Radiance Video Processor

Purchase a Radiance Pro and get our advanced auto-calibration package with meter for only $280 (or $80 without meter). A savings of up to $500! Available for a limited time only.

Orders ship worldwide (direct from the manufacturer) but cannot ship to the UK, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, India, China, Sweden, Austria, or Taiwan due to exclusivity agreements.

Contact us for discounted B-stock units, trade-ins towards a 5xxx, or for standalone I/O cards.

Radiance 2143 Video Processor

8x1080p HDMI inputs
1x1080p HDMI output
1x4K60 UltraHD output
Rack ears optional

Radiance Pro 4140 Video Processor

1x4K60 18Ghz HDMI input
1x4K60 9Ghz HDMI output
Compact model/Not rack mountable

Radiance Pro 4140-18G Video Processor

1x4K60 18Ghz HDMI input
1x4K60 18Ghz HDMI output
Rack ears included

Radiance Pro 4240-18G Video Processor

2x4K60 18Ghz HDMI inputs
1x4K60 18Ghz HDMI output, 1 audio only output
Rack ears included

Radiance Pro
4242-18G Video Processor

4x4K60 18Ghz HDMI inputs
1x4K60 18Ghz HDMI output, 1 audio only output
Rack ears included

Radiance Pro
4244-18G Video Processor

6x4K60 18Ghz HDMI inputs
1x4K60 18Ghz HDMI output, 1 audio only output
Rack ears included

Radiance Pro
4246-18G Video Processor

8x4K60 18Ghz HDMI inputs
1x4K60 18Ghz HDMI output, 1 audio only output
Rack ears included

Radiance Pro
4444-18G Video Processor

6x4K60 18Ghz HDMI inputs
2x4K60 18Ghz HDMI outputs, 2 audio only outputs
Rack ears included

Radiance Pro
4446-18G Video Processor

8x4K60 18Ghz HDMI inputs
2x4K60 18Ghz HDMI outputs, 2 audio only outputs
Rack ears included

Radiance Pro
5244 Video Processor

6x4K60 18Ghz HDMI inputs
1x4K60 18Ghz HDMI outputs, 1 audio only output
Rack ears and LAN case included

Radiance Pro
5348 Video Processor

10x4K60 18Ghz HDMI inputs
2x4K60 18Ghz HDMI outputs, 1 audio only output
Rack ears and LAN case included

UPGRADES / ADD-ONS:

Extended warranty

Extends manufacturer limited warranty from 2 years to 5 years from ship date. Available for new units, units still under warranty, and for units just out of warranty (at the manufacturer's discretion). Please contact us with any questions.

Rack mount ears (1U height)
Newer Radiance Pro, 21X3, XS, etc.

Must be purchased at the same time as a Radiance. Contact us to order separately.

Rack mount ears (2U height)
older Radiance Pro, 21X4, XD, XE, etc.

Must be purchased at the same time as a Radiance. Contact us to order separately.

EyeOne Display 3 PRO + ChromaPure Standard + Advanced Auto-Calibrate

Must be purchased at the same time as a Radiance Pro. Please contact us for international orders.

EyeOne Display 3 PRO + Advanced Auto-Calibrate

Must be purchased at the same time as a Radiance Pro. Please contact us for international orders.

ChromaPure Standard + Advanced Auto-Calibrate

Must be purchased at the same time as a Radiance Pro.

Advanced Auto-Calibrate Add-On

Must be purchased at the same time as a Radiance Pro.

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All units have a 30 day return policy with 10% restocking fee. Orders cancelled before shipping are subject to a 5% credit card/PayPal fee.

We've worked out a deal for our members to bring you these products at the lowest prices possible. Orders ship direct from the manufacturer at our CurtPalme.com discounted prices. Same product, same support, just more money in your pocket at the end of the day.

The Radiance is regarded as the world's best video processor/scaler, with a powerful Colour Management System and image enhancement technology.

Most Radiance Pro models include 18 Ghz cards for both inputs and outputs. 9 Ghz output cards are optionally available for projectors and audio processors with marginal HDMI inputs. Cards are also replaceable/upgradeable.

All Radiance Pro units are 1U (1.75") height. The 2U (3.5") height has been phased out.

The Radiance Pro is first and foremost a full-featured video processor designed from the ground up as a user-friendly addition to a quality home theater installation. It offers the following:

For complete details on which models support which features, see our feature comparison table below.

