The following is something that has just hit the market. It converts a hdcp 1080p signal to a usable non hdcp 1080p signal.
I really think this will be a significant help for all us LL'rs who need to use hdmi output to be converted to a vga lcd or tv that uses vga inputs.

Make - model: Silicon Image's "1080P HDFury" Link

What is HDfury ?

HDfury is a tiny external add-on card/adapter that you can hook up on any RGB display through its SUB-D HD15 Female Input.
Once screwed, it becomes a "part of the display" itself and will permanently perform an outstanding HDCP modification. Therefore, you can connect any HDMI source in Full HD 1080p to your now "enhanced" display hooked up with the HDfury module !

Pros: cost - 130.00 (not bad for a hdcp stripper, IMO)

Benefits: Use this on a 1080P capable lcd or tv that doesn't have HDCP built in. Use your PS3 in 1080P

++++HDfury will be available in 3 editions:

(HDfury Module is the same in any editions only the supplied cable is different, therefor anyone who need the module only can get his hands on any editions)

Cable is ALWAYS optionnal, for example VGA Xtender is supplied in case your display have tiny space and a backpanel, you may need to use the VGA xtender so your back panel can fit back correctly

- BLUE : Standard Edition (RGB/VGA display with SUB-D HD15 FEMALE input)
HDfury & VGA > VGA Xtender (10-15cm) [SUB-D HD15 FEMALE/MALE]

- GREEN : Marquee/NEC Edition (5x BNC FEMALE input display)
HDfury & VGA > 5x BNC Xtender (10-15cm) [SUB-D HD15 FEMALE/5x BNC MALE]

- RED : Barco Edition (DB9p FEMALE input display)
HDfury & VGA > DB9p Xtender (10-15cm) [SUB D HD15 FEMALE/DB9p MALE

HDFury Video in action.

It hasn't hit the market yet. Still in development and pre-order only.

Also the price keeps going up on it.

We'll see if/when it gets here.

As you can see I mentioned it back when it was first announced in March. And it was available for pre-order then and was supposed to ship on March 31.

http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?s...st&p=219912

Hopefully they deliver on their promises.

I should have done a search first. sry. I was so excited about something halfway decent to get rid of the hdcp problem so I could locate a tv or lcd the size I want.
btw. thanks for your link post.

I am also thinking about using this in conjunction with a Dobie controller and a 17 inch 1080p panel. It should work shouldn't it???

It should work fine. Over at the AVS forums it is getting a lot of interest so maybe it will finally come out and be what everyone needs

Info direct from the manufacturer.

HDfury will be shipping monday 21 May 05

MSRP (Maximum Suggested Retail Price) for HDfury is 130 Euros

Resellers/ Group buyers may purcahse 100 units at 65 euros or 1000 units at 50 euros

HD Fury in action:

http://www.hkmod.com/HDfury.wmv

I joined the mailing list and they sent me an email the other day confirming this. This would be a good thing for the WXGA or WUXGA owners but I wonder what would happen if you put the 720p or 1080p signal into a 4:3 or 5:4 monitor, the product states it puts out what it gets in so it will be grate for the owners of the winmate controllers which will letter box the 16:9 content on the 16:10 panel, for the synaps, norwood or x2gen WXGA guys the controller will likely distort the image slightly (vertical streatch) for all other types of panels like 1280x1024 I think some sort of vga scaller would need to come into play because if you put a 720p signal into a panel like that it would probably look like crap (massive vertical stretch)

I am still waiting on the Kontron thing, a full digital signal is superior. If I can't get an HDCP compliant board for the Sharp panel I have I will probably scrap the 1080p project I have been planning.

Once you buy a WUXGA panel a controller a pro kit, lighting and all that and an hdfury you have spent almost enought to get into a commercial 1080p DLP projector.

Hey CC I've been telling my wife you can't touch a 1080p projector for under $6000. So you be quiet about that.

How does jonjandran play his xbox 360 on his 1080p pj then?

You don't need an Hdcp stripper for component or Vga. No Hdcp on those. Only Hdmi and Dvi has Hdcp.

