Anyone know more about this? It was supposedly demoed at CES
http://lifestyle.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=10976

I would like to know more also. My guess is that they will be very bare-bones, but that realta is a good little chip and could help out in a lot of situations.

Price is the other biggie. I can't find any price info.

I couldn't even track down Gefen at CES...

I'm looking for any info on realta-based standalone box and its performance quality compared to the VP50 PRO.

Vantage-HD & HD2 is too infrequently mentioned here, no idea why, excellent performance, good support (often by me but shhhh!), sensible price and from a company with probably more Realta experience than anyone except maybe Silicon Optix themselves. (and who also do professional, non-consumer Realta based products). Vantage-HD2 is so much more than a re-hashed reference design in a new box! :eek:

http://www.calibreuk.com/Vantagehd2.php

http://www.calibreuk.com/latest.php

and now with established US distributors and a growing US rep/dealer network!

http://www.calibreuk.com/USA.htm

http://www.calibreuk.com/usreps.htm

{YES I WORK FOR CALIBRE - WE MAKE VANTAGE-HD2 :D }

Cheers,


Zax

Zax, how much money are we talking about here? I'm thinking about selling HQV based units in Indonesia.

According to their website, the MSRP is $3299

According to their website, the MSRP is $3299

WOW! That's pricey!

Vantage-HD & HD2 is too infrequently mentioned here, no idea why, excellent performance, good support (often by me but shhhh!), sensible price and from a company with probably more Realta experience than anyone except maybe Silicon Optix themselves.Gee, Zax, the Vantage-HD thread has nearly 1600 posts and 115,000 views. You are hardly being ignored. There aren't a lot of Vantage threads, but the main one is quite active.

Vantage-HD & HD2 is too infrequently mentioned here, no idea why, excellent performance, good support (often by me but shhhh!), sensible price and from a company with probably more Realta experience than anyone except maybe Silicon Optix themselves. (and who also do professional, non-consumer Realta based products). Vantage-HD2 is so much more than a re-hashed reference design in a new box! :eek:

http://www.calibreuk.com/Vantagehd2.php

http://www.calibreuk.com/latest.php

and now with established US distributors and a growing US rep/dealer network!

http://www.calibreuk.com/USA.htm

http://www.calibreuk.com/usreps.htm

{YES I WORK FOR CALIBRE - WE MAKE VANTAGE-HD2 :D }

Cheers,


Zax

Perhaps because I get responses from Gefen and others when I send an email asking some questions and none from Calibre after repeated attempts? :eek:

Perhaps because I get responses from Gefen and others when I send an email asking so questions and none from Calibre after repeated attempts? :eek:


I share this sentiment exactly.

A news release here:

http://news.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/10381/447423.html

$699 sounds very nice, but it depends on how many inputs and of course performance. Still, it is good to have more VP options.

I'd like to hear what sort of video options it will have, if any.

Yeah it would be nice to know some specs, and what it can actually do.

Yeah. I want some decent NR and I don't want to pay for a RadianceXD.

Download the Gefen TV catalog at their website for details on it and other new products from them.

http://www.gefen.com/gefentv/

I exchanged emails with Frank Chye at Cypress as well as Gary Martin at Gefen and it appears that the Cypress Instant HQV HD Scaler and the Gefen TV Scaler Pro are the same product.

Frank Chye at Cypress said that the Instant HQV HD Scaler would be marketed by Gefen and would be available in late March. Gary at Gefen also said that the Gefen TV Scaler Pro would be available in late March with an MSRP of $699.

Neither confirmed that they are the same product, but it's a pretty easy conclusion to draw eventhough the picture in Frank's .pdf differs from the one james.92 linked above.

Frank at Cypress sent me a .pdf with the specs, but at 2MB it is too big too attach. If someone wants to host it I can email it to you.

Frank at Cypress sent me a .pdf with the specs, but at 2MB it is too big too attach.
Is the PDF the same as this one?

InstantHQVProductBrief.pdf (http://www.nicollpr.com/SiliconOptix/Files/HQV%20at%20CES%20'08/Cypress/InstantHQVProductBrief.pdf) (2,121,248 bytes)

Yes, that's the one.

Wow I have been looking for something like this, if they could get this to 499, I would purchase without even thinking.

If it's anything like the Gefen HD SDI to HDMI scaler, then you should purchase it at $699 without thinking. Try downloading the user guide for the above, and look at the range of pre-set input and output user formats. There is also a custom format option. I had a play with a HD SDI to DVI scaler, and it really does what it says on the box. The cheaper Gefen HT and HDMI scalers are not the same sort of thing at all, with inferior performance and much less interfacing flexibility. If this new unit is anything like the HD SDI units, it will be an obvious choice.

Nick

ive been hoping for something like this also. cant wait to see/hear more about it.

Don't know how legitimate this site is but it is listing the unit as available for $498

http://www.valleyseek.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=GTV-HTS-PRO

Don't know how legitimate this site is but it is listing the unit as available for $498

http://www.valleyseek.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=GTV-HTS-PRO

That's interesting, but the site looks so... Hmm.. plain? Plus I've never heard of ValleySeek.

I'd say be careful to anybody thinking of ordering it. (I thought the release date was supposed to be around March anyhow...)

I'd say be careful to anybody thinking of ordering it.
In the Gefen HD-PVR thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=13073405&postcount=29), someone ordered the PVR from Valleyseek and received it, for whatever that's worth.

Don't know how legitimate this site is but it is listing the unit as available for $498

http://www.valleyseek.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=GTV-HTS-PRO

They may have it eventually, but I emailed the link to Gary at Gefen and he said there is no way that anyone has them in stock since it hasn't been released yet.

They may have it eventually, but I emailed the link to Gary at Gefen and he said there is no way that anyone has them in stock since it hasn't been released yet.

will anybody in Canada carry this unit?

I spoke to valleyseek, very friendly he said its pre-order and will be available in early april. If he keeps that price though I may go for it.

So, I just looked at the Gefen page and I can not find the "Gefen HD SDI to HDMI scaler" or the "HT Pro Scaler" that are mentioned on this page...about the best I saw was the HT Scaler Plus which I can't tell it its the same, the link is here:

http://www.gefen.com/kvm/product.jsp?prod_id=4298

I am really coming around to the idea of an external scaler if the price is right (<$1000) and if it provides a noticeable improvement. I don't subscribe to cable, just do Netflix DVD and HD/BD. I currently have an Oppo 970, HD-A2 and PS3 and I was wondering which budget scalers will show the best improvement with DVD and which one of these sources I should be using? (my guess is the Oppo970 as it outputs 480i through HDMI, not sure about the others)?

I will add one to my set up for my DirecTv and DTHEATER sources. I will see how good it deinterlaces their 1080i res. Should be a fun experiment... ;)

I exchanged emails with Frank Chye at Cypress as well as Gary Martin at Gefen and it appears that the Cypress Instant HQV HD Scaler and the Gefen TV Scaler Pro are the same product.

Frank Chye at Cypress said that the Instant HQV HD Scaler would be marketed by Gefen and would be available in late March. Gary at Gefen also said that the Gefen TV Scaler Pro would be available in late March with an MSRP of $699.

Neither confirmed that they are the same product, but it's a pretty easy conclusion to draw eventhough the picture in Frank's .pdf differs from the one james.92 linked above.

Frank at Cypress sent me a .pdf with the specs, but at 2MB it is too big too attach. If someone wants to host it I can email it to you.

I'd appreciate any contacts folks can share at either Gefen or Cypress. We are obviously interested in talking to VP manufacturers about adding calibration controls, and I'd be curious what they have in mind.

Bill

This unit sounds ideal for working with an inexpensive pre-pro without video processing or transcoding to HDMI like the Denon A7100. I wonder if we can expect per-input settings, or just a universal setting for all inputs like what's found in Reon-equipped or other pre-pros that include scalers. I hope that's not too much for this price-point.

Color me extremely interested in this scaler. I've got a couple of other Gefen products that I've been very happy with.

I will add one to my set up for my DirecTv and DTHEATER sources. I will see how good it deinterlaces their 1080i res. Should be a fun experiment... ;)

fwiw, unless I am misreading the specs, the Realta HQV features only works with 480i/p sources on this device as opposed to some of the other units that have the additional algorithims.

I think it works on 1080i sources, according to the pdf it will properly deinterlace 1080i, regarldess the reon in my xa2 did everything including scaling to 720p, the best I have seen.

Its a good question though I purchased my samsung tv this year and i feed it and my projector 1080i from my bell express vu receiver, but my samsung displays a much better picture for standard tv shows, hd is the same. I am not sure why but I assumed my tv like this box could detect a 480i source and do a better job with it.

If you look at the pdf it states it properly deinterlaces 1080i, the chip is the same as in more expensive units.

So, I just looked at the Gefen page and I can not find the "Gefen HD SDI to HDMI scaler" or the "HT Pro Scaler" that are mentioned on this page...about the best I saw was the HT Scaler Plus which I can't tell it its the same, the link is here:

http://www.gefen.com/kvm/product.jsp?prod_id=4298 There's an HDMI to HD SDI scaler, and an HD SDI to HDMI scaler. There were DVI versions as well. They all use VXP processing, and perform very well. Why they never made an HDMI to HDMI version I will never know, I think they would have made a killing. Anyway, this new produt looks like what I 've been anticipating for some time.

http://www.gefen.com/kvm/product.jsp?prod_id=4211

http://www.gefen.com/kvm/product.jsp?prod_id=4211

Nick

I can't imagine they would have a new scaler come out in 2008 for 699 msrp and have it only do 480 resolutions... Of course it will do 1080i...

I pre-ordered mine and took a chance with valleyseek. The guy seemed great, told me if I preorder I can lock in the price and my card wont be charged until it ships. Im sure but after speaking to gefen, it does not sound like they anticipate a price drop anytime soon as theres alot of hype around the unit, and the guy from valleyseek said pricing will probably change near release date. So I gambled and locked it in for 498.

I think it works on 1080i sources, according to the pdf it will properly deinterlace 1080i, regarldess the reon in my xa2 did everything including scaling to 720p, the best I have seen.

What do we define as "properly deinterlace 1080i"?

For native 1080p content, it should recover the original frames, and for film content it should provide the option of output at 24p. For video frame rate content, it should offer 60p output.

