[Michael Young]

I was wondering what my options are for inputing s-video to my htpc and having it deinterlace in real-time to have the picture outputted to my Sony VPH-1031Q via computer interface. I have a Pinnacle Systems DC10+ that has s-video input, but I don't know of any ways to use it exclusively as a tv card playing video full screen. Is my best bet going with a conventional 3-d video card with video input such as the Raedon or should I be going for some special kind of tv card? I am looking into this as an alternative to a DVDO line doubler for cost reasons. Thanks.

 

[mysphyt]

It sounds like what you want to do is exactly what Dscaler does (lots and lots of threads here on it). I do not see the video capture card you have on the list . It may not have a compatible capture chip. The Radeon AIW is not compatible with Dscaler.


Also, you may need a transcoder to make the PC's output compatible with the projector's input, this link makes mention of a required "adapter box" to make it PC compatible.


I was in your shoes, comparing the cost of an HTPC vs a DVDO unit. For nearly the same money I've gotten so much more with the HTPC. Never regretted it.

 

[dschmelzer]

Michael: I know the DC30 & DC50 are incompatible with DScaler--the video processor referenced above--but I'm not sure about the DC10. I'm guessing that's it's incompatible.


If it's compatible, it will have a Brooktree/Rockwell/Conexant chip on it, saying something like "Bt848".


Good luck.

 

[Michael Young]

Thanks for the info guys. Yeah, I do have an Extron RGB 109 computer interface. I was blown away on how film-like a DVD looks via HTPC. Unfortunately because my 1031Q is limited to 640x480 VGA I have to pan-scan the image. I was hoping that with an input card I could allow for wide-screen showings via s-video. I bought a cheap line doubler (inline cmt-7 for $170) and I got what I paid for, cheap crap. Anyway, I also have an ATI TV Wonder Value and I am pretty sure that uses the Brooktree 848. Unfortunately when I got it I never really concidered getting the s-video input version. My bad. Thanks again for the info.

 

[Yvonus]

Hey Micheal, you just found the all-in-one solution to your question ; me

• I own a 1031QM
• I'm using it only with an htpc
• I'm quite involved since the beginning in DScaler (among other things, I do the FAQ you might want to take a look at http://www.dscaler.org/FAQ.htm )
• I'm doing 50% / 50% dvd and satellite viewing, thanks (for the second case) to DScaler

You can read some details on my setup with the 1031 in thread "my own htpc in the making". You can find a link to it on my signature.


I think that the 1031 along with an htpc is a quite incredible combination. It wipes away a lot of 1031 limits ; analog chassis, no memories, no aspect ratio handling, not possible to go high in frequency etc..


Feel free to ask some more questions on this topic, I'll be glad to answer some.

 

[Michael Young]

Yvonus , you certainly right about the 1031Q. It is a sweet little projector and a light 69 lbs. if I remember correctly. It weighs a couple pounds less than my 27" TV. I stumbled on one by accident on eBay and got it for $485 not knowing what it was capable of. Drove 6 hours round trip to pick it up. I am SO glad I didn't pay tons more for an halogen lamp LCD or get an earlier non-data Sony. Life is too short to be watching movies at 16KHz horiz. scan rate. Now that I look back I was ignorant but lucky. I want to get a 12xx series but they weigh a ton. Right now I keep my 1031Q in my closet on a flatbed radio flyer and drag 'er out when it is movie time. I tried DScaler with my ATI TV Wonder and the composite input is nice, though I think I sould probably step up to an input card with s-video in and one that is more stable. Thanks for the info! Looks like I have some tweaking and experimenting to do. It is almost as fun as watching movies. This is one sick hobby; I love it!

 

[Yvonus]

Again, for details, see "my" topic "My own htpc in the making" in my signature. There's plenty of details regarding the htpc configuration for the 1031, why I chose this resolution and such ..


Just for the pleasure, watched "the Road to Eldorado" yesterday evening. Source was dvb/pal/svideo and it looked just great on the 110" screen. Great colors (thanks to Laurent's autocalibration), great contrast. Auto aspect ratio detection .. this was just great. I also love my 1031, even if I paid a bit more than you