantage problems seem to be the worst up till now. Since this company is well respected in professional circles, it must be a problem with the chip and not witrh their programmers. Maybe they're trying to get more functionality than the chip can produce and they're pushing it to its limits. Anyway, I've stuck with 1.14 and am quite happy. The updates have offered me no adsvantages yet worth taking the trouble of updating.

Bill

Nothing is converted to PAL. I don't have access to any PAL sources.
Ooops - my bad :) I thought u were in the UK. Sorry about that!

I'm at 1.2

Everything was going swimmingly till 1.1.4. Hopefully they can sort it out soon! :)

Spoke to the people from Calibre at CEDIA. Their Vantage operation is being taken over by Erika Pearson who guaranteed me that there will be an improvement in their software output.

[...]

Bill

Thank you Bill for this information, I think it is a very good news.

Regards
Alex

I am unable to install the new updater for firmware 1.2.2. When I launch "setup_1-2-2.exe" I get "Error reading setup initialization file".

If I download the zipped .brec-file instead, the file cannot be uncompressed because "The compressed folders are not valid or corrupt".

I have had no problems updating the firmware in the past. Whaz up?

/Thomas

Hi Thomas,

If you downloaded the file in the last couple of days, then the problem lies with our website. We have been having some issues with our host which has unfortunately taken our downloads out of sync.

if you can e-mail me directly at Calibre (sales@calibreuk.com) then I am happy to e-mail the brec file directly to you.

I can only apologise for the issues with our website, we are working at the moment to get it sorted as soon and as quick as possible.

Regards

I have been complaining since I obtained the Vantage about the fact that it does not scale 4x3 correctly.
The 4:3 image using 576i s-video is too square...! I wonder how they manage to mess such a thing up.

Hi everyone,

It would appear that our web server is back up and running. Our host is still reporting some errors but for the whole it is sorted again.

If anyone would like to test some of the firmware updates and let me know either by PM or by e-mail (sales@calibreuk.com) if there are any errors in the download.

Regards

Zanyone

Thanks. You have got mail. :)

/Thomas

Hi Thomas,

If you downloaded the file in the last couple of days, then the problem lies with our website. We have been having some issues with our host which has unfortunately taken our downloads out of sync.

if you can e-mail me directly at Calibre (sales@calibreuk.com) then I am happy to e-mail the brec file directly to you.

I can only apologise for the issues with our website, we are working at the moment to get it sorted as soon and as quick as possible.

Regards

Hi everyone,

It would appear that our web server is back up and running. Our host is still reporting some errors but for the whole it is sorted again.

If anyone would like to test some of the firmware updates and let me know either by PM or by e-mail (sales@calibreuk.com) if there are any errors in the download.

Regards

Zanyone
It's still not working. Please upload the files again.

Most of the files have now been re-uploaded and should be fine to download

I thank you for your help

Regards

Most of the files have now been re-uploaded and should be fine to download

I thank you for your help

Regards
Downloader is still not working for 1.2.2

I have just re-uploaded the installer and brec file, I tested its download and it seems to have worked ok

I have just re-uploaded the installer and brec file, I tested its download and it seems to have worked ok

It's definitely not working. Please reconfirm your upload.

I downloaded the setup file (setup_1-2-2.exe) an hour ago and was able to install the updater, launch it and complete a successful upgrade. Nedtsc, is it possible that the faulty file remains in your browser cache?

/Thomas

It's definitely not working. Please reconfirm your upload.

I confirm that v122 download is OK now.

I downloaded setup_v122 10 minute ago an I compared it with setup_v122, which works fine, saved on my PC 10 days ago (18 september 2006) and these files are identical (same CRC checksum).

Regards
alex_t

Please get your act together. The only major problem with the Vantage that will drive everybody away to the other units available is your screwups on software. Don't release it to the general public until you have tested it. It's a pain in the butt to have to disconnect everything, download the software and load it to find that it is defective and needs to be removed and replaced with the older version. I doubt you release untested software with your professional products.

Bill

the new Exe file downloaded fine for me and my unit is currently working with said firmware. I had endless problems with the previous firmware so was using 1.1.4 until now.. no idea if that helps anyone with the updating.

the HDMI inputs initially gave me some grieve and it wasn't until i disconnected them and repowered up the unit that all inputs are now working.

And i am VERY pleased to see the addition of the vertical stretch mode (for 2.35:1 screen users with an anamorphic lens)..
Unlike the CROP mode, this 2.35:1 mode vertically stretches 2.35:1 material for both SH and HD inputted signals (yay!) ..... and also does not chop off the top and bottom of the viewable image like CROP does for SD material.

it's also nice to see that custom timings are now available, as i find that the vantage is ever so slightly resizing my pixel perfect 1280x720 HTPC image, when without the vantage in the middle, it's pixel to pixel to my projector... will have play with that shortly.

I haven't fiddled too much with the varying settings just yet as the basic config with some minor changes is working very well for me and so decided to actually watch a moviein full (ST:First Contact if you were curious :) tonight instead of stuffing around with demo'ing different bits and pieces like i normally do after applying the latest firmware.

One other thing i've noticed is that my basic picture adjustments for brightness and contrast are completely different.. though i did fiddle with the Component voltage settings to see what they would do.. perhaps that the most likely reason

Matt.G

Please get your act together. The only major problem with the Vantage that will drive everybody away to the other units available is your screwups on software. Don't release it to the general public until you have tested it. It's a pain in the butt to have to disconnect everything, download the software and load it to find that it is defective and needs to be removed and replaced with the older version. I doubt you release untested software with your professional products.

Bill

The recent issues with our website were completely beyond our control and we were at the mercy of Demon, our platform provider.

We can only apologise for the problems many customers faced with downloads, but this was entirely due to the errors on the platform.

Once this site was confirmed as repaired and available, the software was re-uploaded with a fresh copy.

If there are people who are still having any issues downloading the software from the website, please do not hesitate to contact me and I shall make arrangements for the software to be sent via alterative methods.

The issues with our site caused many other problems and although the Home theater pages were priority, there were some delays in uploading the software.

The recent issues with our website were completely beyond our control and we were at the mercy of Demon, our platform provider.

We can only apologise for the problems many customers faced with downloads, but this was entirely due to the errors on the platform.

Once this site was confirmed as repaired and available, the software was re-uploaded with a fresh copy.

If there are people who are still having any issues downloading the software from the website, please do not hesitate to contact me and I shall make arrangements for the software to be sent via alterative methods.

The issues with our site caused many other problems and although the Home theater pages were priority, there were some delays in uploading the software.


today Demon rules, my friend! ;) :)

After some additional errors, the host have taken all web platforms offline, in a statement issued this morning at 10am UK time

The Web Hosting platform continues to be unavailable due to essential maintenance as a result of a platform failure. Whilst our specialist engineers are continuing to work to bring the web hosting platform back into service, it is it is envisaged that it will be unavailable for up to 48 hours. We will ensure that there are regular updates available on our website. In the meantime, we would like to apologise for the continued inconvenience caused.

how is version 122 working with everyone?

Tried it and reverted but might try again - the box just failed to reboot after configuring it with the new firmware.

as I disconnect the power jack every time, to avoid the fan noise when swithced off, I noticed that sometimes, when I want to turn it on again, I have to unplug it twice to let the led becoming red and the VHD working.

I have no problems to report with 1.2.2. I like the new aspect ratios.

how is version 122 working with everyone?

Not well. Had to back it down to 1.2.1 to get it to boot consistently. Plus, the website's down again, so firmware (and a new fix, if there is one) isn't consistently available. At least there are frequent firmware revisions - hopefully it will become more stable over time.

John

seems like there is a consensus here that booting is a problem, not a problem to people who leaves it on all the time, hope this get fix soon.

there's now a "mini site" for the VHD running. do anybody know if there are new FW after 1.2.2?

there's now a "mini site" for the VHD running. do anybody know if there are new FW after 1.2.2?

When a new firmware version is available, Zanyone (Calibre Webcontrol) posts a message in this thread. No message from him since v122.

regards
alex_t

Fine, thanks.

in the meanwhile, the web page is on line again

Fine, thanks.

in the meanwhile, the web page is on line again

Yes but BE CAREFUL.

I checked MD5 checksum of setup_122.exe downloaded today and MD5 checksum of setup_122.exe downloaded 18 september and they are different.

I think, for the moment, all the downloaded files from calibre site are corrupt.

regards
alex_t

Hi there everyone,

We still have some issues with our website, which we are trying to sort out with our host, this has been a very long and painful process which does make us look bad.

The site is now about 80% up and running, the host still has a couple of sql issues which they are looking to resolve.

In regards to the updates, 1.2.2 has been re-uploaded and should be good to run now.

There are no new updates due for release at this time, I am of the understanding however that there could be a new release within the next month or so, when I have some more information, I shall advise you further

There are no new updates due for release at this time, I am of the understanding however that there could be a new release within the next month or so, when I have some more information, I shall advise you further

Zanyone, what about availability of HD-SDI card ?

Hi there everyone,

We still have some issues with our website, which we are trying to sort out with our host, this has been a very long and painful process which does make us look bad.

The site is now about 80% up and running, the host still has a couple of sql issues which they are looking to resolve.

In regards to the updates, 1.2.2 has been re-uploaded and should be good to run now.

There are no new updates due for release at this time, I am of the understanding however that there could be a new release within the next month or so, when I have some more information, I shall advise you further

Thank you Zanyone.

I hope that calibre will continue to give schedule release on its website.

Regards
alex_t

Zanyone, what about availability of HD-SDI card ?

To the best of my knowledge these will be available very soon.

I do not have a confirmed date for release at this stage but I should have some more information by the end of the week.

Sorry I cannot be of any more help here.


Thank you Zanyone.

I hope that calibre will continue to give schedule release on its website.

Regards
alex_t

Once I receive the confirmed schedule, it will be posted on our website as usual, we are aiming to ensure that the dates given on each schedule is as accurate as possible, to this effect, there may be delays in the schedule being posted in advance

Once I receive the confirmed schedule, it will be posted on our website as usual, we are aiming to ensure that the dates given on each schedule is as accurate as possible, to this effect, there may be delays in the schedule being posted in advance

Thank you Zanyone, it is logical ;)

Have you read my last PM (about MD5 checksum) ? What is your feeling about it ?

Regards
alex_t

Hi Alex,

I did mean to get back to you, but the website took priority.

I need to check with Zax to get his thoughts on it, in the first place, under normal circumstances there are few issues with the downloads, but I shall check this with him

My Sony VPL-VW100 will not accept the VHD 1080P output. I get a "out of sync" message everytime I try and have to reboot the VHD. It only takes 720P (its native resolution is 1080P).

