Desray's Review on PixelMagic Plasma Enhancer

For those who have followed the forum discussion closely might have know that I am looking for a Video Processor for my next Home Theatre Gadget Upgrade. Incidentally, I was "invited" by Daniel of FastLogic to do a review on the Company's latest acqusition, a Plasma Enhancer by PixelMagic™. The word "Plasma Enhancer" makes me wonder since when FastLogic engaged herself in the Plasma business? For a moment there I was rather amused. Well, I was wrong! There's more than meets the eye in this "Plasma Enhancer". It not only improve the overall picture quality of the images on your Plasma TV or LCD TV. It also act as a TV Tuner as well. Video sources from DVD Players can also benefit from this device as it also shines in the de-interlacing department.

Powered by Genesis Microchip's Emmy award winning DCDi™ and TrueLife™ technology, this device can provide some really impressive de-interlaced processing and outstanding picture quality. In addition, the new Philips 5th Generation high quality Analog TV Tunder MK5™ which can also be found in Philips Pixel II Plus™ TV has been incorporated into this device as well. For those whom have seen Pixel Plus TV and awed by the vivid and crystal clear images produced from even a standard TV broadcast can expect the same out of this device too. :)

Below is an illustration which depicts the "involvement" of the Plasma Enhancer between the Input and Output sources in your home entertainment scene.

Rear View - DVI-D Output (Digital Connection) / VGA Output (Analog Connection), IR Transmitter for use conjunction with TV Commander™

Rear View - Audio Stereo Input (x1), Component Output (x1), Composite (x1), S-Video1 (x1) - AV1
Audio Stereo Input (x1), S-Video (x1) - AV2

The DVI-D cable will be connected from the Plasma Enhancer feeding directly to my Projector (in this case my Sharp XV-Z2000). Take note that there is only one DVI-D output. My set of Component cables (YPbPr) will be connected to the Plasma Enhancer from my DENON 3910 DVD Player. At the same time, I also plugged in a normal stereo cable (Red/White) from the Plasma Enhancer to the Amplifier (in this case my DENON AVC 11SR) onto the TV-IN Audio Input. Next we will plug in the TV Antenna to the Antenna Jack at the rear of the Plasma Enhancer to get free-to-air channel for reviewing purpose. The Antenna Jack of Plasma Enhancer uses the old female-type of connection. So you may require to purchase an additional adaptor to affix to the head of the commonly-available male-pin head. That's about all for the connection part!

One interesting thing to note on the output connectivity is the fact that Plasma Enhancer will take in either Digital (DVI-D) output or VGA Analog (RGB-DB15) output. And even the There are 3 sets of AV Inputs. AV1, AV2 and AV3. AV1 comprises of Component/S-Video/Composite with Stereo Audio input. AV2 has S-Video with Stereo Audio input. AV3 spotted with S-Video/Composite Video with Stereo Audio input.

It took me quite a while to figure out how to get an image up! Do not be mistaken that this device is hard to operate. On the contrary, its pretty simple and in fact rather intuitive as well. The reason I took quite a well (approx. 20 mins or so) to set it up is the fact that this device will output at a default resolution of 640 by 480! (that is the Analog path). As I am actually using DVI-D (Digital path), hence once you fired up the PE1000, there will be no image appearing on my Projector. So how do we "cycle" through the desired path and resolution then? Well fortunately for me, the Manual proved to be very helpful as well as the big VFD screen of PE1000 which will show up which part of the Menu I am at even without seeing the On-Screen Display.

After some careful fiddling of the rather handy button on the Master Remote Controller, I finally managed to get the correct resolution and path that I desired. Phew! Now on to the Menu setup... :)

PixelMagic is generous enough to provide end users with 2 Remote Controllers. A Master Controller which will feature a full-set of options available for more advanced setup and a smaller one, we referred to as "Spouse-Friendly" Remote. As the name implies, its meant for not-so techy family members to use the Remote Control features with more ease. They can be your 10 year old kid or your wife. ;D The Master Remote will need 2 'AAA' sized batteries (included in the package) and a solar-cell Lithium Battery for the Spouse-Friendly Remote. I preferred to use the Spouse-Friendly Remote for its weight. :) The buttons on both the Remote Controllers are very handy and featured some of the more prominent and widely-used commands on the PE1000.

