Rotel Video Scaler Released

[ozcal]

As the title says Rotel have finally released their long talked about video scaler/switcher.Among other things this will allow users of Rotel's current and some older recievers and pre/pros hdmi facilities and high quality(Faroudja based) scaling.Maximum output is 1080i , no 1080p which seems strange to me.

Here is a link to the pdf brochure on Rotels website for those interested:

http://www.rotel.com/products/pdfs/RVE1060-Leaflet-LR.pdf.

and to the manual for those that want more info:

http://www.rotel.com/support/pdfs/manuals/RVE1060.pdf

Gordon

[norpus]

Nice feature that it couples with your current receiver and acts as one

[big_marcelo]

looks like more of a swticher then an actual scaler, with only limited HD resolutions and probably no 1:1 mapping..... I guess Rotel is doing this to combat the number of Amps which now bring this sort of capability onboard, like Yamaha and Denon....

[RodN]

looks like more of a swticher then an actual scaler, with only limited HD resolutions and probably no 1:1 mapping..... I guess Rotel is doing this to combat the number of Amps which now bring this sort of capability onboard, like Yamaha and Denon....

They're just way behind the times really but trying to catch up with HDMI functionality. Probably put a lot of 1098 owners offside with this one. The 1098's have a bus topology that was *going* to allow these sorts of upgrades.

EDIT: Just looked at the manual and while it states PAL at 576i/p they don't list the supported refresh rate for 720p or 1080i. This would mean, which occurs on most stuff that don't offer the option, that they will both have a fixed refresh rate of 60Hz which will introduce judder/stutter for Pal material.

[ozcal]

They're just way behind the times really but trying to catch up with HDMI functionality. Probably put a lot of 1098 owners offside with this one. The 1098's have a bus topology that was *going* to allow these sorts of upgrades.

EDIT: Just looked at the manual and while it states PAL at 576i/p they don't list the supported refresh rate for 720p or 1080i. This would mean, which occurs on most stuff that don't offer the option, that they will both have a fixed refresh rate of 60Hz which will introduce judder/stutter for Pal material.

Did Rotel piss you off or something Nobby?

The construction of the 1098 was never stated by Rotel to be for the purpose of allowing for hardware upgrades ,according to 'reliable souces'.The design was to facilitate servicing.

I believe a lot of 1098 , 1068 ,1066 ,1067,1057 and 1056 owners who are happy with the sound quality advantage that many percieve over more mass market brands will be very happy to be able to purchase this device upgrade.

As to the refresh rate I can't find any clarification on your assumption so we will just have to wait for the first reviews or contact Rotel.

Anyway ,early days and perhaps not the most universal of products but then with a US rrp of $1199us could we really expect it to be.

Gordon

[jamiep]

I believe a lot of 1098 , 1068 ,1066 ,1067,1057 and 1056 owners who are happy with the sound quality advantage that many percieve over more mass market brands will be very happy to be able to purchase this device upgrade.

Interesting ... i was thinking i'd have to ditch the 1066, and get one of the upcoming models, once they'd been out for a while for HDMI etc ... i'd be interested to try one, see how well it works...

Jamie

[betty boop]

Did Rotel piss you off or something Nobby?

The construction of the 1098 was never stated by Rotel to be for the purpose of allowing for hardware upgrades ,according to 'reliable souces'.The design was to facilitate servicing.

I believe a lot of 1098 , 1068 ,1066 ,1067,1057 and 1056 owners who are happy with the sound quality advantage that many percieve over more mass market brands will be very happy to be able to purchase this device upgrade.

As to the refresh rate I can't find any clarification on your assumption so we will just have to wait for the first reviews or contact Rotel.

Anyway ,early days and perhaps not the most universal of products but then with a US rrp of $1199us could we really expect it to be.

Gordon

I think its more dissapointment on nobby's part than anything. I for one think if they had just brought out a plug in module for the 1098 ala onkyo/integra making it future proofed for the new disc fomats they would have bought up every 1098 owner for life, let alone making it 'the' to buy out there if looking for a pre-pro at present.

