[Capeta]

http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News...x?NewsId=19383

Silicon Optix announced today that its Reon-VX HQV video processor will be featured in Toshiba?s new top-of-the-line HD DVD player, the HD-XA2.

HQV?s true 1080i-to-1080p HD deinterlacing delivers the sharp HD images possible by employing per-pixel motion-adaptive algorithms and a sophisticated multidirectional diagonal filter that ensures video free of jaggies. The HQV processing engine also provides per-pixel motion-adaptive noise reduction and advanced scaling to deliver quality upconverted SD material.

Toshiba?s new high-end HD-XA2 HD DVD player is designed to output 1920x1080p via High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), which adds support for Deep Color technology.

The HD-XA2 HD DVD player also incorporates a 297MHz / 12 bit Video DAC with 4x oversampling for increased bandwidth. The HD-XA2 comes with a Picture Setting function that allows customers to optimize picture quality via settings for color, contrast, brightness, edge enhancement, and block noise, among others. The HD-XA2?s 1080p output capability complements Toshiba?s Cinema Series Pro LCD TVs, which provide true HD 1080p input capability via HDMI.

YOWZA!!! AVS forum guys should be happy about this.

[archie4oz]

Sounds like a lot of hoopla for very little...

Personally I'd rather have Silicon Optix's scaler in my receiver or TV rather than in an HD-DVD player. Sitting in an HD-DVD player you're only going to get the benefit of great DVD upscaling. In a receiver or TV, you can apply it to more input sources.

The mention of deep color basically to me means HDMI 1.3 (which means wider color space support/XvYCC support, which the PS3 also supports). Although the wider color gamut is only useful if your content is authored in it and your TV supports it.

The RAMDAC stuff is largely inconsequential since it'll only be used for component, composite/s-video. Not really a big deal IMO if you're pimping the 1080p/HDMI aspects of the TV... So I'm not sure how this really raises the bar for HD-DVD...

[Capeta]

Anything that has built-in HQV processing is step up considering the outboard version costs thousands of dollars.

[SPM]

Originally Posted by archie4oz

Sounds like a lot of hoopla for very little...

Personally I'd rather have Silicon Optix's scaler in my receiver or TV rather than in an HD-DVD player. Sitting in an HD-DVD player you're only going to get the benefit of great DVD upscaling. In a receiver or TV, you can apply it to more input sources.

Do you get this on most newer HDTVs - the HQV processing for better DVD playback I mean?

[Ty]

Originally Posted by SPM

Do you get this on most newer HDTVs - the HQV processing for better DVD playback I mean?

No, not this particular brand of scaler (your flat panel will contain a scaler, just not this one). Archie is just saying that it's far better to have it in the TV itself so that EVERYTHING you watch, can get the benefit from it.

It can be quite nice to have depending on the scaler in your TV but really IMO, it's like Archie says, no big deal (or at least, not worth the $500 difference IMO) since upconverting is no where near the same as having source material in that greater resolution to begin with.

[MfA]

Wouldn't the top end displays have significantly better processors anyway?

[Ty]

Originally Posted by MfA

Wouldn't the top end displays have significantly better processors anyway?

Possibly, I really have no idea just how good this particular one is. I would assume that ultra-highend outboard devices exist, much in the same way that some CD players are simply transports and the DA conversion is done by a different device altogether.

[RobertR1]

This is a top notch scaler. A crappy scaler = crappy picture. Someone on AVS is doing a SD DVD comparison tonight using this scaler vs. other high end external scalers. I'll link their feedback once I see it.

[MfA]

Originally Posted by Ty

Possibly, I really have no idea just how good this particular one is. I would assume that ultra-highend outboard devices exist, much in the same way that some CD players are simply transports and the DA conversion is done by a different device altogether.

On the other hand, in reality high end in audio is mostly a scam

The top dogs have motion compensated processing in their best sets rather than motion adaptive.

[Ty]

Originally Posted by MfA

On the other hand, in reality high end in audio is mostly a scam

Oh goodness, yes. $2000 power cords anyone?

