In the last issue, we previewed a prototype of the DVDO
iScan Plus line doubler, a breakthrough product at $699. Its
price and key feature, inverse-telecine processing, threatens
to restructure the line-doubler market. Inverse-telecine is a
process that can convert interlaced video from film sources to
progressive video without creating deinterlacing artifacts.
Until recently it has been protected by patents making it avail-
able only on line-doublers and video upconverters more than
10 times the price of the iScan Plus. (The inverse-telecine
process is explained fully in Issue 24.)
I have now received a standard production iScan Plus and
can update our earlier evaluation. The inverse-telecine pro-
cessing continues to work as flawlessly as before to deinter-
lace DVD and laserdisc movies, as well as anything shot on
film for broadcast TV. Deinterlacing material shot with video
cameras, where the inverse-telecine process no longer
applies, continues to be rather mediocre. That is actually a
much more difficult technical challenge, so I didn’t expect
anything better for this price.
The complete iScan Plus feature set is implemented on
the production unit, which includes one composite and two
S - Video inputs, but no component video inputs. It is disap-
pointing to give up the higher chroma bandwidth that com-
ponent video inputs would have provided for DVD. Yo u
also don’t get the conventional video picture adjustments
for contrast, brightness, color, tint, and
sharpness. The black level of the produc-
tion iScan Plus was set too low, but this can be compensat-
ed with the projector’s brightness control. I believe the
absence of a color control will be the feature missed the
most. There is very little control over color levels on cable
TV and digital satellite broadcasts, and chroma levels on
laserdiscs and DVDs are sometimes variable, reflecting the
judgement and taste of the telecine colorist.
The performance of the YPbPr and RGB outputs were
essentially the same when connected to a Sony VPH-G90U
front projector. I also didn’t see any of the earlier VCR
Macrovision problems using my Sony SLV-R5 S-VHS deck.
My primary concern with the prototype’s performance was
a significantly softer picture than its more expensive competi-
tion. Here DVDO may have overreacted. The production ver-
s i o n ’s picture appears much sharper, but that has been
achieved by excessively peaking the horizontal frequency
response in the 2.5-3 MHz region. This creates edge-outlining
artifacts, a ghostly white halo adjacent to dark vertical edges
that can most easily be seen against light backgrounds. It isn’t
as bad as the severe edge-enhancement that I have been com-
plaining about on some DVDs, but it is more than I wish to see.
The NTSC decoder in this product has a wide range of hori-
zontal bandwidth settings, so it would be a benefit if DVDO
turned this peaking back down, or somehow provided user
control. A slightly softer picture is preferable to edge-outlin-
ing. Otherwise, the iScan Plus would be the
line-doubler deal of the century.
players mentioned have a similar flat-frequency response to 4
MHz with a rapid fall-off at 5 MHz (seen as a weak image in
the 5 MHz band on a multiburst test pattern, e.g., on the
Video
Essentials
laserdisc). There is a strange moiré or rainbow
color in the 5 MHz burst on the DVL-91 that I haven’t seen
before. I couldn’t find any examples of this in real-world
images from laserdisc playback, possibly because few
laserdiscs have any content at this frequency.
The DVL-91, like the Theta Voyager, has its weakest per-
formance in chroma noise. On color bars or full-frame color
displays, the noise is best described as “worms” in the image.
This is most prominent in blue and cyan, but is also present in
red, magenta, green, and yellow. The noise can be significant-
ly reduced by turning the variable digital noise reduction (V-
DNR) to max, but is still visible, even with that setting. Fortu-
nately this chroma noise does not often intrude
on laserdisc playback. I noticed it most on older,
noisy laserdiscs. Their inherent noise, added to
that of the DVL-91, created a noisier image than
from the CLD-97/99. The DVL-91 also has an
exaggerated chroma delay: See the
Video Essen -
tials
test pattern with two red bars on a yellow background.
There is smear of the red bar to the right, into the yellow
background, and it includes an irregular pattern of red dots.
The awkward controls, which I mentioned above for DVD,
also apply for laserdisc. Pioneer’s earlier CLD-97 and CLD-99
had better controls for still step than does the DVL-91, and
their jog/shuttle controls worked better.
Summary
The video performance of the Pioneer DVL-91 is essentially
equivalent to that of the Theta Voyager. It is particularly
impressive as a DVD player, but like the Voyager, doesn’t
equal previous generation state-of-the-art laserdisc players.
However, for $1,800, you get a combination LD and DVD play-
er, which is not a bad deal, especially if you have a collection
of laserdiscs and need a new LD player. There is also the con-
venience of having just one set of hook-ups and one remote
control for all your home-theater optical disc needs. Of
course, as with any stand-alone DVD or LD player, you also
get a CD player in the bargain.
Further Thoughts:
DVDO iScan Plus Line Doubler
PIONEER ELITE DVL-91
Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc.
2265 East 220th St
Long Beach, California 90810
Phone: 1-800-Pioneer
www.pioneerelectronics.com
Source: Manufacturer Loan
Price: $1,800
M a n u f a c t u r e r I n f o r m a t i o n
G R E G R O G E R S