To get into the setup mode, I will need to press on the <Menu> button on the Remote Controller. The Menu OSD will appear and can tell that there are 4 broad categories of option here. Listed in order of merit of importance if I might add.

Image Setup features a list of options in which I can use to calibrate or tweak the set to reach its optimum performance. In the (Image Setup), one can choose to set which set of Inputs will be used such as AV1, AV2 or AV3...whether or not to use Component, S-Video or even Composite Inputs. Among other list of options available in this (Image Setup) options, some of the more advanced options can also be found here. There are;

DE-INTERLACER (to use VIDEO/FILM mode - 30fps/24fps, 2:2 EVEN/ODD pull-down function)
OVERSCAN option to enlarge the image a little bit to "hide" any messy artifacts at the edges.
Y/C DELAY adjustments to correct any shift in color of the images.
OFF-AIR NOISE TERMINATOR to reduce and/or eliminate any video noise from TV broadcast.
TRUELIFE uses non-linear algorithms to enhance image details and colors tro improve depth perception by sharpening lareg edges without falling into the pitfalls of EE (i.e. Edge Enhancements).
NLS (aka Non-Linear Stretching) which very resembles certain software DVD Player like CyberLink PowerDVD and Intervideo WinDVD which features a "Smart-Stretch" function to house a 4:3 video materials to fit into a 16:9 screen size. I personally find that viewing 4:3 in its native format will still be the best as NLS function only "artificially" crop the 4:3 image and "stretch" in the middle portion of the image to minimize unsightly "flatten" effect which will be experienced by any 4:3 video materials feed into a 16:9 AR.
POSITIONING which will allow one to move the image up and down and proved to be particularly useful when watchinga 2:35:1 movie with subtitle displayed on an "invisible" area.

This is another important setup to ensure that the PE1000 will output at the correct resolution so that images will be produced as faithfully as possible. some of the most prominent format of resolution such as 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p, 1024 by 576 (PAL) and 1366 by 768 (HDTV-Ready signal for most Plasma and LCD TV here in Singapore) are among the list in which you can choose to ensure the best resolution you can get for your Output Displays.

The Aspect Ratio can be selected in this option. The usual (4:3, 16:9, Full-Screen mode, 16:9 LetterBox mode, and even 2:35:1) AR will be listed for selection.

This segment of the Setup will allow you to perform a <SEARCH CHANNELS> for all "free-to-air" channels. Pretty much like any other TV Tuner commercially available in the market. So I will not elaboate too much on this segment. One feature worth noting will be Philips MK5™ Tuner been deployed here.

This segment will contains some of the more advanced options for end users to make PE1000 a little more friendly. One can configure the Language shown on the Menu OSD, and assign Remote Control Learning Capabilities via the use of TV Commander™. In this segment, one can also choose to turn off the Neon-Blue color of the VFD after a specific period of time as opposed to the normal "All-Lit" which can be very distracting especially when watching TV broadcast or DVD video materials in a dark room.

The Tuner does its job decently well. And in less than 3 minutes time, all available "free-to-air channels" has been detected. Watched a few channels like Channel 5, Channel 8, Channel U and Channel News Asia for this review. I must say that DCDi™ De-interlacing and TrueLife™ does a wonderful job to make the overall picture quality more sharper and soothing to the eyes. I meddle with the TrueLife™ option which can be accessed via (Image Setup) for awhile and cycle among "NORMAL, DYNAMIC, SHARPER and COLOFUL" options for awhile and decided that "NORMAL" gives the most natural flesh tone and give the overall picture an "eye-soothing" effect. The next preferred mode will be "DYNAMIC". This mode introduces richness and vibrancy to the whole picture quality. The OFF-AIR-NOISE TERMINATOR™ does its job very well too by eliminating all if not most of the video noise which can be seen clearly if I choose to output the materials direct to my Projector using a normal Composite connection. The "Wow-Factor" clearly sparkled my eyes. But I wouldn't say it for those currently using the Philips Pixel II Plus TV.

