Cheaper Component to S-Video Converter - Page 7

The green shift i see with the Atlona converter is so slight that it isn't even annoying, and i have to look real hard to see it and i think it may be due to my tv's "picture mode" setting,cuz when i change that, the green shift is gone, and it only seems to effect a small number B&W movies. I can't figure out why it only affects a few B&W movies and not the rest. OTOH,my Sima ct-2 video converter had a very pronounced green shift that couldn't be gotten away from no matter what "picture mode" setting i used AND it affected color movies too.

As far as the MP badged Lenkeng converter is concerned,there was definitly one person and possibly a second person who posted that they sent their converter back to MP cuz they weren't satisfied with the video quality. It'll be interesting to see if MP keeps selling them. If enough people send them back MP won't sell them anymore. But IF Lenkeng made some changes,then maybe MP will continue to offer them. I don't know,but i know i'll never go near one again,nor would i suggest to anyone else that they buy one. Id'e try to stear them clear of that one,and strongly suggest they buy a high quality converter with a good warranty. Like the Atlona AT-COMP 500. It costs more but is well worth it. Cheap is cheap,and you get what you pay for. High quality beats the heck out of cheap any day of the week. G.

I posted several screen shots of my MP(Lenkeng) converter earlier in this thread and while I did return mine I could see how others may be OK with it's quality. I'm very fussy when it comes to video and won't tolerate any resolution loss and would prefer no increased black level. The later I've never found a converter that didn't do, even my Sima increases the black level a hair(but no green shift). If duping a DVD I can use my Pioneer DVD player which has a variety of output adjustments and I've found just the right settings to offset the Sima. If I had Pioneer DVDRs with input adjustments I could go that route too. Once resolution is gone their is no good way to get it back.
Link to screen shots.

So it seems like the Monoprice/Lenkeng unit has mixed reviews in this thread. I wonder if it's just a difference in how picky each user is about PQ, or if there's a genuine QC issue.

I am struggling to justify the cost of the Ambery converter for the small amount of archiving that I need.

Before they were available at Monoprice, some people got converters that had no picture at all. I wouldn't recommend getting one anywhere BUT Monoprice, since you can get it returned and get your money back quickly, if you don't like it. The green shift on mine is slight enough that the image looks normal, until I do a side-by-side comparison with the original signal, using my PIP. Having a Pioneer DVDR, with input picture adjustments, I can eliminate that.

I got my Audio Authority converter on E-Bay, for $88, used. New, they are $315. So, look around, and you can find something for a reasonable price.

I only archive a few programs & previously just recorded the Comcast letterboxed image & used the TV's zoom function in order to fill the screen. Of course I lost some resolution, but the original signal was a nice clean digital one. On the positive side I never had a problem with a picture that was too light, too dark, not sharp, colors off, etc.

If I saved a lot of stuff I would have invested in a quality converter. It's obviously a personal choice, but for me I chose the letterbox recording.

I have a commercial DVD of "True Lies" and it is letterboxed. I went round & round trying to figure out why my DVD player did not display this in full width & that the TV had to zoom the picture. I did some research & it turns out the DVD is letterboxed.

I recently changed to Dish and their DVR outputs a full screen image via composite video which looks pretty good. My friend tried the composite on his 61" HDTV and said it looks pretty good to him. The earlier Dish DVR did have an S-video output which I understand also output a full screen image.

One more note about converters - although my Lenkeng and Monoprice converters don't run hot (haven't checked the Audio Authority yet,) one of them only gets used rarely, when I am dubbing a commercial DVD, or converting a DVD from PAL to NTSC. So, I want to turn it off when not in use. Unplugging it is difficult, because of my setup. So, I got something at the hardware store to make it easy. It is a switch on one end of a cord, with a plug on the other end that has a socket on the back of the plug. Whatever you plug into that socket is turned off by the switch. So, I can switch off the converter easily.

Perhaps it was in another thread, but I said that no one with a Monoprice converter had complained about it. Sorry, I forgot that jjeff wasn't happy with his. I do think he should have tried it with a HD source, before sending it back. But, at least he got a picture with his! For a long time now, anyone who bought a Lenkeng claimed they got no picture...

I can only be envious of those of you who have DVDR's w/picture input adjustments. Maybe if i had a DVDR like some of you have,my Lenkeng converter would have been good enough. I don't know.

I just wish i could show y'all how bad the picture was with my converter,then you'd understand why i am so against the Lenkeng,and why i could never (in good concience) recommend the Lenkeng to anyone.

After work last night i went home and dug out some of the B&W movies i recorded using my Atlona converter,and after looking at some of the different movies that originally showed a very slight green shift,and changing the "picture mode" settings on my tv (standard>pro>vivid) i have reached the conclusion that the "green shift"that i see is being caused by nothing more than the setting,and not the Atlona. I also turned on my DVDR and ran a live signal to it from my converter and lo and behold certain settings will show a very,very slight green shift,while other settings do not. So it's in the tv "picture mode" settings afterall. Tonight i will be recording "The Gangs of New York" on HDNET MOVIES while i'm here at work and am sure it will be a perfect recording. G.

