The new DVDO iScan VP30 Video Processor

[big_marcelo]

Hi all,

Just received and installed the ABT102 and the IR lense at the same time. No sweat.

Only problem was that it took a 'hold menu and exit buttons and plug in power' reset for the unit to recognise the card.

Sad to say the only thing I've been able to watch so far is Ballamory with the kids. Have to admit that it looked significantly better. Playing with the odd/even deinterlacing options is a real eye opener.

Unfortunately, the new lense didn't make the discreet codes for the display profiles work from my Harmony remote. Has anyone else got these to work?

Cheers,

Chui

In the AVS forums in the US, Barry Gordon, I believe, actually desinged the codes to work on Hex based remote controls (like Harmony and Pronto) - extremely smart guy, used to be a Project Leader to high tech firm.... you can actually download the entire DVDO RC library codes from his home website - he posted the link on the AVS Iscan DVDO VP30 page.....

Here's the direct link to the file to download on Barry's home page - http://www.the-gordons.net/homepage/DownLo...p30_IRcodes.zip

Cheers,

Marcelo

PS: Did a site google search and found it here is the link to Barry's Home page- http://www.the-gordons.net/

Link to the AVS Forum regarding this discussion - Link to the DVDO VP30 discussion - page 130

barrygordon 05-11-06 09:37 AM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ursa, OT

I have developed my own software for both analysis of IR codes and their generation. I developed a notation, and then a fellow named John Fine and I collaborated on the notation for describing protocols. In essence the generation program will operate based upon a protocol in the text based protocol description, and a device description giving the values of key parameters for each remote code. I believe John developed Makehex or collaborated on it. This goes back many years.

I believe my web site, www.the-gordons.net, has an install package for the program. It is called GENIRDB It may not be up to date, but it is a working version. It also contains a device library for protocol and device files, which is probably old and does not contain the DVDO material. [NOTE: The site was updated today (5/10/06) with the latest executable and device library].

I do not release the analysis program that reverse engineers the protocols from the received IR data. It is not an algorithmic process but more of a heuristic that guides a sophisticated user who understands IR in recognizing or decoding the protocols from the patterns seen.

PS I am the Barry Gordon that developed the monographs on IR theory and coding as implemented by the Philips Pronto line of remotes and decoded/documented the CCF learned format. The paper is on the RemoteCentral site and has been downloaded over 75,000 times and translated into at least 3 languages I know of.

[martincollings]

Progress!

Well it would seem the total factory reset I did last night DID in fact do the trick for the picture quality. I am currently watching the Sydney Footy Show which is in HD and it looks SHARP!

Audio however still drops out every 5-10 seconds....

[AussieX3]

Progress!

Well it would seem the total factory reset I did last night DID in fact do the trick for the picture quality. I am currently watching the Sydney Footy Show which is in HD and it looks SHARP!

Audio however still drops out every 5-10 seconds....

Good to hear!!!!

so the audio drop out from your Toppy only via HDMI or for all of your sources?? it won't be the best solution but you should be able to perhaps use the opt/coax audio out from your toppy to VP30 or via your receiver rather than HDMI as a temp fix????

As I have mentioned before some people do get audio drop out issue from HDMI sources after upgrading to 1.07....

anyway....it is excellent to hear that one of your problems have progressed....

I am loading v1.07 to my VP30 right now this moment...partly nervous...

[martincollings]

Good to hear!!!!

so the audio drop out from your Toppy only via HDMI or for all of your sources??

Yes it is just the HDMI audio at this stage....

it won't be the best solution but you should be able to perhaps use the opt/coax audio out from your toppy to VP30 or via your receiver rather than HDMI as a temp fix????

Yeah that is the next step I guess....hopefully that will work!

[AussieX3]

Mine is successfully upgraded to 1.07. I see no changes in PQ. I have no audio drop out but then again I have no HDMI source to test out.

Firmware upgrade did not fix my previous issues with AUSID outputting to VP30 at 1080i (component connection) being not accepted. When I get the new card, I will see if the PQ becomes better than the direct connection to my Fuji which I have it on now.

[Chui2]

Hi Big Marcelo,

Thanks for the links. I'll see what happens.

Cheers,

Chui

[Gino]

Sounds like things are taking a turn for the better... just got the card today so will take the plunge tonight!

[c912039]

There is a write-up in the July edition of Home Theater magazine comparing the VP30, Key Digital's iSync Pro, and NEC's TheaterSync.

The VP30 gets a right caning!

From the looks of it, they tested it without the ABT102 card.

Installed my ABT102 card tonight, and ran a few tests thru it.