With all of these features, the Radiance provides much of what you get from a high-end home theater receiver without the amplification digital sound decoding. However, what makes the Radiance truly special is the full set of video calibration controls it also offers.

The Radiance is the best way, and in some cases the only way, to achieve an optimal theater setup.

Looking to add the best video processor available today to your high end 4K / HDR home theater? The Lumagen Radiance Pro is what you need to ensure the best image quality possible.

The Radiance Pro™ series supports 4k60 inputs, and outputs, including HDCP 2.3, HDR10, and HLG, and is compatible with Dolby® LLDV™ sources. Winner of a Home Cinema Choice™ Best of 2021 award, and a Best Video Product award in Australia in 2021, the Radiance Pro is not standing still Lumagen is adding to its 22-year legacy of video processor development by continuing to enhance features and algorithms with software updates.

The Radiance Pro family offers up to ten inputs, four outputs, and a multitude of processing, setup, and calibration features. Much more than an HDMI switcher, the Radiance Pro has a host of features to improve the image on your screen. It is considered by many experts to be an essential part of any quality home theater.

Optimizing HDR content has perhaps become the most important video processing feature. The Radiance Pro Dynamic Tone Mapping (DTM) analyzes every frame of content for multiple regions of each frame, detects scene changes, and optimizes the image for each frame of content. Jon Thompson, a movie producer who is responsible for post-production image quality at a major studio, recently evaluated the Radiance Pro DTM versus the other DTM options. He said that “the other DTM options are not even in the same league as the Radiance Pro.”

Scaling quality again comes to the forefront with the 4k projectors and televisions. It should be intuitively obvious that home cinema scaling must be evaluated at viewing distance using actual moving image video content. The Tektronix PQA600C quantitative image analysis program is used by major studios and broadcast networks and includes 30 years of development by perception physicists. It includes viewing distance in its evaluation of scaling. The Radiance Pro has the industry’s best motion picture scaling and scores more than 20% higher than the competition using the Tektronix analysis software. Lumagen’s scaling provides the best quality scaling for 1080, 720, and SD, sources for 4k projectors and TVs. Scaling is also essential for aspect-ratio control, especially when using an anamorphic lens. In addition, the Radiance Pro has an edge-sharpening feature that helps restore detail lost during compression of the digital content.

Minimizing signal jitter is an extremely important criteria for HDMI. The Radiance Pro 5XXX series HDMI output clock jitter has been measured at about 10 pS. This is an ideal clock to send to the audio processor to minimize jitter at the DACs. Reduced jitter at the DAC reduces distortion. Lumagen has many reports of the 5XXX significantly improving audio due to this ultra-low jitter HDMI output.

Reference quality colorimetry is often overlooked as part of a high-end home theater. The Radiance Pro can provide automated video equalization, using third party calibration software such as our ChromaPure software, with more accuracy than calibration without a 3D LUT. Using the Radiance Pro’s DTM, and Color Management System, you can See what the director intended™.

Other features include image-based instant-auto-aspect detection and selection for HD, 3D, and 4k UHD and HDR sources. Anamorphic support with, or without, an anamorphic lens. Image based auto-aspect selection, plus precise geometry adjustments including size, and masking, are available. The Radiance Pro’s Non-Linear-Stretch (NLS) feature allows the user to stretch 16:9 content to fill an anamorphic screen using their preferred settings. For 16:9 screens and TVs, an anamorphic image can be placed anywhere in the active screen area, or with zoom, and/or cropping, can fill a larger portion of the screen. Multiple configuration memories allow for different independent configurations, such as day, night, sports, and black-and-white.

The adaptability of the Radiance Pro is second to none. Using Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technology, the Radiance Pro can add hardware image processing and setup features long after installation. The Radiance Pro is adding new features over time. One example is HDR Dynamic Tone Mapping was added four years after product introduction and is available to all Radiance Pro owners by simply updating to the latest free release.

Lumagen over the years has kept up with new features and offered upgrades to existing users more so than any other manufacturer - often through completely free software upgrades. Most other companies we know of do not do this. Instead, they make you buy a new model as new features are introduced. The Radiance is completely over engineered with processing power that has proven that it can take on just about anything.

A standard feature of all of the Lumagen video processors is the use of a FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). This allows Lumagen to add new features by reconfiguring the hardware connections inside the video processor. This is in addition to the normal software update for the microprocessor. This is what makes the Lumagen Radiance video processor a better value than the competition. They have the ability to add major new features, such as support for 3D video which was added for free when it first became available.

