Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

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gmipf
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Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by gmipf »

Does anyone know who the lucky one was?

https://www.ebay.de/itm/264474656959
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Gara
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Re: Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by Gara »

Wow, someone got a great deal on that. It's in such good condition. It probably would have gone at least double the price in auction
Dochartaigh
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Re: Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by Dochartaigh »

What are the claim to fame these have again?
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orange808
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Re: Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by orange808 »

Dochartaigh wrote:What are the claim to fame these have again?
I think it's main draw is the 480p scaling. The deinterlacing is nice, but a little slow.

If you're only concerned about scaling 480p video games, the Extron DSC 301 HD is a better buy, much easier to get, and you won't have any frame rate conversion issues. Although, once a machine becomes a legend (much like the Super Emotia), there's always going to be a loyal audience. :)
We apologise for the inconvenience
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Gara
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Re: Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by Gara »

Dochartaigh wrote:What are the claim to fame these have again?
With all the options we have for video game scaling the Crystalio II for the most part is still in high demand because of the laser disc community. It's apparently still the best for old movies. It has such a following I think it's more of a collectors item than a device for practical use.
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Steamflogger Boss
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Re: Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by Steamflogger Boss »

All the random BS you can buy for LD is generally outdone by a simple consumer HD trinitron. LD looks absolutely amazing on them. Not a fan of PVMs for them either, for a lot of reasons.

Or you could buy a 4K OLED, Crystalio II, Lumagen 4k model, try to kill someone to take their Algolith Mosquito (because one isn't coming up for sale) etc... and maybe it will look 1% better, maybe. I know which one I chose.
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Gara
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Re: Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by Gara »

Steamflogger Boss wrote:All the random BS you can buy for LD is generally outdone by a simple consumer HD trinitron. LD looks absolutely amazing on them. Not a fan of PVMs for them either, for a lot of reasons.

Or you could buy a 4K OLED, Crystalio II, Lumagen 4k model, try to kill someone to take their Algolith Mosquito (because one isn't coming up for sale) etc... and maybe it will look 1% better, maybe. I know which one I chose.
If you're on that level I'd think even the largest CRT's ever made would be a poor substitute to a large modern screen or projector when it comes to video content.

I'd take this persons setup over a CRT any day.
https://postimg.cc/vc9MnDj9
strayan
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Re: Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by strayan »

Strange that this didn't come up in my ebay alert.
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Fudoh
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Re: Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by Fudoh »

Strange that this didn't come up in my ebay alert.
my exact thought (wouldn't have bought it though - just interested in seeing what pops up).

The CII remains a wonderfully built machine with a great graphical on-screen interface, interesting tech (dual processor design using a Faroudja Sage and a Gennum VXP processor). And doesn't it look stunning? The 3800 has a built-in hard drive (for MPEG2 media playback) which makes quite some noise, but can easily be disconnected.

While the CII is a processor aimed at movie processing, it still offers an internal 4:4:4 processing path, which puts it way ahead of the Lumagen Radiance series of processors (the classic non-4K models).
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Re: Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by Steamflogger Boss »

Gara wrote:
Steamflogger Boss wrote:All the random BS you can buy for LD is generally outdone by a simple consumer HD trinitron. LD looks absolutely amazing on them. Not a fan of PVMs for them either, for a lot of reasons.

Or you could buy a 4K OLED, Crystalio II, Lumagen 4k model, try to kill someone to take their Algolith Mosquito (because one isn't coming up for sale) etc... and maybe it will look 1% better, maybe. I know which one I chose.
If you're on that level I'd think even the largest CRT's ever made would be a poor substitute to a large modern screen or projector when it comes to video content.

I'd take this persons setup over a CRT any day.
https://postimg.cc/vc9MnDj9

If cost doesn't matter sure. I wouldn't pay what it takes to get that though.
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Re: Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by ldeveraux »

orange808 wrote:If you're only concerned about scaling 480p video games, the Extron DSC 301 HD is a better buy, much easier to get, and you won't have any frame rate conversion issues.
I don't want to derail this thread, but the folks at Extron are none too helpful to give users the ability to actually use their devices! I have a few, so I requested a login so I could access software, firmware, etc. When you request access, there's a radio button asking your use case, so I ticked "other", since I'm not a reseller. It's been a month going back and forth with these people and they will only provide a login to sellers. They eventually sent me a shared software folder, but I'd rather not rely on anyone to get me my firmware updates. I guess they don't count secondhand buyers as valuable enough customers!
Seraphic
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Re: Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by Seraphic »