Im feeding progressive component, and interlaced SDI from the Pio 969 DVD player into the VP30.

I ran thru the demo DVD, and Im quite surprised that the Pio's deinterlacer passed a few of the tests.

However, it was clear that the ABT102 is a definate improvement.

I then tried an NTSC disk Ive had trouble with, both progresive component via the 969, and interlaced SDI via the SIl504 chip (pre ABT102). The disk is Cirque Du Soleil's Alegria. I had quite bad combing when playing this DVD prior to the ABT102 install.

I was very surprised at how the ABT102 really cleaned up this title.

Ive yet to give it a good run thru some PAL TV series DVDs

Regards

David

[DJD]

hi all, I posted this question over at AV forum with no help, I want to get the VP30 to go with my Panasonic PWD8. I've been reading this thread & am a little concerned about the problems some are having. Is it worth the outlay ?

[big_marcelo]

hi all, I posted this question over at AV forum with no help, I want to get the VP30 to go with my Panasonic PWD8. I've been reading this thread & am a little concerned about the problems some are having. Is it worth the outlay ?

The key problem left at this stage with the DVDO is audio via HDMI - you can bypass it by sending the audio directly to your amp, or via coaxial/toslink to the DVDO.

the VP30 would be great to do 1:1 on the pana (if commercial and at 60hz).

If you are getting the panny domestic, the vp20 (with the ABT102 board) should do most things you require.

in terms of the cost x benefit - this is really something only you can answer.... it won't perform miracles on a bad image, but will improve a so-so one, and a great one should look even better.....

don't expect miracles and don't expect it to be trouble-free .... but if this is a hobby you enjoy, and you don't mind 'working' with the product.... you might enjoy it... I certainly do ....

however, some members have mentioned that with panels which have great scaling, like fujitsu, nec, pioneer, the improvement is visible, but not 'dramatic'.... some would not consider it worth the money for the improvements, others would ......

[TP1]

hi all, I posted this question over at AV forum with no help, I want to get the VP30 to go with my Panasonic PWD8. I've been reading this thread & am a little concerned about the problems some are having. Is it worth the outlay ?

I think Big Marcello made a good point in that it depends how fussy you are and only you know that. I guess that makes all of US VP30 owners fussy about getting the very best out of our displays.

I knew it would bug me continually knowing the images could be better even if others in the family were wondering what the fuss was about. Having said that, Foxtel movies are pretty damn good on the 63" plasma display and all comment on it.

Even the HD TV is better through the VP30. Yesterday, I swapped it all back to do A-B comparisons and there was definitely better resolution and much less video noise through the VP 30 on HD signals. ON SD signals there is no comparison because the ABT 102 card kicks in (as with Foxtel). I leave the STB on auto output, and the VP-30 scales and deinterlaces, and cleans up as required- always better than the STB.

I didn't particularly worry about DVD - I use a theatre setup for most DVDs, but even playing my Pioneer Dv-989AVi through the VP 30 gave, quite frankly, mindblowing pictures. I set the output to interlaced (in direct digital mode) and the VP-30 produced rich, smooth pictures that looked HD.

One final point that can't be underestimated is the value of the VP30 as a video switch. I would hate to think what a dedicated switch only with the same inputs and outputs would cost; and the auto standby function with the input priority setting makes it easy to use.

Tasso

[DJD]

I've seen what the panel is capable of & just want to get the best out of my setup. I've done a bit of reading & I believe the VP30 with the ABT 102 card should be a little better than others (lumagen)with SD. I'll be using component rather than HDMI at the moment but beleive having the HDMI option is a plus.

[CliffofOz1503559525]

Got my ABT102 card installed on Saturday. Held off reporting back until I had time to watch a few shows to get a feel for it.

Initially I thought there was little improvement on DVD and Toppy but after watching the Toppy a bit more I feel it has definitely made an improvement - subtle at times, but enough to be noticeable.

Topfield:

- no more jaggies. This used to bug me with video based material. In particular around peoples or eyes and especially when they were wearing glasses.

- overall image seems sharper, though it does depend a lot on the material being viewed. Well lit material (where more detail can be seen) can really shine. There were some close up facial scenes during Absolute Power which looked amazingly like HD.

- scrolling titles are now totally readable and don't get scrambled.

DVD:

- only done a bit of sampling so far, but can't say that I'm noticing much of a change. Probably due to most DVD's being film based and the old SiI504 doing a good job on that material already

Toshiba J35

- currently outputing 720p from the J35, so ABT102 not coming into play. That said, it hasn't affected the picture adversely either.

