Consumer Product Upconverts Broadcasts to HD

For consumers with brand new HDTV sets who are eager for complete HD immersion, ADS Tech, a consumer video systems producer, has the answer: the HDTV UpConverter.

The UpConverter converts standard interlaced video (480i or 480p) and SD TV signals into HDTV progressive-scan resolutions of 480p, 720p or 1080i for home theaters. Users can also access HD video from VCR's, cable TV boxes, DVD players, satellite receivers and video game devices.

ADS Tech's CinemaView Technology turns an SD interlaced video signal into pure 1280 x 720 progressive scan of 1920 x 1080 interlaced HDTV resolution video with image scaling by using pixel-by-pixel motion adaptive de-interlacing without introducing motion artifacts. It uses 2:2/3:2 film processing to provide "cinema-like" progressive scan images from film originated through content like DVD movies and many TV shows.

With the UpConverter, users can connect up to nine video devices plus a cable TV signal and switch from one video source to the next. It handles the user's audio connections, so audio and video is switched together. It features a 4-line comb filter, 9-bit A/D converters, 3D noise reduction filters and inverse 3:2/2:2 de-interlacing.

The HDTV UpConverter will ship in February for an estimated $499.