My surprise with this unit is it does nothign for the audio side capabilities of hdmi. HDMI is not just for video but audio as well. How we can have pre-pros in the rotel range without any hdmi connectivity/capability is beyond me.

Only reason I can think off is this unit is purely a scaling device, nto sure how it compares with dedicated scalers. Adn that updates of the 1098/1068 are still to come. Well they had better come soon as AVRs from other makers and even their own are leaving them well behind.

[Livingthedream]

I want one

Ive never been a fan of audio through HDMi as would rather the ease and ability to put video into one device and audio into another eg. connect my video direct to my panel and audio through my pre. Have always wondered why we ever bothered with HDMI, as DVI and current digital audio connections are just as good IMO

[Mining Man]

... Have always wondered why we ever bothered with HDMI ...

HDCP

You didn't think it was for the consumer, did you?

[Livingthedream]

HDCP

You didn't think it was for the consumer, did you?

Good point, althnough i thought DVI still needed to be HDCP as well for the new HD formats????

Thought HDMI was for all those consumers that need a single plug n play, as anything else is to complicated.

[Mining Man]

There is another side to it all, of course: HDMI offers the increased bandwidth for HD audio...

[ozcal]

I think its more dissapointment on nobby's part than anything. I for one think if they had just brought out a plug in module for the 1098 ala onkyo/integra making it future proofed for the new disc fomats they would have bought up every 1098 owner for life, let alone making it 'the' to buy out there if looking for a pre-pro at present.

My surprise with this unit is it does nothign for the audio side capabilities of hdmi. HDMI is not just for video but audio as well. How we can have pre-pros in the rotel range without any hdmi connectivity/capability is beyond me.

Only reason I can think off is this unit is purely a scaling device, nto sure how it compares with dedicated scalers. Adn that updates of the 1098/1068 are still to come. Well they had better come soon as AVRs from other makers and even their own are leaving them well behind.

I don't disagree with your point re: card upgrade, I guess it is possible that we still may see such a thing ,I was just pointing out that the design of the 1098 was never intended for this purpose however we can be fairly sure that a number of sales folk either misconstrued or simply lied about hardware card swap out.

I am suprised that you are suprised about no audio over hdmi as it was you that pointed out Arcam's decision not to port audio over hdmi because of jitter issues.Rotel have a very strong presence in the UK and many of thier design staff come form that enviroment so it does not suprise me to see them following the likes of Arcam in this respect.

I do agree that Rotel are lagging behind the mass marketeers some what more than usual but they are a comparitively small and usually conservative company and the advent of HD disc technology and the associated requirements for hdmi and new codecs has thrown even some of the larger companies in to disarray.

As to performance ,well just have to wait and see , I guess.

Gordon

Interesting ... i was thinking i'd have to ditch the 1066, and get one of the upcoming models, once they'd been out for a while for HDMI etc ... i'd be interested to try one, see how well it works...

Jamie

Me too Jaimie ,I have a 1066 also ,so it will be interesting to see how the unit performs.As always price and availability will depend on the Ozzy distributor , International Dynamics.

Gordon

[RodN]

No Gordon I am far from hating rotel. SQ wise I think Rotel sits out there on their own in the price performance stakes - I am running a 1068 and 1066 as part of my system and love them to death. I have also owned a 1080 until I went fully active. I like them so much that I owned then sold of my primare pre30 in favour of keeping the 1068.

My comments re: the 1098 were anecdotal - JohnA was told on purchasing his 1098 that that topology was adopted to ensure that these sorts of updates would be a possibility for their top of the line pre-pro. He's never buying Rotel again.

I am as much as a videophile as an audiophile and am constantly keeping watch on what international manufacturers do for pal land in the scaling stakes. So in that sense I sincerely *hope* for purchasors of this product that they don't cop a standardised 60Hz upscaled output. I won't be holding my breath on that one though - all of my experiences have shown that if they don't state it they don't produce it sadly for us. That's ok most no-videophiles never pick up the micro-stutter that this output produces and are happy and would be happy I'm just a perfectionist in this case. I'll ask the Aussie/Euro owners on club rotel what it's putting out.