- did get my first HDMI audio drop outs on Friday (after 1.07 firmware installed but before ABT102 card installed). Maybe had 6 or so dropouts over a two hour period. Some were quite short (could hear relays in amp clicking in response to signal issues) and the longer ones just involved loss of audio for a second or so. Since installing the ABT102 on Saturday, the problem has stopped. Note that I had no audio dropouts before installing 1.07 firmware (previously using 1.00).

Installation

- straightforward, though I found the risers a bit scary to push into place as I really had to put some pressure on to force them into place. I used some old business cards under the main circuitboard to give it some support when pressing down on it. Had the same problem when forcing the ABT102 onto one support - one went on fine, but the other refused to click through. Had to use fine right angle pliers to apply pressure around the mounting hole to force the riser through. A case of hold your breathe and hope you don't crack anything!

Is it worth having the ABT102? Not convinced on DVD yet, but if you want to get the best from your Toppy then I think it's a reasonable investment (if you can get it at the bulk buy price).

I'm a bit puzzled as to why I'm not getting blown away with DVDs after reading so many positive reports on it. Might be time to try a different DVD player (currently a Panasonic via component). The Oppo DV-970HD sounds like a good option but I'll sit tight until I hear some positive feedback...hint hint to Big Marcelo:)

Cheers,

Cliff

Ooops. Couldn't resist checking out the AVS forum on the new Oppo and just put my order in. Been looking for a year or more to update my DVD player this new Oppo seems the perfect fit (576i via HDMI into the VP30). I'll let you know how it turns out:) Hmmm...guess I'd better start tracking down a region hack for this thing ASAP!

[big_marcelo]

Great stuff Cliff -

As I don't have a panel I can use the VP30 at home yet (still!!!) - I have to do the test at the local hifi shop -

I tested the ABT102 only for a little bit - found the picture a little better on video, and definitely worth $199 ..... specially since we already spent a bit on the VP30 itself....

I probably won't have the chance to test the 970 until July - I'm off to NZ this week for a break .... but as soon as I have tested it, I'm sure to put my feedback here.... I have to say, when I tested a cheap DVD player, the image was the same/better then the denon 3910 direct to the panel.... big call ....

and video from a toshiba HD STB, outputting at 576i over HDMI, it was great..... even downsizing 1080i HD to 576i, provided stellar images via the DVDO.....

So, I can't wait to have a panel to hook it all up and spend countless sleepness nights playing with it all ....

right now the NEC 50" XM5 pro model is looking like a good choice for me, as it also accepts 1080p via DVI (BD/HD DVD) and does 1:1 768p@60hz ...

Cheers,

Marcelo

PS: Some Oppo tricks and region free code from AVS Forum -

DV-970HD SETTINGS:

Default settings are utilzed, for the most part. Some suggestions:

TV Display = Wide/SQZ (Will "pillarbox" 4:3 material with a slight penalty in 4:3 resolution)

Brightness = 0

Sharpness = OFF (will eliminate edge enhancement)

Color Space YCbCr 4:4:4

Gamma = OFF

The center positions of Brightness, Contrast, Hue and Saturation are an excellent starting point.

DIRECT PLAY:

To skip over the majority of warnings, promos, etc:

As soon as the DVD will allow:

Press Stop

Press Menu

"Direct Play" may appear briefly on the screen and the movie should begin.

CHECK FIRMWARE VERSION

Power on the player with no disc inserted.

Press "OSD" on remote.

Note the popup on the screen. The "Batch" notation will be the firmware level.

MAKE REGION FREE:

Press Setup on remote control to access the setup page

Enter 9210 on the remote

A secret menu will pop up

Select 0 to 6 in region code (0 is region free)

Press Setup on remote again to exit

[CliffofOz1503559525]

I tested the ABT102 only for a little bit - found the picture a little better on video, and definitely worth $199 ..... specially since we already spent a bit on the VP30 itself....

$199! How did you manage that price? Paid $295 as part of group buy. Also noticed at WickedDigital they have it as an option for $199...but I guess they can fiddle the price if they are asking $3500 the VP30 alone - ouch! Guess I can't complain too much given the great price we got the VP30 for

I probably won't have the chance to test the 970 until July

With the Oppo on back order till 3rd week in June, it could well be July before we see it.

I have to say, when I tested a cheap DVD player, the image was the same/better then the denon 3910 direct to the panel.... big call ....