Also, I have just upgraded the firmware to 1.2.2. (from 1.1.2.B). The image - 720P - from the S-Video inputs look nicer, but the HDMI inputs now have the colors all wrong. Faces are blue. Anyone having the same problem?
Thanks

Have you tried any version that would work like 1.4c.?

No. Just 1.1.2.B and 1.2.2. I'll try other versions tonight. Thanks.

I had to go back to 1-1-4C and everything is working fine now. The image is beautiful from every input - s-video, component and HDMI - but it only outputs 720P. I cannot output 1080P. Is there anyone using the VHD with the Sony VPL-VW100 and succesfully outputing 1080P?
Thanks

Is there anyone using the VHD with the Sony VPL-VW100 and succesfully outputing 1080P?
Yup...I am using a Ruby...no problem outputting 1080p over DVI or HDMI.

Thank you. Which firmware version are you using?

1.14c

Thank you. I'm also using 1-1-4C and except for the 1080P output it works fine. I've tried resetting both the VHD and the Ruby but it won't work. I don't know if it's a matter of firmware with the projector. I read in another thread about a 1080P software upgrade for the projector but it didn't have any details so I don't know what it's about. I don't have any other 1080P source to feed the Ruby to see if the problem is the projector but it works fine with 1080i directly from my Denon 3910. I don't know what else to do.

Thank you. I'm also using 1-1-4C and except for the 1080P output it works fine. I've tried resetting both the VHD and the Ruby but it won't work. I don't know if it's a matter of firmware with the projector. I read in another thread about a 1080P software upgrade for the projector but it didn't have any details so I don't know what it's about. I don't have any other 1080P source to feed the Ruby to see if the problem is the projector but it works fine with 1080i directly from my Denon 3910. I don't know what else to do.

I think your problem comes from Denon 3910. A friend of mine has same configuration than you and Denon in HDMI + vantage HD HDMI + Ruby HDMI do not work.

regards
alex_t

Thank you for your input but I cannot get 1080P from any source. Before connecting any HDMI source I tried 1080P with Xbox - component input, Sky - s-video input, and Laser Disc - s-video input, and I could not output 1080P either.

Thank you for your input but I cannot get 1080P from any source. Before connecting any HDMI source I tried 1080P with Xbox - component input, Sky - s-video input, and Laser Disc - s-video input, and I could not output 1080P either.

OK.

It is possible that problem comes from your HDMI cable ... Have you tried to test 1080P with an other cable ?

Regards
alex_t

No. I´ll try that. You may be right because I´m running a long cable, about 8 meters, although I bought a premium cable because of that long distance. Thanks, I´ll let you know.

Secrets review (http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=132#CalibreVantage-HD%20(Component)) of the Vantage HD is out.

Without having to read through 37 pages of posts, can anyone provide a basic summary of the positives and negatives of the Vantage HD processor?

How it compares with other currently competing units?

Thanks

Why Vantage don't output 1080i resolution?

Without having to read through 37 pages of posts, can anyone provide a basic summary of the positives and negatives of the Vantage HD processor?

How it compares with other currently competing units?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=704674
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=698891

Secrets review (http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=132#CalibreVantage-HD%20(Component)) of the Vantage HD is out.

Thank you.

Very good review. What is the meaning of "The processor will also support a 48Hz output with most output resolutions, including 1080p" ?

Regards
alex_t

Why Vantage don't output 1080i resolution?
I don't know of any 1080i display out there. Most of them are native 720p and will dowconvert any signal above that thus degrading the signal.

I don't know of any 1080i display out there. Most of them are native 720p and will dowconvert any signal above that thus degrading the signal.

Huh:confused:??? You're not serious right? There are PLENTY of 1080 displays out there now.

I can sell you a few if you'd like?

Huh:confused:??? You're not serious right? There are PLENTY of 1080 displays out there now.

I can sell you a few if you'd like?

I was referring to 720p native display which accepts 1080i input. If you have a 1080p native why bother sending a 1080i signal?

He he I will certainly contact you as soon as 1080p >2000 lumen are reasonably available.

No, there are plenty of 1080i native displays out there, and it's a real shame the Vantage won't support them.

Hint - they are CRTs!

Nick ;)

Secrets review (http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=132#CalibreVantage-HD%20(Component)) of the Vantage HD is out.I think we ought to make a little song and dance about that.

Scores 97%, even assessed against both SD and HD sources, film and video, 50 and 60Hz, and don't forget the magic EDID override! What more could I want (apart from 1080i output, 24 Hz output, more inputs.....)

Smug Nick

No, there are plenty of 1080i native displays out there, and it's a real shame the Vantage won't support them.

Hint - they are CRTs!

Nick ;)

You're right! Forget about that.

Well after using the NEC for a short bit, and then the VP30 for the past couple of months I figured it was time to check back in with the Vantage.

I updated to 1.2.2, had everything unplugged, did the factory reset, cycled power, danced a jig and all that stuff.

I connected my new DN vip-622 to HDMI1 and doubled up the audio with a optical cable. I use a digital coax cable to output in my surround sound processor and the HDMI output goes into the Samsung DLP.

I can get audio on the Samsung but nothing out of the surround sound processor. I remember having some audio problems before but though I'd check in here to see if anyone has any ideas.

Thanks,
George

I think we ought to make a little song and dance about that.

Scores 97%, even assessed against both SD and HD sources, film and video, 50 and 60Hz, and don't forget the magic EDID override! What more could I want (apart from 1080i output, 24 Hz output, more inputs.....)

Smug Nick

Hello.

With current hardware design, is it possible to vantage hd to manage 24Hz or 48 Hz on its HDMI output ?

Thank you.

Regards
alex_t

is there a guide to set up a custom resolution?

I need a classic 1280x720 one but I'd like to play with timings in order to see if I can eliminate the stuttering.

thank you for any help

is there a guide to set up a custom resolution?

I need a classic 1280x720 one but I'd like to play with timings in order to see if I can eliminate the stuttering.

thank you for any help

Is your TV has a PC input (VGA input) ?

If it is the case, you can plug your PC and with MONINFO software you can read EDID of your TV. Timings are given by EDID.

With MODELINE for 1280x720 I can help you to find custom timings for vantage HD.

MONINFO is a freeware, you can download it HERE (http://entechtaiwan.net/util/moninfo.shtm)

regards
alex_t

alex, thank you. I have a Sharp XV-Z2000 projector and indeed has a VGA input.

I've just downloaded the SW suggested and this evening I'll try to get info about the EDID.

thanks again

alex, thank you. I have a Sharp XV-Z2000 projector and indeed has a VGA input.

I've just downloaded the SW suggested and this evening I'll try to get info about the EDID.

thanks again

OK.

I have forgotten to tell you that VGA cable must be a good cable else MONINFO can not read EDID.

You can post info this evening, I use my PC until 23h00 (Paris, France).

I have a sharp too. It is a LCD and with the info about 1360x768 timing from its EDID, I use custom mode of vantage HD and picture is really good.

regards
alex_t

alex,

yesterday night I made the test. I thought I saved the report but the file's empty :mad:

bytheway, through the vantage manual (the one you can install on PC) I found the configuration for the 1280x720p resolution, in order to configure a custom resolution. I don't know why, but using that one the problem seems to be solved, at least with upscaled DVD.

this evening I will cut&paste the report of the XV-Z2000.

thank you again for your help

Hi Alex,
Just to let you know, my problem was indeed the HDMI cable. I got another cable and it works fine with 1080P. In fact, the cable I got was a cheap one from my local electronics store. The expensive Monster Cable I was using was unable to deliver the 1080P signal. Talk about hype!!
Thank you for your help.

Hi Alex,
Just to let you know, my problem was indeed the HDMI cable. I got another cable and it works fine with 1080P. In fact, the cable I got was a cheap one from my local electronics store. The expensive Monster Cable I was using was unable to deliver the 1080P signal. Talk about hype!!
Thank you for your help.

Your welcome ! I'm happy for you.

Regards
alex_t

Hello.

What is the meaning of "The processor will also support a 48Hz output with most output resolutions, including 1080p" (from review of VHD by hometheaterhifi.com) ?

I know 2 persons who have a toshiba HD-DVD and a VP sony VPL-VW100 (aka "ruby").

One has a lumagen HDQ scaler, he uses specific timings to output 1080p at 48 Hz to VP sony ruby and it works fine.

Other has vantage HD, he uses the same specific timings to output 1080p at 48 Hz to VP sony ruby and and it do not work !

My conclusion is that vantage hd can not output a frame rate different than 50 or 59.93 Hz even with custom timings for 48 Hz (and for 72 Hz, I believe that 72 Hz is better than 48 Hz).

What is your opinion about that ?

Thank you.

Regards
alex_t

This is the report I had from MonInfo:
but in which way can you change timings in the VHD?


Monitor
Windows description......... @@@ Monitor
Manufacturer description.... SHARP XVZ2000
Manufacturer................ @@@
————————————————————————————
Plug and Play ID............ @@@07EE
Serial number............... n/a
EDID data source............ I2C bus (real-time)
————————————————————————————
Manufacture date............ 2005
EDID revision............... 1.3
Display type and signal..... Digital
Sync input support.......... n/a
Screen size................. n/a
Power management............ n/a

Color characteristics
Display gamma............... 2,20
Red chromaticity............ Rx 0,652 - Ry 0,337
Green chromaticity.......... Gx 0,322 - Gy 0,634
Blue chromaticity........... Bx 0,147 - By 0,064
White point (default)....... Wx 0,286 - Wy 0,313

Timing characteristics
VESA GTF support............ Not supported
Horizontal scan range....... 30-45kHz (est.)
Vertical scan range......... 30-60Hz (est.)
Video bandwidth............. 85MHz (est.)
Extension blocks............ 1
Timing recommendation #1.... 1280x720 at 60Hz
Modeline................ "1280x720" 74,250 1280 1390 1430 1650 720 725 730 750 +hsync +vsync
Timing recommendation #2.... 1920x540 at 60Hz
Modeline................ "1920x540" 74,250 1920 2008 2052 2200 540 542 547 562 +hsync +vsync
Timing recommendation #3.... 1920x1080 at 30Hz
Modeline................ "1920x1080" 74,250 1920 2008 2052 2200 1080 1084 1094 1124 interlace +hsync +vsync

Standard timings supported
640 x 480 at 60Hz - IBM VGA
1280 x 720 at 60Hz - @@@
1920 x 540 at 60Hz - @@@
1920 x 1080 at 30Hz - @@@

