Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Another new video gadget

This little devise goes in line between the source and display. HMDI 1.4. It is supposed to give both 2D and 3D video more pop, sharpness and contrast. Users over at AVS are pretty excited. I might just have to try it. I have not actually checked price, but believe they are about $250 http://darbeevision.com/order_contact

Wow. People really seem to like it. The consensus seems to be that the better the TV, projector, etc, the better this product is. Sort of like the idea that great speakers are limited by the source material or playback device, but if you can improve the source, then your speakers will sound even better.

I need to read more about this.

EDIT: Now I am reading that the biggest bang for the buck is with DVDs and HDTVs. Blu-Ray improvement is there, but isn't as noticeable

In their demos, they show "before" scenes that look very good and then the processor increases the contrast enough that details in both highlights and shadows disappear, giving results that are exagerated and do not look natural.
i could not examine the result of sharpening, but i know that it never produces higher resolution and finer details, but it does make images look unnatural, very artificial, a bit like what happens when a TV is in "torch" mode. (i've never seen tree leaves in nature that have super sharp details and edges).

TV's already have sharpness and brightness and contrast controls, but they should not be used to make an image look artificial, or overblown, but looking as natural as possible.
From what i've seen, this gadget seems to do very similar adjustments to an image.

The best thing one could do to improve the image on a TV/monitor would be to hire a real good pro calibrator.

An easy comparison would be to go to a cinema and watch a well produced movie and then go home and check the same movie on Blu-ray to see if it is of the same quality for parameters like:
brightness and contrast, sharpness, tint, color, details in highlights and shadows, and neutral grays when there are some.

If one looks out the window, all he sees looks "natural".
Images should also look natural when watching a good quality movie on Blu-ray.

Using this device means the TV/monitor will not be adjusted to Reference, but to Preference, and that is not in accordance with what the producers want you to see.
This amounts to distorting an artistic production, modifying it to your own taste.

I won't not discount this thing just yet. Read more about what it does, verse speculate. There are many folks at AVS (who over the years I've come to trust their judgment) like professional calibrators, who are liking what this little gadget does.

RE: J.B.
I am wondering that too. If it enhances sharpness and boosts color...

Still reading (took a lunch break) about it at AVS. One other thing that people describe is that is seems like it almost "removes a film" (film as in dull layer, not filmstrip) layer while doing the enhanced sharpness and color boost.

I guess I don't remember the last time that I thought that a movie had a "dullness" to it.

I also wonder how this compares to a proper screen calibration. Or if they are mutually exclusive and could benefit each other. For $275 you can get the plug in Darbee, for about $185 you can get a meter for your TV and projector and with some free software and one of the step by step walkthroughs, you can do a proper calibration of all of your TVs and projectors whenever you wanted to.

That is what I wonder. For a quick fix, the Darbee might be it, where those of us that like to solve the root issues with the display, the calibration and DIY aspect of it may be the best option.

Again, still reading and might hit someone's comments about calibration vs. Darbee, or display settings (contrast, color, etc) vs. Darbee...

Here is a post that has a guy (non-DIYer though) with a calibrated projector who claims a desirable improvement with the Darbee.

Mikey likes it...

Fantastic! Finally a Veil has been lifted from my TV too!

thanks for the heads up. I think I'll have to order one tomorrow.