[Guest JohnA]

My comments re: the 1098 were anecdotal - JohnA was told on purchasing his 1098 that that topology was adopted to ensure that these sorts of updates would be a possibility for their top of the line pre-pro. He's never buying Rotel again.

Yes, i am very dissapointed, as you say though Gordon, Rotels intentions in designing the 1098 may have never been for upgrade paths or card swapping, but the possibility exist for this to be done and i believe should be done.

With all these new audio formats coming out i will be forced into purchasing a new pre and have a $4k pre sitting here which would be useless and worth nothing second hand.

If rotel doesn't go the upgrade path with the 1098 and expects us to throw it away, then i will definately be looking elsewere for a new pre.

[betty boop]

I don't disagree with your point re: card upgrade, I guess it is possible that we still may see such a thing ,I was just pointing out that the design of the 1098 was never intended for this purpose however we can be fairly sure that a number of sales folk either misconstrued or simply lied about hardware card swap out.

I am suprised that you are suprised about no audio over hdmi as it was you that pointed out Arcam's decision not to port audio over hdmi because of jitter issues.Rotel have a very strong presence in the UK and many of thier design staff come form that enviroment so it does not suprise me to see them following the likes of Arcam in this respect.

I do agree that Rotel are lagging behind the mass marketeers some what more than usual but they are a comparitively small and usually conservative company and the advent of HD disc technology and the associated requirements for hdmi and new codecs has thrown even some of the larger companies in to disarray.

As to performance ,well just have to wait and see , I guess.

Gordon

Me too Jaimie ,I have a 1066 also ,so it will be interesting to see how the unit performs.As always price and availability will depend on the Ozzy distributor , International Dynamics.

Gordon

perhaps like arcam they are keeping audio capability off hdmi. though atleast arcam provide hdmi switchign and capability on their gear.

which rotel seem to have moved to this other unit.

I really do wish they get with it, with what is their flagship ht gear. would be a real pity if they didnt.

[ozcal]

perhaps like arcam they are keeping audio capability off hdmi. though atleast arcam provide hdmi switchign and capability on their gear.

which rotel seem to have moved to this other unit.

I really do wish they get with it, with what is their flagship ht gear. would be a real pity if they didnt.

Al , the way I look at it that Rotel have done something that if fact is better than just releasing a slew of new products with all the new capabilities , they have provided a solution for all their existing clients who already own a Rotel pre or reciever and in theory one that may provide a qualitatively better solution that whats stuck inside most mass market recievers.

I think we will see a raft of new pre's and receivers mid to late this year but according to what I have read they are waiting till hdmi 1.3 chipsets are available that actually show real performance advantage for the end user over 1.1 or 1.2 chipsets as according to Rotel the current crop of 1.3 chips show no real advantage.Rotel provide HDMI switching on the 1057 reviever

As far as the high-end goes I would like to see Rotel produce a pre/pro with absolutely no video capability on board for better sound quality and a souped up version of the new RVE 1066 to provide a similar level of quality on the video side.

Gordon

[ozcal]

Yes, i am very dissapointed, as you say though Gordon, Rotels intentions in designing the 1098 may have never been for upgrade paths or card swapping, but the possibility exist for this to be done and i believe should be done.

With all these new audio formats coming out i will be forced into purchasing a new pre and have a $4k pre sitting here which would be useless and worth nothing second hand.

If rotel doesn't go the upgrade path with the 1098 and expects us to throw it away, then i will definately be looking elsewere for a new pre.

John I agree re: the card ,it's good customer relations if nothing else.

One of the guys over on Club Rotel , a wealthy chap, was a feverent Rotel supporter but moved on because of similar grievences to you. He now recommends the Anthem products as providing better sound quality and the degree of upgrade flexibility you desire however he was at pains to point out that in order to achieve this he had to spend significantly more than the cost of the 1098 and it was his feeling with the benefit of hindsight that what Rotel offer for the cost of the 1098 was still good value.

If I had been able to afford a 1098 I think I would be simmilarly chagrined , perhaps it's worth dropping a line to Rotel to see if they have any plans for upgrades of the nature you require , now that they have done all the R&D on the stand alone video unit it may be less cost prohibitive to make a card for the 1098 users who don't want an extra box.