The new modular I/O technology on the Radiance Pro series takes this one step further and allows upgrading to new HDMI technology as it becomes available (such as 18 Ghz / HDR support).

Now available: Darbee Visual Presence™ technology provides an exceptional increase in depth and detail for all display types on a per-input basis (allowing you to use different amounts of enhancement per source). The better and more detailed your source signal is, the better the resulting picture will be. For complete details visit our Darbee page.

Until now there was always one weak link in the chain of video calibration. If your display lacked the proper set of calibration controls, it simply didn't matter if you had an extremely accurate meter and the world's greatest software. Without the means to adjust the image, you could not improve the display regardless of the calibration equipment you used.

The solution to this problem is the Radiance that provides the necessary adjustments that you could place in between the source material (broadcast, DVD, or Blu-ray) and the display. Up to 4913 points of automatic calibration are available, ensuring the most accurate picture possible.

The Radiance includes an advanced Greyscale, Gamma, and Colour Management System (CMS), including:

These may be adjusted manually or by using ChromaPure Advanced Auto-Calibrate which allows anyone with little or no training in video technology to fully calibrate their display with almost no user input. Just setup a few simple options, click Auto-Calibrate, and then just go have a cup of coffee while the process completes, usually in less than 10 minutes.

The Radiance is more powerful than the iScan Duo. It offers more test patterns and provides the option to perform grayscale and gamma calibration in 5% or 10% increments as well as (up to) 4913 point autocalibration instead of only 6 point. The Radiance also outputs true 3D signals, so it is ideal for calibrating displays in 3D mode.

Add ChromaPure video calibration software with the auto-calibrate add-on and a high quality color analyzer, such as the Display 3 PRO and you have the ability to achieve professional-quality results with no training or expertise in video calibration.

Most new displays today artificially boost or shift how they create colours (especially green and blue) in order to boost light output and to make the colours appear more 'vivid' or 'pleasing' to the consumer. What's important to know is that this is completely incorrect and is not what the director intended for you to see. It results in incorrectly oversaturated colours causing (for example) faces to glow pink or grass to have neon-like glow to it as seen below:

This is not something that affects only cheaper or incorrectly manufactured displays. Displays at all price ranges are affected, from PC monitors to expensive high-end home theater projectors like the JVC shown above. The only way to fix these deficiencies on displays such as these that do not include a CMS is by using a video processor like the Radiance.

There is a lot of confusion on the market today as to how various products approach doing CMS. The Lumagen Radiance is currently the ONLY consumer video processor that uses a true Linear-Gamma 3D Color Palette (3D LUT) for CMS. (A 3D Look-Up-Table (LUT) maps the source video to a specific color palette on the display and so is often called a 3D color palette).

Other consumer video processors do not provide a 3D LUT. Most use a HLS Color/Hue control and calls it a CMS. All HLS “CMS” systems are mathematically incorrect and results in non-linear response when used for calibration.

Manufacturers might call their solution a “3D CMS” or a “6-axis” CMS, but it is not a 3D LUT. Every CMS (by definition) must be a “3D CMS” since there are three primaries and so it is at least 3 dimensions. "3D CMS" is a meaningless marketing term used by some manufacturers.

For more information on why proper colour calibration is critical to proper movie reproduction, see our extensive ChromaPure Grayscale & Color Calibration for Dummies guide. Learn how to get the best image quality out of any display and more importantly, how to do it yourself.

18 Ghz is required to support HDR at higher refresh rates. As of May 2023, most Radiance Pro models feature 18 Ghz inputs and outputs by default. On the input side there is no reason to use 9 Ghz over 18 Ghz. 9 Ghz outputs are still available for projectors and audio processors with marginal HDMI inputs such as on the 4240+ model. Contact us if interested in 9 Ghz inputs or outputs on other models as the cards can be easily swapped.

Yes. The 444X chassis are built to accept up to 8 inputs, the 424X chassis are built to accept up to 4 inputs. Exceptions include the 4244 and 4246 which are built to accept up to 8 inputs.

All the holes are pre-punched, with blank plates for any uninstalled inputs. For either chassis, if there are fewer inputs than are supported by the chassis, you can add more inputs, up to the max supported by that chassis.

Both 9 Ghz and 18 Ghz input cards are available. Each card upgrades two inputs. These additions can be done by the owner using only a screwdriver. Contact us with your Radiance Pro model number for pricing. We always sell Radiance products at the lowest allowed prices.

