What is DScaler?

The DScaler project is an ongoing attempt to get the best video quality possible from a Windows PC. At the moment the project has several main strands.

• DScaler 4
• DScaler 5
• DScaler Deinterlacing
• DScaler Video Filters

These are explained in more detail below. There are also some old strands

• dTV
• DScaler Deinterlace Filter

That are also explained below for completeness.

Why do I need DScaler?

Video fed in from external sources is interlaced and if this interlacing is not taken into account when displaying the video on a PC nasty artifacts can often be seen. A good description of the issues involved in converting interlaced video into progressive scan as required for PC use can be found here.

We also have some screenshots which illustrate the issue here.

Who are the developers?

Lots of people have contributed to the project a list of the main developers can be found here. We are also grateful to everybody who has submitted patches, bug reports or has helped out on the various forums, some of those poeple are thanked here.

What do others say about DScaler?

We maintain a list of reviews and articles about DScaler here.

DScaler 4

DScaler 4 is a piece of software that captures video, processes it, and scales it for presentation on a projector or computer monitor. DScaler implements highly sophisticated algorithms that work in real-time to provide PC owners with image quality matched only by very expensive equipment.

In order to get the most out of DScaler 4 you will need a supported capture card.

DScaler performs a variety of functions:

• Grabbing video from a DVD player, game console, laserdisc, or VCR in a reliable fashion, in either analog or digital form;
• Deinterlacing video source, such as sports and news produced with a video camera, as well as console games;
• Detecting and removing 2:2 pulldown (PAL) and 3:2 pulldown (NTSC) for movies and filmed television programs;
• Reducing video noise on analog sources;
• Automatically calibrating video capture cards for optimal brightness, contrast and color;
• Manipulating video through gamma, sharpness and other filters;
• Viewing still images;
• Reducing judder and other video timing anomalies; and
• Presenting all of the above in the desired resolution and aspect ratio.

The main forum for user discussion is the DScaler Support Forum. In addition, you will find knowledgeable discussion about this and other computer A/V-related topics at AVS Forum.

Please see the download page to download the latest version. There is also a FAQ but sadly it is now a bit out of date.

DScaler 5

DScaler 5 is in the very early stages at the moment and is an attempt to use DScaler's film detection, deinterlacing and filters in a way that works with internal sources as well as external sources. It is also planned to eliminate the need for direct hardware access.

At the moment the project is in active development but there are some usable filters being produced. For more information go here.

DScaler Deinterlacing

The DScaler 4 package contains many dlls that implement different deinterlacing algorithms, these dlls can be used in certain other applications (e.g. ffdshow) to perform deinterlacing.

DScaler Video Filters

The DScaler 4 package contains many dlls that implement different video filtering algorithms, these dlls can be used in certain other applications (e.g. ffdshow).

dTV

dTV was the old name for DScaler, we changed the name to avoid confusion with Digital TV.

DScaler Deinterlace Filter

This was an early attempt to use the DScaler deinterlacing algorithms in DirectShow. For more information see here.