DVDO iScan
Dear Gary: I read with great interest Shane Buettner’s review of the iScan Toshiba TW65X81 combo. I got a lot of valuable info from the review, but I was disappointed he didn’t cover an area I was really wondering about—that is, using the iScan with DSS/DirecTV. I ha e the TW65x81 and wondered how much the iScan improved the picture with DSS. Thanks in advance. I’d be lost without WSR.
Equipment Review Editor Shane Buettner Comments:
The reason that I did not make the iScan’s performance with DSS a focus of the review is that the quality of variable bitrate DSS/DirecTV is so variable it wouldn’t be fair to the manufacturer to judge their product under such conditions. I chose to focus instead on reference quality DVDs, which are a known quantity and therefore far more valuable as a review tool. That being said, I do have DSS/DirecTV and have been watching it through the iScan for a few months now. Virtually all of the improvements I noted using the iScan instead of the TW65x81’s doubler apply to DSS, although low bitrate channels still look soft, lack definition, and have pixelization problems that can’t be solved by a video processor. Garbage in, garbage out! Nevertheless, whenever there is motion with film-based material the iScan removes the artifacts associated with 3/2 pulldown and offers a noticeably improved picture over and above what the TW65x81 can offer on its own.
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