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Author Topic: What scalers are you using?
John Wilson
Film God

Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999


 - posted 10-16-2012 08:43 PM      Profile for John Wilson   Email John Wilson   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
We have a Gefen Scaler for our alternate content and it produces pretty good results...most of the time.

Problem is, it's just not reliable. You can test a show and it all looks and sounds great until there are 500 people in the auditorium and it's showtime. Sometimes you open up and have just a blue screen and other times the image is there but it's alternating between green and blue pictures. This is the second one we've had and this one is no more reliable than the first.

So what is everyone else using and what do you recommend?

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Peter Castle
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 220
From: Wollongong University, NSW ,Australia
Registered: Oct 2003


 - posted 10-16-2012 08:50 PM      Profile for Peter Castle   Email Peter Castle   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
We use an Onkyo domestic receiver.
This allows us to switch between DVD, BluRay, STB and computer, scaling all to 1080. It also allows us to direct the appropriate audio into our CP500.

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Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"

Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002


 - posted 10-16-2012 09:15 PM      Profile for Manny Knowles   Email Manny Knowles   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
To the Barco projector (DP2K-32B) we are using a Barco ACS-2048.

We also have a Folsom (Barco) ImagePro HD.

Both are great.

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Bajsic Bojan
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 190
From: Ljubljana, Si, Eu
Registered: Aug 2008


 - posted 10-17-2012 01:38 AM      Profile for Bajsic Bojan   Email Bajsic Bojan   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
We use the Barco DCS 100

Its great. Still have trouble controling it through Doremi (anyone that can control their ACS unit, please tell me the command string you are using), but made a custom .net program to do the automation.

Other than an occasional freeze when i try to do 5 things at once, it is rock steady. Options are pretty much limitless, would like an extra HDSDI input on it tho (we feed 4 HDSDI sources to external Kramer HDSDI switcher).

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Jason Burden
Film Handler

Posts: 2
From: Wokingham Berkshire UK
Registered: Jun 2011


 - posted 10-23-2012 06:52 AM      Profile for Jason Burden   Email Jason Burden   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
The Gefen pro 2 Is a reliable and cost effect solution for the display of alternative content you can also use it to convert analog to digital , similar to the Dolby DMA 8. The blue and green screen issue could be a firmware problem or a potential cable issue ?

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 10-23-2012 07:55 AM      Profile for Scott Norwood   Author's Homepage   Email Scott Norwood   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I have worked with the Folsom Image Pro HD (the original ones are not HDCP compliant; the new ones might be), the Analog Way Pulse LE, the Gefen Cinema Scaler, and various Extron units (most recently, the ISS 408), and maybe some others.

The only one that I really did not like was the Gefen, which seems to be too limited for most uses. The Extron works fine, but only handles analog video and cannot scale the monitor output differently from the projector output. The Folsom (now Barco) and the Analog Way are fine.

For Blu-Ray (or anything else that uses HDMI) with D-cinema projectors, I have had the best luck running the signal directly into the projector's DVI input. Scalers and switchers all seem to have "issues" with HDCP, to the point where I basically don't trust them.

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Tony Bandiera Jr
Film God

Posts: 3067
From: Moreland Idaho
Registered: Apr 2004


 - posted 10-23-2012 11:13 AM      Profile for Tony Bandiera Jr   Email Tony Bandiera Jr   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Kraemer VP-437 (I think the new version is the VP-439).

Good price point (better than Barco for sure) and rock solid scaling of ALL inputs (does passthru for HDMI at 1080p), super simple RS-232 control interface and does all from Composite video up to HDMI and VGA.

All in a 1 rack unit chassis.

So John, shitcan the Gefen and get a Kraemer. You'll be glad you did. [Smile]

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Richard May
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1057
From: Floral Park, NY USA
Registered: Aug 2004


 - posted 10-23-2012 12:26 PM      Profile for Richard May   Email Richard May   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Kramer VP-437 by far is the best I've ever used. Nice options. Perfect picture. Never had any glitches.

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John Wilson
Film God

Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999


 - posted 10-23-2012 02:58 PM      Profile for John Wilson   Email John Wilson   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Many thanks to everyone for the responses. I'll take a look at the options you've suggested.

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Per Hauberg
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 883
From: Malling, Denmark
Registered: Jul 2000


 - posted 10-23-2012 06:39 PM      Profile for Per Hauberg   Author's Homepage   Email Per Hauberg   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Always trusting Kinoton, I of course use a Kinoton scaler (DMS 1). That little black box - in the sales brochure praised over the top as the way to the perfect alternative shows, seems to be the test of our relationship. From day one - one and a half year ago - it has never delivered as promised. I'm quite often running special shows from BluRay on a Philips BDP 9600 ( pain-in-the butt slow, but otherwise fine).
When connecting via HDMI, picture is perfect, but when starting a show, just five minutes after testing (OK) and pausing the player, all I get on the screen is oldfashioned black and white "TV-snow".
Connecting via VGA/DMI, I get pictures every time, but with a lack of picture quality (especialy contrast/glow)so bad, that I can't even use it for a free shorts program for children...
The techs have been trying again and again, and switched scalers (several models), and I have trown in three different BD players - It's all the same.
Lately, I have used a home-video model beamer Panasonic PT-AE 4000, which gives better results than the same BR player can deliver through the expensive Kinoton DCP.

The Kinoton, I should say, gives me great pleasure day after day, when running "the real thing" from dcp-drives. Really top !
But - remembering the text from the brochure - the "small stuff" should be perfect, too.

Any advise would be applaused greatly !

Per

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Hordur Valgardsson
Film Handler

Posts: 25
From: Reykjavik, Alfabakki, Iceland
Registered: Oct 2009


 - posted 11-14-2012 04:02 AM      Profile for Hordur Valgardsson   Author's Homepage   Email Hordur Valgardsson   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
i´ve been using
http://www.dvdo.com/EDGE.aspx (an older model that is not listed)

rock solid for 4 years.

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Ian Parfrey
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1049
From: Imbil Australia 26 deg 27' 42.66" S 152 deg 42' 23.40" E
Registered: Feb 2009


 - posted 11-14-2012 04:58 AM      Profile for Ian Parfrey   Email Ian Parfrey   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
John.
We have found this to be the most reliable and cross-format compatible scaler available.
Never had a glitch, no blue screens and faultless operation.

Nuthin' fishy about how good this thing is. Give this one a whirl.

 -

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