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Upscalers, CRTs, PVMs & RGB: Retro gaming done right!

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televator

Member
I figured out that a set of xbox component cables I recently got don't work. I unscrewed the terminals and saw that the wires had been pulled from contact with the plugs. The previous owner seemed to have made a messy repair attempt with solder and cut a bit of the wire down. I could just reterminate the ends and clean up the solder, but then I'll have a shortened some of the cables... Meh, I guess its simpler that way. The hard part would be making sure the ends stay crimped so the wires don't get pulled again.
 
I figure since some time has passed, I'll ask again: My 20l5 is capable of displaying the khz that VGA displays at, but of course doesn't have a straight forward way of actually using VGA. Is there some sort of way to allow for it to display VGA?
 

D.Lo

Member
So I just got this for $20

pvm_zps72691e5a.jpg
Picture looks good, just need some cables to connect something to it now...
 

MattyH

Member
bit of a newbie question here but im just wondering what the best tv/broadcast monitor would be best for PS2 and Dreamcast and possibly Gamecube
 

Khaz

Member
I figure since some time has passed, I'll ask again: My 20l5 is capable of displaying the khz that VGA displays at, but of course doesn't have a straight forward way of actually using VGA. Is there some sort of way to allow for it to display VGA?

If you know your screen accepts VGA frequency, you can try a cable like this one, or you can make one yourself. It's normally for use with soft15kHz but if your screen accepts 31kHz, you may not have to use the software. You will still need to adjust your desktop resolution though.
 
If you know your screen accepts VGA frequency, you can try a cable like this one, or you can make one yourself. It's normally for use with soft15kHz but if your screen accepts 31kHz, you may not have to use the software. You will still need to adjust your desktop resolution though.

Thank you! How do you think the DC VGA box would fair?

And GAF, one more question. I have an AVR hooked up now, but I get terrible buzzing/feedback through the speakers. So far I hear it in SNES and N64 (N64 is really, really bad) I'm guessing it's some kind of grounding issue because I hooked up my phone to the receiver using a 3.5mm to RCA cable and I don't hear any buzz or feedback. Any ideas?
 
I've been wondering, if Framemeister is better at upscaling 480i signals compared to 480p, does that mean PS2 RGB looks better than PS2 component through the framemeister?
 

Sixfortyfive

He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
Tested out 3 Trinitrons at a thrift shop and none were in as good of a condition as I had hoped.

If some lines of a grid test show up as a little wavy/distorted, is there anything you can do to fix that on a consumer set?

The color contrast didn't seem to be too hot, either. VGA monitors have spoiled me.
 
If some lines of a grid test show up as a little wavy/distorted, is there anything you can do to fix that on a consumer set?
I think so.

Check this.

That's for digital chassis (and I don't know which Trinitrons you were checking), but I think AE-1/AE-2 perhaps AE-3 chassis have a pretty big degree of customization via trim pots, where those even sold in US? Regardless, top of the line chassis should be pretty tweakable.
 
I just got the SCART to BNC cable and I am having some picture issues. Also I am getting a real bad hmm/hiss from the audio
Check the monitor buttons, I'm thinking EXT Sync. Toggle it, it might be treating it as composite/component/s-video which are modes with "integrated sync". but that would give out a garbled image.

If it's not that I think it's Line/RGB button.

Mess with that.
I've been wondering, if Framemeister is better at upscaling 480i signals compared to 480p, does that mean PS2 RGB looks better than PS2 component through the framemeister?
If that's so it depends on the game.

Well deinterlaced 480i can look almost as good as 480p if the game is 30 fps and the gameplay is slow/the camera is not free or very fluid... not regulable even... or if the scrolling speed... in case of 2D/2.5D content/gameplay is not very high... Something like an RPG or slow plataformer/sidescroller.

In this case, if the Framemeister gives a better still image out of it than it does with 480p it'll have the edge.

If on the other hand we're talking 60 fps 480p game, unstable framerate game, a game that horizontally scrolls very fast or has a very fluid regulable camera (say, like the one in Zelda WW using the second joystick) then unless 480p is hideous and badly scaled probably no way going 480i is preferable... it's kinda hard to explain, but 480i uses half frames or fields, so it either pulls 30 full frames out of 60 fields/incomplete ones (it works like this with DVD's and video in general) or... you'll have 60 incomplete frames, or some "single" half frames going on nonetheless - this is very normal, with frame drops and all. That's a deinterlacer worst nightmare because one can only acquire a complete frame out of two frames based on the same framebuffer reading, which is what the deinterlacer is trying to do every time.