No. Radiance Pro units all come with fully loaded output card slots. 9 Ghz cards can however be replaced with 18 Ghz cards. Each card contains two outputs. When swapping a 9 Ghz card for 18 Ghz, one output becomes 18 Ghz audio/video while the second output becomes audio only. Contact us with your Radiance Pro model number for pricing. We always sell Radiance products at the lowest allowed prices.

Below are recommendations direct from Jim Peterson, president of Lumagen, manufacturer of the Radiance:

I am now recommending using only "Certified at 18 GHz" cables (certified by VPL labs or HDMI.org, as opposed to just a manufacturer specification). I recommend passive cables that the manufacturer tests and certifies every single cable manufactured at 18 GHz, rather than certification of the "design at 18 GHz" since cables can vary due to manufacturing tolerances. This insures each and every cable is going to work at the full certified 18 GHz rate. I recommend an active HDMI cable for lengths over 4 meters. I do not recommend installing passives over 4 meter to help minimize the chance of a HDMI cable related call-out. The 3 meter length is due to it having the optimal amount of cable EQ. The 2 meter length is generally fine, but if there are issues using 3 meter cables often resolves issues.

Automatic calibration allows anyone with little or no training to fully calibrate their display with almost no user input. It adjusts the display's grayscale, gamma, and colours to levels of accuracy that are simply not achievable by manual methods. Just setup a few simple options in ChromaPure software, click "Auto-Calibrate", and then go have a cup of coffee while the process completes, usually in a few minutes. There is no need for the user to understand how calibration works. Suitable for all display types.

Previously, calibration required the user to adjust their display manually while ChromaPure software read the results using a meter. The user would loop through displaying test patterns, reading the results, and making adjustments, until the results were as close to accurate as possible. These calibration steps are outlined in our free step by step guide.

All of these can result in a less than perfect calibration. Only automatic calibration, done outside of the display, can compensate for these issues.

Automatic calibration is an optional add-on to ChromaPure software, and it works in conjunction with a Radiance external video processor. The processor acts as both a test pattern signal generator and calibration device. ChromaPure tells the video processor to display test patterns, measures the results with a meter, and then tells the video processor how to adjust the signal to compensate for display errors. This cycle repeats (often for thousands of test points) until the measured results are as close to perfect as possible. The lookup table of calibration offsets for each point is stored in the video processor.

Once completed, the video processor stays in the signal chain permanently, constantly adjusting the signal in real time against the lookup table to keep the display perfectly calibrated.

When using a Radiance video processor, calibration of up to 4913 colour points can be done achieving unparalleled colour accuracy. Instead of manually colour calibrating to only the 6 primary/secondary colours that make up the boundary of all known colours (called the gamut), we can now calibrate throughout the entire colour space by measuring and correcting up to 4913 colours. Only calibrating at the boundaries (as is done with manual calibration) can still leave many inaccuracies (see real life example).

This revolutionary level of calibration accuracy has only been made possible by advancements in processing power found in the Radiance family of video processors. Manual calibration at thousands of points is simply not possible because displays do not have look up tables (LUTs) in which to store the correction information. Even if they did, manually calibrating to thousands of points would quite literally take the user weeks to perform.

The maximum number of colour calibration points depends on the model of Radiance you have:

Radiance Model
	2143 (discontinued)	4140	4240	4242	4244	4246	4444	4446	5244	5348
Maximum Input Resolution	1080p60	2160p60 4K UltraHD	2160p60 4K UltraHD	2160p60 4K UltraHD	2160p60 4K UltraHD	2160p60 4K UltraHD	2160p60 4K UltraHD	2160p60 4K UltraHD	2160p60 4K UltraHD	2160p60 4K UltraHD
Maximum Output Resolution	2160p60 4K UltraHD	2160p60 4K UltraHD	2160p60 4K UltraHD	2160p60 4K UltraHD	2160p60 4K UltraHD	2160p60 4K UltraHD	2160p60 4K UltraHD	2160p60 4K UltraHD	2160p60 4K UltraHD	2160p60 4K UltraHD
HDMI version	HDMI 1.4 HDCP 1.x	HDMI 2.0* HDCP 2.3	HDMI 2.0* HDCP 2.3	HDMI 2.0* HDCP 2.3	HDMI 2.0* HDCP 2.3	HDMI 2.0* HDCP 2.3	HDMI 2.0* HDCP 2.3	HDMI 2.0* HDCP 2.3	HDMI 2.0* HDCP 2.3	HDMI 2.0* HDCP 2.3
Rec2020 colourspace and HDR/HDR10/HLG support	NO	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Compatible with Dolby® LLDV™	NO	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Upgradeable HDMI hardware (modular I/O)	NO	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	NO (Already 18Ghz)	NO (Already 18Ghz)
Reduced jitter & electrical noise	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
LAN Interface** (future upgrade)	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
HDMI Inputs	8	1	2	4	6	8	6	8	6	10
HDMI Outputs	2	1	2	2	2	2	4	4	2 (1 is audio only)	3 (1 is audio only)
HDMI independently programmable for audio, video, or both	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Miscellaneous I/O
IR Command Input (TTL)	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Directly control Seymour Screen Excellence™ screen masking	NO	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
12-Volt Trigger Outputs (optional add-on)	2	-	-	-	2	2	2	2	1 (included)	1 (included)
Features
Proprietary Dynamic Tone Mapping (DTM) for HDR/HDR10/HLG	NO	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Proprietary No-Ring™ Scaling	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Darbee DVP™ Enhancement Technology (up to 1080p)	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
PiP/PoP*** (Picture-in-Picture / Picture-on-Picture)	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES (4K)	YES (4K)	YES (4K)	YES (4K)
Linear Gamma RGB CMS Matrix Size (for auto-calibrating using software such as ChromaPure)	17x17x17 (4913 points)	17x17x17 (4913 points)	17x17x17 (4913 points)	17x17x17 (4913 points)	17x17x17 (4913 points)	17x17x17 (4913 points)	17x17x17 (4913 points)	17x17x17 (4913 points)	17x17x17 (4913 points)	17x17x17 (4913 points)
21-point Parametric Grayscale/Gamma	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
HDMI 3D Including Calibration and Scaling	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
SD/HD Temporal Noise Reduction	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Four Input-Memories per Input	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Eight Input Resolution Sub-memories	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Extensive Custom Setup Options	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
10-bit deinterlacing/scaling	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
12-bit calibration	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Video Enhancement	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
User Programmable Nonlinear Stretch	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Anamorphic Lens Support for 2D and 3D	YES	YES (4K)	YES (4K)	YES (4K)	YES (4K)	YES (4K)	YES (4K)	YES (4K)	YES (4K)	YES (4K)
Interlaced film to 24p/48p/72p (or 75p) output	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Test Patterns	YES	YES (4K)	YES (4K)	YES (4K)	YES (4K)	YES (4K)	YES (4K)	YES (4K)	YES (4K)	YES (4K)

* Currently only the "HDMI info-frame low-latency mode" feature of HDMI 2.1 is implemented. While Lumagen refers to the Radiance Pro as a HDMI 2.0 device, according to the HDMI specification it could be considered a HDMI 2.1 device.
** Not yet implemented in current hardware. If you purchase a 5XXX-USB model we will ask that the case allow for the option to upgrade to the LAN interface in the future. See below for more details.
*** Not yet implemented in current firmware. Will be added as a future free downloadable update.

The Radiance Pro 5XXX series is the newest version and feature up to 10 x 18 Ghz HDMI inputs, 2 x 18Ghz HDMI outputs, and 1 audio-only output. It uses the same software as the 4XXX models so video processing operations are currently identical. A single 12V trigger is included. Some differences from the 4XXX series include:

What sets the Radiance Pro 5XXX apart is the electrical improvements in the design. While using the same HDMI chips, and FPGA, the use of linear regulators for 28 critical power supplies, and the addition of an HDMI dejitter output buffer, has dramatically reduced output jitter and noise. The use of Faraday cages for all nine DC-to-DC switching-regulators dramatically reduces EMI. As an example, the current 18 GHz Rev 1.4 output card in a 4XXX has a HDMI data jitter of about 80 pS (HDMI specification requires 102 pS or less for 18 GHz). In comparison the measured HDMI output data jitter on the Radiance Pro 5XXX is 45 pS, or just about half. More importantly for audio, the HDMI output clock jitter has been measured at about 10 pS. This is a nearly ideal clock to send to the audio processor.