Im confused. So if I want to plug my Xbox 360 into my 15.4 controller via the dvi port it won't work at 1080p?

If you have the Elite Xbox 360 with Hdmi outputs you can play games at 1080p but not Hd-Dvd movies and standard Dvds won't be upconverted past 480p. Thank Hdcp for this.

But you can use a component cable and 1080p will work fine.

So this little thing is sposed to make playback over dvi work @ 1080p?

Actually it's not hooked to dvi but to vga (analog RGB). It accepts dvi input to the HDFury then it attaches to the vga input of your monitor.
Here is a quote from their site:

"Permanent HDCP Modification Kit
HDCP compliance for any RGB display

Add a HD(720p)&Full HD(1080p) Digital Input (HDCP/HDMI) to any Analog RGB display !

HDfury is an amazing tiny device designed to outperform any HDCP stripper.

Picture quality through HDfury is the best possible that you can reach:
- Shortest RGB analog link as possible.
- Gold plated materials.
- Ultra Fast IC > 1.65Gbs Bandwidth (over the 1080p limit !)

It is fully compatible (HD&Full HD - 720p/1080p) with any HDMI sources such as HD-DVD, Blu-Ray, PS3, X360 Elite, HDTV cable box, HDTV SAT box or HDMI graphic card.

HDfury solves the BLACK SCREEN issue on Playstation 3 !

Any RGB display hooked up with HDfury can display a 720p or 1080p (HD & Full HD) visual fury !
It transforms any RGB display into a HDCP compliant device.

Compatible with PC monitors, HDTV, Video/Retro projectors, LCD, Plasma

HDfury is an external Add On Card for your RGB display !
Its a Plug&Play answer to any HDMI/HDCP compliance issue !
It will enhance your display's life time and its trade price !

- HDCP rules compliant: no end-user easy access to decrypted analog video.
Once screwed, this module becomes "a part of the display itself".
The HDfury module is DIRECTLY screwed to the back of the RGB display (where SUB-D15 VGA port stand)." end quote.

I found this information on the Dell 1702 fp. This information should allow the 1702fp to have a 1080p resolution ??

Screen Resolutions
1280 x 1024 at 60 Hz
Highest preset resolution :1280 x 1024 at 75 Hz
Highest addressable resolution: 1600 x 1200 at 60 Hz (UXGA)

What ya think guys.

Umm no it won't have a 1080p resolution. 1080p is 1920x1080 no more , no less.

Wouldn't it be possible but have black bars. With
this resolution. 1600 x 1200

No if you tried to put a 1920x1080 signal to that Lcd it would say "out of range". if you send it a 1600x1200 signal it would "downscale" it to 1280x1024.

That is a pretty high number, there are quite a few commercial 1080p PJs on the market now with a street price of around $3,500. The new optoma one is quite well rated and comes with a very nice scaller for the CIH/Anamorphic guys. BenQ also has a very compedative price on their 1080p PJ, I am talkin' top notch stuff also, 3 Chip DLP.

I don't know your wife so my knowledge of the market status shouldn't be a problem.

CC I have only seen one. I was just buzzing through web pages. I have kept my cost down to les than $2k including the sreen and a new router. My results aren't near as good a some but I'm happy at this point.

Getting way OT: the DIY PJ was one of the most rewarding projects I have ever done, even if I spent a lot of money and only used it for a few months I am still happy I did. I would love to build another but I am concerned that after using the commercial PJ that I have now I won't be able to enjoy a DIY pj again. With 3Chip DLP comming into the range of affordable now, and pocket LED projectors out there that can run on batteries it is hard to compete with what is available commercially. The thing you get from DIY is the joy of DIY. It isn't as much of a cost factor these days because the commercial PJs prices are dropping faster than ever. Then there is the ever present HDCP issue. Don't get me wrong I feel like a total sell out with the commercial projector and HDMI hookups but I love watching those HD-DVDs, I am getting a Blu Ray player also, should be here next week.

Back on topic :HD Fury has started shipping. There are a couple of preliminary reviews on curtpalme.com

Seems like curtpalme is the place to purchase. I might order one yet.

lol. 3am and reading posts.

quote on curtpalme.
BLUE (HD15 VGA female to HD15 VGA male cable): Choose this if your display device has a standard female VGA connector and there is not enough space to connect the HDfury directly to your display device's VGA connector.


Shouldn't this be a DVI input?? It says DVI on other web sites.

no
it is dvi(hdcp) > vga
the point is to upgrade analog montiors to dvi/hdmi hdcp

great device, i just received it today and i can get 1080p from ps3 with game and bluray (tested with planet earth).

zx168 put it through the ringer and let us now how it works.

i'll test it some more today after i get home.
this how the connection setup

ps3 > hdmi 2 dvi-d cable> hdfury (dvi-d 2 vga) > short extension vga > vga

the monitor that i currently used is sun 24" GDMFW9010

Click to view attachment

picture taken with phone camera

I ordered one from Curtpalme

I received it today. Fast shipping from overseas.

I hooked it up to my current projector using the vga input today. My PS3 fired right up with no problems. I am using this cable setup.
HDMI to DVI cable to HDFURY which was attached to my monitor on the vga port.
It says 1080p currently used. I'll post some pictures tomorrow.
I noticed right away my picture was out of scale on 1080p. I was missing a lot of it.
When I changed it to 720p my picture was in scale, being projected properly.
I had a regular DVI to VGA (not HDFury) and it wouldn't come on. So the HDFury works great in my opinion.

The 1080p out of scale was to be expected because my 19" Gateway only has a resolution of 1440X900 .

1080p Offscale

720p to scale











My screen needs to be taller for all the picture to fit the screen on some of the Blu-Ray movies and others. Each DVD is recorded in different ratios. Some fit perfect others are a little tall.
When I get my 17" 1080p (1920X1200) lcd panel and controller it will fit my 6' X 11' screen properly. I'll post some more pics then.

Hi guys!

I'm the webmaster of curtpalme.com responsible for getting the direct power-buy in place over there... if anyone has any questions about the HDfury feel free to ask here or send me a PM!

Kal

Maybe you should post in the marketplace/trading post area.

@ Cold Steel, what is happening to the aspect ratio of the signal? Is your display a true 16:9 ratio?

If you connect it to a non-HDCP source, will it still work?

Is it powered with a AC adaptor? Can I put it at the other end of my 25' VGA cable already in place going to my projector? Will the signal stand up?

Gateway has an HDCP compliant 17" 1280x720p native resolution monitor for $200, in Circuit city. I played with one on Monday.

If your equipment can't do 1080p/i it doesn't make any sense to run 1080p/i. Since the consoles and players make 720p already, it is much smarter to pick a native 720p or 1080p route and stick with it, instead of having non-native resolution all the time (it does effect the quality of what you are seeing).

So either get this box and do 1080 native, or pick up a full-on native 720p monitor and a component transcoder box for $50-60, that way you can do component 720p and HDCP 720p.

I see this box has a purpose, but for the money it isn't a good idea. To save on hassle of already integrated equipment by plugging this in I can see the usefulness.

The HD panels we would use when planning a new build or retrofitting an old DIY have HDCP compliant controllers available in the real 1080p/i panels.

$150 isn't bad, but it is money better spent towards a proper solution on a build in the planning stages.

If of course you have a pre-existing 1080p/i setup and HDCP gear that warrants it, more power to you. (does the PS3 have 1080 or 720 available on the Component cable? Wouldn't that basically achieve this result without the need to put the signal through an unecessary external digital to analog conversion? I thought that HDCP flags weren't set yet, so they couldn't disable the analog outputs?)

Edit, I just checked out the forum on the hdfury release, it seems to have some fairly severe problems, especially shifted image caught my eye, if your display can't get it back in line it is pretty bad news for you.

I wish that the people selling could be completely honest about all features or non-features of a device, but they won't mention negatives, even if known, boo.

I know these questions were directed at Cold Steel, but since the questions are generic/factual, I thought I'd offer up some facts:


The HDfury doesn't change the AR as it doesn't change the resolution or refresh rate of the incoming signal. It simply applies HDCP decryption if needed and converts the DVI-D signal to RGBHV analog.


Yes.


No. It's powered by the +5VDC on the input line. If your input line is longer than 15m (16') then you'll need to supply external power. There's a DC jack on the side of the unit for this.
The DC jack on the side of the HDfury must follow all these requirements:
- Provide REGULATED (+/- 5%) 5VDC power with 0.5A max DC current
- Deliver the power through a small 0.65mm diameter center pin / 2.6mm outer diameter DC plug (like the one often used in cellular phone AC adaptor)
- Provide the correct polarity with 'plus' on the OUTER part of the plug and 'minus' (ground) on the small center pin of the DC jack.
Trying to use an AC/DC adaptor that doesn't follow all these three requirements may destroy the HDFury. This external HDFury powering option is only needed in one or both the following situations:
- The DVI or HDMI cable is using thin gauge copper wires and its length exceeds 5 meters (16 feet).
- The DVI or HDMI source is unable to deliver the 0.5A maximum current over its HDMI or DVI pin #14. This situation often occurs when HDFury is used with cheap DVD/HD players at 1080p60 mode.


You mean have the HDfury drive the 25' VGA cable to your projector? No. You can't do that.

Keep the analog cable between the HDfury's output and the device it is connected to as SHORT as possible. In other words, only use the HDfury plugged directly into a display device, or use one of the 3 very short optional extender cables that comes with the HDfury. Failing to do so will result in a lesser than optimal image quality. Reason: The HDfury was not built to drive cables as it does not have an output stage. If you can't keep the HDfury close to the display device keep the cable short by plugging it into your scaler passthrough, transcoder with passthrough, your switcher, Extron booster, or any other device with an output stage meant to drive longer cables.

See futher below for what I do to get around this as I also have a 25' VGA cable to my projector...


Correct. For fixed-pixel devices you really need to try and run them at their native resolution.


Careful with the cheap transcoder boxes. Most of ones in that price range are junk and have black pedestals that float all over the place... This is the one that I and most HT enthusiasts use: http://www.crescendo-systems.com/rev_transcoder.html (no affiliation). The guy who builds them (Kim) really knows his stuff. His RTC-2200 model has gamma correction too which is very nice. I plug the HDfury directly into the RTC-2200 VGA passthru so that I can get a little gamma boost out of it, and the RTC-2200 *is* meant to drive long cables so I didn't have to change the cabling in my HT to accommodate this as I already have a good quality (bettercables.com) 25' VGA -> 5BNC cable to my projector.


No. That's in fact the primary purpose of the HDfury if you talk to the guys who built it - it's primarily for the gaming scene. They often like to quote that the HDfury "solves the PS3 black screen problem".

A lot of devices disable the component outputs when scaling rez's higher than 480p. For example: All of Toshiba's HD-DVD players will not play standard def DVD's over the component cables at anything higher than 480p. HD-DVD's play just fine at any of the resolutions over component, but if you want a single player solution for both HD-DVD and DVD, you can't use component if you need to scale DVD's higher than 480p (which everyone HAS to do since nobody would own an HD-DVD player if their display device didn't do higher than 480p).


Yup. The image will be shifted when you first use it. If you can't fix this in your display, don't get the Hdfury.


True.

Some other shortcomings that bug me:

- No adjustable gamma boost.
- Can't pick between PC and Video signals (0-255 or 16-235). It's fixed to PC. (Not a big deal).
- No output driver stage so you *have* to keep it very close to your display device or use something meant to drive cables.

These are mostly HT niggles. The target market of Xbox360/PS3 gamers don't care.


Kal

Hello Kal , welcome to LL. Your more than welcome to post comments here and answer questions. After all this is a review.

Nubie my monitor is 16:10 not 16:9.

Thanks for stopping in and clearing a few things up Kal.

Thanks Kal, I may have been a bit too harsh. Basically it is almost cheaper to go native-res with HDCP on-board if you start from the beginning to design or build a PJ, but for already native-res setups and newer HDCP devices being integrated into the system, this is probably the only game in town.