Raw EDID base
00: 00 FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 00 00 EE 07 01 01 01 01
10: 00 0F 01 03 80 00 00 78 08 19 E5 A7 56 52 A2 25
20: 10 49 50 20 00 00 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01
30: 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 1D 00 72 51 D0 1E 20 6E 28
40: 55 00 00 00 00 00 00 1E 01 1D 80 18 71 1C 16 20
50: 58 2C 25 00 00 00 00 00 00 9E 00 00 00 FD 00 32
60: 3D 1F 2E 08 00 0A 20 20 20 20 20 20 00 00 00 FC
70: 00 53 48 41 52 50 20 58 56 5A 32 30 30 30 01 65

Raw EDID extension (reserved)
00: 8C 0A D0 8A 20 E0 2D 10 10 3E 96 00 00 00 00 00
10: 00 18 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
20: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
30: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
40: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
50: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
60: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
70: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 D7

Display adapter
Adapter description......... Auxiliary port
Adapter device ID........... 0x27A68086
Display settings............ n/a

User/computer information
Registered user name........ Admin
Registered organization..... n/a
Network user name........... Utente01
Network computer name....... TM3010
Windows version ............ Windows XP
Windows build .............. 5.01.2600 Service Pack 2
Installation date .......... 01/08/2006 12.00.00

Timings are given in this line :

"Timing recommendation #1.... 1280x720 at 60Hz
Modeline................ "1280x720" 74,250 1280 1390 1430 1650 720 725 730 750 +hsync +vsync"

Try this with vantage HD :

Active horizontal pixel 1280
total horizontal pixel 1650
H back porch pixel 220 (=1650-1430)
H sync pulse width 040 (=1430-1390)

Active vertical lines 720
total vertical lines 750
V back porch lines 005 (=725-720)
V sync pulse width 005 (=730-725)

Polarity of sinc pulse +hsync ; +vsync


Careful ! These timings work for 1280x720@60 Hz only.

Consequently before to use it you must force output frame rate of vantage HD at 59.93 HZ (not AUTO) and then you can use CUSTOM resolution.

REMARK : 50 Hz source will be outputed at 60 Hz.

Regards
alex_t

alex, thank you.

if I'm not wrong the suggested one is my actual configuration.

I've already tried to work at 60HZ, but with PAL material (I live in Italy), pannings are not fluid (of course) even if stutters disappear.

My previously Video Processor was a Cinemateq POP II SDI and with the Sharp I did not have any stuttering working @50HZ.

in my opinion there's something wrong with VHD > Sharp connection. I should try to modify slightly the timings to match the correct one, but I don't know how.

Hello.

What is the meaning of "The processor will also support a 48Hz output with most output resolutions, including 1080p" (from review of VHD by hometheaterhifi.com) ?

I know 2 persons who have a toshiba HD-DVD and a VP sony VPL-VW100 (aka "ruby").

One has a lumagen HDQ scaler, he uses specific timings to output 1080p at 48 Hz to VP sony ruby and it works fine.

Other has vantage HD, he uses the same specific timings to output 1080p at 48 Hz to VP sony ruby and and it do not work !

My conclusion is that vantage hd can not output a frame rate different than 50 or 59.93 Hz even with custom timings for 48 Hz (and for 72 Hz, I believe that 72 Hz is better than 48 Hz).

What is your opinion about that ?

Thank you.

Regards
alex_t

UP

UP
alex. is your question addressed to me?

alex. is your question addressed to me?

No but I would like that somebody answers me.

I have not seen your last post.

I think that management of custom mode of vantage hd in current firmware is not adapted to your need (user need). I hope that calibre will improve this management.

About your problem, I suggest that you report your issue directly at calibre.

I have problem with my LCD sharp too. All the 768p resolution of vantage HD do not work with my LCD (native resolution is 1366x768). Consequently I'm forced to use custom mode with only one frame rate.

I have reported my issue and Calibre advised me to test another resolution. 720p works fine but it is not my native resolution.

I am very disappointed by this scaler finally ....

Regards
alex_t

I'm waiting for the HD SDI kit. I'm confident to solve my problem.

I've already informed Calibre abt stuttering and other issues, many solved but stuttering remains..

I'm waiting for the HD SDI kit. I'm confident to solve my problem.

I've already informed Calibre abt stuttering and other issues, many solved but stuttering remains..

I have stuttering too with 50 Hz source and 50 Hz output with HDMI.

I have problem with my LCD sharp too. All the 768p resolution of vantage HD do not work with my LCD (native resolution is 1366x768). Consequently I'm forced to use custom mode with only one frame rate.
I have reported my issue and Calibre advised me to test another resolution. 720p works fine but it is not my native resolution.
I am very disappointed by this scaler finally ....


Alex_T, have you checked your TV manual for the INPUT resolutions it supports?

A lot of 1366x768 LCD TVs DO NOT support the 768p input via the DVI/HDMI input.
Most of these sized LCD TVs only support the DTV standards of 480/576/720/1080i.

My Samsung LCD (1366x768) is the same. In my case it is not the fault of the Scaler. It is the fault of the LCD manufacturer.
I have also tried 1366x768 using the VGA (D-Sub) connector to my LCD TV and it only works at 60Hz (as stated in the manual).

Matt.G

Alex_T, have you checked your TV manual for the INPUT resolutions it supports?

A lot of 1366x768 LCD TVs DO NOT support the 768p input via the DVI/HDMI input.
Most of these sized LCD TVs only support the DTV standards of 480/576/720/1080i.

My Samsung LCD (1366x768) is the same. In my case it is not the fault of the Scaler. It is the fault of the LCD manufacturer.
I have also tried 1366x768 using the VGA (D-Sub) connector to my LCD TV and it only works at 60Hz (as stated in the manual).

Matt.G

Hello.

My TV supports 768p via its HDMI input (and VGA too). Actually I use 1360x768p@60 Hz with custom timings setting in vantage HD and HDMI and D-Sub work fine.

Unfortunately, in France, PAL is standard system and frame rate is 50 Hz and I can not found timings for 1360x768p@50 Hz.

My TV is a sharp LCD 32GD7E. Manual explains that only 480p/576p/720p/1080i are available with HDMI input and VGA input but it is wrong !

Sharp refuses to help me and calibre too (calibre says to me : "use an other resolution instead of 768p", it is not the answers which I hoped for).

Regards
alex_t

Manual explains that only 480p/576p/720p/1080i are available with HDMI input and VGA input but it is wrong !

Sharp refuses to help me. . .If the unit's documentation and the manufacturer's own technical support won't help, then I'm afraid you are out of luck.

I have projector which is 1080P native and can accept that resolution at 48, 50 and 60hz. The VHD has a setting for 50 and 60hz, but not 48hz. For native HD films, I'd like to have the option of 48hz. Is this a feature that will be added? Do I have to create a custom output resolution?

Also, is there any way to set different outputs settings for different inputs? For example, 1080p48 for HD-DVD and 1080p60 HDTV?

Thanks.
Alan

I have projector which is 1080P native and can accept that resolution at 48, 50 and 60hz. The VHD has a setting for 50 and 60hz, but not 48hz. For native HD films, I'd like to have the option of 48hz. Is this a feature that will be added? Do I have to create a custom output resolution?

Also, is there any way to set different outputs settings for different inputs? For example, 1080p48 for HD-DVD and 1080p60 HDTV?

Thanks.
Alan

Hello.

I already asked to calibre about 48/72 Hz output, response is "We have not made a decision about 48/72Hz outputs, but remember that we do now have custom output timings which you can set for yourself. "

But in user manual of vantage HD (v121, page 6), it is written :

"Select the Frame Rate option on the menu. This determines whether the output
of Vantage-HD remains at a constant 59.94Hz, constant 50Hz, or automatically
switches between the two depending on the type of incoming signal being
displayed."

==> I understand that current firmware can output only 50 Hz or 59.94 Hz signal even with custom timings at 48 Hz (and 72 Hz too).

Consequently, there is an inconsistency between CUSTOM résolution setting, which defined a vertical frame rate too, and Frame rate selection which imposes 50 or 59.94 Hz.

In fact, Frame rate selection should propose: 50, 59.93, AUTO and CUSTOM.

50 : 50 HZ output whatever the type of incoming signal being displayed.
59.93 : 59.93 HZ output whatever the type of incoming signal being displayed
AUTO : 50 or 59.93 output according to the type of incoming signal being displayed
CUSTOM : Vertical frame rate output defined with CUSTOM resolution whatever the type of incoming signal being displayed.

I asked to calibre which is their opinion about it.

I can tell you that vantage HD with good timings at 48 Hz for VP sony VW100 do not work (whereas these timings work fine with lumagen scaler and same VP).

Regards
alex_t

THAT is the question!

how can I change output timings with custom resolution?

is output choice (50, 59.94 or auto) bypassed when custom resolution is selected?

I cannot find anything on manuals, so a reply from the Calibre guys will be much appreciated!

THAT is the question!

how can I change output timings with custom resolution?

is output choice (50, 59.94 or auto) bypassed when custom resolution is selected?

I cannot find anything on manuals, so a reply from the Calibre guys will be much appreciated!

I encourage you and all the vantage users to explain at calibre that 48/72 Hz output management is an essential function for a scaler which accepts HD source.

I think that calibre do not know very well the user's need but its support client is very very good then don't hesitate to email all your suggestion or question.

regards
alex_t

I'm sure at Calibre they know me very well ;) .

BTW they should just take this thread as a reference to know all the issues to be solved :)

came on guys, let us enjoy our VHD in the best way!

Hello.

I already asked to calibre about 48/72 Hz output, response is "We have not made a decision about 48/72Hz outputs, but remember that we do now have custom output timings which you can set for yourself. "

***

Regards
alex_t

Thanks Alex. I am sure the folks at Calibre read this thread as it is probably the only thread on the web specific to this product and its issues. When I don't see their participation on an issue that has been discussed at length, I leads me to believe that we would not like their answer.

Hope I am wrong. They could still be recovering from their recent web site collapse.

Alan

Thanks Alex. I am sure the folks at Calibre read this thread as it is probably the only thread on the web specific to this product and its issues. When I don't see their participation on an issue that has been discussed at length, I leads me to believe that we would not like their answer.

Hope I am wrong. They could still be recoving from their recent web site collapse.

Alan

I'm afraid your are right.

This thread is not the only one on the web specific to vantage HD and its issues.

Follow this LINK (http://www.homecinema-fr.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=29833586&highlight=). It is a french forum (HCFR forum). On first post you can found a link to a letter we have written to calibre in september and their reply (both are in english).

Regards
alex_t

I'm afraid your are right.