This is where I've been puzzled. I have cheap DVD player, yet I can't say that I've seen any dramatic improvement in image quality - certainly nothing even close to HD. I'm convinced it must the my player - hence the switch to the Oppo.

and video from a toshiba HD STB, outputting at 576i over HDMI, it was great..... even downsizing 1080i HD to 576i, provided stellar images via the DVDO.....

Hadn't thought of trying 576i from the Toshie. It would be worth trying out to see if the VP30/ABT102 does a better job that taking upscaled content direct from the FTA stations.

right now the NEC 50" XM5 pro model is looking like a good choice for me

Saw a bunch of NEC screens on show at eHome. Must say that these screens really stood out from the pack - bright and sharp.

Bon voyage for your trip to NZ:)

Cheers,

Cliff

PS Thanks for those Oppo tips. Hadn't heard about the Direct Play - brilliant!

[big_marcelo]

$199! How did you manage that price? Paid $295 as part of group buy. Also noticed at WickedDigital they have it as an option for $199...but I guess they can fiddle the price if they are asking $3500 the VP30 alone - ouch! Guess I can't complain too much given the great price we got the VP30 for

US$199 - sorry!

With the Oppo on back order till 3rd week in June, it could well be July before we see it.

Got mine already ... ordered within 15 minutes of it displayed on the website.... at work ... can't bring home just yet....

This is where I've been puzzled. I have cheap DVD player, yet I can't say that I've seen any dramatic improvement in image quality - certainly nothing even close to HD. I'm convinced it must the my player - hence the switch to the Oppo.

I agree ... but a good disc also helps, like Gladiator, fifth element, etc....

Hadn't thought of trying 576i from the Toshie. It would be worth trying out to see if the VP30/ABT102 does a better job that taking upscaled content direct from the FTA stations.

Saw a bunch of NEC screens on show at eHome. Must say that these screens really stood out from the pack - bright and sharp.

the upscaling is specially true for channel 7, both 9 and 10 improved also .... but 576i out of 7 is the best..... They are nice .....

Bon voyage for your trip to NZ:)

Thanks Cliff!

Cheers,

Cliff

PS Thanks for those Oppo tips. Hadn't heard about the Direct Play - brilliant!

[Andrew Wong]

Only comment about the ABT102 after having had it for a few weeks now..

I see alot of really blocky frames especially for still images/computer graphics. It's the only downside to having a high quality SD image 95% of the time, and then having this happen on screen.

It's not entirely the fault of the ABT102 but it would be nice if something could be done about it. From what I've read it's caused by single field still frames or graphics which is created at the source.

Otherwise the ABT102 is like wiping your a$$ with silk !

I would like to do proper A-B testing between my NEC 50XR5 and the VP30 ABT102 but that would require another Topfield 5000 PVR here ( if anyone's interested, lend me your PVR for a day).

[CliffofOz1503559525]

With the Oppo on back order till 3rd week in June, it could well be July before we see it.

Got mine already ... ordered within 15 minutes of it displayed on the website.... at work ... can't bring home just yet....

I was about to start getting a little jealous that you had yours already, but I just received an email confirming my order has been shipped today - yippee! Just curious - did you have to pay any sort of duties on the import? I thought things should be okay below the $500 limit, but I wasn't sure if GST would still be payable?

This DVD player will hopefully be the last piece in the home theatre set up (for a few a months at least ) For years I've been hanging off getting Aaron out to calibrate things because I couldn't settle on a DVD player...at last the wait is almost over

Cliff

[AussieX3]

Look forward to reading your review when you get your new DVD player Cliff. I also need to take a path of either SDI modded Oppo 971 or 970 with 576i over HDMI...

JPP has reported many reasons to go with SDI modded 971. I wonder how good 970 is with VP30 over HDMI....

cheers

[big_marcelo]

I was about to start getting a little jealous that you had yours already, but I just received an email confirming my order has been shipped today - yippee! Just curious - did you have to pay any sort of duties on the import? I thought things should be okay below the $500 limit, but I wasn't sure if GST would still be payable?

This DVD player will hopefully be the last piece in the home theatre set up (for a few a months at least ) For years I've been hanging off getting Aaron out to calibrate things because I couldn't settle on a DVD player...at last the wait is almost over

Cliff

no duties at all .... straight through.... they use US Post, not couriers, so no problems there.... Double boxed also - nicely packaged.

Look forward to reading your review when you get your new DVD player Cliff. I also need to take a path of either SDI modded Oppo 971 or 970 with 576i over HDMI...