Which is why if it is a very still game even if there's issues artifacts they won't be noticeable wether on a very fast game they just might.


Deinterlacing usually also adds up on the input lag time, precisely because it needs two half frames to process a result, those half frames have the same timing as two full frames in 480p.


If it's PS2 it'll be fine for most games over scart because most don't even support 480p. I'm using scart lately due to my scaler giving me geometry controls in RGBS but not over component and the PS2 games having such a ridiculous overscan going on.
 

Vark

Member
I just got the SCART to BNC cable and I am having some picture issues. Also I am getting a real bad hmm/hiss from the audio

Any ideas?


If you're getting an audio hum then something isn't grounded right. Are you running through a switch or directly to the TV?

The SCART to BNC cable I got off ebay had a similar problem but I always run it through a switch anyway which grounds it and clears it up. Haven't taken the time to open up the cable and double check it.
 
Check the monitor buttons, I'm thinking EXT Sync. Toggle it, it might be treating it as composite/component/s-video which are modes with "integrated sync". but that would give out a garbled image.

If it's not that I think it's Line/RGB button.

Mess with that.If that's so it depends on the game.

Well deinterlaced 480i can look almost as good as 480p if the game is 30 fps and the gameplay is slow/the camera is not free or very fluid... not regulable even... or if the scrolling speed... in case of 2D/2.5D content/gameplay is not very high... Something like an RPG or slow plataformer/sidescroller.

In this case, if the Framemeister gives a better still image out of it than it does with 480p it'll have the edge.

If on the other hand we're talking 60 fps 480p game, unstable framerate game, a game that horizontally scrolls very fast or has a very fluid regulable camera (say, like the one in Zelda WW using the second joystick) then unless 480p is hideous and badly scaled probably no way going 480i is preferable... it's kinda hard to explain, but 480i uses half frames or fields, so it either pulls 30 full frames out of 60 fields/incomplete ones (it works like this with DVD's and video in general) or... you'll have 60 incomplete frames, or some "single" half frames going on nonetheless - this is very normal, with frame drops and all. That's a deinterlacer worst nightmare because one can only acquire a complete frame out of two frames based on the same framebuffer reading, which is what the deinterlacer is trying to do every time.

Which is why if it is a very still game even if there's issues artifacts they won't be noticeable wether on a very fast game they just might.


Deinterlacing usually also adds up on the input lag time, precisely because it needs two half frames to process a result, those half frames have the same timing as two full frames in 480p.


If it's PS2 it'll be fine for most games over scart because most don't even support 480p. I'm using scart lately due to my scaler giving me geometry controls in RGBS but not over component and the PS2 games having such a ridiculous overscan going on.

Okay, I see. I feel like PS2 component is useless as well seeing as how there's barely any 480p support. I might just test the difference between YPb(w/e it's called) mode and component into framemeister or directly to TV and RGB mode with scart for Soul Calibur 3. I think that's the only game I have that's progressive scan compatible.
 
If you're getting an audio hum then something isn't grounded right. Are you running through a switch or directly to the TV?

The SCART to BNC cable I got off ebay had a similar problem but I always run it through a switch anyway which grounds it and clears it up. Haven't taken the time to open up the cable and double check it.
I'm not the guy who you're replying to, but I'm dealing with audio problems too. I tried using the audio out on the switch box. The actual buzz/hum isn't bad, though I wonder if I'm supposed to hear the speakers produce that at all. I plugged in my phone and played music, so I'm guessing not.

Also, I'm wondering if it's taking the buzzing from the PVM and amplying it at all through the speakers (if that makes sense/is possible) I definitely hear a buzz when I put my ear up to the PVM and it almost sounds like I'm picking that buzz up in addition to the hum from the speakers themselves.
 
Check the monitor buttons, I'm thinking EXT Sync. Toggle it, it might be treating it as composite/component/s-video which are modes with "integrated sync". but that would give out a garbled image.

If it's not that I think it's Line/RGB button.

Mess with that.If that's so it depends on the game.

Well deinterlaced 480i can look almost as good as 480p if the game is 30 fps and the gameplay is slow/the camera is not free or very fluid... not regulable even... or if the scrolling speed... in case of 2D/2.5D content/gameplay is not very high... Something like an RPG or slow plataformer/sidescroller.

In this case, if the Framemeister gives a better still image out of it than it does with 480p it'll have the edge.

