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

geddon_jt

Neo Member
4x mode introduces a bit of "overscan", right, meaning the tops and bottoms of the screen are slightly cut off? Or would that be a 5x version?

No, actually at 4x there are slight black borders at the top and bottom of the screen. 4.5 eliminates those borders so the top and bottom of the image are flush with the edge of the TV. 4x is definitely the way to go between the two due to the scanline issue - the borders on top and bottom are not a distraction at all.
 

D.Lo

Member
with 3x5 LEDs per pixel, they could have rounded those old school pixels, instead of making them ultra square. Oh well.
Like this, real pixels on a real PVM (Dracula MSX).
IMG_4693e420b.jpg
vs
CRT would definitely be emulated better if they knocked the corner pixel off each of the lines of 3x5 LCD pixels.
Actually Samus is weird there, why the green pixels have the top line faded?
 

Y2JDMBFAN

Neo Member
Anyone heard any kind of news from Analogue on the next / final wave of pre-orders? I'm still trying to decide if I should keep or cancel my pre-order.
 

BTails

Member
Anyone heard any kind of news from Analogue on the next / final wave of pre-orders? I'm still trying to decide if I should keep or cancel my pre-order.

I haven't heard anything, and with someone with a preorder as well, I check their social media every couple days for an update.

Given their previous record, I wouldn't expect to hear much until the next wave is almost ready to ship out. I would probably hang onto your preorder for now unless you needed the money, considering the final product will probably be pretty rare/sought after once production ceases.

Though, given the falling Canadian dollar, I'd make money if I refunded my preorder now, haha. Analogue NT preorder as investment, who knew?
 

ToastyFrog

Inexplicable Treasure Hate
I finally have acquired everything I need to capture direct feed of Zapper games in HD from my Analogue NT. This is why I'll never switch to the HDMI mod—can't go all-digital if you want to keep the light gun working.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqCXhy9mUhA

It's really lovely. I just need to figure out what's up with the buzzing sound—it's really bad, and I'm already running the audio cables through a ground loop isolator. I'm going to try swapping around power outlets to see if there's a ground loop causing the issue. Kind of tough since this capture setup involves 5 different electronic components that need to be plugged in...
 
Yeah, I have the same question. What's HD about it if you're on a CRT for the light gun?

Overall I do not consider light gun games to much of a loss in the switch to an upscaler and modern TV setup. Though it is iconic, there are only a handful of games that matter and they aren't so exciting. I played Duck Hunt again not long ago and it was quite a bore after about 30-40 minutes.
 

dallow_bg

nods at old men
Yeah, I have the same question. What's HD about it if you're on a CRT for the light gun?

Overall I do not consider light gun games to much of a loss in the switch to an upscaler and modern TV setup. Though it is iconic, there are only a handful of games that matter and they aren't so exciting. I played Duck Hunt again not long ago and it was quite a bore after about 30-40 minutes.

Surprised you lasted that long.
 

ToastyFrog

Inexplicable Treasure Hate
It's HD in the sense that I'm making use of the RGB passthrough capabilities of a PVM to run an output feed from the PVM into a Framemeister (the setup is Analogue NT > PVM 1953 > Framemeister > Elgato HD60 > computer). The picture is SD on the PVM, then gets upscaled to HD for the recording.

I'm not super huge into light gun games, either, but I AM into the retrospective and archiving angle. I found there was no high-quality video capture of any NES light gun/R.O.B. games online, so I'd like to create and post a library of HD RGB footage for people to use in their own video projects. I'm trying to create a public resource, basically. Once I get the audio bugs ironed out, I plan to post raw lots of video footage to YouTube and possibly archive.org.

(Also, my elementary-age family members are in love with Duck Hunt, so lots of Cool Uncle points there.)
 

StevieWhite

Member
That's pretty awesome, pretty psyched to see the retrospective (Good Nintentions?). As someone who just played through a few Sega CD light gun games with a pad, I would really love to take a look at your setup. The value of LG games are very likely to get lost to time without such efforts. I salute you sir.
 

dallow_bg

nods at old men
It's HD in the sense that I'm making use of the RGB passthrough capabilities of a PVM to run an output feed from the PVM into a Framemeister (the setup is Analogue NT > PVM 1953 > Framemeister > Elgato HD60 > computer). The picture is SD on the PVM, then gets upscaled to HD for the recording.

