Could be a sync issue? What system, cable, connection, monitor, etc. are you using?
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Upscalers, CRTs, PVMs & RGB: Retro gaming done right!
- Thread starter IrishNinja
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Could be a sync issue? What system, cable, connection, monitor, etc. are you using?
I'll put together a detailed post when I get back.
Shin Johnpv
Member
For the folks who have ordered from retro_console_accessories, how long does it usually take her to ship stuff?
davidwhangchoi
Member
i got my cable in a week's time.
Shin Johnpv
Member
I meant more time from when you bought it till she shipped it.
davidwhangchoi
Member
i just checked: just a day or two.
Hawk269
Member
I ordered on Saturday and received my cables on Wednesday. So it is pretty quick. Still waiting on one more cable for my Sega Master System.
For those with the Framemeister, any recommended settings you recommend? I like the scan lines, but then it dims the picture a bit and I almost prefer without the scanlines due to this. Is there settings that adds the scanlines, but does not dim the image?
geniusbits
Member
You can manually increase brightness. That is the problem with recommendations though, a lot of them ignore scan lines, and it's hard to figure out what to tweak up (only brightness, gamma too?) from the dimming effect.
D.Lo
Member
I turn various saturation/gamma/brightness settings up, and have semi-transparent scanlines.
You can create a quite reasonable approximation of real CRT scanlines (which bloom out of their line to the blank scanline) with the right settings.
davidwhangchoi
Member
finally got the perfect alignment for genesis =)
Using genesis club game of the month Revenge of Shinobi, underscan would get the whole background frame but bleed pink on the borders of the screen.
over scan would eliminate the pink boarders but would cut off part of the screen and menu borders.
now, the menu screen borders perfectly line up without being distorted w/ no under and slight overscan on top.
Using genesis club game of the month Revenge of Shinobi, underscan would get the whole background frame but bleed pink on the borders of the screen.
over scan would eliminate the pink boarders but would cut off part of the screen and menu borders.
now, the menu screen borders perfectly line up without being distorted w/ no under and slight overscan on top.
Ok so:
The connector does have a bit of rust in the corner, but I dont think thats something that would cause the issue. I want it to be my main method of display for my Dreamcast, although I dont have VGA cables for it yet. I've connected it to an old laptop and to a fairly recent PC, both resulting in the same thing. A really sharp image, but one that displays anything red as pretty much black, and also slightly lacking in green. Blue is perfect though.
The overlay menu to set the monitor's colors displays red blue and green perfectly, so maybe it is the cable?
Wow. The day I'll be able to reach such a pristine IQ/geometry, I'll be the happiest retrogamer in the whole galaxy.
D.Lo
Member
Composite gets a bad rap. Original White PC Engine (via composite pin on the back connector) to Framemeiter:
Yeah I'm not going to use it over my RGB Duo RX, but it's totally acceptable.
Also, The Framemeister does really nice scanlines when set right:
Yeah there's a bit of rainbow colour bleeding etc but it's bright and colourful and solid. Just because Sega used cheapass NTSC encoders didn't mean everyone did.
Yeah I'm not going to use it over my RGB Duo RX, but it's totally acceptable.
Also, The Framemeister does really nice scanlines when set right:
RadarScope1
Member
The composite out from my AV Famicom looks really rather nice on my monitor. I need to take some shots and post them. I asked earlier but didn't get an answer - did the AVFC have an improved composite encoder over the NES?
Your pics here look great. Still has that certain something that lets me eyes know it's on a fixed resolution display but it looks great overall.
What encoders do they use (manufacture, type number)?
Seems they saved on the quality of the passive network driving the encoder.
Nice deals. I need to start doing that when I post links to ebay stuff.
I put in an offer for an old 13" Panasonic RGB monitor on ebay which I'm hoping is the answer to games that don't look quite right on the newer super-sharp CRTs.
There's a seller with a couple of Ikegamis and he finally lowered the prices to reasonable levels. There's one which I really want and read on a blog is JUST perfect enough for retro games. But it has no handles... which is kind of a big deal because I have no idea how I would carry it up several flights. I'm also kind of tired of receiving huge boxes in the mail, cleaning up a ton of packing material, moving around and setting up these 70-90lb beasts. And then where to put it?!