This thread is not the only one on the web specific to vantage HD and its issues.

Follow this LINK (http://www.homecinema-fr.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=29833586&highlight=). It is a french forum (HCFR forum). On first post you can found a link to a letter we have written to calibre in september and their reply (both are in english).

Regards
alex_t

Thanks Alex. I just read the thread. You are definitely on top of this.

ehm, because we are international we prefere to follow the american thread, by the way we have spoken about the VHD in Italy too.

http://www.avmagazine.it/forum/showthread.php?t=51870&highlight=calibre+vantage

:p

Read the letter from Calibre (good job Alex)...seems we only have one or two more firmware revisions before the product is declared finished!

Hello: Calibre has produced an inexpensive scaler based on the proprietary chip of another unaffiliated company and they are subservient to the disclosures of the algorithms of that chips potential by the chips producer. It maybe at this point in time that Calibre can't do the upgrades because they do not have access to the information in the chip yet. They have previously alluded to this as being a fundamental problem in their delay and problems in upgrades. I think that to be more productive in expectation for this product line, inquiry should be made as to what is Calibre's expectation to final product enhancement and improvement and whether customer support will be made by upgradability of both hardware and firmware or expectation of new purchase of product and if curent product tradeins will be supported. Essentially HDMI 1.3 is the new reference standard and all current processors not supporting such standards are already outmoded. See the current issue of W.S.R. for a discussion of this issue as well as relevant discussion on this web site.

I thought I would reproduce the letter from Calibre here that you can find on the French forum if you want to hunt for it. It is interesting.

************

Issues;

1. Sometimes VHD can not boot correctly and it is necessary to unplug and plug power cord to correct this issue. NOTE : only one user has this issue, I think it is due to a corrupted download from your website …

We have a unit on "life test" which is permanently in use. A small number of customers reported seeing this issue with version 1.2.2 so we added a power cycle to the life test unit. It has cycled over 3,000 times now and only exhibited this behaviour on 3 occasions. It could be a corrupted download, as you will know we have had issues with the website which are now all resolved. We have verified that the all the firmware currently on the site is correct and not corrupted in any way. Perhaps this user should re-load the current version 1.2.2.

2. There are small stuttering in movements and pans. Both in Pal and NTSC [SD source].

This is not something we have been able to replicate, using a variety of sources (480i and 576i). Is this behaviour seen on all inputs? or only one? or all DVDs or only one? it could be a result of a poor change from video to film to video material within the disk encoding or any one of number of other issues. Until we can replicate this here we are at a loss about how to potentially offer a fix. Perhaps the customer who has this problem can confirm what player, what DVD, what signal type, whether the output frame rate is set to "auto" etc. Without all this detail is impossible to replicate the issue here. It is also useful to us to know the serial number of any unit showing this issue.

3. Automatic frame rate management does not work properly when source is HDMI (with a component input this function works fine)

This was corrected in firmware version 1.2.0 and has been extensively tested and proven to work OK now.

4. ANTI-ALIASING (SD/HD Multi-Direction Diagonal Filter (MDDF) ) does not work properly. This filter is defective when image projection is made on very large screen (2 meters and more).

I need you to define more exactly how you come to the conclusion that it doesn't function correctly. Do you have any screen pictures?

5. PICTURE FORMAT (normal, full screen, etc) does not work properly with HD source only 2.35 ration management added in v122 works fine.

Picture format has been extensively worked on between firmware versions. The ability to select some of the options is dependent on the actual format of the source HD material.

6. CUSTOM aspect ratio is always in English language even if French language is chosen

I passed this to the GUI development team for comment, perhaps you could suggest what the alternatives should be in the French language?

Improvements;

You list several items which you suggest need improving (SD de-interlace, Anti - Aliasing filter, MPEG noise reduction filter, picture quality on component source). However, this is difficult to quantify - I need you to define how you think they are deficient. "Performance" improvement is too vague. In our experience the MPEG noise reduction is the best we have seen, remember that it is easy to have too much filtering in use, only set the MPEG filter if you have MPEG noise present otherwise leave it alone - it can filter out detail in the image if set too high.

Certainly we are sure that the 1080i de-interlace performance is excellent - we ourselves use the Toshiba HD-A1 at all the exhibitions we do (InfoComm, CEDIA etc.) and the image is exceptional.

Improvement of Crop mode management.

This has been addressed, along with correction of the 4:3 SD aspect ratio image sizes, in the next firmware version 1.2.3 which is due for release shortly - when fully tested.

Improvement of FAN management (at least a stop in stand-by mode if possible)

We are addressing the whole thermal management issue for Vantage. Unfortunately even when in standby the unit is still using a lot of power and the Realta chip runs just as hot, that is why the fan still runs in standby - to save the Realta chip from burning up. We are looking at ways to make the cooling system more clever and automated but this cannot be done with the current board design as there is no method built in to test the Realta chip temperature - this is not a PC remember, if we want to employ a full thermal management system then is has to be designed from the beginning with a control mechanism to sense temperature and regulate the fan. We cannot win with this issue, if we shut large parts of the system down in standby to save power & heat then the power-up cycle will be a lot longer and people will complain about that instead.

The fan fitted within Vantage should not be noisy - if it is then it is faulty! It should make no more noise than your laptop computer.

New Functions;

I have a delaying in replying to you in detail about the new functions you have suggested. We understand that there will always be something which the customers request to enhance the product, but we have to work within the design limitations of the hardware and the commercial market for the product (for example, if I add this function can I sell more?).

Some of what you ask is under consideration anyway, but not a priority. We have looked at 1080i output - it seems it should be easy but it is not directly supported in the functionality of the Realta chip which means we have to try to do this my our own method. We were not happy with the results when we tried this and at present this is not progressing until other features are finished. The whole design strategy behind Vantage is to be the best de-interlacer on the market, adding 1080i output will inevitably mean making some compromises.

Adding user profiles will need a hardware change - we have limits to what we can do with the current hardware design and adding 3 output profiles with all the data for each parameter and combination of parameters requires a major hardware and functionality change.

Adding more advanced video calibration functions via OSD will probably not happen. We are adding some test patterns to the next firmware and we already have the ability to adjust custom colour gains AND cut-offs in the OSD but that is all we can do without a major hardware change.

We have not made a decision about 48/72Hz outputs, but remember that we do now have custom output timings which you can set for yourself.

The Vantage-HD firmware has only one or maybe two more versions before we will have made all the enhancements that are possible with this current product. There are many '000s of man-hours invested in the product already and whilst we welcome requests for new features from our customers there is only so much we can implement before we start to make a whole new design again.

calibre wrote:

".....We have not made a decision about 48/72Hz outputs, but remember that we do now have custom output timings which you can set for yourself....."

yes but in which way?

which is the parameter to be altered to tune the timing up?

I've always used preprogrammed resolutions, because my VPRs were all 720p, but this time I'd like to change timings in order to see if I can avoid stuttering.

gosh! 2 days without a reply! so I have right to say it's quite difficoult to set up a custom timing! :) :D

gosh! 2 days without a reply! so I have right to say it's quite difficoult to set up a custom timing! :) :D

Hello.

Did you test 720p vantage timings that I give you ?

Hello.

Did you test 720p vantage timings that I give you ?

yes alex, thank you but the problem is always the same :(

well, is this a holiday period in the UK? :p

my UK dealer & friend uses to complain that in Italy we have a lot of Holidays during the year, maybe they're trying to emulate us :p

I'm joking of course, but a reply from the guys at Calibre's, will be MUCH appreciated ;)

Holiday or much work with next firmware (123) :)

Hi Guys,

The latest firmware release 1.2.3a is now available from our website here (http://www.calibreuk.co.uk/firmware_update.php)

Hi Guys,

The latest firmware release 1.2.3a is now available from our website here (http://www.calibreuk.co.uk/firmware_update.php)

I'm really confident in solving my stuttering issue, thanks

"Corrected the aspect ratios for SD content."

Yes! This issue has been driving me nuts since the first day I installed the Vantage.

Thanks for the update. Please report back on the updated firmware for any issues.

installed last night but without any regulations.

it seems to be much more stable than the previous release, but the stuttering is always present :(

installed last night but without any regulations.

it seems to be much more stable than the previous release, but the stuttering is always present :(

:eek: I hope you find a solution to your problem.

:eek: I hope you find a solution to your problem.

me too! :p

I must say that at the moment at Calibre they're trying to find a solution to my issue. unfortunately the parameters are too many to individuate easily the right configuration.
hopefuly during the weekend I will make tests with different settings and connections, in order to limitate the paramenters and to obtain a narrower range of information that may help in getting a FLUID motion.

Does anyone have the custom resolution settings for 720x480p/60? I was thinking of trying out my projectors scaling vs the Vantage scaling to see if there is any difference.

Oliver

I see that with the 1.2.3 version of the firmware, The RGB cuts and gains are both included. As it seems to offer over 1000 steps adjustments, does it make sense to do D65K calibration using the Vantage rather then lets say my Hitachi TX-200 projector RGB corrections? I believe both uses 10-bit processing accuracy. So would only the finer adjustments on the Vantage be the only advantage?

Oliver

I can tell you that vantage HD with good timings at 48 Hz for VP sony VW100 do not work (whereas these timings work fine with lumagen scaler and same VP).

Regards
alex_t

Hi Alex,

Did you try 48Hz from the VantageHD into the Ruby's HDMI or DVI ports? Only the DVI port of the Ruby accepts 48Hz signals.

Hi Alex,

Did you try 48Hz from the VantageHD into the Ruby's HDMI or DVI ports? Only the DVI port of the Ruby accepts 48Hz signals.

Hi Venom5,

I know this constraint. In fact, it is dvdcinehome , a french user of HCFR forum, who has a sony Ruby and vantage HD.

He tried timing (which work with scaler lumagen + ruby) with vantage HD for 48 HZ in DVI but without result.

You can read this copy of email that dvdcinehome sent to calibre (http://www.homecinema-fr.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=170202086#170202086).

Regards
alex_t

following the suggestion of Calibre, I changed the connection from HDMI to Component.

in this way I can exit from the DVD player at 576i, then the VHD will process entirely the scaling and the deinterlacing, with output towards the Sharp XV-Z2000 with 720x1280 @60HZ.

I must say things changed a lot, the stuttering disappeared. the only negative thing is that the motion is not perfectly fluid but acceptable.

thank you

Hi all !

V123A is really the best version made until now.

Thank you very much calibre.

regards
alex_t

Is it stable like 1.14 was?

Is it stable like 1.14 was?

I think YES.

My initial usage suggests that this is the best firmware release yet. The 4x3 scaling is finally fixed and nothing that I tell was working before has been broken.