Then there's actual 1080i content. That requires quite a bit more effort as you can't truly deinterlace this content. You need Motion Compensation for that.

Cheers,

Yes but there were not alot of details...

The pdf on the other thread gives this list.

Features
• Input Formats:
-NTSC/PAL/SECAM
-HD up to 1080p
• Output Formats:
-720p, 1080p and WXGA (1366 x 768)
• 3D video decoder for optimal NTSC/PAL/SECAM video quality
• HDMI 1.3 Rx and Tx with Deep Color and xvYCC color gamut support
• True 10-bit HQV video processing
• Motion adaptive four field de-interlacing for SD and HD input resolutions
• AnyNoise(TM)-Automatically detects the different type of noise and applies the appropriate per
pixel based noise reduction algorithm.
• AnyCadence(TM)-Automatically detects all different cadences including 3:2:3:2:2 and animation
• MDDF (Multi Directional Diagonal Filtering) to eliminate jaggies for both SD and HD input resolutions
• Lips sync audio delay
• HQV Detail Enhancement-Processes the SD input image quality to approach HD output image quality

Sounds good enough for me... :)

Do we know what kind of AR control this has (input/output aspect ratios, cropping, shifting)?

How about control, like RS232?

I emailed gefen about aspect ratio and got no reply, thats one thing I would really like.

Yes but there were not alot of details...

The pdf on the other thread gives this list.

Detecting a cadence doesn't mean it will output the original frame sequence at its original rate.

What's the point of detecting it if you're just going to ignore it anyway?

Reconstructing progressive frames without combing, or unnecessarilly dropping to video mode.

stanger:

I'm glad someone understood me without having to explain it :D

I just really want to be able to compare it to the REON chip in the 905 as well as other VPs. I am at a point now where it is getting harder and harder for me to justify a high end VP in my set up. If this HT Scaler PRO with Realta vastly improves DirecTV and DTHEATER then it will be in my set up.

I just really want to be able to compare it to the REON chip in the 905 as well as other VPs. I am at a point now where it is getting harder and harder for me to justify a high end VP in my set up. If this HT Scaler PRO with Realta vastly improves DirecTV and DTHEATER then it will be in my set up.

+1

I'll need something for upstairs once I get a larger TV, but I don't think I can justify another Crystalio. I'll keep following this thread.

Until I caught a wiff of this, I was all set to buy an Onkyo TX-SR875. If this thing would significantly outperform the Reon, I might just go with an 805 feeding the video through one of these. It would end up costing about the same as an 875 but would (theoretically at this point) have better video processing.

Anyone know if this'll take a 50Hz signal and output it at 60Hz? Preferably 1080p@60. I'm guessing the WXGA mode might force 60Hz.

I want this because judder doesn't bother me too much, and I want to eliminate porch issues with 50Hz output. Pity it doesn't allow for custom timings.

Until I caught a wiff of this, I was all set to buy an Onkyo TX-SR875. If this thing would significantly outperform the Reon, I might just go with an 805 feeding the video through one of these. It would end up costing about the same as an 875 but would (theoretically at this point) have better video processing.

I have the 805 and I am looking at doing the same. Also I think Joerod kept his 805. This should make a nice pair. Performing better than the 875 and 905.

Until I caught a wiff of this, I was all set to buy an Onkyo TX-SR875. If this thing would significantly outperform the Reon, I might just go with an 805 feeding the video through one of these. It would end up costing about the same as an 875 but would (theoretically at this point) have better video processing.

I'm in the same situation. Was getting ready to buy the 875 in part because of the HQV VP but now I'm thinking of different combinations.

I'm in the same situation. Was getting ready to buy the 875 in part because of the HQV VP but now I'm thinking of different combinations.

What about the Marantz SR7001 or SR8001? Granted they aren't HDMI 1.3, but I'm not sure I'm sold on that hype anyway. They still will pass 1080p, and when coupled with the subject of this thread, would be about the same price as an Onkyo 875/905.

What about the Marantz SR7001 or SR8001? Granted they aren't HDMI 1.3, but I'm not sure I'm sold on that hype anyway. They still will pass 1080p, and when coupled with the subject of this thread, would be about the same price as an Onkyo 875/905.

The 805 will pass 1080P. I am looking for a unit that will do a good job upconverting 480i and 480P to 720P for my projector or 1080P for my TV.

So I'm looking for a solution to hook up xbox/component, ps2/component, gc/component, dreamcast/composite to a WXGA native display. I'm a n00b on this topic -- so these consoles output at 240p and not 480i/NTSC? ... i'm confused.

So I should be looking for something that accepts 240p and scales it? Will something that only does 480i have acceptable performance ?

The 805 will pass 1080P. I am looking for a unit that will do a good job upconverting 480i and 480P to 720P for my projector or 1080P for my TV.


Right, but I'm wondering if the Marantz units will offer an upgrade in sound, less heat, and/or generally perform more bug-free than the 805. The Marantz units will allow you to pass all video through HDMI which you could send to the Gefen and have it scaled appropriately. Am I offbase on this?

What about the Marantz SR7001 or SR8001? Granted they aren't HDMI 1.3, but I'm not sure I'm sold on that hype anyway. They still will pass 1080p, and when coupled with the subject of this thread, would be about the same price as an Onkyo 875/905.

I will check out Marantz. I can get them factory direct along with Onkyo, Denon, Yamaha, Sony and Harmon Kardon so those are the companies I am choosing from though the HK's seem over priced compared to the others.

You suggested Marantz SR7001/SR8001 because you own one? Out of the list above do you have any other suggestions about other models I should look into for comparison?

I will check out Marantz. I can get them factory direct along with Onkyo, Denon, Yamaha, Sony and Harmon Kardon so those are the companies I am choosing from though the HK's seem over priced compared to the others.

You suggested Marantz SR7001/SR8001 because you own one? Out of the list above do you have any other suggestions about other models I should look into for comparison?

No, I currently own an Onkyo TX-SR800. It's served me well, but everything now will connect through HDMI, so I want to take advantage of that. I've just heard really good things about Marantz in the sound department. I figure if you get an upgrade in sound from the receiver and an upgrade in video from the Gefen, it's a win/win. Must be nice to get factory direct pricing on such a wide range!

FWIW, I owned a lower end Harmon Kardon several years back and didn't really care for it. Underpowered and soft-sounding, if that makes any sense. I've been meaning to try them out again as they seem to get good reviews, but they are priced pretty high. YMMV

Right, but I'm wondering if the Marantz units will offer an upgrade in sound, less heat, and/or generally perform more bug-free than the 805. The Marantz units will allow you to pass all video through HDMI which you could send to the Gefen and have it scaled appropriately. Am I offbase on this?

The 805 does this also. I currently have HD set top box (HDMI) to 805 AVR, HD DVD player (HDMI) to 805 AVR, DVD player (component/optical) to 805 AVR. All video signals are set to pass through. From my 805 AVR I output a single HDMI to a 4x2 Monoprice HDMI switch. I output two HDMI cables from the Monoprice 4x2 switch. One cable to TV and the other to my projector.

I am trying to decide if it would be better to place the Gefen Pro unit before my 805 AVR or after my AVR. If placed before the AVR I would run everything through the Gefen unit except for the HD DVD player. If placed after my AVR I would only have one HDMI running into the Gefen unit and one HDMI going from the Gefen unit to my 4x2 switch. Which method would be best? Either way I think I will have to change resolution output on the Gefen unit since I need 720P for projector and 1080P for TV.

The 805 does this also. I currently have HD set top box (HDMI) to 805 AVR, HD DVD player (HDMI) to 805 AVR, DVD player (component/optical) to 805 AVR. All video signals are set to pass through. From my 805 AVR I output a single HDMI to a 4x2 Monoprice HDMI switch. I output two HDMI cables from the Monoprice 4x2 switch. One cable to TV and the other to my projector.

I am trying to decide if it would be better to place the Gefen Pro unit before my 805 AVR or after my AVR. If placed before the AVR I would run everything through the Gefen unit except for the HD DVD player. If placed after my AVR I would only have one HDMI running into the Gefen unit and one HDMI going from the Gefen unit to my 4x2 switch. Which method would be best? Either way I think I will have to change resolution output on the Gefen unit since I need 720P for projector and 1080P for TV.

Man, we've got the same setup, Sony 720p RPTV, Epson 1080UB (on loan from local hifi shop), Onkyo 805, using PS3 and HD-A2...my only problem is I think my DVDs could be scaled/deinterlaced better. Let me know how the Gefen TV Scaler Pro works when you get it (or anyone else for that matter), and I've also wondered whether it would be better to put the Gefen in front of the 805 or behind it in the signal path...again, let me know what you find out.

I will let you guys know, I placed a preorder from valleyseek today for the 498 price, as it already went up the other day to 508. Gefen did not expect street prices to be much lower at all then the MRSP of 699 since its going to be a hot item. I ended up selling my xa2 somehow for what I paid for it the other day, and purchased an A2 for 60 dollars to pass 480i over hdmi to the scaler.

I also run a monoprice matrix switch with PS3, A2, 360 elite, and HD PVR to my RX-V661 receiver. I think I am going to place it after my receiver. Although I dont really think it will matter, since the device can also pass the latest audio formats. I will try both though and see which works better.

I will let you guys know, I placed a preorder from valleyseek today for the 498 price, as it already went up the other day to 508. Gefen did not expect street prices to be much lower at all then the MRSP of 699 since its going to be a hot item. I ended up selling my xa2 somehow for what I paid for it the other day, and purchased an A2 for 60 dollars to pass 480i over hdmi to the scaler.

I also run a monoprice matrix switch with PS3, A2, 360 elite, and HD PVR to my RX-V661 receiver. I think I am going to place it after my receiver. Although I dont really think it will matter, since the device can also pass the latest audio formats. I will try both though and see which works better.

How did you get the $498 price? I went to the website, and it says $508 until you add it to the cart. Then it jumps to $568!!

How did you get the $498 price? I went to the website, and it says $508 until you add it to the cart. Then it jumps to $568!!

and then shipping on top of that

I will let you guys know, I placed a preorder from valleyseek today for the 498 price, as it already went up the other day to 508. Gefen did not expect street prices to be much lower at all then the MRSP of 699 since its going to be a hot item. I ended up selling my xa2 somehow for what I paid for it the other day, and purchased an A2 for 60 dollars to pass 480i over hdmi to the scaler.

