Video Processor Reviews

Darbee Visual Presence Darblet Video Enhancer Page 2

Where Once I Was Blind…
My JVC RS35 is one of the sharpest projectors I’ve ever had the privilege of using. This projector uses a hand-picked lens, and I have zero issues with chromatic aberration, focus uniformity or convergence problems. The image is razor sharp corner to corner and easily performs on the level of the best single chip DLP projectors I’ve used. So, going in, I really didn’t think the Darblet was going to do a lot for me in terms of sharpness. But boy, was I wrong. The Darblet truly does “lift the veil,” as recycled as that sounds. Once you have the opportunity to see it turned off and on instantly, you’ll never want it off. Not only does it make the image look considerably sharper, but dimensionality takes a huge leap forward. And all this with no negative consequences to the image. I couldn’t find any signs of ringing or artifacts. None. Instead, the Darblet took an image that was already spectacular and made it sing. And it wasn’t just additional detail and depth. Contrast perception took a huge jump. This is most evident in movies with starfields like Star Trek or Star Wars. Those tiny white stars all get brighter and better defined without any jump in black levels. This made a huge difference in dark sequences. I couldn’t believe the improvements it made with demanding material like Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem. This is one of the most demanding titles out there for contrast, and the visual benefits of the Darblet made a dramatic difference in low level detail and contrast enhancement.

The Darblet was truly a sight to behold with all of my Blu-ray library. It didn’t matter if the transfer was a five star reference video transfer or a soft, muddied wreck. It always made it better. Surprisingly, the better the transfer the more the Darblet seemed to help. Moving onto other sources wasn’t quite as dramatic though. Standard definition material didn’t gain as much benefit. The Darblet would definitely help out detail a bit, but if the source already has a lot of issues the Darblet can enhance some of the bad things, too. DVDs riddled with edge enhancement or compression noise actually looked a bit worse, since some of the artifacts became more pronounced. Thankfully the Darbee is easy to turn off on the fly, or I could simply turn it down a hair until the image was where I wanted it. Broadcast cable was similar, though HD presentations looked pretty good. Sporting events took a nice bump in fine image detail and depth. I watched the HD broadcast of The Masters and the fine blades of grass on the greens were much easier to discern with the Darbee on than off. The Darblet had no issues with fast motion or any other material that may cause issues, even gaming. I even tried it with some 3D material and the results were identical.

An Unknown Place
As a longtime videophile, I truly find myself in uncharted territory with the Darblet. Video enhancement tools are readily available everywhere and I’m usually at the forefront of the war against them. The Darblet has certainly changed that for me. Having used this in my system for several weeks now I can definitely say that it will remain there for the foreseeable future. This is a tool I’ve already recommended to every one of my videophile friends as a must own and I pass that same recommendation on to you. The Darblet may be the ugliest thing sitting on your rack, but it will make the most beautiful images you’ve ever seen on your screen. It’s highly recommended.

NEXT: Specs »
COMPANY INFO
DarbeeVision, Inc.
(714) 931-5941
darbeevision.com
ARTICLE CONTENTS

COMMENTS
kevon27's picture
Submitted by kevon27 on August 24, 2012 - 6:59am

I ordered the Darblet because of your glowing review. If I'm not impressed I'm gonna sue.

Rob Sabin's picture
Submitted by Rob Sabin on August 24, 2012 - 7:11am
Oh great... DEERING!!! ;-)
hawke47's picture
Submitted by hawke47 on August 25, 2012 - 2:44am

I swear, I was laughing out loud when I read this! I ordered mine today, too! I went on Amazon, and one of the authorized sellers was selling through Amazon, and within twenty-four hours, it was sold out! I emailed the manufacturer, and asked if there were any other authorized sellers aside from the ones they listed. He said folks can try "Sewell." Just Google the name, and you will find their website. If I have the chance, I will reply back with my thoughts after I connect it to my BenQ W7000.

By the way, what are you connecting yours to Kevon27?

