[kkoenning]

On Friday I purchased an HD Leeza and the Panasonic SDI equipped DVD.


Connections are as follows: I have the Panny DVD player connected with the supplied BNC cable. I have a Dish Network 811 receiver connected with a DVI cable. The Leeza is connected to the Fujitsu PDS5004 with a DVI cable.


The problem is that after many hours of trying different adjustments, I really do not see any improvement over my Denon 2900 DVD player or the Dish 811 receiver with both connected directly to the display via component. After my initial attempts I went back to the dealer and he exchanged the Leeza with his floor sample (which seemed to work very well at the store--that was what convinced me to buy the Leeza).


Are there any "base line" adjustments for my Fujitsu (I tried the ones for the Fujitsu P50XHA10US and those definately do not work)? What might I be missing/doing wrong?


I know the Leeza is highly regarded as an excellent scaler. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[oferlaor]

First, calibration might help. If you don't own AVIA or DVE, I'd recommend getting them regardless of anything else.


In addition, there are bound to be differences between a floor model (probably hooked up to another display) vs. your own display.


The only other thing I'd recommend is to try different resolutions to make sure your DVI settings are optimal. If they are not, this could significantly reduce your PQ.

 

[kkoenning]

Thanks for the suggestions oferlaor.


The first thing I did when I connected the floor model- did a reset using the Granny Button. I think that sets everything to the factory defaults. Then I set the Leeza's resolution; adjusted the display's brightness and contrast using the Leeza's built-in test patterns. Next, I used Video Essentials to set the Leeza's brightness, contrast, color, and edge enhancement. I also tried different resolutions--including adjusting the horizontal and vertical size and position.


After these adjustments--the display still looks better (fewer artifacts) using the component inputs from the Denon 2900 and the Dish 811 component outputs.


What am I missing??


Thanks.

 

[oferlaor]

it's possible that the built-in scaler is worse on DVI than it is on upscaling on component. It's relatively rare to encounter this (DVI scaling is usually bad, but the outboard scaler usually compensates).


One thing to try is to increase the resolution on DVI and try other output settings.


Can you give us more details regarding your display's default resolution and the output rate you're using?


Is your comparison point the DVD player through component input of the scaler vs. the component outputs on the player directly to the display (Denon is a Sil504 deinterlacer - are you using its progressive output)?


Finally, can you describe which artifacts you're looking at?


BTW, don't be so sure about your calibration procedure. I recently got DVE and decided to redo my calibration (which was done through AVIA). This time, I did it much more carefully and it took quite a long time (I'd be embarrassed to say exactly how long it took before I was satisfied and stopped fiddling with the contrast/brightness).


I now have settings that appear a bit odd (the brightness on the plasma is much lower than before, and the scaler compensates on a per-input basis) and are VERY different from the AVIA results, but the PQ is MUCH improved.

 

[kkoenning]

Ofer,


The display's default resolution is 1366 x 768. I have the Leeza set for 1366 x 768 at 60 Hz (other refresh rates give a out of range error). I have tried increasing the resolution via the size adjustments.


The comparison point is the Denon progressive output feeding the display directly through component versus the SDI equipped Panasonic DVD (RP62) player feeding the Leeza via SDI then to the display via DVI. The other comparison point is the Dish 811 directly feeding the display via component versus the Dish 811 feeding the Leeza via DVI then the Leeza to the display via DVI.


The artifacts are somewhat difficult to describe, but I will give it a try. The artifacts I am seeing--for instance--if the sky is visible there may be a wide band of small squares that are changing brightness (flickering). This artifact is not only in the sky but visible most anywhere on the screen. I see fewer of these artifacts when the Leeza is not used as described in the previous paragraph. So far, it always looks worse when using the Leeza.

 

[oferlaor]

It doesn't sound like these are scaling issues.


It sounds like you're describing MPEG artifacts that are more pronounced with the scaler.


It's possible that these are the results you are getting from the internal DVI scaler. It is also possible that calibration might be able to improve the situation, but most likely it would not improve the situation much.


If you're not seeing a substantial improvement in PQ using the scaler, it sounds like the display might be simply a mismatch with the scaler. If the internal scaler on this plasma (I have no idea if that's the case or not) is a good one, an outboard scaler might simply not be necessary.

 

[kkoenning]

Ofer,


Thank you for your time.


I also wondered if my plasma is a mismatch for the Leeza and I don't need an outboard scaler.


On Sunday I sent an email to Key Digital and am awaiting a reply. Yesterday (Monday) I sent an email to Fujitsu and am awaiting a reply. Hopefully one of them may have an answer.


I also called Key Digital yesterday in the afternoon and the support person did not have an answer. He said he would call me back in an hour and I am still waiting for the call. Maybe there will be a message waiting for me when I get to work this morning.