Yes I suppose I could have tried it with a true HD source(instead of just a DVD upconverted source) but since my Tivo HD already outputs full screen over S-video and I don't have a BR player for true HD I only did what I could.
I agree though, with MPs easy return policy all you would be out would be ~$10 in postage(from MP and back to them) for testing it out. The price was really great.

I'm leaning towards a monoprice converter and the 513.

Seems like it's the best option for me out of those available.

My $88 Audio Authority converter, ($349 list) does convert 480p, so I can just switch that, when I want to transfer a SD picture from that DVR to my new Pio 560. I downloaded AA's instruction manual, and it clearly states what it will pass/convert, and 480i is clearly a no-go.

Also, I'm happy to report that the AA converter runs at room temperature. It was not warm when I touched it.

Loobster, I think you're missing a bet if you don't at least check and see if you can get an open box Pio at J&R, and an Ebay Audio Authority converter. That would cost almost the same as what you're leaning to, and be somewhat better. If they are not available, then yes, what you propose is the best for the money.

I don't doubt that you got a bad picture, lots of people reported that. I think Lenkeng's quality control/grade of parts probably is/was pretty bad, and I just got lucky. But, hey, you've got a better converter!

The trigger finger twitched.

513 and the MP converter on their way.

I prefer stuff that isn't open box. I know it's fine 90% of the time, but I don't like the uncertainty.

I will of course report back on how the converter performs.

I'm not sure who you're asking about what item. If it is about the $349 list Audio Authority component>S-Video converter I got for $88, yes, it was that cheap. I got it used, from Ebay, still in its own box, looked like new. The instruction manual was missing, but I downloaded it from the co.'s website.

I just ordered mine today from MP too.Tired of using PC to Dvd RAM to DVD burner MAG 2160A.U-verse DRM on most channels now even Locals! Hope the s-video looks good on mag SD burned DVD's.I will report back after testing soon.

My $88 Audio Authority converter I also got from ebay from the same seller,works fine but here is a little quirk, I have this hooked to a dcx3400 box from the component output, to my dmr-eh75 recorder, when tuned to a 480i it does not send any signal, but when tuned to 1080i or 720p or 480p source it is all there, also when I have recorded a 480 station on the dcx and play it back to record it the source is output via component to recorder just fine, it just will not do so when i'm watching it live.very confused why it is doing this...

I did a LOT of searching on the net looking for a good converter,and none of the higher quality converters that i saw accept 480i. I have an Atlona AT-COMP 500 and it also will not accept 480i. I keep mine set at 720p and it works great. I run my signal from a VIP 211K Satellite receiver thru Component video to the converter,then s-video to my Mag/Philips dvdr. I also use the HD Component passthru to my tv,that way i can instantly compare the converted video signal to the passed thru video signal,but i always feed the converter a 720p signal.

Don't know what the dcx 3400 is,but are you sure that your feeding it 480p and not 480i? Are you watching "live" tv thru your DVDR? If so,do you have the output from your "box"set at 480p? cuz if you have it set at 480i,then you won't see anything. G.

Don't know what the dcx 3400 is,but are you sure that your feeding it 480p and not 480i? Is the output set for 480p when watching live tv? G.[/quote]

THE dcx is my cable dvr, it it has on the front display the signal that is being fed is lit up. some channels say 1080 720 480i 480p, yes it is being fed 480p.

Sorry,my mistake. If you were watching "live"tv thru your DVDR then you would automatically be watching a 480i signal. If your "box" is receiving a 480p signal and is outputting that to your AA converter,then your converter will interlace the signal and output that signal (480i) to your DVDR. So you should be able to watch live tv. Something else must be going on,some setting somewhere maybe needs changing. This is confusing to me too. I don't quite know what to think. Maybe go thru your settup and make sure your settings are right. This is a very straight forward deal and there shouldn't be any problems. Is there ANY possibility at all that the dcx 3400 interlaces the output signal when watching live tv? I know that sounds dumb,but i can't think of any other reason why you can't watch live tv thru your AA converter. There simply seems to be no reasonable explanation for your problem. G.

This unit simplifies the conversion of component video to either composite or s-video, with a pass-through. Signals ranging from 480p to 1080p are scaled to an output of 480i. so if the station is in 480i the unit will not send signal out, correct?? But the dvr records this then I RECORD out of it through rgb to recorder and it's ok.?

As you know, you alerted me to the eBay deal on the AA converter. I was surprised to find it wouldn't pass 480i. Then, I went to their website, down loaded the manual. It clearly says it won't pass 480i, but will pass 480p.

I also have a Comcast Moto DCX3400 DVR, two, in fact. In the DVR's service menu, I have it set to output at 720p, since that is native for my DLP set. I also have the 480i override set, so that it should output 480i, not 480p. That is so that I can zoom LB 480i films. I can't zoom 480p.