If on the other hand we're talking 60 fps 480p game, unstable framerate game, a game that horizontally scrolls very fast or has a very fluid regulable camera (say, like the one in Zelda WW using the second joystick) then unless 480p is hideous and badly scaled probably no way going 480i is preferable... it's kinda hard to explain, but 480i uses half frames or fields, so it either pulls 30 full frames out of 60 fields/incomplete ones (it works like this with DVD's and video in general) or... you'll have 60 incomplete frames, or some "single" half frames going on nonetheless - this is very normal, with frame drops and all. That's a deinterlacer worst nightmare because one can only acquire a complete frame out of two frames based on the same framebuffer reading, which is what the deinterlacer is trying to do every time.

Which is why if it is a very still game even if there's issues artifacts they won't be noticeable wether on a very fast game they just might.


Deinterlacing usually also adds up on the input lag time, precisely because it needs two half frames to process a result, those half frames have the same timing as two full frames in 480p.


If it's PS2 it'll be fine for most games over scart because most don't even support 480p. I'm using scart lately due to my scaler giving me geometry controls in RGBS but not over component and the PS2 games having such a ridiculous overscan going on.

If you're getting an audio hum then something isn't grounded right. Are you running through a switch or directly to the TV?

The SCART to BNC cable I got off ebay had a similar problem but I always run it through a switch anyway which grounds it and clears it up. Haven't taken the time to open up the cable and double check it.

Using JP or EU scart cable? They have different pinouts... or bad cable?

Thank you so much for the feedback. Did some trouble shooting with the seller over the phone (ended up being a Neo-Geo Forum member I knew) and it looks like it was simply defective. Maybe a ground is busted or something?

In the mean time, s-video still looks amazing. Streets of Rage two looks hyper real. Love it.
 
Would there be a problem going from Dreamcast VGA to HDMI with this box and then from HDMI to DVI-D with this cord?
Dreamcast is a bitch.

Voltage over VGA is too high, which is why lots of TV's and monitors give out crappy colors (too bright) as it is crushing gamut in doing so... bright colors are too exposed leading to a "everything "bright" is white" situation.

You also don't want that converter box to go anywhere near the god damn resolution (I can't conclude wether it scales stuff or not from the listing, but even if it doesn't it can still mis-recognize it)

This because most converters are looking for 640x480, they are meant for PC stuff and operate under preset resolutions and ratios. Dreamcast outputs 720x480 with only the center 640x480 area being used actively. If the thing decides "oh this is regular 480p" you'll keep the bars, lose vertical lines and screw the ratio.

This means your active 640x480 image will suddenly be 568x480 after going through the thing.

Dreamcast is a BITCH, I tell you.


I'd say given two possible different problems being encountered and both happening at the same time being possible... Yeah. High chances.
 
Just FYI, it looks like I am not the first person to have issues with SCART to BNC cables purchased from a specific seller on ebay.

Hopefully he replaces it quickly.
 
Sorry to hear that.

He probably truncated something in the cable and most certainly didn't test it.

There's a nice chap on neogeo forums that builds cables for order, but he's not always doing them, it's per batches, and then you have retro gaming cables who charges an arm for it.

You can also do it via breakout adapters, which is the way mine are done.
 

Peagles

Member
I bought a SONY PVM 20L5.

You guys were not kidding. It's incredible. I will put up photos once everything is set up nice.

I am incredibly jealous. I'm waiting for the universe to present one of these to me sometime in the near future. I'd love to see your photos. Enjoy it!
 

Yes Boss!

Member
Got my SFC Scart cable in from UK. Nice, can finally play my SFC! Quick hook-up at lunch to check out and play my shmups I got a week or so back. Whoa, Super Aleste is nutso good of game...never played it. Also got Darius Force, a Parodius and Thunder Spirits.

8DF91A59-7CEF-4FA1-92D6-868E6BA9A205_zpsnxro2bkk.jpg
 
Got my SFC Scart cable in from UK. Nice, can finally play my SFC! Quick hook-up at lunch to check out and play my shmups I got a week or so back. Whoa, Super Aleste is nutso good of game...never played it. Also got Darius Force, a Parodius and Thunder Spirits.

Yeah Super Aleste is especially impressive since it's practically the only SNES shooter without crippling slowdown. Really efficient programming there.
 

Yes Boss!

Member
Yeah Super Aleste is especially impressive since it's practically the only SNES shooter without crippling slowdown. Really efficient programming there.

Pretty cool! Very impressive. I think it will probably be the favorite of the four shooter games I got. I'm liking it. Made sure to get four games that are not on Wii VC. I'm gonna hook the system up to the HDTV and Mini for the weekend and get my shump action on! Funny, don't tend to think of Super Fami as a shooter console but got a nice little collection started!
 

