ADS Tech HDTV UpConverter FAQ

ADS Tech HDTV UpConverter II Frequently Asked Questions

What is the HDTV UpConverter II designed to do?
The main purpose of the UpConverter II is to re-format video signals to HDTV resolutions and process the video to present the best quality from the source material as possible. The HDTV UpConverter II Up Converts video signals to match the High Resolutions your HDTV was designed to display. The HDTV UpConverter II utilizes an advanced video processing engine with CinemaView™ scan conversion technology to enhance video quality for today’s HDTV compatible displays.

Another primary function of the UpConverter II is to act as an audio/video switcher. You can connect up to nine (9) audio/video sources allowing you to connect all the video sources in your home to a single device and easily switch from one video source to another. A single HD Component Cable (Y Pr Pb) connects to your TV. The UpConverter II even includes an analog cable ready TV tuner so you can add TV tuning capabilities to plasma, LCD and projectors that don’t include a TV tuner.

Does the UpConverter II turn my video signals into HDTV?
The HDTV UpConverter II accepts video signals and up scales the signal to HDTV Resolutions such as 720p or 1080i that HDTV’s were designed to display. The UpConverter II actually adds as many as six times more pixels to normal video signals without adding artifacts. This is not the same as displaying HDTV originated content. Only content that was created with HDTV cameras at HDTV resolutions is true HDTV. The HDTV UpConverter II enhances the resolution and image quality of a variety of video sources and formats the video and aspect ratio (16:9 vs 4:3) to match the capabilities of your HDTV display to provide clear, sharp images on your HDTV.

What type of video device can I connect to the HDTV UpConverter II?
The HDTV UpConverter II accepts video signals from video sources such as your VCR, DVD Player, Game Console, Camcorder, Cable TV, Digital Cable, Satellite TV, HDTV via Satellite, HDTV via Digital Cable and HDTV signals via a terrestrial HDTV tuner device…and so on.

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Does the HDTV UpConverter II replace the need for an HDTV Receiver?
No, the HDTV UpConverter II can be used with or without an HD receiver and is not intended to replace or remove the need for HD reception. The fact is even if everyone had an HDTV receiver with their HDTV you still have many video sources in your home such as your DVD player or game console that deliver less than HD resolutions. The HDTV UpConverter II is used to enhance the home theatre experience for all of your video sources including HD reception. Some HD reception is broadcast at lower resolutions or resolutions that do not match your display device. You can use the HDTV UpConverter II to either Up Convert or Down Convert to the resolution you prefer.

How many video inputs and outputs does the UpConverter II have?
The HDTV UpConverter II has:
- 3 RCA Video inputs
- 3 S-Video inputs
- 3 Component video inputs (480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i)
- 1 Cable Ready TV tuner (analog)
- 1 HD Component Video output

How many devices can I connect at one time?
You can connect up to nine (9) video devices, plus a Cable TV signal to the UpConverter II by connecting to all of the video inputs listed above. You can then easily switch from one input source to another from the front panel or from the remote control.

What does the HDTV UpConverter II do to the video to improve quality?
The HDTV UpConverter II utilizes a powerful advanced video processor and CinemaView™ Scan Conversion technology that examines each field of video and applies several processes depending upon what is detected in the video. Some of these processes are:
- Up Conversion or Down Conversion
- Noise Reduction Filters
- Sharpening Filters
- De-Interlacing
- Motion Adaptive De-Interlacing
- Diagonal Interpolation
- Format Conversion (Pillar Box, Expand, Panoramic, Pan and Scan)
- Inverse 3:2 and 2:2 pull down

Should I use the Progressive Scan setting on my DVD player to achieve the best quality?
If the UpConverter detects a progressive scan signal it cannot utilize it's CinemaView enhancement engine to process the video. You will basically see only a resolution scaled image of the output from your DVD player.   We recommend turning off the progressive setting on your DVD player so you may use the advanced Motion Adaptive De-Interlacing, noise reduction and sharpening filters on the video.