People have asked if reduced jitter and electrical noise matters. Yes, it does. Based on A-to-B testing with the Lumagen Demo Theater’s Trinnov Altitude 16, the Radiance Pro 5XXX does make a significant improvement for appropriate content (e.g. Greatest Showman “Never Enough”). Some have asked about the current 4XXX product line: “The Radiance Pro does not process audio. So how come audio sounds better when it is running through the Radiance Pro?” The difference is lower jitter and reduced electrical noise. The Radiance Pro 4XXX output jitter and electrical noise are already dramatically better than other products we know about, but the 5XXX takes jitter and noise reduction to what we consider is the ultimate audiophile level.

Some have said that a high-end audio processor’s dejitter circuit can handle higher jitter levels. In Lumagen's experience, audio processor dejitter circuits can improve the jitter as the signal works toward the DAC’s, but there is a limit to the improvement. The advantage the Radiance Pro has compared to traditional dejitter circuits is it completely regenerates the HDMI audio output using a very low jitter crystal clock chip for the HDMI audio clock, and then passes the HDMI signal through two stages of PLL dejitter circuits. Using linear power supplies also helps keep the jitter low by isolating the noise from the digital circuits away from the HDMI integrated circuits.

Lumagen is also being asked if the lower jitter of the 5XXX will improve video. Since the 4XXX series already has output jitter well below specification, the 5XXX going from 80 pS down to 45 pS for the data is not likely going to improve the Bit-Error-Rate (BER) on the HDMI connection. The data reaching the projector/TV should be identical and so there should not be any visible difference.

But, what about the reduced electrical noise on the Radiance Pro 5XXX output? This gets into the question of can electrical noise injected into a projector through the HDMI cable affect the image’s background “analog” noise. For a digital display technology such as DLP, the answer in Lumagen's opinion is no. For a projector with an underlying analog display chip technology (LCOS, DiLA) the answer is that there is a chance it might make a visible improvement. Each system needs to be evaluated individually to determine if there is any visible change. As with any image quality analysis, the final assessment must be done at viewing distance (typically 1X screen width for 4k). If you cannot see a noise reduction at viewing distance, any improvement is moot.

Lumagen has customers who say they can see a visible improvement due to lower noise using an external linear power supply and they believe they saw a slight image improvement (lower background noise) using the 5348 versus the 4446 in the Lumagen Demo Theater RS4500 with the supplied Radiance Pro external digital power supply. These difference are small, and unlike the audio where Lumagen is convinced they could tell the difference in a blind test, for video the difference would be difficult to tell which technology is in play in a blind test (in their opinion). So, they are not claiming you will see a visible improvement on an analog projector chip such as used by Sony and JVC. However, they believe they did see an improvement, and you can test this for yourself, assuming you have both a 4XXX and a 5XXX. They admit this may be hard to accomplish for most people.

The Radiance Pro 5XXX uses a HDMI PLL re-clocking chip on each of the outputs. Lumagen believes this HDMI buffer integrated circuit has slightly slower output edge rates that will be more forgiving when used with projectors with marginal HDMI input designs. These chips reduce jitter, and edge rate, but they also give the 5XXX control of the output signal for level and EQ. Note that the default for the 5XXX is to not have output EQ. The 4XXX series always have output EQ.

In the Lumagen demo theater all supported combinations of 5XXX level and EQ work well. Not having EQ is intended to assist active fiber cables which do not have the appropriate amount of attenuation in their input buffers to account for the fact that normal HDMI outputs have cable EQ. This EQ typically in HDMI outputs, and the output edge rate, must be attenuated by a cable, or a well-designed input buffer in the case of the active fiber cable. With the default “no EQ” setting a passive cable should be in the 2-meter to 3-meter length range. For a projector with a marginal HDMI input design Lumagen believes this programmability may help the projector lock on to an 18 GHz HDMI video signal.

The Radiance Pro 5XXX-USB has the same RS232 plus USB (USB to RS232 internally) connections as the Radiance Pro 4XXX models. One of the 5XXX design changes is that the 5XXX can support a Lantronix XPort Ethernet-to-RS232 interface on the small 5XXX microprocessor daughter card. When you buy the 5XXX-USB we will include the case option to upgrade to the LAN interface in the future (a different case bottom sized for the LAN port connection is used). You could later purchase the LAN version of the microprocessor board, and then swap out the microprocessor board in the field for one with the XPort option. This is a straight-forward task and almost identical to swapping an I/O card in the 4XXX units. Note that once the XPort LAN interface is installed it replaces the USB port.