Hawk269
Member
Would you mind sharing you framemeister settings? I am new to the device and just trying to figure things out.
I ordered some RGB-scart cables for my PS1 from retrogamingcables but I missed the mention that they're on holiday until the 17th. I was wondering why they aren't processing my order since they are usually so fast. Time crawls when you're waiting for a delivery that's not even shipped yet...
The rust shouldn't matter as the pins look clean, so I'd have to guess there's something else wrong with the cable, possibly one of the wires is loose.
I've never needed to repair a vga cable myself and the internet says you'd need to solder the connectors to the cable or solder a replacement cable to the monitor, which may be more trouble than its worth.
I think that's some of the best colour I've seen via composite.
Mega, sorry for taking advantage of your kindness again! I sent you a PM. ^_-
That's also been my experience. My PVMs never had perfect geometry, but my BVMs did.
What's weird about the BVMs is that unless there's a hidden menu somewhere, they appear to have significantly less geometry settings than the PVM-20M4U which has all of this:
Still, BVM's have convergence in the OSD which is awesome.
Are you going to change those settings each time you switch systems? That would be tedious. I have one set of generally good settings for all systems, then individual channels with different H Phase for each console (horizontal position is the only channel-independent geometry/alignment setting). Also keep in mind that alignment varies between games on the very same system. Kirby and SMB3 on NES for example have a big gap on the left when other games appear perfectly centered.
That's why I don't use it, I don't want any of that when I take screenshots or direct feed capture for my vids. I would like to use it for comparison vids between svideo, component, RGB and VGA at least.
I have a kind of settings problem with my PVM - that it doesn't seem to save the settings. I know I'm supposed to save them with "degauss" button and it does say "WRITE" on the screen, but the next time I still have to do the same adjustment (mainly tune the Horizontal size, especially for the Saturn, since the upper part of the screen is partially out of view). Am I saving it wrong?
Shadow Hog
Member
I recall messing with the 240p suite on my Genesis this past weekend, and my CRT could only dream of displaying the grid screen that straight. I think it makes the screen emit a high-pitched whine, too. Good signs all around, of course.The one thing i hate about the Sony's is Geometry. They provide awesome picture quality but man its a chore getting the geo set-up.
This is my JVC. Not perfect but its straight as hell. I wish i could get my pvm like this.
Actually, I've noticed the image can warp a little whenever strong reds are on-screen. Only a little, to emphasize; you'd have to really be looking for it to find it. Still, it's probably most noticeable on the Saturn's CD player, with the cubes that grow in size and change color with the volume of the music.
This is my JVC. Not perfect but its straight as hell. I wish i could get my pvm like this.
This is pornography.
NormalFish
Banned
Everytime Bancho's CRT gets posted in this thread I shrink a bit
cyborgnumberblue
Member
Hey guys, found a seller on eBay that happens to be a few towns over from me listing a Sony Trinitron PVM-14N2U. He is telling me $110 to pick the unit up myself.
Is this a good deal? I see multiple people in this thread have found them for 20-50 bucks, so I know it's steeper than that, but this would be my first CRT monitor.
This is the first CRT monitor I've seen listed on craigslist or eBay in months that accepts RGB around these parts.
Is this a good deal? I see multiple people in this thread have found them for 20-50 bucks, so I know it's steeper than that, but this would be my first CRT monitor.
This is the first CRT monitor I've seen listed on craigslist or eBay in months that accepts RGB around these parts.
I would, particularly if they don't show up in your area often.
And if you pick it up yourself you can test it before you take it too!
cyborgnumberblue
Member
Thanks Peagles!
The plot thickens, though. I just found a BVM-D14H1U listed a short while away, too.
However this doesn't seem to come with the control unit for calibration.
What do?
The plot thickens, though. I just found a BVM-D14H1U listed a short while away, too.
However this doesn't seem to come with the control unit for calibration.
