Laserdisc Digital Audio mod

I opt for a DVD-ROM and do all of the processing with my computer and video card. I'm sure whatever they do in hardware I can surely outdo with software.

 

Pardon? I thought the XRGB-3 primary purpose was a de-interlacer and upscaler - I mean, that's why it's recommended for hooking up all those nasty old consoles that only output interlaced, even offering different methods of deinterlacing... or am *I* the crazy one?

 

Nope, it's meant to be used with older consoles - SNES, Genesis, N64, Saturn, PSX, etc. All of those consoles output in 240p, with a few exceptions. The XRGB-3 will accept a 480i signal, but it basically converts it into 240p. The XRGB-3 is not a deinterlacer - it's a linedoubler/scaler.

The upcoming XRGB-mini G2 Frame Meister/Flame Meister will probably have deinterlacing capabilities. On the other hand, it's not clear if it will handle 240p signals as well as the XRGB-3. We're still waiting for more details to be released.

The major draw of the XRGB-3 is that it's able to take a 240p RGB signal and reproduce it faithfully on an LCD. This is something few devices do well. Another major draw is its ability to produce scanlines.

 

This is all so offtopic but:

The primary purpose of XRGB units is to upscan, ie always output 480p+. Even linedoubling is technically "bob" deinterlacing with 480i material, though it looks horrible.

Laserdiscs store analog composite video, which can be interlaced or progressive, 525 lines, 625 lines, 725 lines even as long as it fits within the signal's bandwidth. Movies are generally 480/576i since vertical resolution is more important there than framerate.

When watching Laserdiscs today it's best to use the LD player's composite output since it's the signal at its cleanest, and connect that directly to a TV's composite input. Even if the player has S-video, it would be preferable to use any modern TV's comb filter over the player's.

If you have a 72/120/300Hz display it's especially important to not use an XRGB or other upscan device because that will ruin any chance of an inverse telecine, unless the device specifically has that capability.