The only problem I have is with HDMI from my cable box (component is fine and other HDMI sources are fine), and this may be an issue with the source. HD channels work as expected, but when I switch back to SD, the Vantage reports 1440x480i instead of 720x480i and the image is seriously screwed up--either severe combing or some other strange behavior.

Otherwise, though, the Vantage seems to be working just great now.

I've the same problem with my SA 8300HD and when I turn Vntage off then back again it resolves the issue.

Dang, I will be soon given a design which involves HDMI ver1.3 transmitter.

Pressure is ON now! :(

Is switching between the inputs any faster?

Is switching between the inputs any faster?

sure

Hi

I received my Vantage HD in the mail yesterday. From before I have an oppdv971h dvd player The component output on this dvd player is really bad and it only delivers progressive and up conversing of the signals from the dvi port.

What is the best way of connecting it to the Vantage? Is it through the component output at 540i or through dvi output at 540p?

sveNNis

What is the best way of connecting it to the Vantage? Is it through the component output at 540i or through dvi output at 540p?This varies. Just try both and see what provides the better image.

Hi

I received my Vantage HD in the mail yesterday. From before I have an oppdv971h dvd player The component output on this dvd player is really bad and it only delivers progressive and up conversing of the signals from the dvi port.

What is the best way of connecting it to the Vantage? Is it through the component output at 540i or through dvi output at 540p?

sveNNis

Deinterlacing has to be done by vantage HD if you want best performance. But try both and chose the better.

You can try with S-VIDEO too if possible.

My initial usage suggests that this is the best firmware release yet. The 4x3 scaling is finally fixed and nothing that I tell was working before has been broken.
Thanks, Tom! That's what I've been waiting to hear. I've stayed glued to 1.14c until such time as I got a report from you giving the green light to upgrade...:)

Hi

I have been struggling for the last 2 days to setup my Vantage HD correctly.

A little information of hardware:

Projector: Epson TW600
Dvd player: OPPO OPDV971H
VP: Vantage HD firmware 1.2.3A

I have tried to connect the oppo player both with component and hdmi cable. The component output is 480i and all the scaling and deinterlacing is done by Vantage HD. With hdmi the oppo does the deinterlacing. Here I have tried 480p output with the scaling done by the Vantage and 720p with the scaling done by the oppo dvd player.

But here comes my dilemma. My oppo dvd player performance just as well at the Vantage HD. I have tested with many ntsc movies, with the new x-men 3 as the reference. When playing movies and pausing pictures with great detail, the oppo gives the same level of sharpness and detail as the Vantage HD.

I know that the analogue component connections on the oppo player are of less good quality, but I was expecting more from the Vantage HD.

Have anybody tried this combination or can somebody give me some good tips for how to setup the vantage correctly. Can’t find anything else to tune…

But here comes my dilemma. My oppo dvd player performance just as well at the Vantage HD. I have tested with many ntsc movies, with the new x-men 3 as the reference. When playing movies and pausing pictures with great detail, the oppo gives the same level of sharpness and detail as the Vantage HD.I reported this in my original evaluation of the Vantage. There is just not a lot of extra performance to squeeze out of SD film-based sources. The deinterlacing chips built into several DVD players work just fine. I use my Panasonic S97 in 480p mode with the Vantage for the same reason.

The big performance gains come with 1080i sources. Take a look at a 1080i cable feed first without the Vantage in the loop and then after. Or try it with HD DVD. It makes a profound difference. But with standard definition DVD. . . .? Not so much.

Hi again

Thanks for the quick replay Tom.

One question I have is about HD-DVD and Bluray movies. Are the movies coded in 1080i or 1080p now and in the future? If the movies come in 1080i then I can see the advantage with the Vantage. But if they are coded in 1080p, will it make any difference on the picture quality to run it through the Vantage HD?

One question I have is about HD-DVD and Bluray movies. Are the movies coded in 1080i or 1080p now and in the future? If the movies come in 1080i then I can see the advantage with the Vantage. But if they are coded in 1080p, will it make any difference on the picture quality to run it through the Vantage HD?There has been tons of stuff written about this. In both players the data is stored on the disk at 1080p/24, but the current players only output at either 1080i/60 or 1080p/60.

Ideally, you would like them to output in their native unprocessed 1080p/24 and then have the external processor upconvert to 1080p/72. The problem is that almost no current displays will accept that. Read Kris Deering's latest review of the Samsung Blu-ray player for a really good explanation of this.

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_13_4/samsung-bd-p1000-blu-ray-player-10-2006-part-1.html

There has been tons of stuff written about this. In both players the data is stored on the disk at 1080p/24, but the current players only output at either 1080i/60 or 1080p/60.

Ideally, you would like them to output in their native unprocessed 1080p/24 and then have the external processor upconvert to 1080p/72. The problem is that almost no current displays will accept that. Read Kris Deering's latest review of the Samsung Blu-ray player for a really good explanation of this.

hello tom !

i'm living in europe and i'd like to ask you if 1080p/24 (is 1080/24p the same ?) is relevent for us here ? do hd-dvd's and blue-ray discs here in europe also have this native output 1080p/24 ? a few weeks ago when i was visiting my home cinema dealer, i listened to a discussion about that (i think!?) this guy talked about 1080p/25 !!?? i never heard of that before. than he said that the the display should be adusted to output 1080p/50 for the best picture when using hd-dvd/blue-ray sources.

what do you think or know about this ?

thanks,

mike

Mike:

My understanding is that European HD-DVDs will be 1080p24, just like US HD-DVDs, but output 1080i/p50. As of now I think that only the Pioneer Blu-ray player will OUTPUT 1080p/24. Despite what format the player outputs, that's the format that HD content is stored on the disc.

Mike:

My understanding is that European HD-DVDs will be 1080p24, just like US HD-DVDs, but output 1080i/p50. As of now I think that only the Pioneer Blu-ray player will OUTPUT 1080p/24. Despite what format the player outputs, that's the format that HD content is stored on the disc.

hi again,

if thats the case, i'm not worried about my display, because it's capable of 1080p/24
and the multiple of it till 1080p/96.
BUT what about my vantage-hd i'm gonna buy in a couple of days ? will it function with 1080p/24 ?

what will be the best settings for the pearl combined with the v-hd ?

mike


edit:
and then have the external processor upconvert to 1080p/72

please can you tell me why 1080p/72 ? would 1080p/48 or 1080p/96 also be possible ?

I reported this in my original evaluation of the Vantage. There is just not a lot of extra performance to squeeze out of SD film-based sources. The deinterlacing chips built into several DVD players work just fine. I use my Panasonic S97 in 480p mode with the Vantage for the same reason.

The big performance gains come with 1080i sources. Take a look at a 1080i cable feed first without the Vantage in the loop and then after. Or try it with HD DVD. It makes a profound difference. But with standard definition DVD. . . .? Not so much.

My Vantage seems, to me and my wife anyway, to do little, if anything, to improve the SD given by my Dish 942.

Hi again

Thanks for the quick replay Tom.

One question I have is about HD-DVD and Bluray movies. Are the movies coded in 1080i or 1080p now and in the future? If the movies come in 1080i then I can see the advantage with the Vantage. But if they are coded in 1080p, will it make any difference on the picture quality to run it through the Vantage HD?

I have a 720p front PJ and find an external processor great for showing HDDVD.

The internal processors on displays will take that 1080, drop the even field leaving 540 lines and then upscaling that to 720. Processors like the Vantage will take that 1080i, deinterlace it to 1080p and then downscale to 720p so you don't get robbed of all those pixels.

My Vantage seems, to me and my wife anyway, to do little, if anything, to improve the SD given by my Dish 942.That's consistent with my experience as well.

BUT what about my vantage-hd i'm gonna buy in a couple of days ? will it function with 1080p/24 ?Currently, I THINK that the Vantage will accept 1080p/24 but it currently doesn't output 1080p/48/72/96, though they have hinted that they will add this later.

please can you tell me why 1080p/72 ? would 1080p/48 or 1080p/96 also be possible ?Yes. Any multiple is fine.

[...]

please can you tell me why 1080p/72 ? would 1080p/48 or 1080p/96 also be possible ?

Hi !

I have a simple explanation to understand why 24/48/72/96 Hz are better for us.

24 in 1080p24 means 24 pictures per second. This frequency ensures a perfect fluidity in movement for the human eyes.

48 leads more stability, it means less of flicker.

72 is better than 48 and so on.

Conclusion : 24 Hz is for fluidity and multiple of 24 is for stability (less of flicker).

regards
alex_t

I have a new Blu-Ray Panasonic player; as you know, all HD or Blue-ray DVD are encoded 1080p; Panasonic player is able to go out this 1080p signal : do you think it's better to put out 1080i from the Panny,and to let the Vantage do the job up to 1080p, or to send the1080p signal to Vantage HDMI input from Blu-ray player HDMI?

1080p 24 or 48hz would be the best for my Sony Ruby projector , but I'm waiting for Calibre decision about that, like many others owners (and people who want to buy this scaler).

Thanks for help, I live in France.

I have a simple explanation to understand why 24/48/72/96 Hz are better for us.

It is also useful to remember that although movies are shot at 24fps when they are projected the shutter element is designed so that each frame is displayed 2 times so the perceived frame rate to the human eye is 48fps.

So there is nothing new in the idea of doubling up the frame rates. As people say when the technology allows doubling / trebline or even quadrupling the base frame rate (when it is film) can improve the perceived image fluidity.

in my opinion, speaking of HD, if the source is able to ouput original res and frame rate and the display can accept them as well, there is no need of a external processor.

i.e. BRD or HD DVD output @ 1080p/24 and display who accepts that signal.

a video processor like the VHD is suggested when the display requires a 50 or 60Hz, and the source chipset has a low performance.

Any news on the extra 2 hdmi input from calibre ?

hello tom !

i'm living in europe and i'd like to ask you if 1080p/24 (is 1080/24p the same ?) is relevent for us here ? do hd-dvd's and blue-ray discs here in europe also have this native output 1080p/24 ? a few weeks ago when i was visiting my home cinema dealer, i listened to a discussion about that (i think!?) this guy talked about 1080p/25 !!?? i never heard of that before. than he said that the the display should be adusted to output 1080p/50 for the best picture when using hd-dvd/blue-ray sources.

what do you think or know about this ?

thanks,

mike
He may be confused (or maybe I am! :) )

I understand that the EU HD DVD players will output 1080p60 from the same 1080p24 disc sources.