The Radiance Pro 4XXX series features up to 8 HDMI inputs, 4 HDMI processed outputs, and 6 HDMI switched (unprocessed) outputs. All support 2160p60 (4K Ultra HD) and support up to HDMI 2.0 with HDCP 2.3. All are 1U height (some previous models were 2U height) with a 17" wide rack mountable case (with optional or included rack ears depending on model). The 424X-C (compact) and 4140 models are 11.3" wide and not rack mountable. There are no analog inputs/outputs. The rest of the features are very similar to the 21xx series. Some differences include:

A bit of trivia: The powerful FPGA chip used in the Radiance Pro costs more than all of the parts in the Radiance 2020 combined. This and other aspects of the Radiance Pro architecture mean it sits well above the previously top of the line Radiance 2144 in terms of processing power and flexibility for future upgrades.

The Radiance 21xx models were first introduced in 2014. They feature 8x HDMI inputs and 2x HDMI outputs in a 1U and 2U height by 17” wide rack mountable case (with optional rack ears), similar form factor to the (now discontinued) Radiance XS and XD/XE. The 2124/2144 include analog inputs and outputs while the 2123/2143 do not. 4K UltraHD (2160p@60Hz) output resolution is supported by the 2143/2144, while the 2123/2124 support 1080p FullHD output. The 21xx series does not support 4K UltraHD resolution on the inputs. All models features the same video processing quality and include built in Darbee image enhancement technology, allowing you to adjust the amount of enhancement for each input as with all other adjustments. Optional triggers are available on 21xx models and they are programmable. By default Trig1 is on when the unit is on and Trig 2 is on when 2.35 input aspect is selected. If you have RS232 control you can turn the triggers on or off with a RS232 command.

Key Features:

2xHDMI outputs up to 4K60 UltraHD (2160p@60Hz) with 1080p@72Hz and 1080p@120Hz support (2143, 2144 only)
All other HDMI outputs rated up to 1080p@60Hz
8xHDMI 1.4 audio/video inputs, 2xHDMI 1.4 audio/video outputs,
4 Analog video inputs (2xComponent, 2xComposite) (2124, 2144 only)
6 audio inputs (3xCoax, 1xTos, 2xStereo) (2124, 2144 only)
Darbee Digital Visual Presence (DVP) enhancement technology
Supports complete processing of 2D or 3D sources including scaling and calibration
10 bit front-end, 12+ bit calibration, processing
Proprietary Lumagen NoRing™ scaling
Per-pixel SD/HD video deinterlacing
4913 point (17x17x17) gamut correction
Extensive support for anamorphic lenses
Supports complete processing of 2D or 3D sources
Adaptive diagonal filtering
MPEG mosquito and block artifact reduction
Temporal noise reduction for SD/HD sources
2:2,3:2,3:3 pulldown for SD/HD film sources
Each input has 4 user configuration memories
Each memory has 8 resolution sub-memories
Most input settings (including DVP) are per input, input memory, and input resolution
Eight output configuration memories
User programmable non-linear-stretch (NLS) mode
4:3, LBOX, 16:9, 1.85, 2.35 and NLS input aspect ratios
Extensive suite of test patterns
17"W x 10"D x 1.75"H (1U height) (2123, 2143 only)
17"W x 10"D x 3.5"H (2U height) (2124, 2144 only)

Gamma-Factor coarse Gamma calibration
21-point Parametric Gamma calibration
21-point Parametric grayscale calibration
Programmable input/output color-space
Y/C-delay calibration
User-adjustable image enhancement
CUE and ICP filtering
Output aspect ratio from 1.33 to 2.50
Eight channel audio to 192 kHz
IR and RS232 control inputs
Wired IR format command input
Universal power supply
Power consumption 25 Watts
Field upgradable software
Optional rack mounting ears

Input configurability:

Inputs 1-8 are HDMI 1.4 and can be used with HDMI or DVI sources
Inputs 9-10 are Component (HD/SD) (2124, 2144 only)
Inputs 11-12 are Composite (NTSC or PAL) (2124, 2144 only)
One rgbhv (uses 1 component input and 2 composite inputs) (2124, 2144 only)
Up to 2 scart (RGB+composite sync) inputs (uses 1 component + 1 composite input) (2124, 2144 only)

Radiance 2123/2143:

Radiance 2123/2143 back panel (no analog connections):

Radiance 5XXX/4XXX/21X3 1U height: 11 lbs, 22x14x4 inches
Radiance 4XXX/21X4 2U height: 16 lbs, 22x14x8 inches

Worldwide shipping is available. Radiance video processors are manufactured in the USA and therefore qualify under the North American Free Trade agreement (NAFTA).

