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[CidHighwind89]

So someone drop some TurboGrafx knowledge on me.

Want an rgb TurboGrafx with TurboGrafx-CD modded for rgb. American CD add ons are wicked expensive on ebay. Wanna play any region games. I know the CD games are region free but the HU cards are not.

Suggestion as to what model system to get?
Thinking about a US Turboduo.

 

[HaL64]

So someone drop some TurboGrafx knowledge on me.

Want an rgb TurboGrafx with TurboGrafx-CD modded for rgb. American CD add ons are wicked expensive on ebay. Wanna play any region games. I know the CD games are region free but the HU cards are not.

Suggestion as to what model system to get?
Thinking about a US Turboduo.

Get a US turbo duo since it can play US hu-cards and us/jap cds.
Then to play Japanese hu-cards get a pc-engine. It's certainly a better option than getting those ugly expensive converters.

Another option is to get a pc-engine turbo duo pre-rgb modded from this guy:
http://www.ebay.com/usr/doujindance Just email him directly on ebay.
Then get a regular US turbo grafx to play US games.

An even better option would be to get doujindance to mod the turbo duo with a switch to play US or Japanese games. Not sure if he does that. I'm pretty sure this guy does:
http://www.game-tech.us/
Then you just have one nice pretty console. Expensive though. You'll probably end up over $400 at least in the hole.

 

[sixteen-bit]

as an American, where can I find a European RGB SCART cable that terminates in two male ends?

 

[Yes Boss!]

An even better option would be to get doujindance to mod the turbo duo with a switch to play US or Japanese games. Not sure if he does that. I'm pretty sure this guy does:
http://www.game-tech.us/
Then you just have one nice pretty console. Expensive though. You'll probably end up over $400 at least in the hole.

The doujindance systems all come with a region switch for the same price of $250-300.

Really no reason to mess around with a US classic TG-16/CD Attachment unless you are totally enamored with the form-factor. Also, no need to deal with system cards since the most common one is built in and works for all CD games in all regions. US Dou is similar but might as well just begin from the japanese system for ease.

 

[Polioliolio]

So can I just buy the XRGB mini and enjoy brilliant looking classics or is there more I need to do to use that device?

 

[baphomet]

So can I just buy the XRGB mini and enjoy brilliant looking classics or is there more I need to do to use that device?

Well you'll need rgb cables and possibly console modifications to get rgb.

 

[Bog]

So can I just buy the XRGB mini and enjoy brilliant looking classics or is there more I need to do to use that device?

Stock up on RGB cables.

 

[Bog]

I'm still seeing intermittent "static" lines at 720p on my Framemeister. Seemed worse on PS2 via component, but I'm still noticing it on Genesis via RGB. Tried two different TVs/monitors, too.

Is there a setting I'm missing?

 

[IrishNinja]

Stock up on RGB cables.

word. im up to like 8 of em, plus an AES one i have no use for yet, haha...might get a Master System one later, that should be it!

 

[bodine1231]

Was able to finally compare my Snes with RGB to the Wii running emulation/VC with component on my PVM. I couldn't switch back and forth quickly because I had to change the cables,but to my eyes they look almost identical. I actually think the color pops more on the Wii but I think that's because I can't adjust the saturation on the PVM in RGB mode.

I think now that if I decide to get the XRGB that I'll use the Wii VC/emulation with component for NES/SNES/PC-engine/PC-engineCD/Genesis/N64/Wii/GameCube since they look and play damn close to the originals and just pick up the other consoles that it can't handle. The Neogeo is really the only expensive one. There is a Neogeo emulator for the Wii but it's pretty barebones and most of the later games don't work because they are too large to load (so says the emulator).

Pics aren't the best but in person they look pretty much the same.

Wii Component


Snes RGB



Wii Component



Snes RGB

 

[bodeiseifer]

So whilst waiting for my framemeister to arrive I decided to test out my various mains powered rgb scart switches. I have read a roundup online that inlcuded the BLUEDELTA smart scart switch, and the reviewers conclusion that using it didn't affect picture quality, having used the unit for some time I also believed this to be the case, I also thought my other scart switcher was benign in operation but decided to test both anyways.