This is fine, since the EU "HD Ready" standard requires that "HD Ready" displays must be able to show both 50 and 60 signals.

sveNNis

In my system the Vantage provides a better picture then the OPPO 971. I have a Yamaha DPX-1200 720p projector an 80 inch wide screen and a 10 foot viewing distance. It is in a completely light controlled room. In all 4 examples I talk about below I used the GetGrey calibration DVD http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7178409&&#post7178409 to set the contrast and brightness of the system. In all of my viewing I used the DVI or HDMI output from the DVD players and the HDMI input on the Yamaha.

I started with a Yamaha 1200 projector and the OPPO 971. I used the 971 to up convert to 720p and sent the output to the Yamaha and got a great picture. In this configuration I watched about 1,000 hours of video.

I then got the OPPO 970 and the Vantage (1.1.2 firmware). Both the OPPO 971 and the Yamaha use the same Faroudja chip for scaling and deinterlacing 480i to 720p. I thought it would be interesting to compare the 971 feeding the Yamaha at 720p vs. the 970 feeding the Yamaha at 480i. I did not expect to see any difference in the picture since the same Faroudja chip was doing the scaling and deinterlacing. It turned out that the picture quality using the 971 was better. It had a bit less macro blocking, and a bit sharper picture. The picture was great in both cases. My guess is that the difference in the picture quality between the 2 configurations is that OPPO had spent more time tuning the Faroudja chip. I watched about 20 hours of video switching back and forth between the 970->Vantage->Yamaha and the 971->Yamaha.

Next I hooked up the 970 feeding the Vantage at 480i and the Vantage feeding the Yamaha at 720p. I found that there was a noticeable but on the best DVDs not a huge picture improvement. There was no macro blocking and no lip-sync issues. The Vantage provided a sharper more detailed picture with less noise. I found that the Vantage made a more noticeable improvement over the Faroudja chip on DVDs that are not as well mastered. Not surprisingly with really poor quality DVDs neither the OPPO 971 using Faroudja chip nor the Vantage could make them look good. In this configuration I watched about 800 hours of video.

When I upgraded the firmware to 1.2.1 I noticed another improvement in picture quality. It was small but it seemed real. The detail enhancement made a nice difference.

So far all of my viewing has been from NTSC SD sources. My next set of upgrades will be to get HD.

Jim

Just a heads up to VantageHD users. I would not try PIP if you use the Vantage in the 1080p output mode. Just out of curiosity, I turned on PIP to view a 1080i signal while outputting 1080p. The system froze and I could not get it to come back to life, even after unplugging and performing a factory reset. Finally, I was able to resuscitate it by flashing an earlier version of the firmware.

No permanent damage, but a real scare. 1080p and PIP clearly reaches the limit of the chip's processing power.

--edited--

hi,

i have a Q about some vantage settings. maybe you can resolve some mysteries for me? :confused:

yesterday i connected all my homecinema components for the first time. all is working well, so far...but

...do you have any info (or link) about the settings in the "edid" menue ?


cheers,

mike

::::::::::EDIT::::::::::

today (11-13-2006) i just got mail from calibre-support regarding the edid menue !!
--> here is an excerpt: (thought it will be interesting for some of us here)
The EDID menu allows you to define what input signals are acceptable to the Vantage-HD. This is passed back to the source device via the EDID data during the HDMI handshake process. In an ideal world, we want the source device to do no upscaling or deinterlacing of the signal before we get it. You may be able to set the source (say a DVD player) to native output - 480i in the case of the USA - via it's own menu or controls. However, sometimes this is only possible via the HDMI connection and the EDID data. We therefore give you the option to decide what information is passed to the source device over the EDID about what resolutions you tell it Vantage will accept. The EDID menu allows you to select the resolutions that you tell the source that Vantage is capable of - this only applies to the HDMI connection of course.

Silence from Calibre.

any news on HD SDI kit?

Hi Guys,


I have a Vantage user with a VPL VW100 "Ruby" having issues with HDMI. He is trying to run 1080p @ 50hz into the Ruby, but gets no image. I know my answer is in this vast thread somewhere, but searching didn't seem to come up with it.

Could any of you Ruby & Vantage owners remind me if the Ruby can accept this? If not - what are you running as the Vantage o/p over HDMI? 720p?


Thanks in advance,




Zax

Hi Guys,


I have a Vantage user with a VPL VW100 "Ruby" having issues with HDMI. He is trying to run 1080p @ 50hz into the Ruby, but gets no image. I know my answer is in this vast thread somewhere, but searching didn't seem to come up with it.

Could any of you Ruby & Vantage owners remind me if the Ruby can accept this? If not - what are you running as the Vantage o/p over HDMI? 720p?


Thanks in advance,




Zax


Hello Zax,

In this thread an other Ruby & Vantage owner has reported an HDMI issue with 1080p. In fact, it was an issue with HDMI-HDMI cable. A simple change of cable has solved it.

In france, I know a Ruby & Vantage owner who uses 1080p@50 Hz (PAL) without HDMI issue.

regards
alex_t

PS : Zax, could you give us some news about firmware update and 24/48/72 Hz frame rate outpout ? Thank you.

Silence from Calibre.

any news on HD SDI kit?

+1 :(

Silence from Calibre.

any news on HD SDI kit?

When I asked this from Calibre, I got following answer:

Please accept our apologies for the delay in supply of the HD-SDI expansion
boards. The first production batch has had to be remade, following changes to
the design to make it perform better. It is expected that the outstanding
orders will be fulfilled before 24th November at the latest.

-Jukka-

When I asked this from Calibre, I got following answer:

Please accept our apologies for the delay in supply of the HD-SDI expansion
boards. The first production batch has had to be remade, following changes to
the design to make it perform better. It is expected that the outstanding
orders will be fulfilled before 24th November at the latest.

-Jukka-

uh, I knew they had problems with the PCB ground. btw other 11 days to the .....next delay? :D

PS : Zax, could you give us some news about firmware update and 24/48/72 Hz frame rate outpout ? Thank you.

o.k., i'm not zax but the email i've got this morning from the calibre support, also included an answer to my other question about the 1080p24 implementation.

No news on 1080/24 output yet. and there were no hints regarding any specific date it will be available via firmware update. but at least we know that calibre is working on this ! and i will give them some time to do things right and get us a brilliant picture quality while watching hd content on our blue-ray and hd-dvd players.
x-mas is on the way and so lets hope that calibre will bring a bag full of presents ;)

gn,

mike

[...]

and there were no hints regarding any specific date it will be available via firmware update. but at least we know that calibre is working on this ! and i will give them some time to do things right and get us a brilliant picture quality while watching hd content on our blue-ray and hd-dvd players.
x-mas is on the way and so lets hope that calibre will bring a bag full of presents ;)

gn,

mike

Thank you mike for information.

I hope that calibre works on 1080p24/48/72 Hz output because several video projector Full HD accepts now this type of signal, for instance : mitsu HC5000 (1080p24 with HDMI) or sony PEARL (1080p24 with HDMI).

24 Hz is standard, 48 Hz is better and 72 Hz is the best.

regards
alex_t

tomorrow I should receive the Mitsu HC5000. I'm curoius to see ife the famous "stuttering" problems will disappear.

24 Hz is standard, 48 Hz is better and 72 Hz is the best.
so, i have the pearl and it would be really great to have at least 24Hz output.
but somewhere in the depths of the forum i read that the pearl "internally" displays 24Hz input signals as 96Hz !!?? can that be true ? so far i know, that my pj cannot handle 48/72Hz signals....why should he than display 96Hz ? can someone lighten me (us) up ?

greetz,

mike

Is anyone using the VHD with the XBox 360? Although the games reportedly output 720P as its native resolution - e.g. PGR3 - the Vantage reads a 480i input. And although I'm upconverting it to 1080P - the projector is a ruby - the image quality is not good. How can I input the 720P image to the VHD?
Thank you for help.
JRH

Although the games reportedly output 720P as its native resolutionIf the Vantage reports a 480i signal, then that's probably what it is. The most likely explanation here is that the game is NOT outputting 720p as you believe.

When I asked this from Calibre, I got following answer:

Please accept our apologies for the delay in supply of the HD-SDI expansion
boards. The first production batch has had to be remade, following changes to
the design to make it perform better. It is expected that the outstanding
orders will be fulfilled before 24th November at the latest.

-Jukka-


What about the 2 port HDMI module? I would have thought that was also very important to lots of folks. Especially as there are no memory slots for this unit.

I know Calibre has ruled out provide options for memory slots as there is not enough memory for saving them all. However, as there are 8 inputs with each having a seperate memory slot. Most of us also do not use all 8 inputs. So perhaps a option to disable some of the composite, s-video so that this can be used as memory slots can be done?

Oliver

The stuttering still exist with the Mitsubishi HC 5000 (1080p @50)

changeing to 60HZ, no stuttering but worse fluidity.....so finally I can say that it doesn't depend on the VOR but the VHD.

anyone has the same issue?

The stuttering still exist with the Mitsubishi HC 5000 (1080p @50)

changeing to 60HZ, no stuttering but worse fluidity.....so finally I can say that it doesn't depend on the VOR but the VHD.

anyone has the same issue?

STA, what is your feedback about vantage HD + HC 5000 ?

Regards
Alexandre

at the beginnig I found the HC5000 not as good as I thought with particoulars at low lights. then after an appropriate regoulation I can say that is a projector now impossible to be beaten for Q/P. with the 1080 resolution it's much better the denterlacing of the VHD than the one made with th Reon of the Mitsu. so if fristly I thought I was able to get rid of the VHD, immediately I changed my mind. the annoing think that I always suffer is that damned stuttering. now I'll try a VHD of one friend of mine in order to be sure that is my machine that doesn't work properly.

the 1080p from the vatage is accepted immediately without any problem

at the beginnig I found the HC5000 not as good as I thought with particoulars at low lights. then after an appropriate regoulation I can say that is a projector now impossible to be beaten for Q/P. with the 1080 resolution it's much better the denterlacing of the VHD than the one made with th Reon of the Mitsu. so if fristly I thought I was able to get rid of the VHD, immediately I changed my mind. the annoing think that I always suffer is that damned stuttering. now I'll try a VHD of one friend of mine in order to be sure that is my machine that doesn't work properly.

the 1080p from the vatage is accepted immediately without any problem

Hi Sta,

What is result of your test with an other VHD regarding stuttering ?

Regards,
alex_t

Hi Sta,

What is result of your test with an other VHD regarding stuttering ?

Regards,
alex_t

not yet done, because my friend is very busy at the moment. I will inform you as soon as possible.

ciao ;)

tomorrow should be the day of the HD SDI kit despatch. the silence from Calibre may mean two things: 1) they're working very hard to be on time 2) they don't want to wake up anybody from the lethargy :D

just kidding but a reply from those guys would be MUCH appreciated

Hi Sta,

What is result of your test with an other VHD regarding stuttering ?