Next I cycle through the Aspect ratio to see the effect on the 4:3 TV broadcast video materials and how well the PE1000 handles. My findings as follows;

For native 4:3 (Fig 1) - The picture quality produced is the BEST! As I have guessed it. The 'purest' form will always be the 'best' form even though it may not gives you a cinematic view of 16:9. Without additional background processing and unnecessary cropping of the picture, the picture quality is the best among the 4 AR options.

For 4:3 LetterBox (Fig 3) - This option elimintes the issue of a "bloated" image in which we will experience if we were to use 16:9 AR for viewing. However, it has its fair share of woes. The image although no longer "bloated" suffered serious Over-scanning issues here. The image became "bigger" and will somehow affect the overall viewing pleasure and also the Picture Quality as well. More artifacts will be introduced as the image has been "artificially" enlarged to a 16:9 AR and you will have guess it by now that the subtitles on a drama feature will be cropped. You can resolve this issue by using the POSITIONING option found in the (Image Setup) option to raise up the image up.

For Non-Linear Stretch aka NLS (Fig 4) - This option uses the least distortion and image cropping to give you the overall "look" of a 4:3 material "fitting" in dececntly into a 16:9 AR. If you have used software DVD Player like WinDVD and PowerDVD before...it does exactly the SAME THING here. That is by making the center portion of the image less "distorted".

Overall, I am quite happy about the picture quality of the video materials from the TV broadcast. The most significant improvement I can tell from PE1000 as having a very good De-Interlacing and image processing functions can be witnessed by watching the infamous "red-line" across the screen whereby News Flashes and Breaking News will be broadcasted...the unsightly "jagged-edges" which can be found if one uses the Composite connection no longer is an issue here. The outline of the "read-line" now appeared "smoother" although not the BEST! But I have to admit that its one of the closest to getting what we termed as "Picture Perfect"! for a normal SDTV signal quality. :D

This is the interesting part, PE1000's DCDi™ processing function not only does a wonderful de-interlacing function for the TV broadcast materials, it also can double-up as a Video Processor (De-Interlacer) for DVD materials as well. Before you can access the DVD Player. One must remember to switch off the TV mode so that you can see the Splash Screen (if any) of your DVD Player. Worked pretty much like a Philips DVD Recorder I owned.

Before I go on further, I will access the Setup menu of my DENON 3910 DVD player to disable the "Progressive" mode and switch to "Interlaced" mode first so that I will be sure that the De-Interlacing will be performed by PE1000 before it will be sent to the Projector.

I have used Spiderman DVD (Superbit Version) to test out some of the scenes in the movie. Without any calibration whatsoever, I have mixed feelings about the de-interlacing function of PE1000. First of all, the default setting on Component Input will have a strange figure of CONTRAST +20 and BRIGHNTNESS -6. There are many more advanced settings such as RGB Gain and RGB Offset and RGB Contrast, Brightness and Color Control for each Color Level...but I never play with it lest "messing" up with my original settings for my own DVD Player!!! Note that all other settings have a default value of '0'.

With the abovementioned settings as default, the overall picture quality suffered tremenduously! As you can see that PE1000's default value of +20 on CONTRAST level have "boosted" the color saturation by as much as 10 times!!! The overall image suffered an "auburn" effect and color way off! Immediately, I lowered the CONTRAST level to neutral value at '0' and the image is now better but still not the best as this unit certainly needs mmore "calibration" before it can truly perform at its best. So if you are expecting something like "out-of the-box-best-picture", this set is definitely going to disappoint you. Im my opinion, it will be prudent to do a proper calibration with AVIA or DVE Calibration Disc before even thinking of trying to watch a movie at all. Try to make the necessary adjustments on the Contrast and Color settings on PE1000's setup options and leave the Projector settings alone. Other than the Contrast and Color issues, the DCDi™ De-interlacing does quite a good job to the overall image. There are video artifiacts and the outlines of the buildings in the scene of Spiderman appeared sharper giving the overall picture a more 3-D like effect. The outlines are sharper but not at the expense of having Edge Enhancement artifacts which is definitely a plus point!

