CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

[Untuned]

Is anyone using this processor? If so, what is your setup?

I recently got a CRT pj, and realizing I needed a way to convert to vga output, I bought the Iscan HD thinking it would be better than just a digital to analog converter. Then I realized that HDCP would be an issue from my Blu-ray player, so I'm kind of stuck. Except for upscaling SD output from my player, what good is it for?

[barclay66]

[km987654]

Scalers are great for tunning the image for your PJ but you do need to strip hdcp from the signal. You need something like a moome MUX-HD before your scaler to do that.

[Untuned]

[Jeremy112]

In my opinion it is not worth trying to figure out how to make an iScan HD into a HD+, If you scope out ebay you can usually get one for a good deal, theres a DVDO VP30 with HDMI and HDCP for $75 starting bid.

I just bought a VP30 from the same guy for $146 ending bid for this very reason. The VP30 will do what I need it to, and with my HD Fury Gamer I can avoid having to buy the HDMI card for my projector.

All in all, for how little these processors can be had for, its better to save and get what you really need, than trying to figure out how to get around the shortcomings of what you have.

Good luck!

[Untuned]

Hi Jeremy,
I was hoping you'd chime in; I saw your thread on the Iscan HD that was not working, and wondered how you planned to use it.

Please explain to me your setup for the VP30. What's the point if you need the HDFury anyway?

[Jeremy112]

[Untuned]

Thanks for your input Jeremy. I understand now.

I understand how having a constant output is nice to have. I may have found a solution: I picked the RTC2200 listed on this forum (it's on it's way). My Blu-ray will output 1080i/720p from a Blu-ray disk via component (via hdmi it will upconvert SD format), but it will not upconvert SD material from the component ports. So I will take the component out from the Blu-ray player, into RTC2200 converting to VGA and adding Gamma boost, VGA into Iscan HD. If it is SD material, Iscan will upconvert and put out 1080/720, but if it is high-def, it will pass through to the VGA-out essentially making the Iscan invisible. Voila! Since any high-def signals are passed through the Iscan via the component-in, it did not get converted to rgbhv, but the RTC should take care of that. That's the plan anyway. This will hopefully be a good compromise for me since I do not need a 1080p signal, only 1080i or 720p.

Strangely enough, I ended up with two Isan HD's...off to post it in Buy & Sell...

[mc86]

I finally have my iScan ruuning and am trying a similar setup to what Jeremy describes, but with a twist.

I convert HDMI from my HTPC and my Oppo BluRay player into the DVI with adapters and plug them into my Outlaw 970 prepro. Audio from these two sources (as well as from my LD and S-VHS player) go into the 970 prepro. My pre/pro switches to the desired audio to process and passes one of two video DVI input sources out DVI.

This DVI out of the 970 pre/pro is connected back into one port on a HD Fury3 (again, HDMI to DVI adapter). The RGBHV out of the HDF3 goes into Analog Passthrough on the iScanHD. I did this so as not to have to manually switch the HD Fury 3 input when both the HTPC and BRP were running. I was worried the HTPC would freakout when it "lost sight" of the HDF3 during BRP, but so far so good...it quickly re-discovers the PJ when switched back. Although if I don't close media center, I have to move it back off the touch-panel display of my HTPC located on my rack. This setup is now 1hr old, so time will tell.

Anyway, composite video from LD and S-VHS also go into the iScanHD. I *guess* I am better to let the iScan handle composite rather than passing S-video from LD/S-VHS. Everything goes out of iScan through the GammaX and to my PJ. The iScan is on Auto select and seems to do fine so long as I don't simultaneously run LD and SVHS (I didn't bother running them through my pre/pro, but could). My PJ (ECP4500) has ASR ON <AutoSourceRecog> and adjusts itself according to the input (the HTPC and BRP are different) flawlessly. So the requirement to have only one signal setup seems a bit false to me. Maybe this is because my ECP isn't as demanding (crappier machine) that Jeremy's...I dunno.

Untuned -- you gotta a name? I could have bought one of your iScanHDs for what I paid for a replacement power supply for mine...good gravy...

cheers,
Matt

[Jeremy112]

I have heard that LD players should use composite rather than S-VIdeo because of how the video is encoded to the disc... Is this true?

Unlike your setup matt, I have my LD player hooked up via S-Video. What I just said above I didnt think about until I read your post here. Either way S-Video into the VP30 looks just fine. I just picked up James Bond "Thunderball" on LD new in sealed shrink wrap... shame I can't watch it, I don't want to take it out of the packaging, lol.

Don't worry about what you spent on your iScan HD Matt, the VP30 cost me a good penny, though it was much cheaper than a VP50, which is priced astronomically higher than the VP30 for only a few additional features and upgrades...

And as far as the one signal goes, thats for output, I only have one signal going out to the CRT Projector at all times, so the XG does not have to change anything, it stays synced with the VP. Setting up the inputs there is not much to do, maybe some gamma adjustments and so on, but thats about it.

Hope your setup is working good for you Matt, seems as though it is so far

[mc86]