It's well documented that the lack of High-Definition (HD) doesn't affect the majority of Wii gamers, however there is a significant minority who eagerly await Nintendo's step up in the HD realm. VDigi have identified this specific Wii gamer and offer them a stop-gap solution in the form of a Wii up-scaler processor available for around $59.
Video up-scalers have been around for a number of years, attempting to solve the problem of the video source resolution (e.g. DVD, 480p) being vastly inferior to modern large screen resolutions such as 1080p.
It works as a signal converter by physically resizing the source video frame before sending it out as a new digital signal. Anyone who's ever enlarged a JPEG image will know that this process isn't particularly successful, therefore the up-scaler also processes the frame with a number of clever filters that try to "clean up" the image.
The process has been relatively successful for DVD players and films because of the smoother characteristics of the frames. Games are quite different, having more harsh edges with multiple icons and text on-screen. We expect that VDigi have attempted to tweak these filters to suit games better.
The device offers HDMI output for TV screens which can also be adapted to DVI using a simple converter. For HDMI it offers the 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p signals and for DVI supports 1280x1024, 1440x900 and 1680x1050. As you might expect the video processor needs power, but cleverly this is handled by a USB connector that connects to the back of your Wii to draw power.
The HDMI signal will carry audio as you might expect, however the device also has a 3.5mm analogue audio jack for those using DVI or other setups.
Along with the resolution options the device also offers two "Display Modes" and two "Colour Modes" which appear to slightly tweak the white balance and colour saturation respectively. All of these options are controlled by a crude, but effective, old school-looking DIP switch on the bottom of the device.
VDigi were kind enough to let us have a test drive with one of the units, and we've tried it on a number of different TV screens and monitors.
We've tested the device using a 42" Hitachi Plasma screen (HDMI->DVI), a 32" Sony Brava LCD (HDMI), 22" Samsung LCD/TFT (DVI), 17" LG LCD/TFT (DVI) and couple other LCD monitors.
To summarise we had mixed but positive results, with the device working on all but one of our test screens. We found that simply selecting the maximum resolution doesn't automatically give you the best results, with nearly all of the screens requiring some manual tweaking of colour, hue, sharpness and more to get the best results out of the device.
The up-scaled image was arguably clearer when compared to 480p/component, however in some cases (42" Hitachi Plasma) there was little visible improvement. Simply put, results may vary.
Conclusions
People who expect this device to suddenly enable crystal-clear 1080p gaming for their Wii should first understand what an up-scaler is capable of, and that isn't magic. When used on screens that support the standard 480p/component setup we saw little improvement to warrant the investment, however if you're a Wii gamer who desperately wants to use a LCD monitor or simply only have HDMI connectors on your large screen TV then this product should suit your needs. It would also be prudent to do some research prior to purchase, checking that your LCD supports the resolutions & refresh rates offered by the device.
[source vdigi.com]
Comments 31
the difference between 720p and 480p is barely visible in that picture.
I've pondered ordering this device for a couple of reasons. One, my Panasonic seems to get much better results with anything being sent over HDMI, even if the resolution is the same. It seems that the built-in converters for component signals simply aren't as good on the set. Second, I like the option here of sending the audio to the TV via HDMI and to a secondary source via a traditional audio cable, without a splitter of any sort needed.
However, I have a particular question that no reviewer has yet answered: I've heard that this device may not do well with signals that aren't 480p. So, does it have a problem with any Virtual Console games? If I'd have to switch the adapter out to play those, it certainly would be a problem. I've also heard reports that certain GC games cause it to produce erratic results.
@warioswoods, we can play test some specific virtual console games with the device and see what kind of results we get if you like? Do you have any requests? We have both US/NTSC and UK/PAL Wii's to try..
@Phat ant, why not test one game from every system on VC?
Anyway, is this going to be the substitute for HD on wii?
I'd be NTSC, but basically I'm just concerned that a particular console might cause problems. If one random NES, SNES, N64 game (etc) works, then I believe I'd be sufficiently assured that it's at least not a huge problem.
@turtlelink, sure, I'll see if wariowoods has any specific examples first. As for substitute, no, it's 100% not going to be the same thing as the Wii outputting native HD. It's simply a device that tries to clean up the 480p output as best it can.
@WaveBoy
That is the correct TV set, but I'm not concerned about the TV resolution, I was just noting that I've heard about non-480p resolutions from the Wii not always working correctly through this adapter (but that could have just been an earlier or buggy version of it). I think the comparison image is accurate, but it depends on the particular set, settings, and game as to whether or not the difference will be significant. I'm willing to risk it in my case, I think.
@Waveboy, I've not noticed any input lag myself. Of course HDMI is better than component when directly compared, but remember the source for the HDMI signal here is an analogue component signal (it's converting it), very different to starting off with a digital signal.
I'd like to see a bigger picture.
You can barely tell the difference, there are just some color corrections.
@WaveBoy
You can flip the little DIP switches on the back to change its output to 720p, I believe.