JPP has reported many reasons to go with SDI modded 971. I wonder how good 970 is with VP30 over HDMI....

cheers

I expect the SDI is better then the HDMI out - and if you have a non-HDCP display (like JPP), that's your best bet really ....

however, a 971 with SDI and getting an SDI card for the VP30 will set you back close to $1k .... I don't mind spending $250 aus on the 970 ... but $1k? I'd rather wait for HD DVD or Blue ray....

JPP already had the 971 & the VP30 with SDI ... so its a very different cost proposition for him .... in his shoes I'd have gone SDI instead of the 970 also ....

but if you have to buy the whole SDI 'kit' for the VP30 & DVD player + a new DVD player, that's when the 970 starts looking very appealing indeed!!

the question everyone wants to know the answer for is how much better is the SDI output is vs the 576i HDMI??

[norpus]

the question everyone wants to know the answer for is how much better is the SDI output is vs the 576i HDMI??

Yes, please

[AussieX3]

but if you have to buy the whole SDI 'kit' for the VP30 & DVD player + a new DVD player, that's when the 970 starts looking very appealing indeed!!

Hi Marcelo..

Yes I totally agree with you. I am still juggling because I have the SDI card for my VP30 already (haven't installed it) and thinking whether I shall use it or is it too much of money spent on SDI mod card + Oppo...

AND YES I LOVE TO KNOW HOW 576i OVER HDMI compares to SDI...

all the tech info provided by JPP certainly suggests and I firmly believe SDI is better than HDMI no doubt but by how far is the answer some of us are seeking I guess..if anyone can provide... perhaps when you and JPP get a chance to do a shootout would be fantastic..I am hoping...

Just installed ABT102 and have not had a chance to really see what it makes of it as my kids are watching Sponge Bob....

One thing I know though is that AUSID still looks the best when hooked directly into Fuji rather than via VP30 even with the ABT102 card...I don't know..may be if some people like to watch TV much more softer (film like) then I should say VP30 makes it softer but as far as the sharpness is concerned, direct connection could not be beaten. This is very apparent when you get the TV commercials with Terms and Conditions showing in very small letters.. via VP30 these are all kind of smudged whereas the direct connection shows like LCD monitors for PC...

[big_marcelo]

AND YES I LOVE TO KNOW HOW 576i OVER HDMI compares to SDI...

same here!

One thing I know though is that AUSID still looks the best when hooked directly into Fuji rather than via VP30 even with the ABT102 card...I don't know..may be if some people like to watch TV much more softer (film like) then I should say VP30 makes it softer but as far as the sharpness is concerned, direct connection could not be beaten. This is very apparent when you get the TV commercials with Terms and Conditions showing in very small letters.. via VP30 these are all kind of smudged whereas the direct connection shows like LCD monitors for PC...

Is that with 1080i or with SD? I would expect 1080i to look better directly to panel, unless you are using a passthrough mode - however with SD I would have expected the VP30 to do a better job....

[DJD]

OK VP30 guru's I've ordered my VP30 & 102 card & have been reading forum & manual to be ready for it's arrival. Now i'm going to feed panel (Panasonic PWD8 commercial panel) component out to VGA into panel. DVD is component in, I've got a Humax 8000 which I can feed into VP30 via scart to RGB or svideo ?. I'm still a little confused on how my panel will be best set up & if the above connections are correct ?

[Andrew Wong]

OK VP30 guru's I've ordered my VP30 & 102 card & have been reading forum & manual to be ready for it's arrival. Now i'm going to feed panel (Panasonic PWD8 commercial panel) component out to VGA into panel. DVD is component in, I've got a Humax 8000 which I can feed into VP30 via scart to RGB or svideo ?. I'm still a little confused on how my panel will be best set up & if the above connections are correct ?

Depending on spare cash available (is there ever any ?) you might consider the BNC RGBHV blade for the PWD8.. it should give you a slightly better image than the VGA port because the BNC cables from scaler will be properly terminated 75ohms at the PWD8. Otherwise a VGA breakout lead to BNC male with good quality BNC cables might be the go depending on the distance from scaler to panel.

Don't know about the Humax but the with Topfield, you put RGB + S into the VP30, so you have scart cable for RGB then you have a composite cable for video out from the STB -> component sync on the VP3

As far as output modes go, I think the PHD8 and PWD8 are going to be slightly different in terms of configuration of native rate due to different resolutions and clocking rates, but i'm pretty sure you're going to be setting up a couple of output profiles on the VP30. 1 for NR@60Hz and 1 for NR@ 50Hz.

Here's where trial and error is fun if nobody else has done it before you.. start with VESA timings and then adjust until as described in the VP30 manual.

Good luck, and don't expect to get it right in a weekend if you're doing it on your own for the first time.