iScan VP20
DVDO iScan VP20 FAQs
- What is the iScan VP20?
- What is the difference between the iScan VP20 and iScan VP30?
- What video inputs does the iScan VP20 have?
- What signal does the iScan VP20 output?
- What audio formats can the iScan VP20 support?
- Tell me more about the HDMI connections on the iScan VP20
- What kind of aspect ratio control does the iScan VP20 offer?
- What video processing technology does the iScan VP20 use?
- How does the iScan VP20 handle different input signals and how can these signals be output from the iScan VP20?
- Tell me more about the lipsync correction on the iScan VP20
- Does the iScan VP20 have an On Screen Display (OSD)?
- Tell me more about the frame rate conversion feature on the iScan VP20
- How does the iScan VP20 detect incoming signals?
- What kind of power supply does the iScan VP20 come with?
- I have an A/V receiver to handle the switching of my A/V sources. How should I hook up the iScan VP20 in my set-up?
- Will the iScan VP20 improve the picture quality of standard definition channels from my satellite system (DSS)?
- What does the color of the power LED on my VP20 mean?
The DVDO iScan VP20 is a high-definition video processor & A/V hub that converts standard or high definition from your DVD player, VCR, PVR, HD set top box, game console, or PC to any of the predefined output resolutions between 480p and 1080p, including popular HDTV resolutions such as 720p and 1080i.
The iScan VP20 serves as your complete A/V hub, providing simultaneous audio/video switching with video up/down and cross conversion with one digital HDMI connection to your display or projector.
2. What is the difference between the iScan VP20 and iScan VP30?
The iScan VP20 offers the same innovative video processing technology as the VP30, while simplifying the input and output choices and control functions. With its all-digital output and predefined resolutions, the VP20 is the perfect hub for home theater setups that use a digital display like Plasma, DLP, LCD, or LCOS.
Please see the iScan Comparison table for complete list of differences.
3. What video inputs does the iScan VP20 have?
The iScan VP20 has 2 Composite video inputs, 2 S-video (Y/C) inputs, 2 Component video (YPbPr) inputs, and 3 HDMI inputs
2 Composite video inputs |
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2 S-Video (Y/C) inputs |
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The composite and S-video inputs accept standard definition NTSC (480i) and PAL/SECAM (576i) signals. These standard definition signals are deinterlaced and scaled by the iScan VP20.
2 Component video (YPbPr) inputs |
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(The component inputs also have an additional sync connector 
to accept RGB/S signals, commonly found in Europe).
The component inputs accept YPbPr or RGB/S formats. 480i and 576i signals are deinterlaced and scaled, 480p, 576p, 720p, and 1080i inputs can be scaled.
For example, a video source device which can output standard definition interlaced (480i/576i), standard definition progressive (480p/576p) and/or high definition (720p/1080i) can be attached to just one component input and the iScan VP20 will adapt to the input signal with the correct behavior. This is called "AutoVFR™", for Automatic Video Format Routing.
3 HDMI inputs |
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The HDMI inputs on the iScan VP20 will accept and process standard definition interlaced (480i/576i), standard definition progressive (480p/576p), high definition (720p/1080i) and VGA/XGA computer signals at 60 Hz. The HDMI inputs can accept a signal with RGB 4:4:4, YCbCr 4:4:4, or YCbCr 4:2:2 colorspace.
The iScan VP20 does process an HDCP-encrypted signal and output the signal on the HDMI output with the HDCP encryption intact.
If the incoming signal is not HDCP protected, and if it is at a resolution of 480i/p, 576i/p, 720p, 1080i, or VGA/XGA computer signals at 60 Hz, then it can be scaled by the iScan VP20 and output as a digital signal (component or RGB).
If your source has a DVI output (and no HDMI output), a DVI-to-HDMI adapter or cable will be needed to connect this source to the VP20. The same is true, if your display does not have an HDMI input, but does have a DVI input. Typically, DVI sources and displays only use RGB 4:4:4 colorspace.
4. What signal does the iScan VP20 output?
The iScan VP20 has one digital output.
The digital output colorspace can be either RGB or component, YCbCr. Additionally, when component colorspace is selected, the sub-sampling can be either 4:4:4 or 4:2:2. These options may be limited by the display that you connect to. The sync on the H & V syncs can also be inverted. If your source has a DVI output (and no HDMI output), a DVI-to-HDMI adapter or cable will be needed to connect this source to the VP20. The same is true, if your display does not have an HDMI input, but does have a DVI input. Typically, DVI sources and displays only use RGB 4:4:4 colorspace.
The iScan VP20 offers a wide range of standard output formats. Predefined formats include 480p, 540p, 576p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p, VGA (640x480), XGA (1024x768), 852x480, 1024x1024 ALiS, 1024x576, 1280x768, 1360x768, 1366x768.
5. What audio formats can the iScan VP20 support?
The audio section of the iScan VP20 supports S/PDIF formatted audio with sample rates ranging from 24kHz to 192kHz. It will likely handle sample rates beyond this range, but is only guaranteed to support sample rates within this range.