I also run a monoprice matrix switch with PS3, A2, 360 elite, and HD PVR to my RX-V661 receiver. I think I am going to place it after my receiver. Although I dont really think it will matter, since the device can also pass the latest audio formats. I will try both though and see which works better.

Why do you need to pass the 480i over HDMI to the scaler? Looking at the back of the scaler it will take 480i anyway you can get it to it.

Why do you need to pass the 480i over HDMI to the scaler? Looking at the back of the scaler it will take 480i anyway you can get it to it.

two less D/A and A/D conversions.

I was thinking that I would bypass the Genfen with my HD DVD player, but if I use the HD DVD player for SD DVD then I need to run it through the Genfen. Will the Genfen automatically pass 1080P and scale 480P on the same HDMI input or would I have to change a setting each time I switch from an HD DVD to an SD DVD?

They said it would pass 1080p but if you have it on 480p im not sure if it would downscale or just go right through. IM guessing it will go right through though.

I had made an agreement to purchase when it was 498 already with the owner. He had sent me an invoice to pay a couple days ago and I paid it today since I did not have time. The guy from valleyseek was very good, he said my card would not be charged until it ships.

I still would not pass up the deal, all I know is gefen has it msrp at 699 and when I spoke to them they said customers were already getting a great deal and they were not expecting a reduced price with all the hype. Which is true. And I dont know many ways to get gefen products other then there website. But valleyseek worked well so far, the guy actually responded to me with concerns more then gefen did.

Actually I still get 508 when I add it to the cart, are you sure the extra is not for shipping.

Actually I still get 508 when I add it to the cart, are you sure the extra is not for shipping.

Absolutely. Shipping adds anywhere from $12-80....

Update: It's now back down to $508. I made a call last night, but it was probably afterhours.

If the GefenTV Pro can deliver on high quality scaling at that price point they will be flying off the shelf. I think this product will fill a huge nitch in the new world full of lcd and plasma displays.

If it does do per input adjustments then it sure would have been nice to have a few more inputs.....

As it only has two I think I would have to run everything to my AVR (4-HDMI inputs) and then out to the Gefen, before moving on to the projector.

My gameplan would be to do HD DVD and Blu ray straight into my 905 receiver then run DirecTV and DTHEATER into the Gefen scaler first (since they are 1080i)... The less my Blu ray and HD DVD needs to run thru the better. I thought about getting a gefen 2X2 and then sending one into the 905 for audio then the other steraight to my PJ but that adds another thing to turn on... I still may try that one day... :) But first I want to try the scaler...

My gameplan would be to do HD DVD and Blu ray straight into my 905 receiver then run DirecTV and DTHEATER into the Gefen scaler first (since they are 1080i)... The less my Blu ray and HD DVD needs to run thru the better. I thought about getting a gefen 2X2 and then sending one into the 905 for audio then the other steraight to my PJ but that adds another thing to turn on... I still may try that one day... :) But first I want to try the scaler...

Do you watch any SD DVD's? If so are you planning on using another DVD player that runs through the Gefen unit?

Do you watch any SD DVD's? If so are you planning on using another DVD player that runs through the Gefen unit?

It's my understanding that the PS3 does a good job of upscaling SD DVD's. Would it still benefit from running through the Gefen? My plan is to feed all my HDMI inputs through the Gefen via my receiver (most likely a Marantz SR8001 or an Integra DTR-7.8), but I'm beginning to wonder if I should just run my Xbox 360 and VIP 622 through the Gefen and then through the receiver. Then I would just run the PS3 directly to the receiver. Any thoughts?

It's my understanding that the PS3 does a good job of upscaling SD DVD's......

Any thoughts?
It does an excellent job of scaling SD-DVD, particularly film based movies. It does not, however, do a fantastic job with de-interlacing SD-DVD's which can be a major issue with video or 'mixed' content. Take a look at the sticky PS3 thread in the Blu Ray section for more info.

I decided to pre-order, it shows $508, but once I placed it in my cart it showed $665. No way I am going to pay MSRP for a pre-order.

Valleyseek emailed me that price had been corrected. I placed in cart and it was back to $508. I went ahead and ordered.

I will be using a Denon 3800 BDCI for my SD dvd playback. It should handle it. :)

i'm interested in this unit too.

if i can find a blu-ray player that does analog audio properly (other than the denon), but doesn't have terrific upscaling, this might be the way i go.

i could then run my comcast HD DVR through it as well.

if it had two HDMI outs, that would be good (one to my TV one to a projector).

as someone mentioned earlier, i'd like to send the blu-ray 1080p24 directly to the projector, but upscale the SD DVD's. i wonder if that will be possible.

if there is only one HDMI out, i would need a 1:2 HDMI switch.

since the tv is 1080p60 and the projector has 1080p24, i wonder if that's going to raise issues, either with this scaler, or with this scaler and the switcher, if i need one.

this is getting confusing. ;)

Due to the limited number of inputs, I think I will have to use this after my AVR.

I hope Gefen does a better job with this scaler than they did with their HTS line.

Due to the limited number of inputs, I think I will have to use this after my AVR.

Yeah, but I would rather have it that way and not worry about potential issues in passing high data rate multichannel PCM audio through the box. It provides a good peace of mind in knowing that the audio path from the player to the AVR is as straightforward as possible.

Since this type of connectivity is to be expected, multiple image profiles that can be applied to any input would be really useful. I would also like to see some sort of CUE correction, as well as elaborate edge enhancement/noise reduction adjustments similar to what Denon does for their HQV implementations.

Yeah, but I would rather have it that way and not worry about potential issues in passing high data rate multichannel PCM audio through the box. It provides a good peace of mind in knowing that the audio path from the player to the AVR is as straightforward as possible.

Since this type of connectivity is to be expected, multiple image profiles that can be applied to any input would be really useful. I would also like to see some sort of CUE correction, as well as elaborate edge enhancement/noise reduction adjustments similar to what Denon does for their HQV implementations.

I would like that also, but I don't think that is going to happen for $500.00.

I would like that also, but I don't think that is going to happen for $500.00.

True. However, this link (http://www.cepro.com/article/gefentv_adds_3_scalers_to_lineup/) shows that this processor will incorporate the Realta's optional "eWARP2" processing algorithm for certain projector applications. Considering Gefen went through the trouble of adding this, there may be hope for other advanced features (e.g., CUE correction and multiple profiles for each input) that we could really use.

Yes but how many inputs are there going to be. If it is like their other scalers there won't be more than two HDMI and one component.

It will apparently have just two HDMI inputs, which is why I am hoping for multiple image profiles that aren't slaved to any one particular input. For instance, I would like three image profiles to select from just for one of the two HDMI inputs.

I only plan to use it with DirecTV and DTHEATER so having 2 HDMI inputs will work. Of course 3 would have been much better. :)

When I asked them they said 1080p/24 would just pass through the scaler.

Gefen is also not developing this, the hqv processing that comes with the chip is given to them by silicon optix unless they add there own from what I understand, in that case anyway cypress I believe is putting these together. Gefen is just marketing them.

Having just the Realta chip does not make it a great scaler, it all depends on how Gefen will implement it. If Gefen's record with their current scalers is any indication, I don't have much faith in them considering the fact that it has been stated that Realta is harder to program, but I will be glad to be proven wrong as I am eagerly waiting for this scaler.

someone needs to get one of these hooked up to a dvd player outputting 480i and put it next to the new denon 3800BDCI playing the same SD DVD and see how the image compares!

Again from what I understand those hqv alithograms (sp) are included on the chip already by silicon optix. They come with the chip, while people can add there own as well, I was reading an interview with one of the guys at silicon optix and he stated he was baffled when they hand them these chips and some companies dont use there programming. It looks like all silicon optix hqv programming will be on there. That is I believe how it works.

Regardless once again this unit is just marketed by gefen, but is being put together by cypress.


Either I am wrong or the people on the forum are wrong, after reading this also about the realta on silicon optix hqv website

"Connectivity and networking are accomplished with an on-chip PCI interface allowing platforms built with Realta to be fully software upgraded and re-programmed via Web access. New video processing algorithms can be downloaded to Realta products that are in the field, thus future proofing the display and ensuring that the user viewing experience is fully optimized."

So again from what I understand the realta chip will come with silicon optix processes which can be seen below, but is upgradable and can be fully programmed for future additions and algos that could be added.


And the features of the realta chip
http://www.siliconoptix.com/products/Realta/Realtafeatures.cfm

All those features of hqv on realta website are on gefens pdf exactly the same, I believe they come with the chip, thats why that ewarp 2 technololgy is also on it.

Here was the press release from gefen and silicon optix, it definatly sounds like all hqv related processes that come with the chip
San Jose, CA—February 11, 2008—Silicon Optix, the leader in advanced video processors, announces that connectivity solutions provider Gefen will use Realta HQV™ to power its new scaler solution, the Gefen TV Scaler Pro. Using the power of Emmy® award-winning HQV processing, the Gefen TV Scaler Pro can be connected to set-top boxes, DVD players or any piece of video equipment, providing an instant upgrade to HQV image quality in a very cost effective package. The result is dramatically improved picture quality with a simple one-box addition.

“We selected the Realta HQV video processor for its dynamic design and unbelievable processing power,” said Hagai Gefen, President and CEO of Gefen Inc. “The Gefen TV Scaler Pro provides the very best picture quality, allowing consumers to boost the performance of their current system regardless of video source, instead of feeling they should replace components to keep up with the latest advancements.”

Silicon Optix’s Emmy® award-winning HQV processing delivers the sharpest and most detailed HD images possible by utilizing features such as true 1080i-to-1080p HD deinterlacing, and a sophisticated multidirectional diagonal filter that ensures video free from jagged edges. HQV also does an incredible job of making SD material approach HD quality by employing advanced scaling, per-pixel detail enhancement, and noise reduction technology that removes noise and artifacts caused by compression.

“Gefen is the first to deliver HQV to the mainstream by way of its Gefen TV Scaler Pro,” said Jim Mannos, President and CEO of Silicon Optix. “We’re thrilled Gefen has chosen Realta HQV for this revolutionary product.”