I setup my camera to full manual and shot each image in this order:

1 - direct into PANASONIC Plasma TV

2 - through TRILOGY 2 (auto + manual 3 rgb inputs)



3 - though BLUEDELTA SMART SCART (auto 4 rgb+svhs scart inputs)



4 - through VIVANCO (auto + manual 4 rgb scart inputs,not sure if svhs supported on some but has svhs inputs on front)



Heres my PAL SNES modded to 60hz/any region running a Pal SUPER MARIO WORLD in 60hz using the official PAL NINTENDO RGB cable that I bought from France

All shot at f2.8, 100iso, 1/10 sec

1

bright with no weird diagonal lines or mesh patterns

2

obviously darker but still good with no noticeable noise added

3

horribly darker still and with weird ghosting artefacts when in motion ( that may be due to how my plasma handles low res sources and that added darkness making it more pronounced)

4

As bright as connecting the console direct, but with horrible diagonal line patterns showing on the dark greens.

Conclusion

The Vivanco would be the best but it added horrible interference patterns to the image, diaganol lines on the snes, a weird hexagonal overlay on the N64 and obscene interference using a Wii RGB cable, so I would say the TRILOGY 2 is the best, despite it darkening the image, this may be down to the scart cable I was using to connect the unit to the TV, the vivanco had a hard wired short (40cam) scart cable which may explain why it didnt incur such a hit in the brightness, the BLUEDELTA SMART SCART though I'm very dissapointed with, the image took a very noticeable knock.

 

[bodeiseifer]

The same images in order cropped and in HI-RES

Spoiler

 

[sixteen-bit]

word. im up to like 8 of em, plus an AES one i have no use for yet, haha...might get a Master System one later, that should be it!

I know regular Neo Geo Composite AV cables are compatible with Mega Drive and Duo-R. Are the Neo Geo RGB cables compatible with Mega Drive 1s too, or is the pin out different for RGB?

 

[Lettuce]

I cant wait for the Retron5 to be released in April and see how it compares to something like the XRGB

 

[Sixfortyfive]

I cant wait for the Retron5 to be released in April and see how it compares to something like the XRGB

I expect the image quality to be perfect.

It's everything else that you should be concerned about.

 

[Polioliolio]

Well you'll need rgb cables and possibly console modifications to get rgb.

But not console modification for NES, SNES, Genesis, and Japanese versions of those, right?

I just need a general RGB cables + XRGB mini type product?

 

[Ramune]

But not console modification for NES, SNES, Genesis, and Japanese versions of those, right?

I just need a general RGB cables + XRGB mini type product?

The SNES/SFC and Genesis/MD yes. NES/FC, needs modification.

And thanks bodeiseifer for the Scart switcher comparison. I was wondering about getting one of those myself, so that post goes a long way. :3

 

[MisterXDTV]

But not console modification for NES, SNES, Genesis, and Japanese versions of those, right?

I just need a general RGB cables + XRGB mini type product?

I think you need one of these to convert Japanese RGB (8-pin) to European RGB (SCART)

http://www.retrogamingcables.co.uk/...ni-adapter--euroscart-with-sync-stripper.html

Then you will have to buy Scart RGB cables specific for the console you want to connect.

 

[baphomet]

But not console modification for NES, SNES, Genesis, and Japanese versions of those, right?

I just need a general RGB cables + XRGB mini type product?

As Ramune said the nes and Famicom must have mods done for rgb. Also the SNES mini and genesis 3 must have mods for rgb.

 

[Peagles]

The same images in order cropped and in HI-RES

Spoiler

Thanks for this. I might add some images using my powered SCART switch tomorrow and see how that goes. At first glance the image quality remains the same though.

 

[bodeiseifer]

No probs, more info on scart switches can be found here:

http://retrorgb.com/scartswitches.html

http://www.videogameperfection.com/av-gear/scart-switch-roundup/

I've found that different switches dislike certain consoles/cable combinations, the pal snes looked awful through the bluedelta whereas the megadrive/n64 looked ok if darkened a bit, whereas the trilogy 2 refused to sync with the modded n64 when using an official gamecube rgb cable but worked ok using a generic cable.