The iScan VP20 will also pass compressed digital audio (e.g. Dolby Digital or DTS) provided the audio bitstream has been properly formatted for S/PDIF (IEC60958 or EIAJ-CP1201 standard) transmission by the digital audio source (according to international standard IEC61937). The iScan VP20 does not alter the sample rate, format, or content of the digital audio whatsoever; it merely inserts a programmable delay into the transmission path.
Users should take care to use proper digital audio cables in order to guarantee valid audio reception and re-transmission. Both coax and optical cables should have high-quality, positive mating connectors at both ends. Coax cables should have a 75-ohm characteristic impedance. The use of couplers or other types of adapters to extend the digital audio cabling is not recommended.
The HDMI inputs will also accept audio, given that the video signal is on the same input. If the audio format is Dolby Digital, dts, or PCM then the audio available on the HDMI output from the source will be available at optical/coaxial digital outputs. Excluded formats include Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, dts-HD, MLP (DVD-Audio) and DSD (SACD) which SPDIF connections are incapable of carrying due to bandwidth limitations.
6. Tell me more about the HDMI connections on the iScan VP20
The HDMI inputs on the iScan VP30 can process 480i/p, 576i/p, 720p, 1080i, and VGA/XGA@60Hz. The HDMI input and output connectors on the iScan VP20 are backwards compatible with DVI-D inputs and outputs when used with an HDMI-to-DVI adapter or cable.
Note that if you have an HDCP source and a non-HDCP display, you will probably not get a picture, whether or not you use the iScan VP20.
7. What kind of aspect ratio control does the iScan VP20 offer?
The iScan VP20 offers full control over the input and output aspect ratio.
Input aspect ratio
With respect to input aspect ratios, a full range of control is offered by the iScan VP20.
There are 3 predefined input aspect ratio settings:
4:3 full frame
4:3 letterbox
16:9 full frame
User defined presets (10)
You may also specify any other active aspect ratio for the input by manually zooming/panning the input image. This also allows the user to reformat the image in any way desired, so the iScan VP20 doesn’t enforce a set of fixed aspect ratios.
If you would like to zoom in on the image to remove the small black letterbox bars found with a 1.85:1 source on a 16:9 display, then you can simply do so without having to guess at the numeric aspect ratio which would do this. The user can define and save up to ten input aspect ratio presets.
Output aspect ratio
The iScan VP20 supports 4:3, and 16:9 output aspect ratios, which are the aspect ratios of the majority of displays today.
8. What video processing technology does the iScan VP20 use?
The iScan VP20 uses a SiI504 chip to deinterlace incoming Standard Definition signals (480i/576i). The 10-bit scaling engine is a custom design of our own which introduces minimal phase and amplitude errors and provides better performance than we've seen in competing products. The scaler can scale up or down, so it can handle all types of aspect ratio conversions, unlike some other scaling products.
Anchor Bay's technology is known as Precision Video Scaling II™.
For fixed pixel displays (plasma, DLP, LCD, LCoS), all Standard Definition signals have to be deinterlaced and then scaled to the native resolution of the display in order to produce a correct picture. The same is true of 720p and 1080i content, if the display does not have a native resolution of 720p or 1080i respectively.
Using the iScan VP20 to upconvert signals to the native resolution of your fixed pixel display should in most cases allow you to automatically bypass the video processor built into your display.
9. How does the iScan VP20 handle different input signals and how can these signals be output from the iScan VP20 ?
The iScan VP20 can deinterlace standard definition interlaced (480i/576i) signals and scale progressive and high definition signals(480p/576p/720p/1080i) signals. The iScan VP20 can also scale VGA, SVGA and XGA signals at 60Hz on the HDMI inputs. Any signal that is processed can be output from the iScan VP20 as a digital signal (with component or RGB color space).
| Input Signal | What iScan VP20 does to the signal | HDMI Output |
| Composite Video (480i/576i) | Deinterlaced /Scaled |
Yes |
| S-Video (480i/576i) | Deinterlaced /Scaled |
Yes |
| Component Video (480i/576i) | Deinterlaced /Scaled |
Yes |
| Component Video (480p/576p) | Scaled | Yes |
| Component Video (720p/1080i) | Scaled | Yes |
| Component Video (all other resolutions) | Not Accepted | No |
| HDMI/DVI (480i with HDCP) | Deinterlaced / Scaled | Yes |
| HDMI/DVI (480p/576p/720p/1080i with HDCP) | Scaled | Yes |
| HDMI/DVI (480p/576p/720p/1080i without HDCP) | Scaled | Yes |
| HDMI/DVI (VGA/SVGA/XGA@60Hz) | Scaled | Yes |
| HDMI/DVI (all other resolutions) | Not Accepted | No |
10. Tell me more about the lipsync correction on the iScan VP20
The iScan VP20 has 4 discrete digital audio inputs (2 optical and 2 coaxial) and 1 analog audio input (L/R) each of which can be assigned to any of the video inputs. The HDMI inputs can accept audio, if the video signal is on the same input. If the incoming HDMI signal has HDCP, then the iScan VP20 can not output this audio using the optical or coaxial digital outputs, only the HDMI output. When you switch to a particular video input, then the audio input which has been user-assigned to that video input will also be selected. For example, when you switch to Video 1, then the audio input which has been user-assigned to Video 1 will also be selected.
The digital audio outputs provide a delay which matches the video processing delay of the iScan VP20. Note that this delay will vary depending on the current configuration and processing mode of the iScan VP20. 50 Hz sources will require a different amount of delay than 60 Hz sources, and frame rate conversion requires more delay than no frame rate conversion.
The correct audio delay for all inputs is set automatically, so you need to do nothing extra to match audio and video delays. In addition, there is a user-adjustable delay which can be added or subtracted on top of the automatically set delay for problem sources.
Anchor Bay's digital audio technology is called "Precision AV Lipsync™".
11. Does the iScan VP20 have an On Screen Display (OSD)?
Yes, there is an OSD that allows you to control all the major parameters: output resolution, input and output aspect ratio, frame rate conversion, picture controls, and audio delay
There's also a 2 line, 20 character display on the front panel, mainly for initial setup purposes when you may not have a picture on your display yet.
12. Tell me more about the frame rate conversion feature on the iScan VP20
There are 2 basic operating modes for frame rate (or vertical frequency) conversion:- Source-lock mode where the output frame rate exactly matches the input frame rate. NTSC content is output at 60Hz and PAL content is output at 50Hz.
- A preset output frame rate which is not locked to the input which converts PAL content from 50Hz to 60Hz and NTSC content from 60Hz to 50Hz.
13. How does the iScan VP20 detect incoming signals?
The iScan VP20 has been designed to detect which of the nine possible input devices is turned on and is generating an active signal, and then to automatically switch to that input. With this capability, you can switch inputs simply by turning one input device on or by turning another device off.
The iScan VP20 also includes an "Input Priority" option which specifies which of the inputs to use when they are multiple active inputs.
There is also automatic source detection, so you can let the iScan VP20 do the switching if you wish. When you select an input source, one of the selections is "Auto", which is the iScan's automatic source switching. When in auto mode, the iScan VP20 will consult an internal priority list for the inputs (the list is user-configurable) and will choose the highest priority input that has an active signal.
14. What kind of power supply does the iScan VP20 come with?
The iScan VP20 comes with a universal 6VDC @ 5A AC to DC external power adapter, which accepts 100-240 VAC at 50/60Hz.
15. I have an A/V receiver to handle the switching of my A/V sources. How should I hook up the iScan VP20 in my set-up?
It is not necessary to route all the video signals through your A/V receiver. While this can be convenient, the iScan VP20 can also handle all the video switching for you and will also maintain A/V synchronization for all audio signals you choose to feed through it. In general, it's a good idea to minimize the amount of video switching that you're doing and the number of components that a video signal is routed through - i.e., you may not want to route everything through the receiver.
If you run your video and audio sources to the iScan VP20 first, you can then use the switching capabilities of the iScan VP20 instead of the A/V receiver. The audio output of the iScan VP20 can feed the A/V receiver and it can then do the audio processing (outside of simple audio delay to match A/V sync).
An alternate method would be to use the A/V receiver as the audio switcher and run a single digital output to the iScan VP20. To do so, the receiver needs to have a digital processing loop - i.e., you can select a source with the preamp, send it out a digital output to an external processor of some sort (in this case, the iScan VP20), and then send it back into the preamp for audio processing. The iScan VP20 will provide an audio delay which exactly matches the video processing delay. The A/V receiver will do everything else. There are very few receivers with this kind of functionality.
If the A/V receiver has a global delay function, then you could use this to delay the audio to match the video. However, you'll have to match the delays yourself, and you won't make use of the iScan VP20's ability to change the delay based on the type of video processing being performed.
16. Will the iScan VP20 improve the picture quality of standard definition channels from my satellite system (DSS)?
Picture improvement of standard definition satellite channels is often very subjective, and depends to a great deal on exactly which aspects of the image are objectionable.
If you have a standard definition satellite feed which is loaded with compression artifacts or is blurry because of bandwidth limitations, then the iScan VP20 (or most other video processors, for that matter) may not bring much improvement to the picture.
However, the iScan VP20 may react better to this type of problem than your display would, but that very much depends on the specific display you use. If your source is reasonably clean, then the iScan VP20 should do a good job of making it look good on the big screen.
If your complaints are in regards to the display's deinterlacing or scaling capabilities, then the iScan VP20 should be a noticeable improvement.
17. What does the color of the power LED on my iScan VP20 mean?
iScan VP20 power LED color table:
| LED | Description |
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Standby Mode or Front Panel Brightness set to 0 |
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No Signal Received |
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Unknown/Unsupported Signal Received |
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The iScan VP20 is processing the input |
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(Blinking) The iScan VP20 is processing the HDCP input signal but the display is not HDCP compliant (DVI or Analog) |
For additional product support, contact Anchor Bay:
Toll free: 1-866-423-DVDO (3836)
Email: help@anchorbaytech.com
Office hours are 9am-5pm PST Monday-Friday excluding holidays.