The Gefen TV Scaler Pro offers an extensive set of selectable input and output ports to enable a plug and play solution that works with the widest assortment of equipment. This includes dual HDMI v1.3, component, S-video and composite inputs, as well as an HDMI v1.3 output for an easy connection to any digital television. Optional digital audio support complements the selection of video for an engaging audio/video environment. Once connected, whatever source is selected may be up and down scaled with impressive video refinements to ensure the most vivid imagery possible. Enclosed in the new Gefen TV product line packaging, the Gefen TV Scaler Pro (MSRP $699) is designed for both prosumers and industry savvy consumers who demand the very best from their high definition audio and video systems.

For more information about HQV processing, please go to www.HQV.com

Also here is another post from someone who works for silicon optix on the forum. Once again it seems all algos listed in the gefen sheet which are the same found on silicon optix website come with the chip. HOWEVER you can upgrade and reprogram different things onto the chip in the future. It seems though gefen is smartly using all Algos given to them with the chip made by silicon optix.

"Let me just say that Reon VX performs many algos just as good as Realta, and surprisingly better in a couple of them, but Realta, in general does better, and can continue to be improved because its algos can be reprogrammed, re-tweaked, and re-optimised. That's why we have "HQV Powered by Teranex" as a logo approved for Realta-based products, and plain "HQV" for Reon VX-based products. Realta does better owing to its use of the massively parallel, pixel-oriented Teranex architecture. The Teranex Xantus box probably has in excess of 3 Teraops/sec image processing capability (Realta has about 1 Teraop just within its video processor, not including a couple other processing engines). Specifically, the Reon's edge diagonal processing is just as good as Realta's standard algo load (Realta's could be improved even more, but there is a point of diminishing returns, and why sacrifice other functions just to improve processing of a line inclined just a couple more degrees closer to horizontal), and maybe a shade better. Having said that, not all of our customers elect to implement all the algos we make available to them, for reasons that baffle us sometimes.

I will have a Denon 3800 here shortly... I will then eventually (when it gets released) do a side by side comparison with the Gefen PRO to SEE what it can do... :)

I will have a Denon 3800 here shortly... I will then eventually (when it gets released) do a side by side comparison with the Gefen PRO to SEE what it can do... :)

Great! Thanks, I'll be looking forward to that comparo.

I will have a Denon 3800 here shortly... I will then eventually (when it gets released) do a side by side comparison with the Gefen PRO to SEE what it can do... :)

that's what i wanted to hear! you da man.

murilo, i'm unfamiliar with cypress. is the fact that they might be building it good news or bad news to you?

I will have a Denon 3800 here shortly... I will then eventually (when it gets released) do a side by side comparison with the Gefen PRO to SEE what it can do... :)

Is there at least a squishy date for shipping? A second or third quarter?

Is there at least a squishy date for shipping? A second or third quarter?

http://www.cepro.com/article/gefentv_adds_3_scalers_to_lineup/

Article says sometime in April for the Pro...

I am sitting on the fence in the purchase of either the Sony VW60 or VW40 1080P projector. I want to eventually upgrade to a full 2:35 display utilizing CH screen and an anamorphic lens.

The VW60 has the internal scaler (stretch mode) required, but costs about $1200 street more that the VW40 which does not.

I have searched both of the threads here discussing the Gefen Pro unit and have not found any mention of it doing the vertical stretch required. It would also seem a better alternative in regard to upscalling DVD and cable sources.

That I can see, none of the press releases mention it either. Anyone know if it can/could?

Thanks for your help,

Steve

I am sitting on the fence in the purchase of either the Sony VW60 or VW40 1080P projector. I want to eventually upgrade to a full 2:35 display utilizing CH screen and an anamorphic lens.

The VW60 has the internal scaler (stretch mode) required, but costs about $1200 street more that the VW40 which does not.

I have searched both of the threads here discussing the Gefen Pro unit and have not found any mention of it doing the vertical stretch required. It would also seem a better alternative in regard to upscalling DVD and cable sources.

That I can see, none of the press releases mention it either. Anyone know if it can/could?

Thanks for your help,

Steve

If you go to Gefen's site and download their catalog it will list the features for the scaler pro. One of the features is: eWARP-2 Geometry Processing. I do not know much about CIH, but from my understanding that is what ewarp is for.

Thanks mjg100,

I checked the Gefen web site and the Pro version is not yet listed.

Your comments regarding the eWARP-2 Geometry Processing is the first I have seen mentioning it. I will keep reading.

I did down load the Gefen op manual for their HT Scaler Plus. I hope I can get what I need there. (initial look did not directly answer the question)

I will also e-mail them to get confirmation. I am now leaning toward the lower priced projector and get a scaler and lens down the road. Use the zoom methode until then.

Thanks for your help,

Steve

someone needs to get one of these hooked up to a dvd player outputting 480i and put it next to the new denon 3800BDCI playing the same SD DVD and see how the image compares!

and on at least a 100" screen.

Thanks mjg100,

I checked the Gefen web site and the Pro version is not yet listed.

Your comments regarding the eWARP-2 Geometry Processing is the first I have seen mentioning it. I will keep reading.

I did down load the Gefen op manual for their HT Scaler Plus. I hope I can get what I need there. (initial look did not directly answer the question)

I will also e-mail them to get confirmation. I am now leaning toward the lower priced projector and get a scaler and lens down the road. Use the zoom methode until then.

Thanks for your help,

Steve

i think ewarp was used/still used? by runco in the development of their 2.35x1 cine-wide options. i know id seen it mentioned. maybe check w runco site?

Thanks mjg100,

I checked the Gefen web site and the Pro version is not yet listed.

Your comments regarding the eWARP-2 Geometry Processing is the first I have seen mentioning it. I will keep reading.

I did down load the Gefen op manual for their HT Scaler Plus. I hope I can get what I need there. (initial look did not directly answer the question)

I will also e-mail them to get confirmation. I am now leaning toward the lower priced projector and get a scaler and lens down the road. Use the zoom methode until then.

Thanks for your help,

Steve

Go here:www.gefen.com/gefentv/
Download catalog and go to page 13. Page 13 lists the features for the Pro. One of the features listed is eWARP2 Geometry Processing for projectors.

I read a review of one of their other scalers and I did not like that you could not go directly to an input source. You get there by toggling through the inputs. I read the Home Theater PLUS Scaler manual and the Home Theater Scaler manual and both of them are set up this way. For this to work well for the spouse and kids I need discrete codes so that I can use a macro with my remote so that when you press DVD on the remote all necessary setting are changed.

My screen is 120.5". Is that big enough? :)

mine's gonna be 119", so it'll work for me! :D

I will also test it out on a Panasonic 1080p plasma and a Toshiba LCD... And if needed a Sanyo Z5 720p pj... :)

Thanks again mjg100,

Page 13 does specify that it will do "aspect ratio control" in addition to "matching the native resolution/format of your display".

This description is for the GTV-HDMI-1080PS model, but I assume that the newer pro model will have the same if not better capabilities.

I have not received a response directly from Gefen. I will be sure to relay their response when I get it.

To close the deal, Jason here at AVS is confirming that the lower cost Sony VW40 is the better bang for the buck anyway, so that is the way I will go. Add the required scaler when I buy the lens.

Thanks again to all,

Steve

AFAIK, eWarp-2 - elsewhere referred to as AnyPlace(?) - is for keystone correction allowing placement of an FP almost anywhere in relation to the screen.

Thanks again mjg100,

Page 13 does specify that it will do "aspect ratio control" in addition to "matching the native resolution/format of your display".

This description is for the GTV-HDMI-1080PS model, but I assume that the newer pro model will have the same if not better capabilities.

I have not received a response directly from Gefen. I will be sure to relay their response when I get it.

To close the deal, Jason here at AVS is confirming that the lower cost Sony VW40 is the better bang for the buck anyway, so that is the way I will go. Add the required scaler when I buy the lens.

Thanks again to all,

Steve

I am not sure what you are looking at. Page 13 of their catalog has the Gefen TV Scaler Pro. Model number GTV-HTS-PRO. Page 8 has the Gefen TV 1080P Scaler. Model number GTV-HDMI-1080PS. When I say page number I am using Gefen's page numbers. The first several pages (cover sheet and index) of the catalog are in Roman numerals. Page 1 is after all of that.

mjg100, you are right again,

Man, must be bad Ju Ju or something!

Yes, I see page 13 of the catalog. Dummy me was paging down to the .pdf page numbers.

I will be ordering the projector and new screen on Thursday, hold off for the user reports on this scaller and possibly get it and the lens then.

Thanks for your help.

Steve

Also here is another post from someone who works for silicon optix on the forum. Once again it seems all algos listed in the gefen sheet which are the same found on silicon optix website come with the chip. HOWEVER you can upgrade and reprogram different things onto the chip in the future. It seems though gefen is smartly using all Algos given to them with the chip made by silicon optix.

"Let me just say that Reon VX performs many algos just as good as Realta, and surprisingly better in a couple of them, but Realta, in general does better, and can continue to be improved because its algos can be reprogrammed, re-tweaked, and re-optimised. That's why we have "HQV Powered by Teranex" as a logo approved for Realta-based products, and plain "HQV" for Reon VX-based products. Realta does better owing to its use of the massively parallel, pixel-oriented Teranex architecture. The Teranex Xantus box probably has in excess of 3 Teraops/sec image processing capability (Realta has about 1 Teraop just within its video processor, not including a couple other processing engines). Specifically, the Reon's edge diagonal processing is just as good as Realta's standard algo load (Realta's could be improved even more, but there is a point of diminishing returns, and why sacrifice other functions just to improve processing of a line inclined just a couple more degrees closer to horizontal), and maybe a shade better. Having said that, not all of our customers elect to implement all the algos we make available to them, for reasons that baffle us sometimes.

When you look at the picture of the Gefen TV Scaler Pro on page 13 of their catalog you see "HQV Silicon Optix" you do not see "HQV Powered by Teranex"

When you look at the picture of the Gefen TV Scaler Pro on page 13 of their catalog you see "HQV Silicon Optix" you do not see "HQV Powered by Teranex"

Looks like the correct logo for Realta based products is "HQV Silicon Optix", and it refers to HQV(TM) processing powered by Teranex. Realta HQV processing originates from Teranex’s $60k broadcast and postproduction platforms.

mjg100, you are right again,

Man, must be bad Ju Ju or something!

Yes, I see page 13 of the catalog. Dummy me was paging down to the .pdf page numbers.

I will be ordering the projector and new screen on Thursday, hold off for the user reports on this scaller and possibly get it and the lens then.

Thanks for your help.

Steve

I thought that might be what you were doing since there were five sheets before the first page in the catalog. From reading the specs it looks like a great scaler for the money.

I see that Gefen's site has the scaler up for pre-order. You can check it out here (http://www.gefen.com/gefentv/gtvproduct.jsp?prod_id=5276).

It seems like a pretty sophisticated box with the ability to delay up to eight channels of audio for all codecs. It also has the ability to couple audio along with video for HDMI output. These features would undoubtedly be useful for quite a few applications.

I see that Gefen's site has the scaler up for pre-order. You can check it out here (http://www.gefen.com/gefentv/gtvproduct.jsp?prod_id=5276).

It seems like a pretty sophisticated box with the ability to delay up to eight channels of audio for all codecs. It also has the ability to couple audio along with video for HDMI output. These features would undoubtedly be useful for quite a few applications.

It look really nice...thanks for the link. On the Gefen site it says eWARP2 scaling for home theater projectors...seems like this would be animorphic stretch. If so, this just evened the odds for the Sony VW40 and Epson 1080 UB...

When you look at the picture of the Gefen TV Scaler Pro on page 13 of their catalog you see "HQV Silicon Optix" you do not see "HQV Powered by Teranex"

Check 4i2fly, that quote i listed was also 2 years old when the realta first came out, obviously now hqv and silicon optix have built up there brand name.

Gefen told me there would also be aspect ratio selection when I asked.

The picture of the unit on Gefen's site does not show the IR receiver?

If they have it listed now maybe it is coming sooner than expected... :eek:

If they have it listed now maybe it is coming sooner than expected... :eek:

That sure would be nice, but they do have it listed as a pre-order. On Gefen's site the pre-order is listed at full MSRP.

Actually Gefen is saying mid April...

It sounds like this might be a very worthwhile addition for cable or sat tv, sd (480i) and hd (720p and 1080i). But is there any reason to think that it would do any better for BluRay or sd dvd's on the Sammy 1200 or Tosh xa1, which already have the Reon HQV chip in them?

I don't think so. Which is probably why they call it gefentv scaler PRO... :)

It sounds like this might be a very worthwhile addition for cable or sat tv, sd (480i) and hd (720p and 1080i). But is there any reason to think that it would do any better for BluRay or sd dvd's on the Sammy 1200 or Tosh xa1, which already have the Reon HQV chip in them?

blu ray and hd dvd sent at 1080p24 will pass through unscaled (i believe was mentioned earlier in this thread).

it remains to be seen whether or not gefen's implementation of the realta chip is superior to the implementation of the reon in the sammy 1200 and tosh XA1 (for standard dvd's). if it is done correctly, the realta should be better than the reon. if you'd be able to see the difference, i have no idea.

I think it does noise reduction at 1080p like the denon, again the implementation of the chip should be the same, the realta comes pre loaded with alithograms provided to them by silicon optix, I expect it to be similar to the new denon blue ray.

In my system I run everything to my Onkyo 805 and output a single HDMI to a 4x2 HDMI switch. From there I output to my TV and to my projector. If I place the scaler after my AVR, the only signals that I can send to the scaler untouched are those from my HD DVD player since it is HDMI all the way. The signals that come into my receiver on component are converted to a progressive signal when they exit on HDMI. This means for SD television the scaler will receive 480P rather than 480i and for HD 1080i the scaler receives 720P.

I would like to place the scaler after the AVR because of the following:
1. Direct path for audio to AVR.
2. Would not have to toggle through input on the Gefen Scaler Pro.

I would not have a problem placing the scaler before my AVR if there were discrete codes so that I could program my universal remote to go directly to the scaler input that I want. This is needed to make my system wife and kid friendly.

So my question is how much am I giving (SD 480i and HD 1080i) up by letting the scaler receive the progressive signal?

So my question is how much am I giving (SD 480i and HD 1080i) up by letting the scaler receive the progressive signal?
Considering that the real benefit of this device is high performance de-interlacing and scaling, the highest quality will occur if it can be fed the 'unprocessed' 480i/1080i signals. The Realta should far outperform the 805's Faroudja if it is properly implemented by Geffen.

Considering that the real benefit of this device is high performance de-interlacing and scaling, the highest quality will occur if it can be fed the 'unprocessed' 480i/1080i signals. The Realta should far outperform the 805's Faroudja if it is properly implemented by Geffen.

I guess my question now is how to get the discrete codes for the input on the Gefen scaler?

I plan to try both ways. I will put it before my AVR and then after. I am used to having my crystalio II after the AVR so if the PRO does not touch 1080p/24 (as advertised) then I will most likely continue my set up that way... :)

I plan to try both ways. I will put it before my AVR and then after. I am used to having my crystalio II after the AVR so if the PRO does not touch 1080p/24 (as advertised) then I will most likely continue my set up that way... :)

First question, are you outputting your video signals from your Onkyo 905 by HDMI? If so then I would assume that the 905 converts 480i component to 480p just like the 805 does. If you are doing that, how much improvement does the crystalio II give you? What chip is in the crystalio II?

I think if I were to get the GefenPro I would use it only for signals from cable/sat tv; my BR player (Sammy1200) outputs BR at 1080p/24, and has the Reon HQV chip for upconverting sd dvds to 1080p/24, so I don't think the Gefen would improve this source in any noticeable way.

So it seems clear that I would want to send the Gefen the 480i and 1080i (and 720p) signal directly from the cable/sat stb. I would output 1080p from the Gefen and send this to my Onk 805 AVR, which would take the audio from the HDMI (all connections are HDMI) and pass-through the 1080p video on to the pj. This clearly seems the 'right' way to do it. Agreed?

I think if I were to get the GefenPro I would use it only for signals from cable/sat tv; my BR player (Sammy1200) outputs BR at 1080p/24, and has the Reon HQV chip for upconverting sd dvds to 1080p/24, so I don't think the Gefen would improve this source in any noticeable way.

So it seems clear that I would want to send the Gefen the 480i and 1080i (and 720p) signal directly from the cable/sat stb. I would output 1080p from the Gefen and send this to my Onk 805 AVR, which would take the audio from the HDMI (all connections are HDMI) and pass-through the 1080p video on to the pj. This clearly seems the 'right' way to do it. Agreed?

Just reading the Silicon Optix website on their features for Reon vs. Realta, it looks as though the Reon does not resolve all the cadences resolved by Realta and that could be a major issue when watching dvds (or they are not specific.)

Just reading the Silicon Optix website on their features for Reon vs. Realta, it looks as though the Reon does not resolve all the cadences resolved by Realta and that could be a major issue when watching dvds (or they are not specific.)

Yes, that is one of the major differences. The Reon in my Denon 2930 can only properly handle the more basic film and video cadences. My previously owned ABT VP30, and presumably the Realta, properly handles rare and mixed cadences. This has become a necessity for me since I watch lots of different DVD content.

I think if I were to get the GefenPro I would use it only for signals from cable/sat tv; my BR player (Sammy1200) outputs BR at 1080p/24, and has the Reon HQV chip for upconverting sd dvds to 1080p/24, so I don't think the Gefen would improve this source in any noticeable way.

So it seems clear that I would want to send the Gefen the 480i and 1080i (and 720p) signal directly from the cable/sat stb. I would output 1080p from the Gefen and send this to my Onk 805 AVR, which would take the audio from the HDMI (all connections are HDMI) and pass-through the 1080p video on to the pj. This clearly seems the 'right' way to do it. Agreed?

I agree that the best way to hook up the Gefen Pro is before the AVR and if I can get the discrete codes I will hook it up that way. From what I have looked at all of the Gefen scalers use a toggling button to get from one input to the next. I currently have my system set up so that when you press TV on the remote all inputs are changed so that you are watching cable on the TV or projector. I have DVR, HD DVD and Wii set up that way also.

If I go through the Gefen Pro first then I will not be changing inputs on the AVR, (single HDMI from Gefen Pro to AVR) but I will need to buy a component switch feeding three devices to it so that it can output to the Gefen Pro and I will have to toggle the input on the Gefen Pro if discrete codes are not available for mini macro programing.

4i2fly and MSmith83: OK, thanks for pointing this out. The only problem I would have with sd dvd, then, is that my Sammy 1200 outputs 480i input as 480p, 720p, 1080i, or 1080p--but does not pass through the original 480i. (BluRay discs of course come out of the 1200 as 1080p and would be passed through the Gefen.)

So if I sent the output of the Sammy1200 through the Gefen (on the way to be passed through the AVR), I suppose I would just have to experiment and see which output from the 1200 gave the best result. If I chose 1080p, my understanding is that this would simply be passed-through the Gefen, so it would be the same as just not having it in the loop.

Joe........

Please do check the output to your 720p displays and report...

Second ... as the AVR's all have a "through" setting are you guys saying that a 480i signal sent to the AVR will come out as 480p even though the AVR is set to "through?"

Joe........

Please do check the output to your 720p displays and report...

Second ... as the AVR's all have a "through" setting are you guys saying that a 480i signal sent to the AVR will come out as 480p even though the AVR is set to "through?"

On the Onkyo 805 if you are using HDMI monitor out then what comes in on HDMI can be sent out as the same. This applies to 480i through 1080p. The problem is with the component and composite sources outputting on the HDMI. If you send 480i on component to the 805 and output onto HDMI then the 480i exits the 805 as 480p.

If you use the component output for signals that are received on component and composite then the signal is untouched. This would allow you to place the scaler after the AVR, but you would need to run HDMI and component to the scaler and you would have to toggle between the two sources on the scaler. The toggling input button on the scaler is why I want discrete codes for the Gefen scaler.

