Internal TV Scaling Upgrades possible?

[chuckster]

If the issue with most flat panel TVs and vintage games (besides lag, of course) is the scaling, would it be possible to replace whatever hardware that scales the image? I'm sure the new Android sets may have an ARM SoC solution that makes this impossible, but maybe with specific sets, am I crazy for thinking it possible to replace (what I imagine to be) a soldered down scaler chip or board that handles the image manipulation and replace it with a quality part? I know some sets handle it better than others, so even if it's not as good as a $3-400 scaler with proper components, there has to be a good quality scaling chip/board someone could replace whatever comes inside some of the sets out there, right?

[Fudoh]

there has to be a good quality scaling chip/board

and where would that come from ?

[chuckster]

where would that come from ?

Hmm, good point! If there was a known good set, you could use that to test, and then attempt to track down the actual Chinese part once you knew what you needed. Maybe? Not wholesale in 10000 units direct from the factory, but through some specialty electronics dealer or importer. It could be special order and even if it's expensive, it could offer a middle ground between a stock feed and a XRGB.

Of course, this is all just shooting the breeze.

[Guspaz]

Aren't modern TVs highly integrated these days? It would be an enormous project to root the TV's OS and interface everything together, an absolutely massive project that would only work on a few models of TV, if even more than one.

Or, you can just use an HDMI scaler and get exactly the same identical result, with zero effort instead of a multi-year project.

[juji82]

^ This

[chuckster]

They may be, I imagine this wouldn't work with more recent displays, especially the new Android sets. It would only work on select sets, but if the sets were good enough, like modern broadcast equipment or even highly prized consumer sets, it may be a good option. Of course, you would have to basically dissect a bunch of sets and find the diamonds in the rough. This probably wouldn't be too feasible, but given the devotion around here, I don't doubt it happening one day.

[Xyga]

Some people build custom displays ordering panels, boards, parts etc from alibaba or such. Good luck doing the same.