Gordon

[betty boop]

I have no need for any video capabilities in a pre either gordon.

perhaps rotel is taking the separates philosophy further as you say with keeping hdmi and video capability away from the av pre-pros.

perhps this is a stop gap till full hdmi capability with products down the track

maybe only time will tell with all this.

[ozcal]

No Gordon I am far from hating rotel. SQ wise I think Rotel sits out there on their own in the price performance stakes - I am running a 1068 and 1066 as part of my system and love them to death. I have also owned a 1080 until I went fully active. I like them so much that I owned then sold of my primare pre30 in favour of keeping the 1068.

My comments re: the 1098 were anecdotal - JohnA was told on purchasing his 1098 that that topology was adopted to ensure that these sorts of updates would be a possibility for their top of the line pre-pro. He's never buying Rotel again.

I am as much as a videophile as an audiophile and am constantly keeping watch on what international manufacturers do for pal land in the scaling stakes. So in that sense I sincerely *hope* for purchasors of this product that they don't cop a standardised 60Hz upscaled output. I won't be holding my breath on that one though - all of my experiences have shown that if they don't state it they don't produce it sadly for us. That's ok most no-videophiles never pick up the micro-stutter that this output produces and are happy and would be happy I'm just a perfectionist in this case. I'll ask the Aussie/Euro owners on club rotel what it's putting out.

I visit Club Rotel fairly regularly and as yet there hasn't been much discussion on the RVE1060 , it was only put on the Rotel web site yesterday I believe.

Gordon

[ozcal]

I visit Club Rotel fairly regularly and as yet there hasn't been much discussion on the RVE1060 , it was only put on the Rotel web site yesterday I believe.

Gordon

PS Nobby ,just sent an email to Rotel via the membership area regarding your question.It says " please allow at least 48 hrs for reply.So we will just have to wait.

Gordon

[dmcgowan]

Does anyone know when this scaler is likely to be released here in Australia? Love to know if the firmware upgrade to do 1080p is a reality rather than a wish...

[Guest JohnA]

Does anyone know when this scaler is likely to be released here in Australia? Love to know if the firmware upgrade to do 1080p is a reality rather than a wish...

pffft don't hold your breath

sorry for sounding sarcastic, but i am sick of rotel and their falling behind on everything or building units that are supposidly upgradeable via boards but yet they won't do it

end rant

carry on

[dmcgowan]

Heya John,

I understand where you are coming from re the upgrade opportunity being missed. For better or worse, at least it was clear when I bought the RSP-1098 on Saturday! I do think it is a missed opportunity that the 1098 modules couldn't be replaced by InterDyn service for example.

Cheer up though, they're bound to announce the 1099 with HDMI switching next week now I've put some hard earned down...

[ozcal]

Heya John,

I understand where you are coming from re the upgrade opportunity being missed. For better or worse, at least it was clear when I bought the RSP-1098 on Saturday! I do think it is a missed opportunity that the 1098 modules couldn't be replaced by InterDyn service for example.

Cheer up though, they're bound to announce the 1099 with HDMI switching next week now I've put some hard earned down...

Hi D nice to 'speak' to you in Australia .Same comments apply to the RVE 1060 as the 1058 , check with Interdyn.

The last I heard was the the 1058 will have 1080p but for some reason the standalone processor may not be able to be upgraded to 1080p.Nothing concretely confirmed as yet.

Gordon

[Guest JohnA]

Heya John,

I understand where you are coming from re the upgrade opportunity being missed. For better or worse, at least it was clear when I bought the RSP-1098 on Saturday! I do think it is a missed opportunity that the 1098 modules couldn't be replaced by InterDyn service for example.

Cheer up though, they're bound to announce the 1099 with HDMI switching next week now I've put some hard earned down...

I for one will never buy rotel again due to this fact.

Sure rotel isn't to blame as they may never have intended to do upgrades on it, but when dealers tell you it will be fully upgradeable and future proof, you purchase it then find out your $4.5k pre wil be obselete.

If truth be known i wouldn't have bought the 1098 and gone with the next model down to see me through to the next gen of processors.

Oh well, the old saying once bitten twice shy.