Wed Nov 15, 2017 4:32 am
Hi Chad,
If your budget is $3k, you will be hard pressed to find a scaler for less than the Decimator's $299 price tag much less one that scales as well for that money. The DataVideo DAC-70 should also be considered if you need VGA source scaling.
We use lots of brands of gear, and even at 50+ devices in our typical systems we feel that we picked what was right for the job (and fit money we had to spend-haha). To expect one brand to be the one-size-fits-all is just not realistic IMO. If you build them into the plan properly they will not look janky, but rather as intended...
but just for comparison, have a look at a few scaling devices we have...
The obligatory Decimator MD-HX $299-best bang for the buck ever. Its a great scaler, works bidirectionally and has some often overlooked audio capabilities as well.
AJA ROI series mini converters, $995. Awesome scaling, very clean upscaling. Supports ROI, cropping, etc. Comes in DVI, HDMI, SDI, and DisplayPort models.
Ensemble Designs Mitto 2 Pro w/HDCP, $1,699. Takes VGA/DVI/RGB inputs, supports HDCP! Great all around unit. Half 1RU size rack mount.
AJA FS1 $2,995. True broadcast converter. Accepts many formats (no VGA), has a multitude of audio conversion/embed/de-embed as well. 1RU rack mount, ethernet web interface for control.
AJA FS2 $3,995. Similar to FS1, but can process two video sources. There is an FS4 now too that will do 4 HD sources (drool). Both 1RU rack mount.
Folsom/Barco ImageProHD (now replaced by the ImagePro II series) $7,000+ depending on options. These things are amazing. They take almost any source and convert to any format. Exceptional quality of scaled output. ROI, cropping, etc. Supports HDCP. Truly top of the food chain. 1RU rack mount.
Lot of options out there. Happy shopping!!
Greg Bellotte - owner
MambaFiber.com
FaceBook.com/MambaFiber