-String

kevon27's picture
Submitted by kevon27 on August 25, 2012 - 5:12pm

I ordered my Darblet from Sewell and it will arrive this Monday.
I only have a LCD TV, Samsung 52" - Lns52a650 http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/samsung-ln52a650/4505-6482_7-3288...
One concern I have is how I should "prepare" my TV before I connect the Darblet? Should I reduce contrast, turn off any Dynamic contrast settings, reduce the sharpness controls, etc, etc. I guess I would have to spend time adjusting and adjusting until I get what I want.

BobLindstrom's picture
Submitted by BobLindstrom on August 26, 2012 - 12:15pm

The best prep is to have the highest quality picture without the Darblet in the video chain and not making any special adjustment to accomodate the Darblet. The better looking your source content, the better the Darblet will perform.

Then, once you've inserted the Darblet in your chain (just before the display device is the best location for it), adjust only the Darblet to fine-tune its effect.

kevon27's picture
Submitted by kevon27 on August 27, 2012 - 7:47pm

I got it today and it's going back tomorrow.. NOT, NOT, NOT worth the money. The increase in detail is so damn subtle it's useless. Increasing detail above 55% gives a horrible image. Maybe you have to have a really crappy TV to get some benefit from this thing..
IMHO, don't waste time and money on this thing... I'll give it a 0 out of 10

kevon27's picture
Submitted by kevon27 on August 27, 2012 - 7:48pm

I got it today and it's going back tomorrow.. NOT, NOT, NOT worth the money. The increase in detail is so damn subtle it's useless. Increasing detail above 55% gives a horrible image. Maybe you have to have a really crappy TV to get some benefit from this thing..
IMHO, don't waste time and money on this thing... I'll give it a 0 out of 10

hawke47's picture
Submitted by hawke47 on August 28, 2012 - 9:43am

Mr. Deering?! Any ideas on what kevon27 could do? Which mode did you use?

hawke47's picture
Submitted by hawke47 on August 28, 2012 - 1:51pm

http://sewelldirect.com/returns.aspx

Sewell Direct's return policy, and procedure. It seems fairly easy.

chickennuggz's picture
Submitted by chickennuggz on August 29, 2012 - 10:44am

Thanks for posting a review about this! I've been reading in forums and thinking this sounded good. Your review lead me to buying it. Got it from Sewell http://sewelldirect.com/DarbeeVision-Darblet-HDMI-Video-Processor.asp

I think it does improve the picture. It made the video better on my 46" Toshiba. BUT, it's a big but, it's not quite enough for me to justify $300 on this thing for now. Maybe people will see a bigger difference on a bigger TV or different setup. I sent mine back and putting the money towards improving my sound system. Maybe in the future, I'll put the $300 back into buying a Darblet when I get a big bonus check :)

p5browne's picture
Submitted by p5browne on November 10, 2012 - 5:58pm

Before calibration: HD 50 to 60% was best. Settled at 55%.
After calibrating with Darbee inline: HD 60 to 80%, settled currently at 70%.
My LG 55LHX just loves it! As mentioned,(After initial playing wears off!), set and forget.
It's like taking a Senior Citizen, popping a stunning 25 year old woman in front of him, and watching his eyes light up! (Of course, all done while the wife isn't within viewing distance!)

jenny watson's picture
Submitted by jenny watson on December 20, 2012 - 9:12pm

The remote is also laughably bad. It is about the size of a credit card and again looks like something used for lab testing a prototype. It features the exact same controls as the front panel with some color-coding, but that is about it. Derby doesn’t score any points with fit and finish with this device.

Villas for Rent in France

p5browne's picture
Submitted by p5browne on December 25, 2012 - 11:07am

One warning about the Darbee Remote: Show it to your Wife, and explain what it is, before she throws it out as more garbage on your night stand. Once I set it where I wanted, hardly ever use it again except when visitors are over (HD 70%) (Maybe I should now put it in the drawer instead of on top!)
When shown to visitors, even the most amateur of viewers commented on how there was now more detail to the PQ.

StamosD's picture
Submitted by StamosD on January 2, 2013 - 7:08am

Download and view their video clips and photos.
I found the after processing image much worse than the original.
Picture seriously coarsened, much detail lost.
Dark areas darkened to black, light areas brightened.
Although contrast is increased, result is just crude.

If you can, try before you buy.

X