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Analogue NT ($578 HDMI NES) |OT| Better than anything, and ready to ship years ago

Peltz

Member
Scan lines will never look correct in 1080, because it isn't an integer multiple of 240. They will always be uneven.

720 is however an integer multiple, so scan lines can be every third line.

Until we get higher res screens and software to support them, 720p is the best way to use emulated scaliness.

Hmmm... so that's why... Would it be possible to not fill the whole screen/use a border at 1080p to have proper scaliness at that resolution?

Just asking for XRGB purposes.
 

D.Lo

Member
Hmmm... so that's why... Would it be possible to not fill the whole screen/use a border at 1080p to have proper scaliness at that resolution?

Just asking for XRGB purposes.
Yes, you could use 960 which would be far better than 1080. But even then, the (non) scan lines will be very fat (equal to the actual game displayed) or very thin (1/3 the size of the game displayed). 720 works great because they're half the width of the actual displayed scan lines, so it looks quite a lot closer to the real thing, as it emulates the 'bleed' from the displayed scaliness to the skipped ones.

Also, effing autocorrect changes scanlines to scaliness urg.
 

Peltz

Member
Yes, you could use 960 which would be far better than 1080. But even then, the (non) scan lines will be very fat (equal to the actual game displayed) or very thin (1/3 the size of the game displayed). 720 works great because they're half the width of the actual displayed scan lines, so it looks quite a lot closer to the real thing, as it emulates the 'bleed' from the displayed scaliness to the skipped ones.

Also, effing autocorrect changes scanlines to scaliness urg.

Cool. Thanks for explaining.
 

Chittagong

Gold Member
Analogue just announced two new colours in the last batch - Famicom, Gold

12138496_953147448079211_2121751007103110246_o.jpg


12140931_953147481412541_5058216362645221208_o.jpg


Analogue said:
We’re excited to announced two Analogue Nt Limited Edition (LE) units.
Inspired by the Nintendo Famicom, the Famicom LE has a red anodized body, gold anodized dust flaps and white controller ports.
The Gold LE features a gold anodized enclosure with white controller ports.
Every unit sports a transparent polycarbonate baseplate, so you can see exactly how beautiful your Analogue Nt is inside.
Limited to 50 units each, starting at $599.

looking sweet, especially the Famicom one
 

Frostburn

Member
Came in to post the same thing Chittagong! Now the dilemma, do I keep my existing normal second wave pre-order as is or do I try to change it to the Famicom limited edition? Also you guys noted the changes to the second wave right?

All second production units, whether regular edition (Classic, Black, Blue, Red), or a limited edition (Gold LE, Famicom LE) feature:

• a transparent polycarbonate baseplate
• native composite video output when you HDMI upgrade your unit
• cartridge slots beveled internally and externally
• all regular edition units include black controller ports
• all limited edition units include white controller ports
• identically built in every other way
 

Chittagong

Gold Member
Came in to post the same thing Chittagong! Now the dilemma, do I keep my existing normal second wave pre-order as is or do I try to change it to the Famicom limited edition? Also you guys noted the changes to the second wave right?

Do the Fami one man, couple it with a controller and post pics! :)
 
Just wanted to come back to report that my NT has been awesome. My initial unit was broken because they didn't put any padding int he box and the upscaler chip shook loose from the board in transit. Their customer service was great though and I had my nt back and working within a week. If you are a hardcore nes/fami fan you really should grab an NT from the last batch.
 

Kawika

Member
Scan lines will never look correct in 1080, because it isn't an integer multiple of 240. They will always be uneven.

720 is however an integer multiple, so scan lines can be every third line.

Until we get higher res screens and software to support them, 720p is the best way to use emulated scaliness.

So are you speaking of this from your XRGB settings or do you own the HDMI upgraded NT? If you are using the Kevtris kit, what settings are you using for 720p? NES, 2x, 3x and what gain do you have it at?

I tried 720p with NES, 2X and 3X (as well as 4 and 5) and found that at 720p 3x rightly makes it appear as close to normal. I just think that it doesn't look right because I have a PVM and I never thought those scanlines looked like anything like what these upscalers put out.

Also, its kind of fun to put it in 480 mode and it has the right amount of blurry via my tv's upscaler that combined with scan lines does give it an old tube tv effect. Granted, I haven't played a retro game on a non PVM CRT for at least 10 years.
 

StevieWhite

Member
All that really matters is how good it looks to you, right? I wouldn't stress it too much. Reasonable minds can differ on these things.
 