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What is the resolution of regular TV broadcasts or video sources?
Short Answer: If we equate the visible resolution (viewable area) for SDTV to a pixel per inch measurement that we commonly use to describe HDTV and computer monitors, SDTV is equal to 720 x 480 interlaced lines or simply 480i.
Long Answer: Standard Definition TV (SDTV) also known as NTSC (National Television Standards Committee) is the type of TV and video we have been watching since the 1950’s. All of your non-HDTV video sources (camcorder, VCR, DVD player, etc.) are NTSC SDTV video sources. SDTV provides a signal that is made up of horizontal lines and not pixels per inch like a computer monitor. For NTSC there are 525 horizontal lines drawn across and down the TV screen that make up each second of video. Half of these 525 lines or 262 ½ lines are drawn across and down the TV screen in the first ½ second of a video frame and another 262 ½ lines are drawn across and down the TV screen in the second ½ second in alternating lines. This process is called Interlacing. In the last century Interlacing of the video was needed to broadcast a proper TV signal and reduce flicker. Of the 525 scan lines only 483 are visible(viewable area), this is because some are used for other purposes and also to ensure you don’t have a black border at the top and bottom of your TV screen. All SDTV’s are designed to receive and present Interlaced video at a certain frequency. The problem with Interlaced Video is that often times you can see the horizontal lines and when there is lots of movement in an image you can see the lines become jagged.

So some of the basic problems with SDTV are:
- Low Resolution (720 x 480)
- Interlaced image (525 interlaced scan lines)
- Image Ghosting and chroma dot crawl

Why is High Definition TV (HDTV) better than SDTV?
Most High Definition resolutions are presented in progressive format. This means that the video is not interlaced but instead the entire image is drawn on the screen at the same time instead of alternating horizontal lines. Computer screens are an example of progressive displays and this is why many of the HDTV resolutions sound like computer display resolutions. The progressive display as well as higher resolutions such as 1280 x 720p present much finer detail and clean crisp images without the motion artifacts created by interlacing. When analog video is UpConverted to HDTV resolutions it is important to have advanced motion adaptive de-interlacing and film mode processing like you’ll find in the HDTV UpConverter II. HDTV content is also digital video instead of analog. The video is transmitted digitally in the MPEG-2 format, the same video compression format as DVD’s. HDTV MPEG-2 however is generally broadcast at data bit rates of up to 19 Mb/sec. (megabits) compared to the maximum of 9.8 Mb/sec. of a DVD disk. This results in higher quality images with fewer compression artifacts.

Can the UpConverter II accept HDTV input?
Yes, the UpConverter II can accept HDTV inputs from Satellite, Cable and over-the-air HDTV receivers in HD resolutions such as 720p and 1080i.

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Does the UpConverter II do 1080i pass-through of 1080i broadcasts (from my digital HDTV set top cable box for example)?
Yes, the HDTV UpConverter II accepts a 1080i input and can display the 1080i signal in full resolution. In addition, the 1080i signal can be down converted to a different resolution such as 720p and other supported output resolutions.

What resolutions are supported by the HDTV UpConverter II?
Video Resolution Input: 480i, 480p, 720p and 1080i
Video Resolution Output: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i are selectable from the remote control and front panel button and additional supported resolutions are: 852 x 480p, 1024 x 768p, 1280 x 768p, 1366 x 768p and 1920 X 540p, which are selected from the on-screen menu.

Why does the UpConverter II support so many video resolutions?
Today there are many types of HDTV capable display devices; Plasma displays, LCD displays, LCos, LCD and DLP projectors. Many of these display devices are called “Fixed Pixel” displays and are designed to a specific pixel resolution. If the HDTV UpConverter II can provide the “Native Resolution” of the display device it will result in the optimal image quality.

What are the audio capabilities of the UpConverter II?
We have added audio input and output jacks to aid users in switching audio along with video sources. Use of the audio jacks is purely optional by the user. We provide non-destructive audio switching and pass-through for 2 channel stereo audio. If you have an AV Receiver with audio/video switching capabilities and advanced Dolby 5.1 or DTS decoding, we recommend you do your switching in the AV receiver, use only the video input on the UpConverter II and place the HDTV UpConverter II between your AV receiver and the TV.

For those users that do not have sophisticated sound systems or an AV Receiver you can connect the audio and video sources to the UpConverter II so that when you switch from one video source to another the audio follows along.

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