I'm not super huge into light gun games, either, but I AM into the retrospective and archiving angle. I found there was no high-quality video capture of any NES light gun/R.O.B. games online, so I'd like to create and post a library of HD RGB footage for people to use in their own video projects. I'm trying to create a public resource, basically. Once I get the audio bugs ironed out, I plan to post raw lots of video footage to YouTube and possibly archive.org.

(Also, my elementary-age family members are in love with Duck Hunt, so lots of Cool Uncle points there.)

Sounds very good. Best of luck.
 

D.Lo

Member
It's HD in the sense that I'm making use of the RGB passthrough capabilities of a PVM to run an output feed from the PVM into a Framemeister (the setup is Analogue NT > PVM 1953 > Framemeister > Elgato HD60 > computer). The picture is SD on the PVM, then gets upscaled to HD for the recording.

I'm not super huge into light gun games, either, but I AM into the retrospective and archiving angle. I found there was no high-quality video capture of any NES light gun/R.O.B. games online, so I'd like to create and post a library of HD RGB footage for people to use in their own video projects. I'm trying to create a public resource, basically. Once I get the audio bugs ironed out, I plan to post raw lots of video footage to YouTube and possibly archive.org.

(Also, my elementary-age family members are in love with Duck Hunt, so lots of Cool Uncle points there.)
Yeah there's heaps of stuff out there not documented, at least in English. 99.9% of NES footage on youtube is emulated, and nobody bothers with light gun stuff.
 

baphomet

Member
It's HD in the sense that I'm making use of the RGB passthrough capabilities of a PVM to run an output feed from the PVM into a Framemeister (the setup is Analogue NT > PVM 1953 > Framemeister > Elgato HD60 > computer). The picture is SD on the PVM, then gets upscaled to HD for the recording.

I'm not super huge into light gun games, either, but I AM into the retrospective and archiving angle. I found there was no high-quality video capture of any NES light gun/R.O.B. games online, so I'd like to create and post a library of HD RGB footage for people to use in their own video projects. I'm trying to create a public resource, basically. Once I get the audio bugs ironed out, I plan to post raw lots of video footage to YouTube and possibly archive.org.

(Also, my elementary-age family members are in love with Duck Hunt, so lots of Cool Uncle points there.)

Very cool idea on the archive.

How are you connecting the output of the PVM to the XRGB mini?
 

ToastyFrog

Inexplicable Treasure Hate
Very cool idea on the archive.

How are you connecting the output of the PVM to the XRGB mini?

Well, people have been very supportive of my video projects, so I feel the least I can do is pay it forward by helping others with their projects in turn.

The PVM is connected to the upscaler via an RGB (SCART) cable from Retro Gaming Cables.
 
That makes sense, TF. Love the series.

And when I said I didn't think LG games were a huge loss in moving to modern tech, I was only talking NES. But as far as archival purposes go, yeah, you don't want to skip them. The Zapper really helped sell the NES in the early going.
 

Kawika

Member
Like this, real pixels on a real PVM (Dracula MSX).

vs

CRT would definitely be emulated better if they knocked the corner pixel off each of the lines of 3x5 LCD pixels.
Actually Samus is weird there, why the green pixels have the top line faded?

To be fair, I didn't do a good job at taking a picture of Samus and I really didnt understand exactly what the scaler did till I got a XRGB recently. That said, the mode I had Samus in was not at an integer scale. Meaning, I used the 4:3 for 16:9 instead of the nice smooth 5x scale. If you watch this video its explains what went wrong

https://youtu.be/TI60A3DpI6w?t=3m45s (3:45 mark).

Well, people have been very supportive of my video projects, so I feel the least I can do is pay it forward by helping others with their projects in turn.

The PVM is connected to the upscaler via an RGB (SCART) cable from Retro Gaming Cables.

I think that is pretty awesome Jeremy. I've been posting issues with the hdmi nes / analogue nt that i have encountered. I really hope it makes the product better.

I never considered that I could daisy chain my PVM (14M4U) to my XRGB. I assume you are outputting using a male scart cable from your PVM to the Euro Scart to JP21 Mini to plug it into your XRGB Mini?
 

