[scooter_29]

I am looking for a cheap and easy solution to hook an S-Video output of my Krell HTS to a 15" LCD computer monitor. I am finding that I am wasting the bulb life on my projector and want a small flat panel that I can pull out to watch the news without spending tons of money, etc... I was thinking of picking up a used iScan Plus to hook to the monitor.... Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[drewman]

Samsung sells 15" and 17" panels that have built-in TV tuners and video inputs. The newest one also has a DVI input.


My company sells them to hospitals to do minimally invasive surgery with.


The image on the newest panels is very good. They don't cost all that much either.


drewman

 

[work permit]

I'll second that. The samsungs are dirt cheap for their feature set. For example, The syncmaster 150MP goes for only $600 at Buy.com

 

[scooter_29]

I already have the 15" LCD panel... I also saw the MP150 yesterday and it was physically much larger (deeper) than my current panel. I would still like the external S-Video to VGA adapter instead of replacing my current panel.

 

[Serlin]

You will require much more than an s-video to VGA adapter, which to my knowledge doesn't exist. S-Video is a completely different video format than VGA (RGBHV) with different resolutions and scan frequencies. The two are not compatible. To mate the two you would require a scaler. Even a low-end scaler would cost more than the Samsung LCD monitor and you would then have an additional piece of gear.

 

[bryan_chow]

Quote:

Originally posted by Serlin You will require much more than an s-video to VGA adapter, which to my knowledge doesn't exist. S-Video is a completely different video format than VGA (RGBHV) with different resolutions and scan frequencies. The two are not compatible. To mate the two you would require a scaler. Even a low-end scaler would cost more than the Samsung LCD monitor and you would then have an additional piece of gear.

Doesn't exist?? Ummm...here's a popular one for $79:

Video Cheese Box


You don't need a scaler for that. Like the original poster mentioned, a DVDO iScan will work fine.


Scooter,

Note that if you use a device such as an iScan or Cheese Box, your LCD will be stretching the 640x480 resolution to its native resolution. This is sometimes so bad it's unwatchable. Try it first with VGA and see.


Bryan

 

[Serlin]

Bryan,


Your Cheese Box, as you mentioned would do the trick but would probably not give the best image. Have you seen one in action?


If you have please post your findings.


At $80 it is probably worth a try, especially on a small (15") monitor.

 

[oferlaor]

Cheese box sounds a bit cheesy (forgive the pun).


Can you tell me about these 15" monitors? Do they have built in speakers - how about supporting PAL ?

 

[Mark Rejhon]

S-Video to VGA converters, such as a A Video Cheese Box, are essentially a low-class type of line doubler. It simply does a crude abritrary weaving or bobbing as the deinterlace algorithm. (In fact, weaving or bobbing are so simple that many do not call them 'deinterlace algorithms')


The purpose of a converter (aka rudimentary line doubler) is typically the minimum possible electronics required to make S-Video displayable on a VGA display.


Bobbing is probably the most likely algorithm being used in a sub-$100 TV-to-VGA converter, because no field buffering is required (and thus no RAM for a whole field needed in the embedded converter chip). You just need to double-scan each field scanline, which means only a couple kilobytes of embedded RAM is needed to buffer the current scanline so that it can be double-scanned at the output. You are essentially stuck at exactly 2 x NTSC horizontal scanrate. It just happens to be convenient that VGA is specc'd at exactly 2 x NTSC, so that TV-to-VGA conversion can be cheaply done for less than $100 using simple "bob" electronics.


Picture quality definitely suffers, but for quick glances at the news (like a mini 15" TV distraction while working in kitchen) it suffices fine when you have an existing VGA monitor you want to turn into a tiny TV. Not recommended as primary display though.

 

[yesir]

Hello guys!


I'm also thinking of using a 15" flatscreen monitor in my bedroom. So tell me scooter_29 have you bought a converter yet? And how did it work?


I have found several different converters but I wouldn't like to spend alot of money for something I'm not sure works at all...They are all from online strores so I can't go and try them out...


So if anyone of you have tried these converters, please tell me!



Yesir

 

[Kensai]

Why not try the ViewSonic ViewBox VB50HRTV that has been getting all sorts of attention in other threads right on this very board. Its a scaler instead of a doubler, and will scale up to 1024x768 which I believe is the native res of any 15" flat panel. Its only $130 retail (CompUSA has been carrying them), but can easily be had for $100 or less online. The iScan will be serious overkill for just watching the news at 15 inches.


My $.02.


Kensai

 

[toxic candy]

You're right kensai...

actually, the VB50 is a doubler and a scaler.... multiresolutions,

Svideo in, Composite In, TV Tuner....

I would think it's the perfect match for a LCD screen.

the only thing is that it doesn't do PAL... you have to get the TV-4000 from TVone for that.


Pierre.

 

[yesir]

Ok, thanks


There is also a flatscreen available from samsung which has got a s-video and composite inputs built in (samsung syncmaster 151mp). Which one is better their internal or that TV-4000?


If anyone has tried it?



yesir

 

[jckessler]

I've used both the cheesbox and the VB50, and would strongly reccommend going with the VB50 for the extra $20-$30. Quality and feature set is a lot higher.


Cheesebox has only crude motion adaptive deinterlacing. It simply reduces the resolution around moving objects, giving noticible blockiness around the moving objects, especially along high contrast lines. It has no film mode, no scaling, no TV Tuner.


The VB-50 deinterlacing is far superior. From the PDF file describing the chip that is uses, it interpolates lines along the edges of moving objects instead of simply reducing the resolution. The result is much less noticible jagginess around moving objects. Additionally, it will scale to the native resolution of your display, has 3:2 pulldown for film material, and included a remote and TV Tuner.

 

[Kensai]

Actually, if anyone's interested, I've got a spare VB50 that's been used for 3-4 days. I'll ship it to anyone in the US via priority mail for $90.


Kensai

 

[Steve13]

And I've got a Cheese box that I bought and never ended up using because I reconfigured my setup.


I'll sell it to anyone for $50 shipped in the USA.

 

[Kensai]

Sold. Enjoy


Kensai

 

[thebland]

Does the Samsung have speakers on it?


Jeff

 

[nigel_ht]

"Does the Samsung have speakers on it?"


Yes.

 

[Allan Jayne]

Some of the blockiness around edges may be due to:


1. A poor quality comb filter. I don't know what kind of comb filter or notch filter the Cheesebox or the VB50 contain but if not proclaimed to be anything special it is probably a notch filter.


2. Insufficient pixel width, horizontally. Almost all line doublers convert the video to digital regardless of the doubling or de-interlacing mechanism. The horizontal resolution of the output, not matter what was input, will never be greater than the doubler's pixel width, and it may be lessened further if the TV or monitor digitizes it again (it is converted back to analog in order to travel down the VGA cable to the monitor).


IScan units have good comb filters and a 720 pixel width which gives no degradation of laser disk and onlyslight softening of DVD.


When the input is already 640 x 480 non-interlaced, having the monitor scale it up to fit the fixed 1024 x 480 or whatever screen pixels should not be too bad. Also check to see if your LCD monitor will display 640 x 480 unstretched, with black on all four sides in case this gives a better although smaller picture.


Video hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/video.htm