"So far I have tested [my] 2041 with the actual set-up of my [old] XS and I was very impressed. The 2041 gives a tad clearer picture than the old XS, even if Darbee Vision is disabled. At low levels DarbeeVision really improves the picture quality without adding annoying artifacts." - Stephan G.

"Just to say thanks for convincing me to buy the Radiance Mini! Calibrating my TV is now so much easier and the 125 point calibration fixed the problems I had with oversaturated Red and Green, it's subtle but my image is now more natural and my greyscale is now perfect. This device has also a lot of side features that are really nice like the gamma factor and the fact that the radiance has many memories is really great for day/night viewing settings. That really brought my TV to another level." - Stephane S.

"It's obvious that I love the Radiance XS. There isn't a component that I used it with that wasn't improved by using it, nor a feature that I found it to be missing. There is so much inside of the Radiance products that any review that doesn't go for 10,000 words isn't going to be able to cover it all. Lumagen has packed their Radiance line with more features than anything else I've used and really brings something to any system you use it with. Since I finished testing the Radiance just a couple weeks ago, Lumagen has improved it to allow you to convert to any of the 3D formats for output, made it easier to use Reference or Adjustable patterns, and they have plans to add even more feature going forward. In addition to offering these free updates at their website, they also run their own support forum as well as actively monitoring the forums at AVS to support their users. You can even call and actually talk to their employees to get support for your issues. Their website also has an archive of Tech Tips to help you setup certain features that might be fairly complex to do. With a device as capable but complex as the Radiance, this level of support is important and sometimes essential. Unless a display is absolutely perfect in all aspects, and each component is as well, any theater can benefit from the Radiance. You may not use all the features, but it has the power and ability to grow as you change your system around. There have been very few products that I can enthusiastically recommend as highly as I can the Lumagen Radiance. It really is a component you need to try and see for yourself to understand the difference it can make." - Chris Heinonen of HomeTheaterHiFi.com (read full review)

"I'm not a scaler/processor type of person, and really saw no real need for one since you can get HD directly from a Blu Ray player. Of the ones I've seen in action in the past, the only one I've been impressed with was the VP-50, but never to the point of wanting one for myself. And based on the cost of these units, the reason for having one could never be justified enough for me to ever consider one. However, today was a real eye opening when Craig connected his Lumagen Radiance up to my Electrohome Marquee 9500LC CRT projector. At first we had it hooked up 1080p/60Hz. Then Craig noticed that it would be best at 24Hz into the Radiance. After switching my Sony BDP-360 Blu Ray to 1080p/24Hz and running the output of the Radiance at 1080p/72Hz everything I had ever thought about a video processor changed. My 9500LC interpolated the 1080p/72Hz and without any adjustments to the projector. The image I saw on the screen stunned me. It was tight, bright and very sharp. Even sharper than anything I've been able to get using 1080p/60Hz. I asked Craig to find out what one would cost... 1080p/72Hz is now a must have for me. Since the Radiance does it so well, owning one is now tops on my list. Finally - a processor that does not muck up the signal!" - Mike Parker (Projector/Home Theater guru)

"The Radiance XD is the Swiss Army Knife of video processors. ...In my experience, there is nothing out there that converts SD to HD as well as the Radiance XD. Lumagen's proprietary up-conversion is excellent. As good as the best Gennum VXP and Silicon Optix HQV processors are, the Radiance XD has a clear (pun intended) advantage in the quality of up-conversion. ...The Radiance XD is an amazing product. It will elevate the performance of any video display beyond what is possible with the display's internal controls. The results are amazing for video displays in any and every price range." - Doug Blackburn, Widescreen Review, Issue 139, March/April 2009

"The Lumagen RadianceXD is the single most useful piece of A/V equipment I work with. I use it for my own setup, and frequently recommend it to clients. It can correct for virtually all errors in both display and source, and make a inexpensive set behave like a professional display. Lumagen support is unsurpassed. Bugs are promptly addressed, and set-up questions quickly answered." - Carl, New York City, ISF Calibrator

"Anyone who owns the Radiance will tell you how amazing it is. It does everything you've heard it does, and then some. It is the most important and most powerful piece of equipment in my setup. But even more incredible is the way Lumagen stands behind its product by listening to us owners, with a constant influx of updates and bug fixes. No issue stays unresolved, and new features are added all the time, long into the lifecycle of the product." - Dave (Madison, WI)