They got a better deal then I did on my Black VPS-3800. There was an all out bid war last minute on the ebay auction where I got mine. But I still won for $1,200 (this was a few years ago).
Haven't used it too much, but I am pretty sure the power supply is going bad and maybe hard-drive too, so need to get those replaced/fixed at some point.
Have a Extron 301 HD too just in case she ever dies. :cry:
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Re: Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by Steamflogger Boss »

ldeveraux wrote:
orange808 wrote:If you're only concerned about scaling 480p video games, the Extron DSC 301 HD is a better buy, much easier to get, and you won't have any frame rate conversion issues.
I don't want to derail this thread, but the folks at Extron are none too helpful to give users the ability to actually use their devices! I have a few, so I requested a login so I could access software, firmware, etc. When you request access, there's a radio button asking your use case, so I ticked "other", since I'm not a reseller. It's been a month going back and forth with these people and they will only provide a login to sellers. They eventually sent me a shared software folder, but I'd rather not rely on anyone to get me my firmware updates. I guess they don't count secondhand buyers as valuable enough customers!
I will keep derailing by adding that DVDO is much nicer/better about this. I quickly got firmware directly from them in the past and all my questions about a particular unit were answered quickly.
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Fudoh
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Re: Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by Fudoh »

I guess they don't count secondhand buyers as valuable enough customers!
it's not much different to buyers who got their stuff new. Extron officially only supports their dealers, npt any kind of end users.
ldeveraux
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Re: Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by ldeveraux »

Fudoh wrote:
I guess they don't count secondhand buyers as valuable enough customers!
it's not much different to buyers who got their stuff new. Extron officially only supports their dealers, npt any kind of end users.
I had to repeatedly remind the rep that I was still waiting to be approved, which I still haven't been. He said every time I email him, his computer crashed. This is what we're dealing with at Extron...

He then asked for photos of the devices' serial numbers and a corporate email, both of which I gave him. He then provided a shared folder that had the latest PCS software, which is absolutely useless to me if I can't also get the firmware files to update. How am I supposed to update firmware without firmware?
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badwhite40
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Re: Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by badwhite40 »

gmipf wrote:Does anyone know who the lucky one was?

https://www.ebay.de/itm/264474656959
Me!
:oops:
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Fudoh
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Re: Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by Fudoh »

congrats! Factor in a PSU replacement, if it was never done to the machine. Any Flex ATX PSU will do, but it requires a little bit soldering.
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badwhite40
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Re: Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by badwhite40 »

Thanks !
some psu recommended ?
fernan1234
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Re: Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by fernan1234 »

That's considered lucky? It's a lot already. Definitely a very slick-looking device though. Does the performance match the looks, or is it meant to be more of a pretty shelf decoration?
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Fudoh
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Re: Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by Fudoh »

for video game use it has hardly any advantage over an Extron 301, but it's a VERY decent video processor for everything else.
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gmipf
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Re: Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by gmipf »

badwhite40 wrote:
gmipf wrote:Does anyone know who the lucky one was?

https://www.ebay.de/itm/264474656959
Me!
:oops:
Nice, congrats! :)
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Fudoh
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Re: Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by Fudoh »

Thanks !
some psu recommended ?
if it's worth the money to you, then there's a fanless one by FSP.
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gmipf
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Re: Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by gmipf »

And here is the next one:

https://www.ebay.de/itm/223681781250
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donluca
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Re: Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by donluca »

ldeveraux wrote:How am I supposed to update firmware without firmware?
They have the firmware on a socketed EPROM, so you need to remove it (easy task since it's socketed, just pull it out straight), put it in a programmer and program the firmware you've downloaded.

I'd be very grateful if you could share those files.
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gmipf
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Re: Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by gmipf »

I think he is missing the firmware file and only got the flasher?
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donluca
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Re: Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by donluca »

Ohhhh, I see, I've read his post again and you're right, he has the software but not the firmware files.

Disregard my previous post.
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gmipf
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Re: Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by gmipf »

A VPS3800 popped up https://www.ebay.de/itm/295052646723
But it is looking weird, are the buttons all missing?
tongshadow
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Re: Crystalio II 3800 in eBay

Post by tongshadow »

Never seen this one but it does look very luxurious and vintage.
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