What do?
davidwhangchoi
Member
i sorta cheated. i unplugged the 75 ohm terminator just for the sync out and the geometry on the right had side that was a bit crooked lined up. not sure the effect it has on the picture with out the sync out terminator being off. maybe i need to consult Mega,
yeah, i noticed that for ari buster on genesis has a different alignment but not by much. i thought that's what you and everyone else did.
i took photos of your settings before messing w/ it so i can always go back to it if it gets out of wack. i didn't know you used a universal setting.
cyborgnumberblue
Member
Is there a better resource for this than ebay? most of the control units go for double the price of the monitor itself.
RadarScope1
Member
The one thing i hate about the Sony's is Geometry. They provide awesome picture quality but man its a chore getting the geo set-up.
This is my JVC. Not perfect but its straight as hell. I wish i could get my pvm like this.
Bancho - how do you access the more detailed menus on your JVC? Mine only has a few basic options, even when I go to the secondary menu by holding enter and the menu button. Do I need an external control unit???
BVMs may have better yokes than PVMs.
theSlacker
Member
There are a ton of additional options on BVMs "hidden" behind segments that need passwords to get into. I forget if there are more/different screen adjustment ones though.
Kiddy Dong
Member
Press degauss a second time when it says write to save your adjustments. It will save all parameters that were changed, not just the one you were on.
storafötter
Member
So I am in Japan and wondering if I should splurge on a Super Famicom Mini? I read that modding it to RGB is super easy for people who have never modded a console.
I keep reading that it has the better image quality than other SNES. I would love to get a SNES PAL (pal gamer with a lot of old snes games) with 1-chip but I keep reading its almost impossible to find one due to how many dont display the product number on listings.
I am also open for Sega Saturn (I remember reading how easy it should be to make it region free). or Genesis.
I keep reading that it has the better image quality than other SNES. I would love to get a SNES PAL (pal gamer with a lot of old snes games) with 1-chip but I keep reading its almost impossible to find one due to how many dont display the product number on listings.
I am also open for Sega Saturn (I remember reading how easy it should be to make it region free). or Genesis.
PumpkinSpice
Banned
storafötter;198228705 said:
The Jr's a little much considering how small of a visual upgrade it is. If you are living there you could maybe try Yahoo Auctions JP to see if someone is just selling a 1-chip regular Sufami.
Other than that, get a Saturn, and a 16-BIT Mega Drive, and everything else you can fit in your luggage, or just ship it through the post. All of that stuff is so cheap you might as well.
storafötter;198228705 said:
Like the poster above me, I wouldnt go as far to say "super easy" but It is one of the easier mods. If this is your first time with a soldering iron, you may want to practice on an old broken pcb. The pins you need to solder to on the super famicom are kinda small, therefore it might be a little difficult. If you practice a bit on some similarly sized pins, youll be fine.
RadarScope1
Member
Anyone have experience playing any of those PS2 arcade/retro compilations on a CRT? Would those benefit from a SCART connection? Do regular PS2 and PS1 games benefit too? Those compilations look pretty blurry on my plasma via component. Regular PS2 and PS1 games look OK, though. Asking because I'm considering tossing my PS2 into my RGB monitor setup.
Of course CRT > Plasma for any SD content. You shouldn't even hesitate to assume this across the board for nearly all SD games.
RadarScope1
Member
Yeah, dumb questions about all PS1/2 games. I guess I was mostly curious how those arcade collections (which I assume are all in 240p content) would look on a PVM via SCART.
Ok, one more question - what about the few games that have a 480p mode? That shows up on a CRT right?
I wouldn't assume that much. 240p is fairly for PS2, it's 480i for almost everything, including the stuff that was originally in 240p.
http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=55420
Depends on the CRT. It has to specifically be able to process 480p, which isn't common. The commercial label was "Enhanced Definition (ED)" iirc, if your CRT has Component inputs then it's likely that it can display 480p. Otherwise, it's 240p/480i only.
geniusbits
Member
I don't think that model takes RGB, anything N5U and below only does S-video and composite.
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