Worth upgrading a CS-1 to a VP30?

The HD-A1 is only so-so for deinterlacing performance (upscaling is good, though). Your Ruby would most likely benefit from the VP30+ABT102 doing SD deinterlacing, and then letting the Ruby deinterlace (IVTC) the 1080i HD-DVD output from the HD-A1 for HD-DVDs. Given how my Vision HDP seems to be performing, correctly deinterlacing the HD signal from the HD-A1 seems to be relatively straightforward for those processors that can do it, so the Ruby should be able to handle it okay (it does HD IVTC, if memory serves me correctly).


Later,

Bill

What about the difference in processing of standard TV signals between the two (VP30 and Center Stage)? Or standard DVD player?

The ABT102 is supposed to be the equal of the Realta/Gennum chips for SD deinterlacing (not in the way of noise reduction), so the CS1 vs. VP30 is a bit of a crapshoot. I will say that there are significant benefits to using digital component video out of the HD-A1 (minimizes one major color error, and potentially eliminates another with a firmware change from Toshiba).