ToastyFrog

Inexplicable Treasure Hate
I never considered that I could daisy chain my PVM (14M4U) to my XRGB. I assume you are outputting using a male scart cable from your PVM to the Euro Scart to JP21 Mini to plug it into your XRGB Mini?

Yeah, I wasn't 100% sure it would work myself, but it was the only way I could think of to make this capture possible short of hiring someone to create a custom cable. Here's the full setup, in sequence:

- Analogue NT
Analogue's RGB-out cable for NT (terminating in BNC leads)
- PVM 1953MD
Retro Gaming Cables' RGB male SCART cable (terminating in BNC leads)
Retro Gaming Cables' female SCART to Framemeister Mini-8 DIN adapter
- Framemeister
HDMI cable
- Elgato HD60
USB to computer, HDMI to LED television

Audio runs directly from Analogue NT stereo RCA out to Framemeister's stereo RCA in, skipping the PVM.

It is a very complicated affair, and I'm a little frustrated that after I've jumped through all these hoops the audio has turned out to be so polluted (though I had this issue before introducing the PVM to the mix, so it's not the TV). I have some shielded stereo cables on order, so hopefully those will solve the issue. Worst case, it's a power supply issue, and I'll need to replace the Framemeister or Analogue NT's A/C adapter.

Edit: Oh, also, the male SCART cable has the USB sync option installed. The NT's picture is unstable without external sync.
 

BTails

Member
So, a question for those who have the Analogue NT: what happens if you have a cart in each slot? Does it prioritize one over the other, does it turn on at all, or maybe give you a choice of which cart to load?

Asking as I'm thinking of picking up an Everdrive (Famicom case), and was wondering if I could leave that in the Analogue all the time, but still be able to use my own NES carts when I wanted.

Also, this thread getting bumped so much is making me thirsty for that second run to start shipping...
 

Kawika

Member
So, a question for those who have the Analogue NT: what happens if you have a cart in each slot? Does it prioritize one over the other, does it turn on at all, or maybe give you a choice of which cart to load?

Asking as I'm thinking of picking up an Everdrive (Famicom case), and was wondering if I could leave that in the Analogue all the time, but still be able to use my own NES carts when I wanted.

Also, this thread getting bumped so much is making me thirsty for that second run to start shipping...

It specifically says not to do it. In the don't feed the Gremlins after midnight fashion. I would not do it if I were you (or anyone else for that matter).
 

BTails

Member
It specifically says not to do it. In the don't feed the Gremlins after midnight fashion. I would not do it if I were you (or anyone else for that matter).

What if I'm trying to play Sunsoft's Gremlins 2?

Haha, thanks for the heads up.
 
D

Deleted member 20415

Unconfirmed Member
Wait... the Everdrive is only compatible with the RGB version?

I just bought a gold system... a little nervous about spending that much money though...
 

BTails

Member
Wait... the Everdrive is only compatible with the RGB version?

I just bought a gold system... a little nervous about spending that much money though...

I believe the Everdrive is now working with the HDMI mod as long as both have the most recent firmwares installed (HDMI mod should be updated by Analogue for the 2nd production run).

There's still one or two games that are having issues with the HDMI mod though, I seem to recall Blaster Master is one of them.
 

StevieWhite

Member
My NT is a first run (I believe - received it 9/8/2015) and it works fine with the pre-installed firmware, though I had to update my Everdrive firmware.

Regardless, how does one get a hold of the current version of the NT firmware?
 

Frostburn

Member
My NT is a first run (I believe - received it 9/8/2015) and it works fine with the pre-installed firmware, though I had to update my Everdrive firmware.

Regardless, how does one get a hold of the current version of the NT firmware?
You have to flash it using a modded cart or something like your Everdrive but the rom file used to update doesn't seem to be available to download publicly. I think someone in this thread has a couple carts with the new FW he can ship you or you can reach out to Analogue.
 

Frostburn

Member
I really hope it's an Analogue SN. This time, there wouldn't be trust issues as we know they can come through with the goods.

I'm with you on this, a SNES would be the last retro console I'd want to have. I know it isn't hard to do RGB with a SNES compared to a NES but an HDMI system without emulation would be great.
 