D.Lo

Member
So are you speaking of this from your XRGB settings or do you own the HDMI upgraded NT? If you are using the Kevtris kit, what settings are you using for 720p? NES, 2x, 3x and what gain do you have it at?

I tried 720p with NES, 2X and 3X (as well as 4 and 5) and found that at 720p 3x rightly makes it appear as close to normal. I just think that it doesn't look right because I have a PVM and I never thought those scanlines looked like anything like what these upscalers put out.

Also, its kind of fun to put it in 480 mode and it has the right amount of blurry via my tv's upscaler that combined with scan lines does give it an old tube tv effect. Granted, I haven't played a retro game on a non PVM CRT for at least 10 years.
I'm talking mathematical reality. Due to not being an integer multiple of 240, scan line effects in 1080 cannot be even.

And yes from XRGB and other methods of emulated scanlines
 

Kawika

Member
I'm talking mathematical reality. Due to not being an integer multiple of 240, scan line effects in 1080 cannot be even.

And yes from XRGB and other methods of emulated scanlines


The XRGB community has a lot of presets for most game systems that people can check out but I am curious to learn how other people have their settings tuned to on the HDMI NT.
 

Y2JDMBFAN

Neo Member
I've got an order for one of the upcoming batch of NT units w/ HDMI, and upgraded it to the Famicom LE.

After some thought though, I am somewhat questioning my pre-order.

I have already purchased a Framemeister earlier for use with an RGB modded SNES.

My question is, how close can I get to the NT by using the Framemeister and RGB modded NES?
 

Frostburn

Member
What number pre-order are you? Just wondering how many they've sold so far :)

I think with the Framemeister and RGB modded system it will look and feel really close if not identical.

I do think I'll prefer the convenience of just having a piece of hardware I can plug up via HDMI and play NES and Famicom games on, I really dig the design on the Analogue NT too.
 

geddon_jt

Neo Member
Guys, I received a handful of loaner firmware update carts for the HDMI Nt units. Analogue shipped me a few to send out to some other people who needed them. I flashed my system no problem (took less than 5 minutes) and now Castlevania 3 works just fine. Also the new 4x 1080p setting looks just fantastic! I understand there are a few more bug fixes but these 2 are what popped out at me right away. If any of you guys want me to send you a loaner cart, PM me your name and address, I'll verify you with Analogue, and ship you an update cart next week. You will be responsible for making arrangements with Analogue to either ship it back to them or to another owner. This is a great option for HDMI Nt owners who do not have an Everdrive (like myself). PM me if you're interested :)
 

Ocaso

Member
I've got an order for one of the upcoming batch of NT units w/ HDMI, and upgraded it to the Famicom LE.

After some thought though, I am somewhat questioning my pre-order.

I have already purchased a Framemeister earlier for use with an RGB modded SNES.

My question is, how close can I get to the NT by using the Framemeister and RGB modded NES?

I don't have an Analogue NT, but I'd suspect you can get extremely close in terms of image quality, but always with some lag. The main value of the Analogue's HDMI solution is that it is entirely digital and lag-free.
 

baphomet

Member
I've got an order for one of the upcoming batch of NT units w/ HDMI, and upgraded it to the Famicom LE.

After some thought though, I am somewhat questioning my pre-order.

I have already purchased a Framemeister earlier for use with an RGB modded SNES.

My question is, how close can I get to the NT by using the Framemeister and RGB modded NES?

The NT looks basically like an emulator. That can be a good or bad thing depending on what you're looking for. I personally love how crisp it is, but its not worth it over an actual NES modded for RGB to me.

Picture-wise they'll be very close, but you will get a cleaner picture with the NT.
 
Guys, I received a handful of loaner firmware update carts for the HDMI Nt units. Analogue shipped me a few to send out to some other people who needed them. I flashed my system no problem (took less than 5 minutes) and now Castlevania 3 works just fine. Also the new 4x 1080p setting looks just fantastic! I understand there are a few more bug fixes but these 2 are what popped out at me right away. If any of you guys want me to send you a loaner cart, PM me your name and address, I'll verify you with Analogue, and ship you an update cart next week. You will be responsible for making arrangements with Analogue to either ship it back to them or to another owner. This is a great option for HDMI Nt owners who do not have an Everdrive (like myself). PM me if you're interested :)

Is the firmware available to download anywhere? I have a friend who has an Everdrive I might be able to borrow.

Otherwise, yes, I'd like to get a loaner cart.
 