I have also meddle with the (Image Setup) options, particularly the TrueLife™ option on using the various modes like DYNAMIC, SHARP, COLORFUL etc...but it does not come up well at all. I have to turn off all processing modes on "OFF-AIR-NOISE-TERMINATOR™" function and TrueLife function to make the viewing more pleasing to the eyes. So my best bet will be when viewing DVD materials, both TrueLife™ and Noise Reducer processing best be disabled...and let the DCDi™ De-interlaceing function takes over...any extra image processing does not seem to "work" well with PE1000. :(

Well, due to my long DVI-D cable, it appeared that the 1080p signal cannot be "In-Sync" with my Sharp XV-Z2000 Projector.... :( I will try to T-loan a shorter DVI-D cable of say 8 metres in length to test out the image quality. I was told by Daniel that 1080p signal produced the best image quality. :)

DCDi™ does its De-interlacing function very well for both TV-broadcast materials and DVD playback
The use of Philips MK5™ TV Tuner does a wonderful job as well as has an SNR of less than 5db throughout the frequency range thereby reducing video artifacts
Able to upscale to 1080p for DVD viewing thereby improving the overall Picture Quality. In addition, the set also has some of the most prominent Resolution that will sure to fit in one of your Display Outputs (For e.g. 1366 by 768 for Plasma TV and LCD TV for HD-Ready Compliance)
Easy and Intuitive setups even without the Manual, one will not be 'lost' amidst the various setup options
Ergonomic Remote Controller with big handy buttons (although a Back-lit will be a plus point)
2 Remote Controllers provided. And the Master Remote can be programmed to accept other infra-based Remote signals from other sources such as your Starhub Remote Controller, DVD Player etc
Hardware connection and setup is extremely easy and with ease.

Too Pricey
No Digital Out (e.g. TOSLink or Coaxial for Audio Output) - only a normal Audio Stereo Jacks available.
The use of VGA (DB15) Output Connection for Analog output will mean the Projector must have a VGA Input to accept Analog signal. Most of the latest Projectors these days - especially HT 16:9 Projectors in particular does not come with a VGA Input anymore. Hence I think the inlcusion of VGA Output for Analog signal will be a redundant and rather 'obsolete' connectivity in this case. An additional DVI-D output terminal may prove to be more worthwhile.
TrueLife™ processing only works well with TV broadcast materials and not for DVD viewing.
Post-Calibration is in need to get the best out of this device. So bad news for those who do not like to fiddle with CONTRAST, COLOR, BRIGHTNESS and other RGB Settings and so on...
The connection terminals are not even gold-plated to avoid over-time oxidation

There are more to be desired from PE1000. Sadly this is not the case. At a listed price of nearly S$2,000. PE1000 is not a very affordable Video Processor/Tuner per se. If you already have a high-end DVD Player with in-built DCDi™ De-interlacing function incorporated in it. Chances are PE1000 De-interlacer may not give you that heighten "Wow" factor.

Nevertheless, for those with a normal DVD Player without any DCDi™ De-interlacing capability will benefit vastly from PE1000. All you need to do is to feed in your Interlaced signal to PE1000 and the latter will do the rest. Picture Quality will improve dramatically. And for those who liked to watch hours and hours TV broadcast may also consider to get PE1000 for the best in Picture Rendition particularly on your Plasma or LCD TV.

Yes, for those who liked to watch many hours of TV broadcast materials and for those with a normal DVD Player that does not come equipped with DCDi™ De-interlacing function recommended to get it. The former will benefit the most if you like what you see from Philips Pixel II Plus TV. PE1000 can deliver very close Picture Quality of that from Pixel II Plus. :)

And No, if you have high-end DVD Player like DENON 2900 and above or equivalent plus bulk of your time, you like to indulge yourself in DVD viewing. PE1000 may not be your cup of tea considering the hefty price tag you will have to pay for it!

Currently, FastLogic at Burlington Square is the sole distributor for PixelMagic™ products. The showroom also feature VP 2300 (Pioneer batch of Crystallio). For those who are interested to take a look at how the Plasma Enhancer can improve viewing pleasure. Drop by his Showroom or call to arrange for an 'No-Obligation" audition for the set. Person to contact is Daniel or Ng. MSRP for PE1000 is S$1,888.00.