Originally Posted by MfA

The top dogs have motion compensated processing in their best sets rather than motion adaptive.

What's the difference?

[MfA]

Motion compensated has the potential for higher quality. It's also an order of magnitude more work.

[RobertR1]

A detailed test/comparison of the HD-XA2 with an ISF calibrator.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=782887

"What does this all mean? Well Toshiba has produced a phenomenal combination upscaling SD DVD player and HD DVD player. For the price it doesn't appear that anything can touch it. Certainly it puts ALL of the BR players to shame on upscaling alone--let alone its HD 1080p60 output. I have to congratulate Silicon Optix as well in their production of the ReonVX chip-- I believe it clearly beats the image produced by the Gennum VXP chip in the Crystallio II. Not good news for the external processor market if someone is primarly looking to display movies and not video/tv."

[Ty]

Toshiba, get this in a TV please.

[wishiknew]

It seems like such a waste to put it in a player. What is there to scale and process if you can output 1080P24 and your source matches.

[RobertR1]

Originally Posted by wishiknew

It seems like such a waste to put it in a player. What is there to scale and process if you can output 1080P24 and your source matches.

Think upscaled DVD's also.......which is the library for majority of people. Also, not many displays in the market support 1080p/24, they'll increase surely, but for now this is quite important for majority of the setups out there.

[SPM]

Originally Posted by Capeta

http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News...x?NewsId=19383
HQV?s true 1080i-to-1080p HD deinterlacing delivers the sharp HD images possible by employing per-pixel motion-adaptive algorithms and a sophisticated multidirectional diagonal filter that ensures video free of jaggies.

I am slightly confused. Why do you need this on a movie player if movies are stored as 1080p/24 on the HD-DVD disk in the first place?

[Capeta]

Originally Posted by SPM

I am slightly confused. Why do you need this on a movie player if movies are stored as 1080p/24 on the HD-DVD disk in the first place?

I think it's for upconverted SD material but I could be wrong. Anyway it looks like this HD DVD player's Silicon Optix video processor kicks major @ss. It beats a $5K video processor at upscaling DVDs.

[AlStrong]

Q: Any idea how the scaler in the X360 compares?

[archie4oz]

Not even in the same class... Although to be fair, they're intended for different source domains....

[MfA]

Done a blind test?

[AlStrong]

Originally Posted by archie4oz

Not even in the same class... Although to be fair, they're intended for different source domains....

Ah... ok. I was thinking mainly of comparing the DVD upscale quality with the 360. Is it that much better with the Toshiba scaler Are there pictures for this scaler that I'm missing?

[Blazkowicz]

why care about expensive, specialised scaling shit?
what does that scaler crap that a $300 media PC can't do?

[Capeta]

Originally Posted by Blazkowicz

why care about expensive, specialised scaling shit?
what does that scaler crap that a $300 media PC can't do?

Does a $300 media PC upscale DVDs to 1080p? I don't think CE companies are going to stop making DVD players, HD DVD players, floor standing speakers etc. because people are hooking up their $300 media PCs with their 5.1 Logitechs to their bigscreens.

[archie4oz]

Well at $300, you're PC is going either not have much CPU to do much with Dscaler, or it's going to have a POS motherboard and case that you don't want it anywhere near your TV. With SD content a good 3GHz+ P4 working it's ass off w/Dscaler will get in the ballpark of early gen DCDi implementations, although DCDi processors tend to be able to lock on to fast motion objects better. DCDi is so old news and passé. Now everybody is into Silicon Optix and Gennum processors...

[Ty]

Originally Posted by Blazkowicz

why care about expensive, specialised scaling shit?
what does that scaler crap that a $300 media PC can't do?

If you have a large collection of DVDs, it could make a nice difference even if the scaler in your HDTV is decent.

I'm not sure it's worth the $500 premium over the other Toshiba HD-DVD player though but as always YMMV.

Originally Posted by Capeta

Does a $300 media PC upscale DVDs to 1080p?

I thought you mentioned that 1080p is a red herring?