Does anyone know if the hdmi inputs on the framemeister allow you to upscale add scanlines?
Would really like to hook up the ps3/xbox through it and add scanlines to certain games.

 

[bodine1231]

Alright,just pulled the trigger on the XRGB Mini and Component to D-terminal from Solaris,$400 shipped. Do I need a different power cable/supply for this or is the one included ok (Im in the USA). Also,I noticed the remote is in japanese and I see there's an eBay seller selling an overlay for it,is that worth picking up too?

 

[sixteen-bit]

I think someone in this thread sells those overlays for cheaper than eBay

 

[baphomet]

I think someone in this thread sells those overlays for cheaper than eBay

Same guy, Plc268. I got mine in yesterday and it's absolutely worth it.

 

[Shadow Hog]

As tempted as I've been to get one of those overlays, most of the button labels are written in katakana, which I can actually read, so it's not been so bad.

 

[erpg]

I cant wait for the Retron5 to be released in April and see how it compares to something like the XRGB

I was horribly excited for it but they just announced on Twitter that the only compatible Bluetooth controller will be the one boxed in. I was hoping to use something more ergonomic, like a Wii U Pro Controller.

 

[BocoDragon]

As tempted as I've been to get one of those overlays, most of the button labels are written in katakana, which I can actually read, so it's not been so bad.

Yeah same here.

Truly, in the time it takes for it to ship to your house, you could learn katakana

But I know it's not for everyone....

 

[sixteen-bit]

as an American, where can I find a European RGB SCART cable that terminates in two male ends?

Anybody? I need it for my SCART switch.

 

[Beckx]

Yeah same here.

Truly, in the time it takes for it to ship to your house, you could learn katakana

But I know it's not for everyone....

I know katakana and have the remote overlay because it's simply more convenient to have an english language remote rather than go through the translation trouble.

 

[bodine1231]

Thanks,I'll give him a shout. What about the power supply for it? I've read some people just rock with the stock one and others recommend getting a different one.

Oh,and this is the scart cable I have for my SNES that I've been using with my PVM,it should be good for the XRGB too right?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/200913494420?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_sacat%3D0%26_from%3DR40%26_nkw%3D200913494420%26_rdc%3D1

 

[baphomet]

Anybody? I need it for my SCART switch.

I got mine of eBay from a seller in California a year or so ago.

 

[baphomet]

As long as you also have a scart to xrgb cable it should work fine.

Thanks,I'll give him a shout. What about the power supply for it? I've read some people just rock with the stock one and others recommend getting a different one.

Oh,and this is the scart cable I have for my SNES that I've been using with my PVM,it should be good for the XRGB too right?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/200913494420?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_sacat%3D0%26_from%3DR40%26_nkw%3D200913494420%26_rdc%3D1

 

[IrishNinja]

Same guy, Plc268. I got mine in yesterday and it's absolutely worth it.

Yeah same here.

Truly, in the time it takes for it to ship to your house, you could learn katakana

But I know it's not for everyone....

I know katakana and have the remote overlay because it's simply more convenient to have an english language remote rather than go through the translation trouble.

yeah, the overlay's awesome for drunken classic gaming! only a few bucks too.

I got mine of eBay from a seller in California a year or so ago.

which one did you get again?

 

[HaL64]

So whilst waiting for my framemeister to arrive I decided to test out my various mains powered rgb scart switches. I have read a roundup online that inlcuded the BLUEDELTA smart scart switch, and the reviewers conclusion that using it didn't affect picture quality, having used the unit for some time I also believed this to be the case, I also thought my other scart switcher was benign in operation but decided to test both anyways.

I setup my camera to full manual and shot each image in this order:

1 - direct into PANASONIC Plasma TV

2 - through TRILOGY 2 (auto + manual 3 rgb inputs)



3 - though BLUEDELTA SMART SCART (auto 4 rgb+svhs scart inputs)



4 - through VIVANCO (auto + manual 4 rgb scart inputs,not sure if svhs supported on some but has svhs inputs on front)



Heres my PAL SNES modded to 60hz/any region running a Pal SUPER MARIO WORLD in 60hz using the official PAL NINTENDO RGB cable that I bought from France

All shot at f2.8, 100iso, 1/10 sec

1

bright with no weird diagonal lines or mesh patterns

2

obviously darker but still good with no noticeable noise added

3

horribly darker still and with weird ghosting artefacts when in motion ( that may be due to how my plasma handles low res sources and that added darkness making it more pronounced)

4

As bright as connecting the console direct, but with horrible diagonal line patterns showing on the dark greens.

