Datapath x4 review

2013-11-26

 

The Datapath x4 video processor is a very interesting machine. Contrary to most other processors you can find here on my page, the Datapath x4 is neither a linedoubler nor a deinterlacer or a classic upscaler. It's a dedicated video wall processor. It's main purpose is to take in a high-resolution PC signal and split it onto four separate outputs - something you might have seen on various events, in company lobbies or at larger advertising installations. Plasma screens are available with a 100" diagonal, but they literally cost a fortune. Front or back projection is usually an affordable alternative, but the results aren't suited for bright-lit or even daylight environments. Combining four 50" LCD screens for a bright and cheap 100" video wall is certainly considered the best option today and that's what a video wall processor like the Datapath x4 takes care of.

 

 

This - of course - raises the question, why I was considering a review for a processor like that. Well, if know my other reviews, I've long been looking for more processors to add to my Yokotate project page . Yokotate is a concept which allows you to play tate-only games (from classics like Donkey Kong or Galaga to every modern vertical shoot'em up) vertically on a horizontally orientated screen. A friend of mine recently did a video wall installation in Switzerland and he chose a processor similar to the Datapath x4. When checking the manual for the device, I noticed the extensive geometry options the unit provides (rotation, mirroring, flipping) and immediately thought about adding a chapter to my ongoing Yokotate project.

 

Without basic deinterlacing or linedoubling capabilities, I consider the Datapath x4 to be more of an add-on for existing setups instead of a standalone processor. For one part of the my review I paired it up with a XRGB-Mini (Framemeister), for another part with a PC running MAME. To check the compatibility with various sources and signal formats I used a DVDO video processor (iScan VP50Pro) with a XRGB-3 chained to that. For most users a processor add-on like the Datapath x4 will be total overkill. - Still it's a prime example for a set of desirable functionalities currently missing from most other processors and it's certainly something that everybody would like to see integrated in a processor like the Framemeister.