If you use the component output for signals that are received on component and composite then the signal is untouched. This would allow you to place the scaler after the AVR, but you would need to run HDMI and component to the scaler and you would have to toggle between the two sources on the scaler. The toggling input button on the scaler is why I want discrete codes for the Gefen scaler.
Just out of curiosity, and not having used the 805, is the Reon implementation in the 805 lacking enough performance or features to justify an external Realta?

(Wanting one 'just because' is an excuse I am usually guilty of myself. ;) )

Just out of curiosity, and not having used the 805, is the Reon implementation in the 805 lacking enough performance or features to justify an external Realta?

(Wanting one 'just because' is an excuse I am usually guilty of myself. ;) )

The 805 does not have the Reon. The 875 has the Reon, but from what I have read regarding the implementation of the Reon with the 875, you are very limited on what you can do.

The 805 does not have the Reon. The 875 has the Reon, but from what I have read regarding the implementation of the Reon with the 875, you are very limited on what you can do.

Ah ha, my mistake. Now I understand.

Thanks!

I never send 480i into my receiver only 1080i. :) I can check on it though. The crystalio II uses a Gennum chip. Until I try one I will still keep one at the end of my chaing to help with HDMI stability. Since I have taken it out I am realizing the 905 is not the most stable with sending HDMI out to my PJ. It has a lot of breaks between swithcing inputs. The crystalio II keeps it always connected with its strong HDMI port.

Joe, I don't have a vp at present, so I send HDMI out of my 805 to my pf (RS1), and it works w/o any problems. The 805 gets 1080i from a cable box, and 1080p from my BR player (both via HDMI), and so just passes them through.

I never send 480i into my receiver only 1080i. :) I can check on it though. The crystalio II uses a Gennum chip. Until I try one I will still keep one at the end of my chaing to help with HDMI stability. Since I have taken it out I am realizing the 905 is not the most stable with sending HDMI out to my PJ. It has a lot of breaks between swithcing inputs. The crystalio II keeps it always connected with its strong HDMI port.

I have checked and confirmed. I can send 480i from my HD DVD player (A35) to my 805 and the 805 will pass the 480i untouched. If 480i is sent to the 805 by component then it is changed to 480p by the 805 if HDMI out is used. If I use component out on the 805 then 480i will be passed untouched by component out. This just means that I will connect both HDMI out from my 805 and component out from my 805 to the Gefen scaler.

i'm interested in this unit too.

if i can find a blu-ray player that does analog audio properly (other than the denon), but doesn't have terrific upscaling, this might be the way i go.

i could then run my comcast HD DVR through it as well.

if it had two HDMI outs, that would be good (one to my TV one to a projector).

as someone mentioned earlier, i'd like to send the blu-ray 1080p24 directly to the projector, but upscale the SD DVD's. i wonder if that will be possible.

if there is only one HDMI out, i would need a 1:2 HDMI switch.

since the tv is 1080p60 and the projector has 1080p24, i wonder if that's going to raise issues, either with this scaler, or with this scaler and the switcher, if i need one.

this is getting confusing. ;)

Take a look at the Monoprice 4x2 HDMI matrix switch. It is 1.3a and only $80+/- dollars. My HDMI out from my AVR is fed into the 4x2 switch. From there I send HDMI to my TV and also to my projector. You can set the 4x2 switch to automaticlly sense the source so you do not have to do any programing or extra button pushes. It works well and is the cheapest by far.

I have checked and confirmed. I can send 480i from my HD DVD player (A35) to my 805 and the 805 will pass the 480i untouched. If 480i is sent to the 805 by component then it is changed to 480p by the 805 if HDMI out is used. If I use component out on the 805 then 480i will be passed untouched by component out. This just means that I will connect both HDMI out from my 805 and component out from my 805 to the Gefen scaler.

Good point. My Onk 805 AVR will also output 480i from the dvd player's input if I connect it via Component, just as you describe for yours. So yes, I could connect my Sammy 1200 BR player to the Gefen by HDMI (for BR discs) and Component (for sd dvd's). It's worth doing the 'experiment' to see if that does indeed give a better pic.

Any further word as to when the GefenPro will be available?

On the Onkyo 805 if you are using HDMI monitor out then what comes in on HDMI can be sent out as the same. This applies to 480i through 1080p. The problem is with the component and composite sources outputting on the HDMI. If you send 480i on component to the 805 and output onto HDMI then the 480i exits the 805 as 480p.

If you use the component output for signals that are received on component and composite then the signal is untouched. This would allow you to place the scaler after the AVR, but you would need to run HDMI and component to the scaler and you would have to toggle between the two sources on the scaler. The toggling input button on the scaler is why I want discrete codes for the Gefen scaler.

Understand...... hopefully a Harmony remote will be able to include this in it's activity actions so the right input is being selected from the Gefen.

I currently send 480i via component from my Sony DVD changer and allow the Reon in my 905 to kick it up to 720p for my projector. The Reon appears to do a bit better than the scaler that Sony built into the changer..., but frankly I was hoping for better... so I am anxiously awaiting Joe's tests.

Understand...... hopefully a Harmony remote will be able to include this in it's activity actions so the right input is being selected from the Gefen.

I currently send 480i via component from my Sony DVD changer and allow the Reon in my 905 to kick it up to 720p for my projector. The Reon appears to do a bit better than the scaler that Sony built into the changer..., but frankly I was hoping for better... so I am anxiously awaiting Joe's tests.

I checked on this, and while I can't say anything definitively, I can say that Gefen is listed under video processors, so I assume their products are supported. I can't imagine it being that difficult.

Take a look at the Monoprice 4x2 HDMI matrix switch. It is 1.3a and only $80+/- dollars. My HDMI out from my AVR is fed into the 4x2 switch. From there I send HDMI to my TV and also to my projector. You can set the 4x2 switch to automaticlly sense the source so you do not have to do any programing or extra button pushes. It works well and is the cheapest by far.

thanks. i'll be checking a lot of switchers/splitters when the time comes. i've read a bit, and it seems many people aren't having the same luck with the monoprice 4x2 that you have. nice to see it working properly in your application.

thanks. i'll be checking a lot of switchers/splitters when the time comes. i've read a bit, and it seems many people aren't having the same luck with the monoprice 4x2 that you have. nice to see it working properly in your application.

I read those reports when I was looking for a way to split the HDMI signal, but I think some of that is the problem with the equipment that they are using and not with the switch. The path to my projector is long. I use the following:

6' HDMI from HD DVD to AVR.
3' HDMI from AVR to 4x2 switch.
35' HDMI from switch to HDMI wall plate.
15' HDMI from wall plate to projector.

59' of HDMI cable from source to my projector. The signal also travels through two devices (AVR & 4x2 switch) and a HDMI wall plate. You can see why I question that others say the problem is with the switch since this switch works consistantly for me going through all of the above.

where can I order for the best price for this unit?

valleyseek.com

valleyseek.com

Thank you......... Can i have a pice of mind if i buy from them? Are they the only dealer with the best price?

It's my understanding that the PS3 does a good job of upscaling SD DVD's. Would it still benefit from running through the Gefen? My plan is to feed all my HDMI inputs through the Gefen via my receiver (most likely a Marantz SR8001 or an Integra DTR-7.8), but I'm beginning to wonder if I should just run my Xbox 360 and VIP 622 through the Gefen and then through the receiver. Then I would just run the PS3 directly to the receiver. Any thoughts?

Question with regards to satellite receivers and the Gefen:

I have VIP 722 which is very similar to a VIP 622. To select the TV output you can choose anything from 480i-480p-720p-1080i. Problem is that if I choose 1080i then go to the Gefen scaler, I am feeding the scaler a signal that has been upconverted from 480i to 1080i by the VIP 722 for SD channels. It would seem to me better if the Gefen was doing this upconversion instead.

But if I set it at 480i then the VIP 722 will be downconverting my HD channels, which would obviously not be a good idea.

Anybody figure out a solution?

Thanks!

The only solution is to change the resolution output to match the channel you are viewing. That is the only solution unless they decide to implement a native resolution output like the HDTiVos have.

Question with regards to satellite receivers and the Gefen:

I have VIP 722 which is very similar to a VIP 622. To select the TV output you can choose anything from 480i-480p-720p-1080i. Problem is that if I choose 1080i then go to the Gefen scaler, I am feeding the scaler a signal that has been upconverted from 480i to 1080i by the VIP 722 for SD channels. It would seem to me better if the Gefen was doing this upconversion instead.

But if I set it at 480i then the VIP 722 will be downconverting my HD channels, which would obviously not be a good idea.

Anybody figure out a solution?

Thanks!

DTV's HR20s have a setting for native resolution and basically broadcasts all channels at their native res. (i.e. 480i or 1080i or 720p), there may be a setting like that on your set top box. If not definitely a pain.

Does anyone know if the gefen tv scaler pro will be capable of upgrading the firmware; much like the olevia 747i tv that has the realta chip built into it?

Does anyone know if the gefen tv scaler pro will be capable of upgrading the firmware; much like the olevia 747i tv that has the realta chip built into it?

It has the connection port and the Realta is upgradeable.

that's awesome! which port is gefen using for it? I've been trying to read the pdf file and their website for information but nothing...

DTV's HR20s have a setting for native resolution and basically broadcasts all channels at their native res. (i.e. 480i or 1080i or 720p), there may be a setting like that on your set top box. If not definitely a pain.

I have the 942 (bell express 9200) I dont think I can even select 480i, I have to deal with the 1080i output.

that's awesome! which port is gefen using for it? I've been trying to read the pdf file and their website for information but nothing...

RS-232 port.
www.gefen.com/gefentv/gtvproduct.jsp?prod_id=5276

cool. any ideas when this unit is shipping?

cool. any ideas when this unit is shipping?

Talk at first said end of March, but there have been some reports giving middle of April. Either way that is less time than it took for my subwoofer.

Just bit the bullet and ordered from ValleySeek myself. $500ish is a lot better than the pre-order price of $699 from the Gefen website. Hopefully they can deliver the goods, upon release of the product, and in a timely fashion. :)

If I do not have digital cable with HD channels can a scaler turn 480 resolution to HD quality?

If I do not have digital cable with HD channels can a scaler turn 480 resolution to HD quality?
Absolutly not; there is no such thing as a free lunch.

But...a quality video processor can provide the best looking SD video possible, and certainly better than than the internal de-interlacer/scalers in most current generation HDTV's and projectors.

