DVDO Duo vs Lumagen Radiance XS/XE - Page 2

One other DVDO advantage is PReP. I'm very aware of the other problems with DVDO, but PReP is a brilliant feature. I don't know how it is in the US, but in the UK, the SD HDMI output of our satellite boxes is 576p - deinterlaced on the box using a terrible single chip DI. Simply horrible. PReP unpicks this, finds the original fields and re-deinterlaces it properly. As far as I know, nothing else has this feature.

Was this unexpected feature ever announced or is it out?

That may have been a reference to this http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1230915

Nope. Plus the info in the post you linked was announced prior to Gordon's statement

I don't think this is as important in the US (at least from my experience). I know DirecTV can output 480i, but honestly not sure about Dish.

Can the DVDO take 720p and convert it to 24p for film sourced TV? That's the one thing I believe the Radiance will not do (but will for interlaced signals).

Yep - I know this might not be such a problem in the US, but in UK (and I think most of Europe), it's a real problem and PReP is the only game in town. I have a VP50Pro and it can certainly do 60Hz-24Hz - finding the original content before the 3:2 pulldown was applied and output it as 24Hz. Works pretty well - I'm pretty sure it's the same on the Duo (as that's basically the same DI as the Pro, but on asics rather than fpga) but you'd need to check with a Duo owner.

yeah, that's the one thing that would be kind of nice to have on the Radiance. But realistically, I tend to not convert to 24p on TV, as the commercials and bad edits make it troublesome. 720p for us is not much of a problem either, as usually the source really is a progressive source, and there was no bad de-interlacing to start.

I wonder what the new Radiance feature is...

do you think the radiance would be better than using the internal scaler on my sim 2 HT 5000 or is it a waste of money for me-- thanks,gary

You and me both. I've seen a number of XDs "flood" the market recently--I wonder if there's something coming for the XS/XE that won't be available on the XD? Are that many people trading up for HDMI 1.3?

Barring hdmi 1.3 things, I would expect the XD to get anything the XE gets feature-wise. IMO, the XD still has a leg up on the XS based on its modularity, extra inputs, and PIP/POP capabilities.

The new feature I hinted at will be on all Radiance platforms. So I have no idea why folk are selling XD's for XS/XE unless just to have the "latest" spec device.

The few XD's I've seen go on sale could be CRT'ers looking to get their hands on an XE+/XS+. That's the only real difference of note between the XD and XE/XS I can think of (HDMI 1.3 aside).

I’m considering taking Lumagen up on their offer to buy my VP50pro and trade it in for one of the Radiance VP’s. I think the XS would be all I need. What exactly does POP and PIP do for you? Other than more inputs, I don’t see what the XD or XE has over the XS.

I only have three HDMI sources; 1) HD cable box, 2) HD-DVD player, 3) Oppo BD player. I’m also using an SDI modified Oppo 981, but quite frankly, I can’t see a difference between it and using the other Oppo and sending the VP 480i via HDMI, so I’ll just dump that player without too many tears.

I’m using an RS-20 projector and an anamorphic lens too. The convenience of having one button control over differing aspect ratios is really the primary reason for me keep a VP. Well, that and the cable box scaling anyway, but I don’t watch much TV…..

I calibrate the RS 20 myself with Calman and an I1 Pro. I find the RS 20 has very good CMS and Grey Scale adjustments. I even like the Gamma adjustment.

What will the Lumagen offer over what I already have? Other than the obvious things like customer support and firmware updates.

What would I be giving up, other than SDI, which I don’t care??

PIP and POP are only for viewing two inputs at once. The main thing IMO that the Radince can offer you would be its scaling. IMO, there are far less scaling artifacts (like ringing) vs other scalers. You also get quite a bit of noise reduction options which may be of use for your cable TV.

Most people are interested in the Radiance because of its extensive calibration controls. Since you have an RS20 and don't need this, what is motivating your desire to switch? The better customer support and regular firmware updates are real enough, but other than that, if all you need is switching and basic video processing, then I think that even the VP50Pro is overkill. The low-end Edge would provide the same image quality.

I'm tied of dealing with the Pro's buggy audio. I was just going to swap it out for the Duo, but I have a real hard time swallowing that pill and sticking with a company with DVDO's track record. I also like the idea of being able to calibrate any display I may go with in the future. I'm going to dump the RS20 before much longer as the motion blur is killing me. I would like the freedom to pick a display that does not have CMS if it shoots an image I would be happy with.

But as you say, my needs are much simpler than what the Lumagen or VP's offer. I'd probably be better off putting that money somewhere else. Heck, if DVDO would just fix the Pro, I wouldn't be deliberating right now.

Is the base model Lumagen Radiance XS really $3500?
Does it support 240p and really have superior scaling then the EDGE/DUO?

Lumagen did a great job in adding a gamemode last year, so 240p is recognized as a real progressive source.

Just curious, what is Lumagen's history of upgrades?

Say, hypothetically, the Radiance XS is replaced in X number of months by a new version, say the Radiance XS Super-Duper PRO. Does Lumagen usually offer an upgrade path to existing customers?

from my short experience with the Radiance XS, i simply havent dealt with a consumer electronics company that is better with updates.
I know that when the XE came out they offered everyone an upgrade path to the XE and as far as firmware updates they are constant and always offering new features.

I would feel safe saying if they did come out with a newer model you will certainly have upgrade options and if you dont want to upgrade yet they wont leave your old Radiance in the dust

THANKS for sharing.

For those who have gone from a VP50PRO to the Radiance, is the jump pretty easy? If you are fairly comfortable working with the PRO, is a Radiance harder to use or about the same as a VP50PRO?

Never mind. I'll find out soon enough. Just upgraded my VP50PRO to a Radiance XS with SDI (turns out I'm the first one to order SDI directly from Lumagen).

Unrelated noob question. One thing folks often like DVDO products for is their PReP feature. Has Lumagen ever commented on adding something like PReP to the Radiance line? Or is it not possible? Of negligible value?

Not sure I've seen that much of a difference with it but I was just curious . . .

Another question--anyone using a Radiance XS with a Logitech Harmony One remote? If so, experiences?

I used the XS and a Harmony One and had no problems whatsoever, it is in the database as an XE/D and the remote shares all the same commands except the PIP feature.

Not for long.

hint hint. is that the new "feature"?

Maybe.

OK, let me take this back. It turns out that the DUO does have this capability, but I just hadn't noticed. In fact, the DUO works better than the Lumagen in this regard. When you plug in a display, the DUO automatically detects the display type and then any adjustments you make to the CMS or grayscale/gamma controls are stored independently. It all happens seamlessly and automatically in the background. Very cool.

Interesting Tom: How many display memories does it have ability to hold in permanent memory?

Tom: will the DUO automatically distinguish between two displays of the same type (i.e. two 111FD Pros) plugged into each of its outputs, and will it also be able to switch profiles properly if for some reason you swap the outputs on those displays?

Hi Gordon,

The Edge can hold a maximum of 10 display profiles so I would assume this would be the minimum the Duo can hold.

Edit: Just found what I was looking for. The Duo keeps a list of the 10 most recently connected displays and all associated settings.

Kind regards,

Steve