Conclusion

The Vivanco would be the best but it added horrible interference patterns to the image, diaganol lines on the snes, a weird hexagonal overlay on the N64 and obscene interference using a Wii RGB cable, so I would say the TRILOGY 2 is the best, despite it darkening the image, this may be down to the scart cable I was using to connect the unit to the TV, the vivanco had a hard wired short (40cam) scart cable which may explain why it didnt incur such a hit in the brightness, the BLUEDELTA SMART SCART though I'm very dissapointed with, the image took a very noticeable knock.

As far as non-powered switches go, I found this one to be pretty good. No noticeable loss in image quality. Plus this seller does cheap shipping worldwide and has a great price:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Premium-p...441109?ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:GB:1123#shpCntId

 

[Lettuce]

I was horribly excited for it but they just announced on Twitter that the only compatible Bluetooth controller will be the one boxed in. I was hoping to use something more ergonomic, like a Wii U Pro Controller.

Its an android device at heart, probably be an easy work around

 

[bodine1231]

I can't get a concrete answer on this on the other forums. Do I need to buy a new power supply/cable for XRGB in the US? If so can I get an Amazon link to a cheap one?

 

[Sixfortyfive]

I can't get a concrete answer on this on the other forums. Do I need to buy a new power supply/cable for XRGB in the US? If so can I get an Amazon link to a cheap one?

There shouldn't be any harm in using whatever cables come with the device. The power consumption isn't exactly the same between Japanese and American electronics but afaik it's pretty much always within the margin of error, so to speak. I've been using the XRGB3 with its stock power brick without any issues.

 

[Madao]

i've got the RGB amp installed on my N64 and this is a preliminary test from my capture card:

i noticed that it looks darker than S-Video. the settings i have for the RGB input in the framemeister are pretty similar to those i had in the S-Video input.
i'll post a camera pic later.

 

[Shadow Hog]

Contrast looks like it could use some tweaking; the blacks of the letterbox are too bright, and the whites of the HUD are too dark (even considering that they're not supposed to be full 255 brightness).

 

[Madao]

cam pics:

on the TV it looks brighter than the capture card screen grabs. i guess my TV's settings are responsible of this.

Contrast looks like it could use some tweaking; the blacks of the letterbox are too bright, and the whites of the HUD are too dark (even considering that they're not supposed to be full 255 brightness).

what should i lower/raise? gamma and black seem to brighten or darken the image in different ways. at the time i took the pics, gamma was 10 and black was 6. brightness was 25.

 

[bodine1231]

Ok so I'm now going through and finding out what RGB cables I need for my Framemeister.

First I have to have this for any of my USA systems,right?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Micomsoft-XRGB-Mini-Passive-adapter-for-Euro-SCART-to-XRGB-Mini-8-pin-/201034395522?pt=US_Video_Game_Cables_Adapters&hash=item2ece956f82


I'm also having a hard time finding a US seller selling an RGB for the PS1,( just to play Castlevania SOTN). The seller in that eBay link has the scarts for pretty much all systems except PS1. The only PS1 cable they have is for JP21.

 

[baphomet]

Ok so I'm now going through and finding out what RGB cables I need for my Framemeister.

First I have to have this for any of my USA systems,right?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Micomsoft-XRGB-Mini-Passive-adapter-for-Euro-SCART-to-XRGB-Mini-8-pin-/201034395522?pt=US_Video_Game_Cables_Adapters&hash=item2ece956f82


I'm also having a hard time finding a US seller selling an RGB for the PS1,( just to play Castlevania SOTN). The seller in that eBay link has the scarts for pretty much all systems except PS1. The only PS1 cable they have is for JP21.

Just tell them in the options to wire the PS cable for euro scart at checkout.

Also I use a $30 hama clone for my scart switch, and it has 0 loss in quality.

