[Consultant]

I recently purchased a receiver with component video switching. Since it has no up-conversion, I still have my S-Video VCR going to the S-Video input on the receiver and into the TV. I'm not sad the receiver cannot upconvert because I've heard it always doesn't work and now everyone is saying DVI is better than component video although I know of no receivers with built-in DVI switching.


I expect the VCR will get phased out in a year or so as rarely someone brings a video tape by for us to watch. At that point I don't have to deal with S-video unless I want to plug my video camera in, but that will also be rare.


Everyone is shocked I don't have TIVO yet, but frankly I don't have a lot of time for TV. I recently looked into TIVO and Windows XP Media Center and found neither had HDTV capability. Even when TIVO HD is available I think I'll just wait for the Comcast cable box with HDTV and TIVO-like capabilities as I only have 2 component video inputs on my receiver so I need my HDTV cable box and video recorder to be one device. (Boy I wouldn't want to own TIVO stock right now.)


So if I go with the Comcast Cable/TIVO box, this still leaves me without a removable storage solution incase I want to share some TV programming with someone. I can use my S-VHS VCR but no one I know has S-VHS so I always have to record in regular horrible VHS. So this basically leaves DVD but the problem is that it introduces the need for another component video input - unless I just replace my Panasonic CP72 DVD changer with a recorder (I've found I don't use the multi-disc capabilities anyway -- I would if this player could play MP3 off DVD instead of only CDR as then I could have my entire music collection loaded on 3 or so DVDs - but I prefer using a notebook computer as my digital music jukebox anyway, the MP3 interface on these DVD players is pretty crude.)


So what do people think the best course of action is?


1) Replace the DVD changer with a DVD Recorder


2) Replace the VCR and the DVD changer with a combination VCR / DVD Recorder - I would probably only do this if this combo unit had one component video out for both the VCR and DVD Player. Does anyone even make such a device with component out?)


3) If #2 is not feasible, just put the VCR in the closet and replace the DVD changer with a recorder and in the rare instance I need to watch a VHS tape, go get the VCR.


One might say, what's the big deal of leaving the VCR hooked up? Well, right now, I have to use a macro on my remote to switch audio and video inputs because while the receiver switches the video between the HDTV cable box and DVD, I have to switch the TV to a different input to watch the VCR so the macro switches the receiver than the TV. I'd like to get away from doing this. Of course, if I get a DVD player with DVI output and go that route, then I'm back in the same boat of having to switch the input on the TV separately.


Ideally, I'd like a receiver that would upconvert everything to DVI and then be able to provide both audio and video switching for everything I connect to it. That's gonna be a while.


See what I mean about going crazy!

 

[Andrewjb]

This is my first post, but I think I know the answer to your question.


There are two devices from DVDO called the iScan Pro and the iScan Ultra that take various inputs such as s-video and composite video and up-converts it to a 480P progressive output using a single component out.


MSRP is $499 for the Pro and $999 for the Ultra. Don't know the best street prices, but think they are something like $350 and $775 respectively.


Hope this helps.


www . dvdo . com is the URL where you will find product info.


I have the same problem that you have (my receiver is the Harmon Kardon AVR 230), and am looking at this as my solution. I need to read more forums here to see if other have experience with the DVDO products. Sure seems like a good solution on paper (at least to me).

 

[Spoffo]

Adding a DVD recorder is a good idea, but don't toss out the CP-72. That's one of the really fine (no longer available) Panny players, in the same league with the RP-82 and XP-50. None of the DVD recorders comes close to it in playback PQ.


I'd keep the CP-72 on the component inputs for all DVD playback (including those you record yourself) and run the recorder output via S-video. I have both an XP-50 and a E-100 recorder connected to my Panny plasma. While they both have component connections through my receiver, I really don't see much difference between the S-video and component signals from the E-100. (On the XP-50, of course, there's a big difference.)


PS: Several people on the PLasma forum played around with the iScan Pro about 2 years ago, and generally found the picture a bit soft. Certainly, using it to up-convert a good player like the CP-72 won't produce anything like the PQ you get directly from the player's prog. componment outputs.

 

[Consultant]

I think I made one error though in assuming I need an extra component input if I have a TIVO box and a separate Comcast HDTV box. Although it will be nice to have both as one device, I would guess (not being a TIVO owner) that you will be able to connect TIVO HD like you would a VCR so that the cable box connects to the Tivo via component video and then component video from the TIVO to the HDTV.


However this opens another can of worms. Everyone now is switching to DVI instead of component video. This would mean both the TIVO will need to have a DVI input for the cable box and DVI output, or have the ability to convert the component video signal from the cable box to DVI output.