BTails

Member
What number pre-order are you? Just wondering how many they've sold so far :)

Just to update, I preordered mine a couple days ago, and am order number 2394, so based on the order numbers, they're probably pretty close to selling out or the second run.

Man, this wait is gonna be tough. I keep wanting to jump into Faxanadu for the NES Club thread, but the thought of playing my old NES Frontloader (Composite through Framemeister) is just not appealing.
 

Frostburn

Member
Just to update, I preordered mine a couple days ago, and am order number 2394, so based on the order numbers, they're probably pretty close to selling out or the second run.

Man, this wait is gonna be tough. I keep wanting to jump into Faxanadu for the NES Club thread, but the thought of playing my old NES Frontloader (Composite through Framemeister) is just not appealing.

Thanks! I ordered as soon as the second wave opened (before they even sent an email) and am number 2100.
 

Kawika

Member
So last night I updated to the latest firmware. I was given it early but thanks to sick kids I finally got to it. It was an easy process if you have an everdrive.

Things that I have noticed thus far.

  • Scanlines at 4X has been greatly improved
  • Castlevania 3 now loads properly
  • I get random hdmi resets now. It will go dark for a second. Kind of like when you change the resolution but in the case it doesn't
  • Settings will save
  • Still having Issues with Blaster Master. I loaded both my Cart and the Rom on my Everdrive and the same effect happens

I need to get a capture device for this sort of thing. I am really digging the 4x scan line improvements.Its hard to tell how good it is based on these models but I can't reduce the image size without change the way it looks so I chose to crop most of the image out.

XkTUMgf.jpg


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You can't tell from these images but some of the games seem to have improved color. I didn't read the patch notes to see what was updated. I still need to try more games. I noticed a lot less over-scan on the games too. Maybe its just me and it saved my previous settings that I used to crop games like SMB3. Speaking of SMB3, the play choice pallet seems to be improved. The reds are really deep now and nothing is washed out.

Side note to anyone with a Everdrive for the NES (not the Famicom). The NT will play the expanded audio in the NES port for Famicom Roms that support those chips. Make sure you enable the right channels in the HDMI menu.

I have a large Famicom collection and I don't think my Famicom Slot is as bad as my NES slot but the NT has been scratching the shit out of my painted N8. I didn't notice it as much with my carts but this is an issue. I really wish they could come up with a solution that doesn't involve a booster cart. I would love to swap those metal flaps for a composite/plastic material.
 

geddon_jt

Neo Member
Kawika, I don't have an everdrive and I'm not seeing any scratching issues with mine, is the everdrive any thicker than a regular NES cart? Even like 1mm either way could make a difference...
 

Kawika

Member
Kawika, I don't have an everdrive and I'm not seeing any scratching issues with mine, is the everdrive any thicker than a regular NES cart? Even like 1mm either way could make a difference...

Depending on who you get it from, some everdrives are painted. If it was plastic I imagine it wouldn't be an issue. I bought one from Stone Age since the price was almost the same as Krikkz and I didn't have to wait for shipping (it came in 3 days).

Carts like Zelda and my everdrive have a layer that is more susceptible to scratching from the metal (why did they use metal, seriously?) flaps. The NES carts tend to be pretty tough and you don't see it but there is a dust like material that builds up (that is your cart being sanded down ever so slightly). But when its a game with a coating it will just remove the paint instead of slightly scratching it.

Zelda, Zelda 2, Game Genie and now my N8 have all fell victim to the NES port scratching. However, my Famicom port seems to not do it as much and I haven't gouged anything but I am sure there is some slight wearing down by the nature of hardness of materials in the everdrive being greater than the hardness of the plastics in the cart.

I didn't know SAG painted their carts. I just thought it was a black plastic dye (not color but black plastic injection mold). I am sure its a non issue with plastics just metal > paint once again.
 

TheWraith

Member
Didn't find any immediate info but how about PAL games on the NT? Is there a 50/60hz switch or will PAL games always play too fast?
 

2097

Neo Member
As far as the HDMI-version goes, PAL games will get a VBI sixty times per second, which many games use to time their games, so they'll all be faster. They'll also get fewer cycles per vblank, so some games don't work at all. (I'm thinking Elite probably won't work, for example.)

PAL NES are more powerful than Famicom and the Analogue NT is based on Famicom.
That said, I think the Analogue NT is cool. Famicom is a great console.
 
*Sigh* Mine bricked during the firmware update and now I'm gonna have to wait like a month to send it in and get it back... :(
 
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