I just might have to pick up one of these... The 5080 in the bedroom could use some proper 1366x768 scaling.

I just might have to pick up one of these... The 5080 in the bedroom could use some proper 1366x768 scaling.

720p is 1280x720 and 1080p is 1920x1080 so for your display you want to keep the output res at 720p since it will be essentially better than 1080i.

720p is 1280x720 and 1080p is 1920x1080 so for your display you want to keep the output res at 720p since it will be essentially better than 1080i.

The 5080HD is 768p. Currently I am either having to scale 1080 signals or 720p signals with the sets built in scaler.

It will output 1366 x 768.

Looking at valleyseek.com website, the product is being sell "as is". So I guess if it doesn't work you are out of luck.

Looking at valleyseek.com website, the product is being sell "as is". So I guess if it doesn't work you are out of luck.

I just checked and on the Valleyseek page where you place your order under condition it says "NEW". What are you looking at?

I just checked and on the Valleyseek page where you place your order under condition it says "NEW". What are you looking at?

I am looking at the return policy, per valleyseek:"Warranty Disclaimer
This site and the materials and products on this site are provided "as is" and without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied. "

So if the product is not working, then you are out of luck as the product is sold "as is". This post was just an FYI and I am not against valleyseek. You get what you paid for.

I am looking at the return policy, per valleyseek:"Warranty Disclaimer
This site and the materials and products on this site are provided "as is" and without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied. "

So if the product is not working, then you are out of luck as the product is sold "as is". This post was just an FYI and I am not against valleyseek. You get what you paid for.

Seems to be some conflicting information in their "About Us" link. (http://www.valleyseek.com/aboutus.asp)

Most likely if it's defective you need to contact the manufacturer, in this case Gefen, for warranty service. Some of the online super low price electronics sellers have policies like that - no returns, period... or a hefty restocking fee. Resellers doing exchanges in the case of a defective unit is common so people take it for granted, but I don't know if it's required by law.


I would double check with Geffen that they will honor the warranty if you have problems with something purchased new from Valleyseek. If Gefen will honor the warranty in the unlikely event of receiving a defective "new" unit then it should be safe. I think...

Seems to be some conflicting information in their "About Us" link. (http://www.valleyseek.com/aboutus.asp)

Well that's certainly unnerving to say the least.

I probably should cancel my order.

It will output 1366 x 768.

Where did you find this out?

Thanks!

"The manufacturer's warranty is still going to be two years no matter where you buy it from...."

Straight from the horse's mouth. Looks like the ValleySeek disclaimer is to cover their butts implying there is no warranty from them. Any problem units would have to go directly back to Gefen for replacement/repair. Hope this helps alleviate some concern!

They are an authorized dealer and the unit comes with 2 year warranty.

valleyseek page lists it as in stock now? Or did it always say this even though it is still considered a pre-order?
Here is a copy/paste:
Our Price: $508.52


Stock Status: In Stock
Product Code: GTV-HTS-PRO

valleyseek page lists it as in stock now? Or did it always say this even though it is still considered a pre-order?
Here is a copy/paste:
Our Price: $508.52


Stock Status: In Stock
Product Code: GTV-HTS-PRO

It's always been like that...

If you check the pdf posted in this thread it says outputs 1366x768

blu ray and hd dvd sent at 1080p24 will pass through unscaled (i believe was mentioned earlier in this thread).

it remains to be seen whether or not gefen's implementation of the realta chip is superior to the implementation of the reon in the sammy 1200 and tosh XA1 (for standard dvd's). if it is done correctly, the realta should be better than the reon. if you'd be able to see the difference, i have no idea.

For non-standard cadences, you should. Reon is really only designed for 3:2 and 2:2.

Also, there should be more noise reduction, etc. options.

I emailed Gefen to ask a couple of questions and here was the reply:

Nothing on this yet, due to release in July, please check back with us as we approach product launch.

Thank you,

Gary Martin

JULY? :eek:

Jesus I hope that was a typo.

Got a response from valleyseek right away, he said gefen sent out a note saying the eta is now july 8th, I dont know how exactly gefen could miss the date by close to 4 months.

July release date hurts a lot... looks like it's time to stop paying attention to this topic until, oh, June? :)

July?

ugh >_<



For sanity's sake, I we at least get a fair amount of info in the mean time.

i seem to remember delays like this when they released their home theater scaler a year or two ago. last i read, it turned out not to be such a great scaler. dont know if its been improved or not.

JULY? :eek:

Sweet Merciful Crap!

I was getting antsy with the possibility of late April :(

O No! Now I have to wait.

i seem to remember delays like this when they released their home theater scaler a year or two ago. last i read, it turned out not to be such a great scaler. dont know if its been improved or not.
Yes, this does not bode well, IMO. Does anyone know if it will be firmware upgradeable? Their Home Theater Scaler product can only be upgraded by sending the unit in for service.

Yes, this does not bode well, IMO. Does anyone know if it will be firmware upgradeable? Their Home Theater Scaler product can only be upgraded by sending the unit in for service.

This video processor is specified to have an RS-232 port unlike Gefen's Home Theater Scaler, so the manufacturer of the product could interface it for in-home updates if they wanted to. I have my doubts that this would happen though.

The July release date is certainly upsetting. I was really eager to try this seemingly great, yet low-cost solution.

i seem to remember delays like this when they released their home theater scaler a year or two ago. last i read, it turned out not to be such a great scaler. dont know if its been improved or not.

It's using Silicon Optic's HQV Realta ... so I'm pretty sure its improved :p

It's using Silicon Optic's HQV Realta ... so I'm pretty sure its improved :p

oh, yeah, the new one w realta should be improved.
i was referring to the older one (last? years gefen home theater scaler) being improved (or not) after its disappointing debut.?

oh, yeah, the new one w realta should be improved.
i was referring to the older one (last? years gefen home theater scaler) being improved (or not) after its disappointing debut.?

I did not like gefens scalers, I dont know whose chip or what programming they used, but this as mentioned has little to do with gefen since its the realta chip and its just being marketed by gefen.

This video processor is specified to have an RS-232 port unlike Gefen's Home Theater Scaler, so the manufacturer of the product could interface it for in-home updates if they wanted to. I have my doubts that this would happen though.

The July release date is certainly upsetting. I was really eager to try this seemingly great, yet low-cost solution.

After all of the updates that Gefen provided on their other scalers, Gefen may have decided that it would be cheaper to provide the port and update that way. I certainly think that it would be more cost effective. Why else would they include the port?

I am not going to start worrying about this one until June now. With any luck they won't delay it from July to Sept/Oct... Good thing I still have my trusty crystalio II around. :)

It's a little upsetting... I jumped on the valleyseek pre-order price. I planned on this being my proverbial "toe in the water" with VP's. I'm really excited to start working with it and now that's gonna take longer :/

July????? !!!!!! meeee... I think I am going to buy an OPPO 983 instead of this....

Gefen, Your loss is Oppo's gain :)

July????? !!!!!! meeee... I think I am going to buy an OPPO 983 instead of this....

Gefen, Your loss is Oppo's gain :)

The Oppo will take care of SD DVD but it will not do anything for SD TV or any of your other sources. Why pay $400 for the Oppo when you can get the Gefen for only $100 more.

You can always get one of the TVs that have the Realta chip in it.

I tried posting about this on the gefen forum... as usual, it's a ghost town... does anyone still have the original pdf of the realta chip from the silicon optix website? The pdf file with the realta features and specifications breaking down the different sku's of the chip... Silicon Optix took it down from the original pdf, you can see what I'm talking about if you download the reon pdf on their website... that pdf show which chips can do what for the reon line.

just received confirmation from gefen about the delay... They are looking at a hopeful June release... THIS SUCKS!!!

Nah...I'd rather they take their sweet-@$$ time and work all the bugs out and add better functionality...rushing products to market is a prevailing trend that is bad for everyone. Did we ever find out for sure if this one will do animorphic stretch? After a 4 month delay it better! (though I don't think the chip in the Oppo does)

So June 30th now. :D

Nah...I'd rather they take their sweet-@$$ time and work all the bugs out and add better functionality...rushing products to market is a prevailing trend that is bad for everyone. Did we ever find out for sure if this one will do animorphic stretch? After a 4 month delay it better! (though I don't think the chip in the Oppo does)

re oppo vert. stretch.

in the current 983 thread, according to one of the beta testers, wmcclain, the 983s abt scaler will do a version of a vert. stretch for cih use.
its a function of a zoom mode.(?)

Nah...I'd rather they take their sweet-@$$ time and work all the bugs out and add better functionality...rushing products to market is a prevailing trend that is bad for everyone. Did we ever find out for sure if this one will do animorphic stretch? After a 4 month delay it better! (though I don't think the chip in the Oppo does)


The reason gefen gave me is they are juggling production schedules, I think the model is complete they just underestimated how many they could produce while also producing the rest of the gefen tv line.

I dont know, but juggling production schedules does not make it sound that they are tweaking or implementing or fixing or making anything better.

edit

re oppo vert. stretch.

in the current 983 thread, according to one of the beta testers, wmcclain, the 983s abt scaler will do the anamorphic stretch.
its a function of a zoom mode.(?)

Yeah, I saw that but I don't think its consistent across all movie formats (some people were reporting it did this only when they fed it an oddball resolution from a computer), and, this would still leave you with no way to watch HD Animorphically, which kinda defeats the purpose...lets all hope they get this one right!

The reason gefen gave me is they are juggling production schedules, I think the model is complete they just underestimated how many they could produce while also producing the rest of the gefen tv line.

I dont know, but juggling production schedules does not make it sound that they are tweaking or implementing or fixing or making anything better.

If this HQV Realta chipped scaler performs as well as it should for scaling. At this price point I assume there will be a very large demand. Maybe they initially underestimated the demand.

Got some good news, asked frank at cypress the company producing the units. Says its going under mass production in april and should be available in may.

Here was his response, dont really know what he means by quick remote control?

"We have added a quick remote control
function to the unit after the original prototype demonstrated at the
CES. That why it takes a few month to work out the additional features."

"Attached is the simple spec. of the HQV scaler for your information
Please check back with us next month for the update of the product
release."