TSM

Member
I'm with you on this, a SNES would be the last retro console I'd want to have. I know it isn't hard to do RGB with a SNES compared to a NES but an HDMI system without emulation would be great.

Analogue aren't the ones that did the work making NES HDMI happen though. Unless someone steps up with a SNES HDMI solution that Analogue can integrate it won't happen. Maybe they could partner with Kevtris or Marshallh if either of them were willing.
 
D

Deleted member 20415

Unconfirmed Member
Looks like I got under the wire... they are sold out of all production runs now.
 

Khaz

Member
Yeah, don't dream too much on their next product. Just remember they're designers, not engineers. What they did was design a cool case: the PCB specs are directly lifted from Famicom technical documentation, the VDP and CPU are harvested from broken consoles, and the cool things (RGB and HDMI) are mods by third parties. They did assemble a pretty good machine, but they only assembled it.

When they actually tried to make new electronics by themselves, it delayed their delivery by more than a year until a deal with Kevtris saved the day. Hadn't he been there, you'd still be waiting for a subpar upscaling addon.

Their next product will be fancy, no doubt about it, but don't expect any breakthrough in terms of technology. Like HDMI SNES or GBA won't happen until someone else does it and allows them to use it.
 
I'm with you on this, a SNES would be the last retro console I'd want to have. I know it isn't hard to do RGB with a SNES compared to a NES but an HDMI system without emulation would be great.

if they do SNES, let's hope they use 1-chip or SNES mini models for the best RGB output
 

Frostburn

Member
Analogue aren't the ones that did the work making NES HDMI happen though. Unless someone steps up with a SNES HDMI solution that Analogue can integrate it won't happen. Maybe they could partner with Kevtris or Marshallh if either of them were willing.

Yeah hoping the company could convince Kevtris or someone like him to create the mod. I know it has been done before but not extremely well like the Hi-Def NES modkit and having it available on a larger scale for modders and for Analogue to use in a console would be neat. I'd support a company trying to make that happen, I would love to be able to play a bunch of classics without emulation and in HD.
 
Just wanted to update the folks about the firmware update process. Kinda fun, they sent me a cart in the mail. You just plug it in, run the rom, and then enter the upgrade menu in the hardware menu. Then I sent the cart on to the next customer. Now I can play both my NA and Fami versions of Castlevania 3.
 

RetroReid

Member
Anyone else notice that the "interpolation" feature is completely broken?
I'm not sure if this from the recent firmware update 2.0 or not but I can't get it to work whatsoever.
I like to have scanlines turned on, and interpolation is something that goes very nicely with them.
Kevtris demonstrates this feature in an early build of his software used in the Analogue Nt and HiDef NES: https://youtu.be/qlb0E_jkYts?t=4m59s
I know its not just me because they mention this issue in an episode of My Life in Gaming: https://youtu.be/TI60A3DpI6w?t=6m52s

I'm hoping he fixes it soon!
 

BTails

Member
There was an update from Analogue yesterday on the Composite Out daughter-board from HDMI upgraded users, as well as cartridge protectors.

https://support.analogue.co/hc/en-u...Composite-Video-Upgrade-Cartridge-Protectors-

Looking pretty good! I've got a second production run preorder, so hopefully the beveled cart slots will mean I won't need one of the cartridge protectors.

Analogue also said on their Facebook page a few days ago that they're on schedule to begin shipping preorders by the end of February, and that all preorders should be out by the end of March. The wait is killing me!
 

Chittagong

Gold Member
There was an update from Analogue yesterday on the Composite Out daughter-board from HDMI upgraded users, as well as cartridge protectors.

https://support.analogue.co/hc/en-u...Composite-Video-Upgrade-Cartridge-Protectors-

Looking pretty good! I've got a second production run preorder, so hopefully the beveled cart slots will mean I won't need one of the cartridge protectors.

Analogue also said on their Facebook page a few days ago that they're on schedule to begin shipping preorders by the end of February, and that all preorders should be out by the end of March. The wait is killing me!

I'm impressed. They really didn't need to do any of that stuff, they sold their main batch already, and the second batch would have sold out regardless.

Seems like they have longer term plans for the brand.
 
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