PS3 import gaming - HDFury?

[Eight Rooks]

I see there's one previous thread which never got any replies, but hey, just on the offchance - has anyone here made use of an HDFury? I'm somewhat upset to find out (as I understand it) I basically can't do import PS3 gaming on a PAL 40 gig PS3 without either a 60hz TV or a HDCP-compatible monitor, and no, seriously, I have neither. Really. Can't afford either one. But I could possibly stretch to one of these as an alternative.

Any comments or suggestions, etc. would be much appreciated.

[sj33]

Never used it, but it looks impressive. It seems to take HDMI, strip HDCP and output as VGA. Very nice, though know the output resolution will be whatever resolution your console is set to (i.e. 720p, 1080i, 1080p) so ensure your monitor is compatible.

I am using a HD BOX PRO in university for my PS3. It's very nice, it takes Component, rescales to the PC resolution of your choice (in my case, 1280x1024 maintaining correct aspect ratio) and outputting as VGA. Works nice, but it's certainly lossy, so I'd get opinions on the HDFury first.

[fahrenheit]

The successor ( http://www.curtpalme.com/HDFury2.shtm ) should be shipping soon, so it should help drop the price on the older model.

[J0e Musashi]

And it does 480i too

[Eight Rooks]

Cheapest I found the older model for was their all-in-one cable being sold here, and Googling didn't come up with any horror stories for GameTrain. I did read some Amazon comments saying if you're using an LCD you may have to switch to a CRT to set the PS3 to the new resolution first, but I can swing that if necessary.

EDIT: The HDBox is interesting, too. Thanks for the link, I hadn't come across it. I'm not too bothered about lossy - I'm playing my consoles through a composite input that's fuzzy enough to have videophiles run screaming for the door and seems to add a few microseconds of lag to every button press . Shipping might push the price up closer to the HDFury, though.

[sj33]

The HDFury and HD BOX PRO essentially achieve different things. The point of the HDFury is to just take HDMI input, and output it as VGA, and do nothing else to the image. Ideal if that's all you want... the drawback being that if a game outputs 1280x720 (i.e 720p), the box will output that same resolution, if the game outputs 1920x1080, it'll output that... and if a game is interlaced, it'll output as interlaced also. If your monitor accepts 1280x720 and maintains correct aspect ratio (i.e doesn't stretch the image to 16:10, 5:4 or 4:3), then it's probably the best option. Unfortunately, most widescreen monitors are 16:10 and will slightly stretch 16:9 input to 16:10. It's a slight stretch, but a stretch all the same. Something to consider.
The HDFury would be absolutely no good for me because I have a 1280x1024 LCD monitor in my dorm, which is 5:4 ratio and doesn't maintain correct aspect ratio.

The HD BOX PRO on the other hand processes the image. It means it's probably not as 'lossless' as the HDFury but you gain other benefits. It can output the signal at whatever resolution you choose - in my case, 1280x1024 while maintaining correct aspect ratio. It will deinterlace (not that you need that on a PS3), and you have control over the colour/brightness/etc settings. It's ideal for my needs, and I also use it on 480i GameCube games.

If the above baffles you and you just want something that is going to work, and aren't too bothered about lossy image quality as long as it looks 'very good', I'd get the HD BOX PRO. If anything, there's a handful of people on this forum (myself included) who have one also.

[Eight Rooks]

Doesn't baffle me as such, but something where I can be assured it's going to work would be nice. I'm currently using an old Dell 2001FP - it's a decent enough monitor for its age, the composite input is useful and it'll do 720 if not 1080. I think it maintains the aspect ratio - I've not noticed it doing anything really strange to any picture.

I guess with the HDBox I also wouldn't need any extra cables, or to buy something that's a slightly compromised version of the main product.

I'm not generally too bothered by picture quality - I've used some awful VGA boxes in my time, like the ghastly RedAnt GameCube one that boosted the colour so much PN03 was literally unplayable. In the end, I just want something that'll let me pick up Afrika or Kenzan or anything else in the future and not worry if it's even going to display .

[sj33]

In your position, I'd personally opt for the HDFury. There are similar devices that do Component->VGA like the XCM box, the HDFury is the first one I've seen that does HDMI.

There's quite a few videos on YouTube of the HDFury in action.

On a completely unrelated note, that HDFury2 can extract optical from a HDCP-encrypted input - I could use that on my laptop!

[Eight Rooks]

Interesting - GameTrain are supposedly based in Birmingham, and have an address you can visit (you can pick stuff up in person if you want) plus they offer a returns policy (they just won't pay your postage unless the item's actually faulty). Maybe it might be worth trying.

Thanks for the replies, all the same.

[mmmonkey]

I've ordered a couple of times from GameTrain and they've been fine

[vkun]

I have the HDFury, I've ordered it from Curt Palme, I think it was sent from Asia somewhere via EMS and with a lower value so it passed through customs VAT free. Mine was broken when I got it (I hear it's rare, the picture had a green tint) and the manufacturer replaced it hassle free (got a new one from France and sent the old one back when I got the new one). I've had it for a year now and it works fine. The old one is on sale for $100 shipped.

[unknown_citizen]

Interesting - GameTrain are supposedly based in Birmingham, and have an address you can visit (you can pick stuff up in person if you want) plus they offer a returns policy (they just won't pay your postage unless the item's actually faulty). Maybe it might be worth trying.

Thanks for the replies, all the same.

Just seen this, we run GameTrain as well as GamePointsNow. Needless to say, we are legit and based in Birmingham (collections welcome). We should have HDFury 2 coming in start of next month.