.: pluggedin.tv - SweetSpot Video Processor - Features :. A PCI capture card for HTPC/HCPC compatible with DScaler which brings RGB capture, component capture, s-video capture, composite capture and also the Parallel Digital Interface (PDI) together at the lowest price point yet seen.

Grainy pictures; jagged edges

The average size of TV screens that people have in their homes has increased dramatically over the last 10 years. In the early 1990s, a TV with a 29" screen was considered cinematic. Now there are a wide range of screens with 40, 50 and even 60 inch dimensions.

The availability of relatively low cost projectors, being used for everything from DVD playback and console gaming to regular TV viewing has resulted in even larger screen sizes.

This gives a much bigger, more exciting viewing experience, but it also reveals a problem - the picture quality from broadcast TV and even DVD has not kept pace with the screen sizes. The result, therefore, is that a picture that looked good on a 22" TV now looks poor on a 50" plasma screen because it is magnified to 4x the original size!

Unprocessed image: Notice the
horizontal stripes and jagged edges.

Enhanced using SweetSpot and DScaler:
The same image is vastly improved

Crisp, clear images

Sweetspot is fully compatible with DScaler*, the industry standard image processing software for home cinema.

Add SweetSpot and DScaler to your PC and give it the capability to apply sophisticated image processing techniques to enhance the picture quality, making large screen viewing a real pleasure whatever the source.

Just look at the difference!

Many Plasma, LCD and projector displays now becoming available for domestic use are based on designs originally intended for commercial applications. Because of this they often have connections for PCs (which give the highest picture quality), but don't always have the connections for set top boxes or games consoles or, if they do, they require converters, add on boards or special cables, adding cost and complexity.

SweetSpot allows you to use the high quality PC connection on your display and converts all the key video connection types at the PC. It supports the major international standards, including RGB, Component, S-Video and Composite, giving you flexibility and the highest possible picture quality.

SweetSpot allows you to connect multiple devices through your PC and easily switch between them either via menu selection in software, or by using an optional remote control.

Projectors and plasma/LCD screens can vary hugely in the resolution they can display yet most video sources (Digiboxes, VCRs, DVDs game consoles, etc) still only output Standard Definition PAL and NTSC formats. Something somewhere has to scale the video information to match these modern displays. Often this is done by an inexpensive, inadequate chip inside an otherwise very expensive screen. Clearly this is not ideal.

SweetSpot accepts all your Standard Definition video sources and uses the power of your PC to scale the picture to match your display perfectly - whatever it's resolution. This is called "1:1 Pixel Mapping" and is the key to getting the most out of your system.

Plug in your existing standalone DVD player and marvel at the improvement or, if you demand the very best, then add a REALmagic Xcard and have a pure digital connection from the PC DVD ROM drive. If you thought the analogue inputs of SweetSpot looked good, you will be amazed when you see pure digital DVD. Rich, vivid colours, amazing detail, clear stable pictures and smooth pans that are made easier with hardware-assisted DVD playback.

REALmagic Xcard
Utilising your existing PC DVD ROM drive, this optional card takes the digital data directly from the DVD disc and then transfers it to the SweetSpot processor, allowing the image to be enhanced before being output to your display. This gives yet another leap in quality, because the DVD data remains digital from the disc directly in to the SweetSpot processor. If you have a display device that supports DVI (many Plasma screens, projectors and LCD monitors have this) then SweetSpot delivers a 100% digital solution from DVD to display!

SweetSpot isn't just a high quality playback solution, it also allows you to record high quality video to disc. Think of the possibilities, you can finally say good bye to those old VHS tapes by capturing them all to hard disc. Alternatively you can record from your satellite receiver and save those recordings for viewing later on, or copy them on to DVD for playback on a conventional player.

What about that amazing high score you just achieved on your games console - why not save the replay to a movie so you can re-live the achievement any time you want.

Record video to disc using 3rd party WDM-compatible software like ShowShifter

Stream video captured by SweetSpot across your network.

If you have a network then you can use SweetSpot as a capture device to stream real time video to other PCs or compatible clients. Imagine how you could use high quality full frame RGB or component video as the ultimate multi-room video server!

* Recording and/or Streaming requires the use of 3rd party software that supports Windows WDM driver mode (not included). Audio recording and/or streaming will require the use of a compatible audio capture hardware (not included) Please refer to our FAQ for the current list of software that we have used with SweetSpot. Recording and/or distribution of copyright material may be prohibited by the copyright holder. If you are unsure then you should contact the copyright holder for permission.

Click here to see the
Specification of SweetSpot


SweetSpot utilises DScaler, a free software package, open source, coded under the GNU GPL Licence (www.fsf.org/licenses/gpl.html). Please see the DScaler website (www.dscaler.org) for more details.
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