About eight years ago I owned DVDO iScan Pro, which made SD cable TV viewing on a 55” HD-ready RPTV bearable. I felt it was a terrific product and just right for its time. After spending some time with the Edge, that same feeling returned. The Edge fits like a glove with today’s home theaters or family rooms. It is a highly capable video hub for any system, that also provides top-of-the-line video processing, but is simple to integrate into any setup. It would be a welcome addition to just about any home theater.
You may read this review and think: “My projector has excellent video processing of its own. Why do I need the Edge?” Well, while my RS1 has very good Gennum VXP deinterlacing and scaling, it’s handling of SD sources is not up to the level of the Edge. Even deinterlacing of 1080i is noticeably improved. Unless your only source is from 1080p Blu-ray, I believe that any projector can benefit from the video processing of the Edge.
DVDO’s recent firmware upgrade (which can be applied by the end user via its USB service port) demonstrates the company’s commitment to supporting their customers by listening to their requests and implementing improvements where possible. This is laudable in a market that often is geared to purchase of next year’s model to obtain any improvements.
The user manual is clear and concise, easily followed by the novice. Some additional explanation of the Edge’s processing features would be welcome, but it would also adversely affect the simplicity of manual. For those who are interested, DVDO has an excellent explanation of these features, along with pictures that show the differences between normal video processing and their own.
While some may find the additional capabilities of the Iscan VP50 Pro more appealing, there’s no denying that the price-to-performance ratio of the Edge is unbeatable. I have to say I had a hard time sending it back.