The pdf Im not sure how to post is alot like the other one a few pages ago, just an actual picture of the unit, which looks the same in the previous, and the back unit connections of the unit. the scaler itself does not look that big, maybe half the size of a dvd player. It mentions the realta and all the hqv processing that it does.

I do like the black better then gefens ugly white, if it was not for warranty issues I would rather just get a cypress one that will probably be in asia prehaps on ebay a few weeks before we get it here.

Got some good news, asked frank at cypress the company producing the units. Says its going under mass production in april and should be available in may.

Here was his response, dont really know what he means by quick remote control?

"We have added a quick remote control
function to the unit after the original prototype demonstrated at the
CES. That why it takes a few month to work out the additional features."

"Attached is the simple spec. of the HQV scaler for your information
Please check back with us next month for the update of the product
release."

The pdf Im not sure how to post is alot like the other one a few pages ago, just an actual picture of the unit, which looks the same in the previous, and the back unit connections of the unit. the scaler itself does not look that big, maybe half the size of a dvd player. It mentions the realta and all the hqv processing that it does.

I do like the black better then gefens ugly white, if it was not for warranty issues I would rather just get a cypress one that will probably be in asia prehaps on ebay a few weeks before we get it here.

I hope that means that they are not using a toggle button for cycling through the inputs. I emailed them asking if they could set up the remote so that you do not have to toggle through the inputs. I told them people with universal remotes (just about everybody that would buy this unit) need a one button punch for selecting input. This can also be achieved by using discrete codes for each input. This is needed for people like me that set up mini macros so that the HT system is user friendly. In other words so the wife and kids can easily operate the system.

What I was hoping was similar, but I was hoping there would be profile buttons you could use. Obviously im not going to use the same settings and noise reduction for blue ray as I would dvd.

What I was hoping was similar, but I was hoping there would be profile buttons you could use. Obviously im not going to use the same settings and noise reduction for blue ray as I would dvd.

Profiles would be nice also. It might have this feature.

Since my satellite only has composite and not s-video, should this unit have a comb filter when I connect composite, and it converts it to hdmi?

Okay, maybe a stupid question but will this unit allow you to take different input resolutions and scale them at a constant resolution? That is, could I take a 4:3 source (or even a 2.35 source) and have it scaled to fill my 16:9 screen?

Yes, it will only output 720, 1366, and 1080p. I assume that means it will be widescreen.

Gefen claimed it will have aspect ratio, but im not totally sure. I looked at the denon blue ray pdf instruction book with realta chip, and there was only options for 4:3, but Im sure it will have 16:9. I have alot of questions and hopefully cypress will answer them, as they are producing this in tiwan, and are much more useful then gefen.

As for the 2:35 aspect ratio, Im not sure again, I only looked at denon blue ray 3080 with the realta, and it had no option for that.

I guess we will have to see.

Instead of waiting for this unit I was thinking of getting their HDMI 1080p scaler unit which is a small box with one HDMI in/out & I am planning to have receiver do the switching & insert this between receiver's HDMI out & TV. Its also cheap at $299.00. Does anybody have any experience with this unit?

Instead of waiting for this unit I was thinking of getting their HDMI 1080p scaler unit which is a small box with one HDMI in/out & I am planning to have receiver do the switching & insert this between receiver's HDMI out & TV. Its also cheap at $299.00. Does anybody have any experience with this unit? Have a quick look at the Gefen forums for feedback on this unit. Its bnot too good.

Nick

Hi Nick!
Do you think the scaler chip in this HDMI 1080p unit is same as the one in their HTS scaler line? If so, I better stay away from it.

I have an Olevia 65" TV with the Realta HQV chip. I don't know if it's the chip or Olevia's firmware, but deinterlacing takes a long time (100-300 ms?, plus it varies), and it has artifacts with my PS3 input. I'm looking for a VP so I can get a good picture with a shorter delay, and hopefully remove the PS3 artifacts. Is it possible that a standalone Realta could be programmed much better than one in a TV?

Hi Nick!
Do you think the scaler chip in this HDMI 1080p unit is same as the one in their HTS scaler line? If so, I better stay away from it. I think it is , but it's difficult to be sure, there's not much information. When there's nothing to shout about over what's going on inside, they go quiet on the specifics. When there is a good engine inside, you know all about it!

I've seen fanatastic results from the Gefen HD SDI to DVI scaler, which uses one of the Gennum processors. I've been hoping Gefen would release a DVI-DVI (or HDMI-HDMI) version of the same, but it looks like this new box might fit that bill.

Nick

The Realta takes 5 frames of data for deinterlacing, so that's an 83ms lag that's inherent in the chip. Toss in signal lock and output formatting, and >100ms is certainly believable and also unlikely to be different in any Realta-based (or Reon?) processor. The tough part of integrating this piece is going to be setting up the audio lag in the Receiver or Pre/Pro if the processor is downstream from it (likely given the paucity of HDMI inputs).

Bill

It has built in hdmi 1.3 lip sync correction.

It has built in hdmi 1.3 lip sync correction.

That is fine if you run this unit ahead of your pre/pro or AVR. It won't do anything for you when you run it after your pre/pro or AVR. You will have to adjust the delay in your pre/pro or AVR. That should not be that much of a problem for most people.

Yes I figured that was a given.

I was also curious about the $299 device. All I need is to take the HDMI output of my Marantz 8002 receiver and leave native 1080p60 signals alone, but then convert any other signal type to 1080p60 for my JVC HD2K projector head (which only accepts 1080p60).

Will it work?

http://www.gefen.com/kvm/product.jsp?prod_id=4722

Since "high quality" 1080p60 will already be in 1080p60 form from Blu-ray (and even upconverted DVD on my PS3), the scaling device will only be called into action when I need to upscale SD material on Blu-ray (which the PS3 leaves in SD) or cable... in which case I only need "to watch" that material... i'm not as concerned with pristine deinterlacing or scaling... I just need 1080p60.

As long as this device doesn't degrade the incoming 1080p60 signal I'd be happy.

Can anyone point me to threads or links about this device?

thanks!

dave :)

p.s. I would wait for the better 1.3 scaler but I need a solution ASAP as the JVC projector head can't accept anything that's not 1080p60.

RELEASED TODAY!!!!!!!!
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.April Fools!

will this scaler do a better job than the scaler in the Pioneer Elite Kuro 1080P Plasma TV?

Well pioneer is the best for plasma anyway at scaling.

You might want to ask some denon owners in the blue ray forum who have the realta denon player paired with the pioneer.

will this scaler do a better job than the scaler in the Pioneer Elite Kuro 1080P Plasma TV?

For what it's worth , on avforms, there are some well-respected members who said that they kicked out their high-end external scalers because no added value compared to the Pio 8G

I have a Pioneer Pro150 and a Denon DVD3930, which has the Realta scaler. The Pioneer's scaler is very good, but I found the 3930 to produce a crisper picture with few combing artifacts on video-originated material when I drove the Pioneer with 1080p generated by the Denon compared to driving the Pioneer with 480i, both through HDMI.

I've tried canceling my pre-order four times: twice by google checkout and twice by phone. It's been a week and still no response.

I have a Pioneer Pro150 and a Denon DVD3930, which has the Realta scaler. The Pioneer's scaler is very good, but I found the 3930 to produce a crisper picture with few combing artifacts on video-originated material when I drove the Pioneer with 1080p generated by the Denon compared to driving the Pioneer with 480i, both through HDMI.

This is very interesting stuff ... and what about film-based material?

Slight update gefens got pictures up and a few more details of the machine on there site.

I've tried canceling my pre-order four times: twice by google checkout and twice by phone. It's been a week and still no response.
ValleySeek is showing a $17 lower price than my preorder. However, they are indicating online that they have the order in a state where they aren't going to let me change anything. Not too surprising for a small shop not to let you cancel preorders, but I may give it a try. I certainly want the lower price, myself.

Oh, yeah, the new pictures:
http://www.gefen.com/gefentv/gtvproduct.jsp?prod_id=5276

Bill

The write-up indicates a DVI port, which is not shown in the pictures. There also seem to be a few other discrepancies between the two. I'm going to guess that the picture is correct and the text is outdated.

I'm going to guess that the picture is correct and the text is outdated.
http://www.gefen.com/images/gtv-hts-pro-back.jpg

That picture is correct, cypress who makes these showed me the same model only in black. I would rather have that, but I think there units go to tawian and asia and gefen handles there units in north america.

From the write up i thought gefen was just saying you can use a dvi-hdmi adapter. Which you can.

Acutally as someone mentioned on the denon thread here, that the cypress is like that only has component output as well. I like the fact gefens going with complete analog to digital hdmi conversion.

If it does a good job I will plug my wii into this and have it go to my tv's hdmi.

ValleySeek is showing a $17 lower price than my preorder. However, they are indicating online that they have the order in a state where they aren't going to let me change anything. Not too surprising for a small shop not to let you cancel preorders, but I may give it a try. I certainly want the lower price, myself.

Oh, yeah, the new pictures:
http://www.gefen.com/gefentv/gtvproduct.jsp?prod_id=5276

Bill

I saw the cheaper preorder price yesterday and I emailed Valleyseek. I received an email from them today. Valleyseek told me to place a new order and they would use it to replace my old order. I did that and I listed all of this info in the comments section on the new order.

does anyone know if this will support 1600p (and or dual link dvi)? The silicon optix realta can do 1600p (as its used in gateways xhd3000) but gefen seems to only be advertising 1080p. I am interested in usign this with a 30" monitor without an internal scaler (as both the gateway and dell with internal scalars seem to have some issues) but if it is limited to single link and 1080p then it wont work for that (though it might still be useful for my projector). I emailed gefen about this a few days ago but have not yet gotten a response.

Try the Gefen forum.

That picture looks just like the current Home Theater Scaler PLUS in the link below.

http://www.gefen.com/kvm/product.jsp?prod_id=4298

Does anyone know if this unit will perform compression noise reduction on HD sources? Is the REALTA even capable of it?

I don't think it is because neither the Dragonfly nor the VantageHD can do so.

I can't find the answer on the silicon optix website or by searching this forum. There are some old posts by oyfoo for works for silicon optix, but I still can't find the answer.

http://www.siliconoptix.com/products/Realta/Realtafeatures.cfm