RandomHajile said:

no doubt then a pro player from say sony/pioneer then would be a better/purer option then

and would have a BNC output :)

am sure a modern composite to sdi converter would have the requisite(improved) time based correction applied with a genlock input prob even more ideal.

I think it's pretty well established that the X0 provides the best image quality. It's debatable whether it's BNC composite provides the better image than its comb filter through the S-video connection. I know I don't have the cash to find out first hand.

That's the benefit of happycube's software. While a better laser would be preferable for reading the disc surface, it's possible that more common and cheaper players may offer similar (or better) quality when decoded this way.

In my opinion, that is the future of this hobby.