Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Would you buy an Edge?

So would you? I imagine my Samsung 1400, PS3, and XA2 wouldn't benefit too much. But the cable box (SA 8300HD DVR) probably would benefit. But it is $700-$800. I know some of you have other Anchor Bay products and was wondering if you ever regretted it.

What's an Edge?

how big is your display, and how far are you sitting from it?

I have had a VP50 for a little while and I can say that it is by far the best investment I could have made to keep my large DVD collection looking great. It took me a little while to set everything up and tweak it (the VP50 is ridiculously customizable) but the result is fantastic. I used to think my "upconverting" DVD player did a nice job but I was really blown away with what this thing can do and I'm not just spouting the usual "I spent a lot of money so I need to rationalize to myself that it was worth it" either. I've done informal A/B comparisons with movies I have on DVD and Blu-ray, and while you can tell the difference (mostly with color depth), the DVD's look almost as good as the Blu-ray in most cases. I was also blown away with how the VP50 handles film grain. My previous player just thought it was noise and softened it...a lot. The VP50 actually preserves the grain and it looks fantastic. Shows on DVD like Battlestar Galactica and Band of Brothers, shot with a lot of grain, look so film-like, it's crazy.

The Edge seems like a great product for DVDO. It has most of the features of the VP50pro for a fraction of the cost and the Edge has some features my VP50 doesn't even have. If you've invested money like I have in DVD's, it makes sense to spend another $800 on this product. Hope this helps.

I use the VP50pro. I had a VP50 and participated in DVDO’s upgrade program. They usually allow current users to upgrade by giving them generous credit for their existing equipment towards the new model. This is both good and evil as far as I’m concerned. Good for folks who like to stay on the bleeding edge, evil for those who shouldn’t be spending that kind of money on new gadgets…..IE: ME

I will parrot what JP said, and that the VP’s do an incredible job with 480i, either DVD or Cable/Sat. (disclaimer: some cable / sat feed simply can not be improved upon) They also do equally well with 1080i. For BR / HD at 1080P/24, they can also improve upon by doubling frame rates, making the image a bit smoother. Are they worth $3500???? Hell no they aren’t. At least not to me. If they allowed complete color and gamma calibration, then I’d be more inclined to say they were worth the cost.

So now DVDO is offering a new product (Edge) at a fraction of the price of the VP series. On paper, it looks as if it is worth every penny. However, only time will tell how well it performs. It took DVDO a year to get all the bugs out of the VP50 and I have been waiting for almost a year for them to correct all the bugs that the VP50pro has. I would wait a few months and keep a close eye on the Edge user forum thread after the beta testing is complete. Just wait and see if the Edge comes with bugs that draw blood or not. If it works as advertised, then it gets my vote. I reserve my judgment till then.......

Thanks everyone. I didn't consider the possibility that VPs would have bugs. Not sure why I thought that when *EVERY* piece of new HT gear I own seems to have buggy FW, code, etc! Sad state of affairs!

I will take your advice and monitor the AVS thread and sit tight for a few months. Hell, maybe I should put the money to YADIDN - yet another device I don't need - like the A1400!

Oh, I'm about 18' from a 67" RP TV (HL-T6756)

18' from a 67" TV???? And you can see it?? Don't waste your money........ Put it towards something that will make your bride happy.

Is that too small of a TV?

From 18' away it is. You need a projector for a 108" TV.

Not too small if you don’t think it is. – I feel a bit odd saying that to a man…..

At your seating distance to that size display, any PQ improvements that the Edge may provide will not be noticeable.

I not going near that first sentence!

Thanks for the informed opinions. I'll sit tight for a bit and wait for Christmas time to make a decision!

No. Not in the market for a crossover.

http://www.fordvehicles.com/crossovers/edge/

Got one as a rental. It wasn't as bad as I expected it to be.

People are commenting about display size, and while it is an important factor in whether or not you need a separate scaling solution, I feel I have to mention something. I only have a 56" display and I sit about 13-14 feet away. So some may say a video processor wasn't really that important to my setup based on display size. However, as I'm sure any person who has watched a Blu-ray disc can attest to, as soon as you see 1080p source material on Blu or HD-DVD, regular DVD just doesn't seem great anymore. It's sad, but true.

This is one of the areas that I think a video processor is pretty important. It eliminates that painful "my eyes!" transition from watching HD formats to a SD DVD. I enjoy my DVD collection even more because my video processor closes the gap between SD and HD. I will say this again, an expenditure (say, $800 for the Edge) that breathes new life into the investment I've made in DVD's is well worth it, regardless of whether my display is 56" or 100"+.

A video processor also helps for future-proofing if you plan on getting a projector and 100"+ screen in the future (like me). Then you'll definitely want the video processor for SD material.

jp_stargazer,

Why not just get a good dvd upconverter to breathe new life into your dvd collection? The new Oppo 983 is only about $400 and region free (and converts pal to ntsc). I only watch a few broadcast tv shows and they are in high-def so the Oppo seems to be a better buy than the $800 edge. Everything else I watch is either Blu-ray or DVD. But, if you have cable or satellite to run through there too then it is probably worth it.

- Nick

I agree completely. If you will only use a scaling solution for SD DVD, the Oppo 983 is the better option as it implements DVDO's VRS technology (I'm pretty sure the chip is the same as the VP50 but the Edge has the newer chip) for $400 less than the Edge. I've never actually used a 983 personally, but I count my ownership of a VP50 as an equivalent experience of the deinterlacing/scaling. So I'd venture to say that with SD DVD, you'd be equally pleased with either a 983 or an Edge.