 

[IrishNinja]

As far as non-powered switches go, I found this one to be pretty good. No noticeable loss in image quality. Plus this seller does cheap shipping worldwide and has a great price:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Premium-p...441109?ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:GB:1123#shpCntId

Just tell them in the options to wire the PS cable for euro scart at checkout.

Also I use a $30 hama clone for my scart switch, and it has 0 loss in quality.

hmm...5 slots aint bad, bapho is your hama the same #?

 

[Oare]

I just bought a used XRGB-3, since I was too cheap for the Framemeister and planned to use the device on a WUXGA screen anyways (an old Dell 2407wfp-hc).
I flashed it with the latest firmware. In B0, everything's good.

But in B1, for some reason, I can't get a clean picture.
The screen is overall shaky. The edges wobble. And the text in the OSD menu either flickers or displays a degree of combing.

it's not a cable issue. It happens on every input channel available, as soon as I reboot into B1, and regardless of whether an input cable is plugged in or not.
If I change back to B0, everything's fine again.

I spent a good part of the afternoon looking for solutions. I tried changing the VGA cable, adjusting the NTSC clock value, adjusting the AFC level, inverting the x and y polarities, with LPF on and off… Pretty much everything I could think of, but to no avail.
Then I also tried adjusting the pixel clock and phase on my screen. It didn't help either.

Has anybody ever encountered similar issues?

 

[Sixfortyfive]

^ Bumping the AFC level down to 0 has fixed that for me in the configurations that have had the issue.

You should probably post the system and cables you're using, as the XRGB3's behavior can vary pretty widely between different setups.

 

[erpg]

Its an android device at heart, probably be an easy work around

Depends on what Bluetooth stack they're using. If it's a more recent one (last two years) it won't, as Google has been removing capabilities that make certain major controllers playable.

 

[Oare]

^ Bumping the AFC level down to 0 has fixed that for me in the configurations that have had the issue.

You should probably post the system and cables you're using, as the XRGB3's behavior can vary pretty widely between different setups.

Thanks.

So far, I've tried PS2 on s-video and D, PS1 on s-video, Super Famicom on s-video and composite, all exhibited the same behavior.
Then again, it's not a cable issue, since the problems are present on the OSD menu, in every single channel (composite, s-video, D, RGB), even without any source plugged in.

No problem when in B0.
But in B1, everything wobbles.
AFC doesn't help.
My monitor is a Dell 2407wfp-hc.

I'm really clueless. Could it be a refresh rate issue with my display?
In action games, the wobbling is tolerable. I just played a few matches of Bushido Blade, and I barely noticed it. But in RPGs, it's awful.

 

[Danchi]

Does anyone know where I can find a RGB cable for a JP Saturn? I'm in the UK and RetroGamingCables don't have any.

Am I good to buy this from retro_console_accessories?

"Please note to use this on non European TVs you will need a converter of some kind. This cable is fully compatible with the following Sega systems. Sega Saturn North American models, Sega Saturn Japanese models".

So I should be good to go, right?

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Thanks.

So far, I've tried PS2 on s-video and D, PS1 on s-video, Super Famicom on s-video and composite, all exhibited the same behavior.

Describe the visual effect in detail. Does the picture look as if it's constantly shifting 1 line down, then 1 line up, over and over again? If so, it's because you're feeding it interlaced sources, and that's how it deinterlaces the video: it splits every interlaced frame into its two individual fields, doubles their vertical resolution and draws them one after the other so that you get progressive frames, but does not apply any line offset and thus the even and odd fields are not drawn from the same starting point on the screen.

Test with a progressive source (RGB or component sources that you know are 240p/480p and not 480i) to see if you get the same effect.

B0 mode does more thorough processing and stabilizes the image in addition to upscaling to higher resolutions, but at the expense of 1.5 extra frames of lag.

Does anyone know where I can find a RGB cable for a JP Saturn? I'm in the UK and RetroGamingCables don't have any.

Usually I'd just buy whatever was the lowest on eBay, but I've been told if I don't cheap out I'll see the difference.

SCART format or Japanese 21-pin format?

 

[Danchi]

SCART format or Japanese 21-pin format?

: /

Sorry, haha. I don't know the difference. I updated my post with one I found from retro_console_accessories. It's a UK/PAL TV so I wanna say SCART...?