PIO 503CMX owners help please!

1) I'm using the original Pio 5002 card, but awaiting the promised Key Digital card for better scaling, connection (DVI w/HDCP), and processing options. It's way overdue, but Ii hope it's still in the plans of Key to bring it out. The Aurora cards look interesting, but none so far give me everything that the Key card supposidly will - so I'll wait.


2) I have both an SAT-T60 (DirecTivo) and an HD-200. The tivo is hooked up with S-video going through the processing circuit on my PMDT DVD player, deinterlacing the 480i to 480p, then going component to the 503. The HD-200 is fed via VGA. I'm very satisfied with both.


3) The frame is dark gray, almost charcol


4) Not enough info yet to answer this one - but probably "yes". The media box (scaler) that will accompany will relieve any connectivity issues you might have. Some early reports indicate the 503's most universally know weakness - lack of good blacks - is not improved in the new model. That would be disappointing, if true. I'd wait for confirming info on that before deciding.


Best of luck...

1. Aurora A303 card. Easy to install.


2. I am using a Hughes DirecTiVo and a Sony HD-200 for High Definition.


3. As previously stated, dark gray.


4. Wait? I couldn't. IMHO, none of the manufactures models will be HUGELY better, but we shall see. In the mean time I would have missed months of enjoyment. Love my 503.


Jeff

The 503 has an internal scaler.


Digital cable always requires you to use the box provided by the cable company. Hook the box from the cable company up to the 503cmx. If it is an HD cable box it may have component output - which you would then send to the 503. If it is not an HD box it probably just has s-video and composite. Depending on how good the comb filter in the cable box is, you would connect either s-video or composite directly to the 503cmx. In my case my cable box has an awful comb filter and thus gives a better image via composite.


As an example let say you have a progressive scan DVD player, HD OTA reciever, and Digital Cable Box and the 503cmx with 5002 or A303 card. You would hook your DVD player up via component input 1 (you would need a vga to component cable for this), you would hook up your HD box via component to input 2 (note also one end of the component cable has to have BNC type connectors). You would then hook up your digital cable with s-video or composite.


Change to this example would be if you bought the 1000+ card instead of the A303 or 5002. With the 1000+ card you would not need the VGA to component cable because you could use the extra component input on the 1000+. Also with the 1000+ you could hook up another cable connection directly to the cards tuner (won't tune in your digital channels but will the lower numbered analog channels). You then have PIP with all of the inputs as well.