Regards,
alex_t

Alex, I should make the test this weekend. I will report the result.

It's a pity that nobody from Calibre is able to reply to the SDI questions.

Alex, I should make the test this weekend. I will report the result.

It's a pity that nobody from Calibre is able to reply to the SDI questions.

Hi Sta and thank you for this test.

I agree with you about Calibre support :mad: :mad: :eek:

Alex, I should make the test this weekend. I will report the result.

It's a pity that nobody from Calibre is able to reply to the SDI questions.

Hi,

I asked HD-SDI delivery question again and got next back:

Hi Jukka,


I sent this information to all the Vantage Distributors on Monday, we are close
now but still not 100% there.


"We now have HD-SDI expansion boards built and tested and they work great.
However, there are still issues we are resolving with respect to the
interactivity between the boards and Vantage-HD. This is proving complicated
as we have to ensure that any changes we make do not affect the main Vantage-HD
hardware, so that all users can make use of the HD-SDI expansion. A dedicated
engineering team is working on this and we hope to have these resolved within a
few days, but cannot be totally certain of this"


As soon as we start shipping we will make all the distributors aware and there
will be a note on the website.

the same I received from my pusher ;)

Hello with all,
I have had Vantage for a few months and I am satisfied.
Except on a point.
I find that it behaves badly in SD. There is enormously ALIASING ! On the movement rapids mainly.

Do you have the same concern?

I use it in hdmi with a pioneer 868 in 1280x720p on a projector Sanyo Z4.

Thank you very much :)

In a friendly way,

Hello with all,
I have had Vantage for a few months and I am satisfied.
Except on a point.
I find that it behaves badly in SD. There is enormously ALIASING ! On the movement rapids mainly.

Do you have the same concern?

I use it in hdmi with a pioneer 868 in 1280x720p on a projector Sanyo Z4.

Thank you very much :)

In a friendly way,

Hello.

A friend of mine has exactly the same issue with his sanyo Z5 and pioneer 696 in HDMI. Moreover this ALIASING issue does not exist if pioneer 696 is plugged directly to Z5 in HDMI (vantage is powered off).

I hope calibre works to solve this bad SD anti-aliasing process.

regards
alex_t

The Vantage does have an odd combing problem with HDMI and SD that may be related, but it can often be resolved by refreshing the input. You can turn the unit off and then on again. You can also select the HDMI output mode (don't change it, just select it) and then navigate off the menu. The screen will go blank for a second and then it will look correct.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8763998&&#post8763998

Hello.

A friend of mine has exactly the same issue with his sanyo Z5 and pioneer 696 in HDMI. Moreover this ALIASING issue does not exist if pioneer 696 is plugged directly to Z5 in HDMI (vantage is powered off).

I hope calibre works to solve this bad SD anti-aliasing process.

regards
alex_t

Hello Alex,
Your friend has the same problem exactly. It is always reassuring.
The 868 on line on Z4 and I do not have any more the problem.
I also have the last firmware of Calibre.

Good courage with your friend.

So long :)

The Vantage does have an odd combing problem with HDMI and SD that may be related, but it can often be resolved by refreshing the input. You can turn the unit off and then on again. You can also select the HDMI output mode (don't change it, just select it) and then navigate off the menu. The screen will go blank for a second and then it will look correct.


Hello TomHuffman,
Thank you for your councils.
I am afraid not not to have very understood...I am sorry
I will make the tests on the level of the menus and the connector industry. I will make a test with another entry.

regards

Hello Alex,
Your friend has the same problem exactly. It is always reassuring.
The 868 on line on Z4 and I do not have any more the problem.
I also have the last firmware of Calibre.

Good courage with your friend.

So long :)

Hi super_yo.

We are 5 french vantage users and we have written a letter to calibre in which aliasing issue is described for SD source. Unfortunately, calibre says that anti-aliasing process is very good into vantage HD.

Consequently, I think that aliasing issue is, in fact, a consequence of a bad deinterlacing of SD (480i and 576i). Have you tried to configure your PIONEER in 576p or 480p ? In 576p or 480p, vantage HD does not execute deinterlacing but only video filter and scaling.

regards
alex_t

Hi super_yo.

We are 5 french vantage users and we have written a letter to calibre in which aliasing issue is described for SD source. Unfortunately, calibre says that anti-aliasing process is very good into vantage HD.

Consequently, I think that aliasing issue is, in fact, a consequence of a bad deinterlacing of SD (480i and 576i). Have you tried to configure your PIONEER in 576p or 480p ? In 576p or 480p, vantage HD does not execute deinterlacing but only video filter and scaling.

regards
alex_t

Hi alex_t,
Thank you for your councils.
I will make the test.
This-known as, so more no problem into progressive, I see too the utility of Vantage :confused:

OK - Here it is!

Caveat - this may, of course, nullify your warranty - especially if you damage the VHD while performing the upgrade. However, I'm sure that the folks at Calibre will recognize that the new fans make the unit much cooler than before - not to mention QUIETER :)

<< Cut the rest >>



That´s great, but in the newest version of the Vantage there is no 12V Connector anymore - there is only the 5V connector for the new original from Calibre equippmed 5V Titan Fan.

Any recommends for a replacement of that one ? I didn´t find a fan with 5v which is REALLY silent.

Any recommandations welcome !

Thanks,
Take care
Thomas

Hi alex_t,
Thank you for your councils.
I will make the test.
This-known as, so more no problem into progressive, I see too the utility of Vantage :confused:

Hi super_yo !

My friend found the origin of the problem.

--with OSD, in VIDEO FILTERS/MOVIE MODE, it has to be selected VIDEO or MOVIE according to source content instead of AUTO when issue appears.

Regars
alex_t

Hi Alex. Did your friend try to change back to auto mode to see if it was just a refresh type of problem? As you probably know we've had several cases of that in earlier releases.

Btw, I see jaggies from time to time with 576i from my satelite decoder. It's hard to tell what's going on because you can't rewind and play again. The worst program to watch is WRC....the jaggies are so bad it must be the source.

Hi super_yo !

My friend found the origin of the problem.

--with OSD, in VIDEO FILTERS/MOVIE MODE, it has to be selected VIDEO or MOVIE according to source content instead of AUTO when issue appears.

Regars
alex_t

Hi Alex
I made all the tests of all the speakers. Without success unfortunately
The refreshing of the hdmi does not change anything.

I tested the osd and it goes very well. It was the problem. It is necessary that I use these functions manually.
It did not recognize my flims video personnel in Auto mode !

Thank you very much Alex :)

I recently got a Nintendo Wii. Because timing is critical when playing most games on this machine (for instance tennis), it is not possible to connect to the VantageHD.

Has anyone asked Calibre for a low latency 'game' mode like DVDO has? Or at the very least a bypass option?

I recently got a Nintendo Wii. Because timing is critical when playing most games on this machine (for instance tennis), it is not possible to connect to the VantageHD.

Has anyone asked Calibre for a low latency 'game' mode like DVDO has? Or at the very least a bypass option?
Try using component cables with the Wii, and set it to progressive-scan output. That should significantly help.

I sent an email to info@hqv.com on May 8th, 2006 asking whether this was a planned feature of the HQV Realta (as well as some other technical questions), but unfortunately, didn't hear back.

Try using component cables with the Wii, and set it to progressive-scan output. That should significantly help.
I have a xbox 360 connected that way, and the lag is not something I notice. I have turned off noise reduction etc, and since the xbox outputs 720p the VantageHD really doesn't have to do anything. The output from Wii will have to be scaled though.

The component cables are not yet available here unfortunately.

Thanks.

Try using component cables with the Wii, and set it to progressive-scan output. That should significantly help.

I sent an email to info@hqv.com on May 8th, 2006 asking whether this was a planned feature of the HQV Realta (as well as some other technical questions), but unfortunately, didn't hear back.

Hi Jeff,

I can answer that - yes Realta has a low-latency game mode. Obviously you give up some deinterlacing quality, but if your console is outputting progressive that doesnt matter. Even if it was outputting interlaced we find that the algorithm we use in low latency mode looks very good for games.

Thanks,

Andy K.
ASIC Design Engineer
Silicon Optix, Inc.

Thanks Andy!

I'll send an email to Calibre and post an update once I hear from them.

Hi Jeff,

I can answer that - yes Realta has a low-latency game mode. Obviously you give up some deinterlacing quality, but if your console is outputting progressive that doesnt matter. Even if it was outputting interlaced we find that the algorithm we use in low latency mode looks very good for games.

Thanks,

Andy K.
ASIC Design Engineer
Silicon Optix, Inc.

Hi Andy,

do you by any chance know how many frames each processing takes. I believe scaling, MNR, NR all takes up some latency?

Oliver

Hi Oliver,

Deinterlacing & Noise Reduction take up most of the latency. Frame rate conversion (for example, from PAL 50Hz to NTSC 60Hz) takes up a frame of latency if you require it. The remaining latencies are very small (less than a frame time total).

Thanks,

Andy K.
ASIC Design Engineer
Silicon Optix, Inc.

Any word on the next firmware update from Calibre? We've been waiting for test patterns for a really long time now.

Hi Oliver,

Deinterlacing & Noise Reduction take up most of the latency. Frame rate conversion (for example, from PAL 50Hz to NTSC 60Hz) takes up a frame of latency if you require it. The remaining latencies are very small (less than a frame time total).

Thanks,

Andy K.
ASIC Design Engineer
Silicon Optix, Inc.

Hi kromkamp.

I see that you are an engineer at Silicon Optix and I have a question about Realta chip.

Is Realta chip able to manage frame rate output different than 50 or 60 Hz such as 24, 48, 72 Hz ? Many video projecteur accept now 1080p24 (sony pearl) or 1080p48 (sony ruby) as input.

I'm a vantage HD owner and for the moment this scaler can not output video signal at 24/48 or 72 Hz.

Thank you.

Best regards
Alex_t

new 1.2.3E release.

issues with HD SDI kit and 1.0 mainboard. how can we see if the unit we have has the 1.0 installed? serial number?


HD SDI board despatch?

new 1.2.3E release.

issues with HD SDI kit and 1.0 mainboard. how can we see if the unit we have has the 1.0 installed? serial number?


HD SDI board despatch?

Is the relase stable? Test pattern?

Is the relase stable? Test pattern?

Hi all !

Not yet tested and test pattern is not mentionned in the release note.

regards
alex_t

new 1.2.3E release.

issues with HD SDI kit and 1.0 mainboard. how can we see if the unit we have has the 1.0 installed? serial number?


