Reviews - More evaluation, less specification
The latest Qdeo upscaling technology was found for the first time in two products reviewed this month. The Onkyo 609 receiver and the Oppo 93 bluray. This technology is supposed to offer superior performance upscaling standard definition content. I was looking forward to WhatHiFi’s opinion of this. Unfortunately it was barely mentioned. The 609's upscaling quality was noted in passing as equivalent in quality to a mainstream TV, despite Onkyo making great play of their Qdeo 4k upscaling in their product promotions. The Qdeo technology was namechecked in the Oppo review only when commenting on the bluray picture quality where this technology has negligible impact.
The majority of film collections for most home cinema enthusiasts will still be in standard definition. Upscaling ability would be high on the list of priorities when evaluating a new potential purchase. I've long appreciated the reviews that the magazine produce. However, perhaps these reviews now spend too much time ticking off the number of HDMI ports and other specification details (which could be put in a box in a corner) at the expense of in-depth evaluations of the performance of new technologies. As for Qdeo, is it the magazine's opinion that this technology is no step forward, hence the lack of emphasis?
Certainly the Onkyo's a perfectly competent and watchable upscaler of standard-def material though, as the review noted, it's not spectacular to the point that you shouldn't compare it to the upscaling of your TV. It's true that the Qdeo technology offers upscaling to 4K standard, but until we get our hands on a domestic 4K display (and we're not holding our breath here) it's at best a theoretical advantage.
Editor, What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision