Philips DVDR985 Recorder as a good external line doubler? (1 Viewer)

[Tim Sly]

Has anyone used the Philips as a line doubler for external sources? Could you run your satelite through the S-video and have it come out the progressive output in good quality?

I have the Toshiba 56x81 RPTV and it has a poor line doubler so DISH programming especially NFL football doesn't look the best. I wondered if this unit would improve that as a nice bonus?

Also, how do you owners like its progressive output for DVD movies?

 

[Tim Sly]

Come on, none of you owners out there can answer this question that has never been answered? Aren't you proud of your units??

 

[Gregory Scott Bass]

I dont know but I am interested too....I have been eyeing the 985 for a few weeks now and was just seeing if any new models came out for christmas before I made the plunge. Ron , are you still happy with your 985? The only feature that is lacking is dvd-audio....I was hoping a new model would come out that included this

 

[Tim Sly]

Wish someone would shed some light please.

 

[James Zee]

well i dont know what i line doubbler is and i dont use the prog scan but ive had the unit now for months and its good

 

[ManojM]

Since no one else is answering, I will pass on what I know. Yes, you can input S-Video and then output through the progressive out effectively using the 985 as a line doubler. This is how you would set up the player to record from your cable or satellite box. By using the monitor button, you bring up the signal from the internal tuner, and by selecting the external S-video link, you bring up the live picture from that. I had my review player hooked up mainly through the component inputs with progressive out, so what you are proposing was my normal usage. The same thing occurs while using a Replay PVR's component outputs, but that does not have the Faroudja chip.

As for its merits as a DVD player, the 985 has very good picture quality, and one of my friends uses it as his only player.

 

[Tim Sly]

Thank you for the reply!!! I've waited long and hard.
Looks like you have to boot up the recorder and select a few buttons in order to use it as a line doubler.
It probably would be better than my TV's line doubler. Maybe it will improve NFL on DISH??

 

[johnCC]

Sorry ... Just saw these posts. Been using a DVDR985 since they were first released. Take input from your source, SVHS or component (component is "better"), put a blank disc in the 985 (works "better"), set recording quality to HQ (1 hour), press monitor switch, press manual audio button on the front, and the 985 outputs progressive scan. Good as a line doubler? Depends. I use a iScan line doubler for regular TIVO, Laserdisc, etc. and subjectively the picture from the DVDR985 is "better". It does mean, however, that the DVDR must be powered on for the pass through to occur.

 

[Phil Tomaskovic]

Isn't this unit relatively new? I just saw a review in the Sept02, Sound & Vision. How does the EP recording mode (this gives the longest record time, I think?) compare to recording cable on a VHS vcr?

If you recorded multiple programs on a dvd-rw, do you have random access and delete capability? Ie, I can delete the second program recorded, and the space is available for the reuse like a a hard drive?

Thanks

 

[Tim Sly]

JohnCC,
Thanks for the reply. Sounds like it might improve my DSS quality as a line doubler, at least better than the doubler that is in my Toshiba RPTV.

What do you mean it works better with a blank disc in it?