@phatant.... actually Im curious as to how it worked with the 32" 720p Sony Bravia. I used that exact TV in my game room. I also have a 27" 1080p Samsung and 42" 720p Samsung, but its the Sony Bravia I use and specifically chose to game on.
Any info on how it worked with that set up HDMI would be great. I use Monster Component Calbes on it now and run my audio TV and back through a Reciever to get somewhat HDMI Sound Quality Sound. I do get incredible bass that way, as I have a 12" Yamaha Powered Subwoofer, a way to make it all better will definatley be worth the little drop of $50 USD. (Oh and my Wii is US)
I hope this clears up any lag my Wii has on HDTVs. Otherwise, this'll be a pass for me.
This actually looks pretty good. Less jaggies. Especially on the bricks next to Mario. Interesting.
$59? I will pass not that big of a deal to me.
Regardless of what the sterling price may be, it seems like a bit of a waste of money to me. Personally I think Galaxy runs beautifully in 480p via component on my HDTV.
Sounds nice, I'll look into it.
Totally not worth it. Not only is that picture a good example that there's little to no difference with this thing, but - lets face it - most developers don't even try with the Wii anyway. That'd be like getting an upscaler for some ugly PS2 games.
Wii games - the GOOD ones, anyway - look great regardless of resolution. This is silly. Just wait for Nintendo's sixth(?) generation console.
for the reason, anybody who has played the "dolphin" Wii emulator, and played games such as Super Smash Bros. Brawl , Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles / Dark Side Chronicles, Final Fantasy Crystal Bearers, and even Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom.. oh and Mario Galaxy.
those games do have support for 720p resolutions, but the wii itselfs locks the system at 480p, so only the emulators could unlock such a feature in games.
i'm not saying support pirating, i'm just saying that some games made by big companies do support 720p, but the console itself doesnt.
oh and sega, and Knights.
@slapshot82, if I'm honest the 32" Sony Brava we have in the office isn't of great quality to begin with, I think due to the default combs/filters the screen has by default. Results with the device didn't really improve things over 480p/component, however the colours were perhaps slightly cleaner.
@WaveBoy, I think your probably the same kind of "anal" as myself when it comes to AV. However when using the device on my 42" Plasma the picture was just, well, different. I still personally prefer the 480p/component image to what the device gave out. It seems with this product that results really do vary and its quite subjective as to whether you prefer the new image or not.
@Ryon, you make a good point. I think that's what frustrates people like myself, emulators have shown how nice Wii games can look at 720p/1080p if only the hardware was up to it. Nintendo always moaned about large development costs for HD games but just outputting what we have now at better resolutions would make most HD gamers happy - SMG2 @ 1080p without any mods would still look great! An up-scaler will never achieve anything close.
@WaveBoy, (again), I'd just like to point out that the images you've linked too there are directly sourced from VDigi themselves and not exactly 'independent' results.
You guys resized the up-scale image back to 480? D'oh.
Does anybody have latest Philips top end models? I saw one in store and it did really good scaling. I'm only worried that it might cause too much input lag for my tastes. Have anyone tried?
And for nitpickers: that image shows differences quite clearly.
Ok, I own a 40" 1080p Samsung LCD and here's what I saw yesterday: I was browsing Nintendolife on my PS3 and after reading all the comments I clicked on the pic to see if there really was no difference... and there was a HUGE difference. When looked at in a monitor, the comparison pick doesn't show the changes. Clicking on the pic on a 40" LCD changes that since you can appreciate better color saturation, smoother edges, changes in the pixelation, etc. thanks to the bigger screen. Unless Nintendo releases something like this at E3 I'll be ordering a VDigi Upscaler soon.
I just think $60 is alot for no more then it does.
looks like someone applied a bilinear filter to double the resolution, then applied the classic N64 filter (a.k.a. vaseline-o-vision) for that extra blurry effect and then scaled the image back to 480p.
In other words $60 down the crapper. Even the other photos linked in the comments don't do it justice.
I don't see the difference.
only $59? nice!
^And even colors are nicer. But what about the input lag?
What I think all these comparisons need to show are 3 images - 480i RCA standard-in-box cables, 480P component, and then this.
When I upgraded my tv from a 36" CRT 4:3 Toshiba to a 52" 1080P Sharp I was like "gaaah, my eyes", especially on Lego Star Wars, almost unplayable. The Nintendo games weren't awful, but not great either. The $3 Monoprice component cable did make a big difference.
My point being, $59 seems a bit much for a minor graphics upgrade. Maybe a $5 used one at Gamestop just for kicks. And all the website comparisons seem to be of games that already look good to begin with, how does this work on the majority of crappy looking games?
@ Odnetnin
me neither, therefore I will keep my Wii on SDTV til next gen.
man i wanna buy one just to test it out
@Varoennauraa. On the product page it says "Video lag time: 8 ms".
Given my thoughts about these (not making a great difference etc), I'm actually considering one since I'm moving to study a PhD and won't have a TV to plug a Wii into and since this can be plugged into dvi inputs on a PC monitor (these tend to be cheaper than LCD TVs which would have component input). I just have to hope they eventually come back in stock.
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