DVDo Edge:worth it?

[jokeDR]

I have just started looking at a DVDO edge processor. I don't quite understand all of it's benefits.

Is it much better than the upscaler in a mid range (800-1200$) AVR?

If I invest in one of these, should I still bother with a Blu Ray player, or just stick to my upconverting DVD player?

Does it do a good job of upconverting SD television? Does it do a good job of converting 4:3 to 16:9 aspect ratio?

I have not seen one live in person. I would welcome your thoughts.

[worth]

Personally, I wouldn't bother with an external scaler at this point, unless you watch a great deal of standard-def material.

I don't have a scaler, but I do have the Oppo dvd player with the DVDO scaling chip. It does an excellent job of upscaling, but it's nowehre near true HD quality.

With more and more HD programming becoming available all the time, I think you're better off investing in blu-ray and HD cable/satellite.

[Uber12]

I agree with worth. Invest in some real HD sources (Blu-ray, HD-PVR). Even really good upscaling is still clearly inferior to actual HD. Upscaling is like taking 1L of Pepsi and adding 1L of water to it so that it can fill your 2L bottle. It sort of seems like having 2L of Pepsi, and if that's the only way you drink it you might be happy enough with it, but it's not the real thing.

[jokeDR]

I do have an HDPVR. I am thinking of a new TV for my basement and am considering a plasma(haven't ruled out LCD).

I was thinking the DVDO Edge could be handy for keeping all programming in 16:9 to avoid "black bar" burn in if watching SD for extended periods. Then I am thinking if I spend the $800 on the Edge,why spend extra money on Blu Ray. Shouldn't it upconvert my DVD to near Blu ray quality?

I am wondering if anyone on here owns this or has tried it out.

Also, Wouldn't the Edge upconvert the 720p signal from the HDPVR to 1080p?

[worth]

Then I am thinking if I spend the $800 on the Edge,why spend extra money on Blu Ray. Shouldn't it upconvert my DVD to near Blu ray quality?

Not really. Again, I have the Oppo player that uses the same DVDO scaling chip as the Edge, and while it does an excellent job of upscaling regular DVD, it's not even close to blu-ray quality. Real HD content has five times the level of detail as standard def, and no amount of processing or image manipulation can make SD comparable to HD. Of course, that's a subjective assessment.

For less than $800, you can get a blu-ray player with excellent scaling capabilities to get the most out of your existing DVDs. Standard def tv signals still may not look very good, but there's only so much that can be done with them - garbage in, garbage out. And as more and more shows switch to HD, this will become less of an issue.

And there's no way to convert 4:3 material to 16:9, other than stretching or zooming or some combination of the two, none of which look very good.

[Uber12]

Originally Posted by jokeDR

Then I am thinking if I spend the $800 on the Edge,why spend extra money on Blu Ray. Shouldn't it upconvert my DVD to near Blu ray quality?

Also, Wouldn't the Edge upconvert the 720p signal from the HDPVR to 1080p?

Your TV (assuming it's 1080p) will also convert a 720p signal to 1080p and convert your DVDs to 1080p. Yes, it's true that the Edge would probably do a somewhat better job, but it's not a miracle worker. Instead of spending $800 on the Edge, I would suggest spending $200-$300 on a Blu-ray player and the rest on something like a Blu-ray movies, a new subwoofer, new receiver, or something like that. There are much better ways to increase your home viewing/listening experience than having a better upscaler.

Let me put it this way: do you want to spend money to make low-quality stuff look less bad, or would you rather spend money to make the great stuff look and sound even better so that you can get the most out of it?

[jokeDR]

Thanks for your replies. Have either of you seen or used the edge?

[Uber12]

No, I should have qualified that I have not actually seen the Edge. I know London Drugs used to sell them, though. If they still do, maybe they would demo one for you or let you buy one and return it if you're not happy.

[jumpy27]

You can also use your TV to stretch an SD picture so you don't have the black bars on the sides. You don't need the DVDO for that.

[jokeDR]

I'm aware of that. I somehow think the edge does a little more than stretch the image.

I was hoping someone on here would have one and be able to give a review.

I might have to find a store that has one on display and get a demo. thanks for your responses.

[Arthur Dent]

Originally Posted by jokeDR

I somehow think the edge does a little more than stretch the image.

You better hope it doesn't. The problem of converting SD to HD has some solutions that may partially satisfy some people under some circumstances (like small screen), but going from 4:3 to 16:9 ratio is absolutely impossible without ruining it for everybody. The "smarter" the solutions are, the worse it seems to get.
I haven't seen that DVDo converter either, but I fully agree with everyone else here about not wasting a cent on standard definition anymore.