Hot off the press release pile..I highlighted what seems to be a line-doubler type technology. I wonder. Might be useful
VIA Announces the VT1625 HDTV Encoder for a Hi-Def Viewing Experience
Taipei, Taiwan, 23 July 2004 – VIA Technologies, Inc, today announced the VIA VT1625 HDTV Encoder, enabling multimedia connections to the latest display devices.
The VIA VT1625 Digital TV Encoder enables PC support to the latest HDTV displays, accepting a wide range of input data formats from graphics chips or MPEG decoders, and providing a high quality viewing experience across key global video standards up to 1080i HDTV. Enabling support for a wide range of input resolutions the VIA VT1625 HDTV Encoder integrates the advanced VIA ProScale(TM) multi-resolution scaler, and can perform non-interlace to interlace conversion to generate high quality flicker-free video signals.
About the VIA VT1625 HDTV Encoder
The VIA VT1625 Digital High Definition Television Encoder is designed to support any input resolution from 640×480 to 1024×768, including HDTV input formats 1280×720 or 1920×1080 in various RGB pixel data formats or YCrCb pixel data formats from graphic chips or MPEG decoders. Capable of performing non-interlace to interlace conversion for high-quality flicker-free video signals, the VIA VT1625 also integrates an advanced ASIC with the advanced VIA ProScale® Technology which can scale any input resolution to display in 720p or 1080i HDTV resolutions.Integrating six high quality 10-bit DACs, the VIA VT1625 TV encoder is capable of supporting the majority of worldwide video standards, including NTSC-M (North America, Taiwan), NTSC-J (Japan), PAL-B, D, G, H, I (Europe, Asia), PAL-M (Brazil), PAL-N (Uruguay, Paraguay) and PAL-Nc (Argentina). The VIA VT1625 HDTV Encoder can simultaneously output composite video, S-Video, component, RGB signals with interlace/non-interlace scan mode, or output an analog progressive scan signal in YPbPr or RGB format. SCART interfaces and D-Terminals are also supported. The video DACs can also be programmed to display secondary CRT monitor. In addition VIA also offers the VT1625M supporting Macrovision 7.1 anticopy video signals or the Macrovision 1.2 AGC copy protection with 525p and 625p progressive scan output.)
I just found out you had a blog and my reaction was, “WHAT THE?” 🙂
Anyhow, John, that’s what Silicon Spin needed all along. To be in high def. 🙂
Now, when are you getting one of these? 🙂
Until HDTV becomes plug-and-play, for both TV and PC, consumer uptake will drag. I don’t like having a digital receiver box between my cable or antenna outlet and my TV remote. Not to mention the home theater surround mess. Lose a setup manual and you’re in for it when home improvement gets in the way. Might as well buy a new audio receiver and RTFM. I still watch techtv on my PC DVR (I miss silicon-spin, btw), and HDTV would make full screen playback more tolerable. However, that kind of programing is OK in a 320×240 window. I think the PC DVR software already does line doubling for full screen 520p on my 1280×1024 screen. It looks terrible from arms length away. I love HDTV on the big screen with my feet elevated; . . . too little HDTV programming is the bad side.