So, when I want to dub a 480i source, I use the button on the front of the DCX to switch to 480p. So, that's probably what you have been doing too. The screwy part is, that after I have manually selected 480p, sometimes it will stay in 480p for the next film/program, sometimes not. It is rather erratic. Usually, if I go directly to a 480i program, it stays in 480p. Usually, if I switch to a 720/1080 source, it will switch to 720p, but sometimes not. If I switch back to a 480i source, sometimes it will go to 480i, sometimes to 480p. As I have had no trouble watching a live 480i source in 480p, I suspect that it is this erratic switching behavior that has caused your problem.

Now there's a good reasonable explanation for mickinct's problem. If errant switching is the problem,would that be a defect that the cableco. would correct? If not,is there a way to "lock in" a certain resolution and i/p setting,and just leave it there?

With my Satellite receiver,whatever resolution and i/p setting i choose,the Sat.receiver just stays on that setting. It'd be a B**** if the setting changed,magically,on it's own! G.

IIRC when I had the Comcast DCX3400 DVR, the resolution setting on the front panel controlled the output resolution, unless the input was 480i. So if it was set for 720p the output was 720p except for 480i sources. Am I remembering that correctly?

I've seen this item mentioned on another forum for recording HD from your sat or cable box to your PC. It has an HDMI input & an adapter for component. Obviously you have to use a PC, but the AVerTV cost only about $100.

AVerTV HD DVR.
http://www.avermedia-usa.com/avertv/...il.aspx?Id=482

My settings were always as I had programmed them to be before I manually switched to 480p, to get a signal on my converter from 480i material. That is to say, in the service menu, I programmed 720p for output, except for 480i sources, which would stay 480i (480i override.) I haven't reentered the service menu, to see if manually selecting 480p changed those settings.

You can select any output resolution with the front panel, and it will usually stay, until you switch to a different channel/recording with a different native resolution. I don't think this errant switching is really a defect, so much as a response to my manual override of the programming. If you select the output(s) you want in the service menu, and don't do any overrides, you probably won't get output format shifting.

I do recall that some people who selected "native" output in the service menu had shifting problems, using HDMI connections. I think that might have been a handshake issue. But, I use component connections, so that I can zoom 480i LB programs to fill the screen. I can't do that with HDMI on my TV.

I received my monoprice converter monday and hooked it up to my 2160A magie .It works flawlesly and now iam able to record all channels on u-verse including HBO at 480i directly. the picture/DVD quality looks very good no disernable differance at SD and 480i resolution.I am a happy camper.

It would be great if you took a little time and wrote a review on MPs website. I'd hate my somewhat negative(60% positive) review be the only one.
Note I had a heck of a time posting a review at MP. I had typed up several lengthy reviews only to have them fail during filing
Some crap about illegal characters! When I emailed MP they suggested no characters except periods and maybe commas. I typed up another lengthy review only to have it refused again.
Finally in anger I typed up a brief review and what do you know, it took Just warning you if you take a lot of time on the review you may want to back up your work before filing it Kind of tells me why their are so few reviews on MPs website.

I discovered another quirk of the Audio Authority converter. I had my Comcast Moto DCX3400 set to output a LB SD recording, from Fox Movie Channel, at 480p, which the converter does convert. But, the image had black borders on all four sides of the 4x3 frame! So, I switched to another DVR recording that was full 4x3, and that image filled the 4x3 frame, as it should. I switched back to the LB SD image, and it still had the extra black borders on the sides. I was going to bed, so I stopped trying to do the transfer.

The next day, I tried again, with much the same results. I know that I had dubbed SD LB pictures successfully before, with the LB image filling the width of the 4x3 frame. My signal path was Moto DVR>AA converter>AVR (via S-Video)>Pio DVDR. While watching the SD LB image with the extra vertical black borders directly from the DVDR's output, I brought up the "My DVR" menu, then exited it. The image corrected itself! The extra borders were gone! Then, they popped back for an instant, then left again, and stayed gone. I did the 2hr.+ transfer successfully.

The DVR's output had stayed at 480p the whole time. So, I suspect some switching quirk in the AA converter. Perhaps this is induced by some oddity in the Moto DVR's output. Assuming I can easily get it to correct itself in the future, I consider this acceptable.

kjbawc, You'll find your answer in the owners manual for the model#1360 on the AA website. It'll tell you that a "full screen" pic. is required when you power up the converter,and specifically says to not input a LB pic. My Atlona converter is similar to the AA converter in this way. I talked to someone at Atlona,and they said that this is a "feature" that is useful for "technicians" working in "labs",(whatever that means). This can be a small annoyance for home users,but is a minor inconvenience since there is an easy workaround and the EXCELLENT PQ produced by the converter FAR outways the inconvenience of this "feature".

When i have an unattended timer recording to do,i first set my Sat. receiver to "auto tune" a full screen channel like fox news HD or MGM-HD,both of which produce a full screen on my tv. The "auto tuned channel is set for 1-2 minutes,which gives my converter the "full screen" required.Then,having set the time for my planned recording 2nd. the receiver then changes to the channel i want to record,and the converter then displays the correct AR for that movie. G.

I had already downloaded the manual, but I guess I missed that part. Thanks for the info!

KB I see you posted a review on MPs website. I had written up several equally as detailed reviews only to have it fail to take yours seems to cover all the bases and basically agree with your points. You'd have to spend several times the cost to get something noticeably better.