Thanks to Sony being stupid the designer/marketer of this product is set to do a lot of business (why HDCP a video game?? so we can't take high-res screenshots?? Is the nVidia anti-aliasing quality issue that big of a deal?).

I demo'd the Gateway (and eMachines variant) 720p native res displays (the eMachines model is VGA only, but for $5 more I would get the Gateway with DVI HDCP support). They are $200, very nice.

I am aware of the Transcoder issues, in the diy electronics section of the forums there is a neat transcoder chip that has a proper color-space conversion, and costs $8 at Digi-key.com.

How much is the HD Fury pushing the image over ? Is it a significant amount ? If the fury can be used it is a very cost friendly solution. I am on the fence right now. I will either build an htpc or get a stripper. building a nre system to view HD DVD seems a waste. If teh software was cheeper maybe. I have digital cable so I need to have my box anyway. So for me I think just an add on stripper is the best course. Again $500 is too much just to be able to play HD. I have 1080p projector I want the use of 1080p material. I'll leave out my thoughts on Sony and Intel at this point.

Freefall the HD Fury isn't the problem with my overscale. It's just the screen resolution.
1920 is larger (wider) than the 1440 lcd I am using so it goes over by 480 lines of resolution. probably 140 on each side (right & left). The 1080p is just overscaling my lcd.

I can't quantify the amount.... though people with displays that allow for picture shifting seem to be fine. Those that have zero control with shifting will lose some image content.

Kal

Thank you Cold Steel and Kal.
I will be purchasing the Tosh XA2 and HDFury. Sometime this week. Using a wuxga lcd with the g220 controller. Native res. is 1920X1200
Kal there is no way of adjusting this setup for vertical or horizontal position. I am hoping any shifting is only going to be slight. Hopefully everything will workout and eveeryone with the same lcd and controller will have the solution they need.

my understanding is that you will be just fine. the g220 handles 1080p input just fine and has more than ample resolution to display the whole picture, the problem as I unerstand it is with wsxga monitors not having the ability to display all of the 1080 image.

Thanks CC....no one was really clarifying what the issue was caused by. I e-mailed the developer and he assured me everything would work out. He said something about european voltage or something. ......I dunno. Anywho I'll be ordering that in a few days. I need to make up my shopping list for monoprice and order my player as well. It's a toss up between the tosh and a blueray pani right now.

the hdfury work really good on my crt, i can get 1080p fine
but when i hooked it up the the realtek board that i got from johnzo all i get is a blank black screen .
is there a way to get this fix, because i was planning to make my own projector using this kit, with this problem i have to put everything on hold.

the lcd kit works at 1920x1200 with the output from my laptop.

You hooked up a crt to the lcd controller ( I believe that's what i'm reading). I don't think an lcd controller will work with a crt monitor.

nope, not like that,
i got the ps3 ith hd fury hooked up to crt
then tried the ps3 with hdfury still attached, hook it up to the lcd controller


no 1080p

so the question is can anything b done to get 1080p on the lcd? firmware upgrade or something to the controller board

Hi

Can anyone help

I have a Panasonic TH42PW5 - this is a few years old but does not have HD input - It is however a great screen

From the advertising for this HD fury product it appears that this product is the perfect solution to connect HD devices such as a Sky HD satellite box we have in the UK, a PS3 etc to a screen like mine

The manual for the screen seems to state I can view a 1080/60i signal

Is this HD fury the real deal? Will it deliver the same quality as a new HD ready plasma or am I in dreamland thinking that this will give me full 1080 HD

Its just that I have seen so much written but there seems to be a lack of people who have it commenting on whether it works or not

Thanks for any responses

HD fury just adds hdcp so you can view copywritten hd material on a non-hdmi devise. I have one sitting here on my desk. Until my cables come in I can't test it.
Whatever you put through the hdfury as far as resolution goes....you will get out. Check out the hd fury website for more specifics.

No you won't get 1080/60i with the HdFury.

The Panasonic TH42PW5 is a 852 x 480 resolution Plasma. So that will always be the max resolution you will get.

JJ is there any electronic device you don't know about ? I'm gonna start a thread. Stump JJ. lol It'll be like jeopardy or something.