HD SDI board despatch?

Hi sta.

To know if your vantage has a 1.0 main board, you has to be sent an email to Post-sales technical support of calibre with your serial number.

I do that this morinig and no problem for my vantage, it is ready for new HD-SDI module.

regards
alex_t

Hi sta.

To know if your vantage has a 1.0 main board, you has to be sent an email to Post-sales technical support of calibre with your serial number.

I do that this morinig and no problem for my vantage, it is ready for new HD-SDI module.

regards
alex_t

thank you alex!

Is anyone home at Calibre? I sent an email to them 3 days ago about not being able to synch to 480i via HDMI (It synchs but has severe combing) and have not heard anything from them. I am running 1.2.3a, and having searched this thread, I now know that I can 'force' it to synch to SD by putting the Vantage in standby and then turning it back on.

However, I would like an acknowledgement from them that they are working on a fix for this...

Do any of the other firmware revisions fix this issue? I hesitate to switch to another version because, other than this, everything else seems to work very well with 1.2.3a

Thanks

Hi kromkamp.

I see that you are an engineer at Silicon Optix and I have a question about Realta chip.

Is Realta chip able to manage frame rate output different than 50 or 60 Hz such as 24, 48, 72 Hz ? Many video projecteur accept now 1080p24 (sony pearl) or 1080p48 (sony ruby) as input.

I'm a vantage HD owner and for the moment this scaler can not output video signal at 24/48 or 72 Hz.

Thank you.

Best regards
Alex_t

Hi Alex,

The current Realta firmware cannot currently do this, however it is high up on our priorities for implementation. The current Realta chip will be able to support this software, it will not require a new chip.

Thanks!

Andy K.
ASIC Design Engineer
Silicon Optix, Inc.

Hi Alex,

The current Realta firmware cannot currently do this, however it is high up on our priorities for implementation. The current Realta chip will be able to support this software, it will not require a new chip.

Thanks!

Andy K.
ASIC Design Engineer
Silicon Optix, Inc.

Hi kromkamp.

Thank you very much for your response. It is really a very good news for us. Realta is a very impressive chip, congratulation !

I hope that Calibre will update vantage HD firmware when realta firmware will be able to manage 24/48/72 Hz frame rate output.

Best regards
Alex_t

Hi Oliver,

Deinterlacing & Noise Reduction take up most of the latency. Frame rate conversion (for example, from PAL 50Hz to NTSC 60Hz) takes up a frame of latency if you require it. The remaining latencies are very small (less than a frame time total).

Thanks,

Andy K.
ASIC Design Engineer
Silicon Optix, Inc.

Thanks Andy. Do you know how many frames deinterlacing and MNR takes?

Oliver

Hi Oliver,

Our deinterlacing and MNR algorithms are 4-field latency algorithms.

Thanks,

Andy K.
ASIC Design Engineer
Silicon Optix, Inc.

Is anyone home at Calibre? I sent an email to them 3 days ago about not being able to synch to 480i via HDMI (It synchs but has severe combing) and have not heard anything from them. I am running 1.2.3a, and having searched this thread, I now know that I can 'force' it to synch to SD by putting the Vantage in standby and then turning it back on.

However, I would like an acknowledgement from them that they are working on a fix for this...

Do any of the other firmware revisions fix this issue? I hesitate to switch to another version because, other than this, everything else seems to work very well with 1.2.3a

Thanks

Assuming this is the same problem that I have when switchign from HD to SD on the same input then rather than switching off I find changing from input 1 to input 2 and back again sufient to get it to Sync to the SD source.

They do know about this but I have no idea if it is on the fix list I do keep on asking.

Assuming this is the same problem that I have when switchign from HD to SD on the same input .

yes, its the same problem, I have my Tivo set to output native and the problem occurs when going from an HD channel/recording to an SD one. I too use the switch input trick now to get it to sync, but its not that much quicker than switching off and on. I can also get it to sync by quickly switching back and forth between HD and SD a couple of times. Again, not a very elegant solution..

I'm glad to hear that they are aware of the issue.

yes, its the same problem, I have my Tivo set to output native and the problem occurs when going from an HD channel/recording to an SD one. I too use the switch input trick now to get it to sync, but its not that much quicker than switching off and on. I can also get it to sync by quickly switching back and forth between HD and SD a couple of times. Again, not a very elegant solution..

I'm glad to hear that they are aware of the issue.

Glad to hear that people outside the UK are seeing this. I get the feeling this isn't a fatal issue so is down the list of things to fix but it is a very annoying one :)

If you try uncheking and checking MPEG NR then exit the menu it will do the same thing.

the first lot of HD SDI kits have been despatched and should arrive to the dealers in these days. good news

I just got my Vantage with two HD SDI inputs. :) :)

I have a Pana 50" plasma with DVI and HDMI inputs, a Tosh HD DVD player and a Pana RP82 SDI modded player. So far I haven't been able to do a lot of testing due to time constraints but SDI worked right out of the box and the pic quality is very good. I've compared DVD pic quality with the Tosh using different resolutions (Tosh HDMI out>Vantage) and to my eyes the pic looked cleaner and sharper using the DVD player with SDI. I'm no expert but IMHO this is the best results I've got from DVD and I have a Denon A1XV (5910 in the US) to compare with.

The only two problems I found so far, are the well known fan noise and not being able to find the right timings to make the Vantage work with my plasma at native resolution (1366x768) using HDMI. In RGBHV (analogue) all resolutions work but to my eyes image is slightly softer.

I've compared DVD pic quality with the Tosh using different resolutions (Tosh HDMI out>Vantage) and to my eyes the pic looked cleaner and sharper using the DVD player with SDI. I'm no expert but IMHO this is the best results I've got from DVD and I have a Denon A1XV (5910 in the US) to compare with.This is no surprise. As has been reported in this thread many times, the Vantage's weakest performance comes with film-based DVD. j any case, this Denon DVD player already has HQV deinterlacing for SD sources, so you wouldn't expect an improvement using the Toshiba/Vantage for DVD.

The only two problems I found so far, are the well known fan noise and not being able to find the right timings to make the Vantage work with my plasma at native resolution (1366x768) using HDMI. In RGBHV (analogue) all resolutions work but to my eyes image is slightly softer.

Hi

Just got my Vantage a few days ago, also with the hd-sdi card (single input).

Which Panasonic display are you using? I've ordered the TH-50PH9EK (European version of 9UK), and I believe you have to use a DVI blade to get 1:1 pixels with this model.

Anyone else got 50" UK(/EK)'s hooked with the VHD?

-Johannes

Hi Johannes,

Welcome to the forum. :)

I'm using the Pana TH-50PH8EK (8UK).
I've installed the DVI blade in addition to the HDMI blade.
I've tried the Vantage on both the DVI and HDMI inputs but so far haven't been able to find a working 1366x768 resolution. I've tried all available and also custom resolutions. So far I couldn't find the right timings. But even with 1280x720 I'm very satisfied with the results.
Using the Vantage through RGBHV (VGA) every 1366x768 resolution works but I find the picture a little softer.
Using the SDI input with a DVD player I've been able to get even better results than with the Denon A1XV (5950) direct to the plasma with HDMI although both use the same processor. I find that the NR and detail setting work better on the Vantage then on the Denon.
In the near future I will have to find a solution for the very noisy fan. The one posted here doesn't work anymore since now they're using a 5V fan instead of 12V. There is much less choice of 40mm 5V fans. I've contacted Calibre about this problem but haven't got a answer yet.

Let's hope Calibre uses CES to introduce a new firmware with 48Hz and color space selection on the HDMI output. :)

Hi Pedro,

and thanks, I've done lots of reading around this forum during past few years and finally I decided to participate myself...

I hope the 1:1 on DVI would work with the 9-series, but good to hear it should work at least with VGA. And if it's been done with a HTPC (and other scalers?), then there should be a way to do it with VHD's custom resolutions. I'll try to solve this when the display ships.

I have to start looking for a SDI player too. RP82 would probably be a good choice. Then there's this Xcard-setup for HTPC, but stand-alone player would of course be a bit more handy.

A more quiet fan would be a good upgrade.

-Johannes

Pedro,

Native res works fine for me with Vantage and TH-50PH8EK using following timings:

H-Size: 1366
H-Front: 34
H-Sync: 126
H-Back: 278
H-Total: 1804

V-Size: 768
V-Front: 3
V-Sync: 4
V-Back: 31
V-Total: 806

However, this will ONLY work at 60 HZ! So make sure you do not have your vantage set to automatically set output freq to input freq as then you can end up outputting 50 Hz which the Panny does not like.

Peter

Peter,

Thanks for the timings. :)
I will try them and post the results.
Are you using the Vantage with the DVI or HDMI blade on the Pana?

The noise of the fan inside the Vantage HD is very annoying. Don't know if I have a faulty fan but in my case it's really bad. This problem would have been very easy to solve right from the start with a bigger heatsink and bigger/slower running fan. Maybe that way, it would be possible to shut down the fan in standby. My Denon player uses the same Realty chip and doesn't even have a fan, just a big heatsink.
I've been looking for alternatives fans who work at 5V.
If I find something I'll let you know.

Using the Vantage through RGBHV (VGA) every 1366x768 resolution works but I find the picture a little softer.

Just to make sure, were you outputting 50Hz or 60Hz signal over VGA from Vantage? 50Hz is the only choice for me since all my material is pal...

Oh, and has either of you tried to feed 1080p to the display instead of 720p?

Just wondering which option would lead to better picture quality (on 50Hz and using HDMI/DVI blade):

A) 576i DVD > Upscale to 1080p by VHD > Downscale to 1366x768 by Pana
B) 576i DVD > Upscale to 720p by VHD > Upscale to 1366x768 by Pana

If the display's internal scaler isn't really terrible, I think that A might even give a better result.

-Johannes

Edit: Did some searching and it seems so that the HDMI/DVI blades won't accept 1080p signal. Correct me if I'm wrong..

After reading Lore's review of the XA2's excellent upscaling capability, I wanted to make sure that I could send the XA2's 1080p output into the Vantage to be output to my display in a pass through manner (without any processing by the Vantage). Is this possible?

Thanks.
Alan

After reading Lore's review of the XA2's excellent upscaling capability, I wanted to make sure that I could send the XA2's 1080p output into the Vantage to be output to my display in a pass through manner (without any processing by the Vantage). Is this possible?

Thanks.
Alan

I don't have experience on 1080p, but I've tried to get a 720p pass through from my HTPC, but haven't had any success yet. If it's doable, I'd be interested too.