Vark

Member
Performed the SNES Mini RGB mod yesterday (whooo boy those solder points are tiny).

I was using an old yellowed out non-1chip SNES and the difference is definitely clear. Almost a little too clear but I'm loving it.

(Pardon the pattern from the camera)

rgbmod01.png

rgbmod02.png
 
Neat. My vanilla SNES is non-1-chip and it's kinda blurry tbh. RGB is an improvement over S-video on it, of course, but I've got the feeling I'm missing something. Gotta look into that RGB mod for my mini in storage.
 

Vark

Member
I'm not the guy who you're replying to, but I'm dealing with audio problems too. I tried using the audio out on the switch box. The actual buzz/hum isn't bad, though I wonder if I'm supposed to hear the speakers produce that at all. I plugged in my phone and played music, so I'm guessing not.

Also, I'm wondering if it's taking the buzzing from the PVM and amplying it at all through the speakers (if that makes sense/is possible) I definitely hear a buzz when I put my ear up to the PVM and it almost sounds like I'm picking that buzz up in addition to the hum from the speakers themselves.

It's possible. If things aren't grounded correctly through the chain you're going to get feedback from all sorts of stuff going back through the line (components in the set, electrical hum, line noise).

If you can, try different cables and see if any of them are more noticeable than others. Some cheaper SCART cables / switches usually aren't grounded 'right' and are just grounded quickly. If it's not isolated right then you'll get cross talk. Try to isolate where the problem is and replace that bit in the chain.
 

Vark

Member
Neat. My vanilla SNES is non-1-chip and it's kinda blurry tbh. RGB is an improvement over S-video on it, of course, but I've got the feeling I'm missing something. Gotta look into that RGB mod for my mini in storage.

Yea, that's about where I was. It looked 'good' but it always looked kind of soft compared to my other systems. The mini corrects that in spades.
 
Faithless is a woman
Is it inappropriate to say tits around a woman? Trust me, I value my vocabulary, but I felt that word best describes the 20l5.

It's possible. If things aren't grounded correctly through the chain you're going to get feedback from all sorts of stuff going back through the line (components in the set, electrical hum, line noise).

If you can, try different cables and see if any of them are more noticeable than others. Some cheaper SCART cables / switches usually aren't grounded 'right' and are just grounded quickly. If it's not isolated right then you'll get cross talk. Try to isolate where the problem is and replace that bit in the chain.
Definitely will try. I was the user CoachKevin mentioned that bought from the same eBay seller, and also got a busted cable. I'll be very curious if eliminating that cable from the setup fixes the issue. I'll have to find my S-video cables and see what I find out. Thanks!
 

Yes Boss!

Member
Ooh, I didn't even catch that I said that. I really do use "Dude" as gender neutral though. I also see a lot of people use it interchangeably, including women addressing my other women.

But anyway.

Ha, dude is so west coast, it is like saying "um." Tits is damn cringe-worthy. That geographic spread! Interesting!

Though, maybe 16-bitter is being sarcastic!
 
Ha, dude is so west coast, it is like saying "um." Tits is damn cringe-worthy. That geographic spread! Interesting!

Though, maybe 16-bitter is being sarcastic!

I suspect he is being sarcastic. It's also worth noting that I say such terms with some degree of irony. I know you have no reason to believe that, but I'm certainly not sitting in the office during work on conference lines saying, "Dude! So tits!"

But damn it, the 20l5 is so tits.
 

antibolo

Banned
I guess this thread is now about breasts huh

I just got the SCART to BNC cable and I am having some picture issues. Also I am getting a real bad hmm/hiss from the audio

Any ideas?

I know you've already identified that the cable is defective but could it be that the blue and green are swapped?
 

Bancho

Member
Since building my Scart to BNC cable I've been really enjoying my little 14m2e PVM. Its actually my favourite monitor out of all 3 I own. Geometry and colours are really nice and everything looks really sharp.

I tried to capture some of the scanlines and the overall image quality in a very short video of Streets of Rage 2 running in RGB. The attention to detail on the sprites is pretty amazing!

http://youtu.be/zDDngxf15Bw
 

jarosh

Member
So I got my NES RGB, which is pretty damn awesome...

One thing though, anyone know what's up with these faint diagonal lines I'm getting? I'm not currently running this through an XRGB Mini, but straight into an older Panasonic Plasma, which is what I have all my retro stuff hooked up too. With MD and SNES hooked up through Scart (RGB) I'm not getting these lines, only with the NES. I remember getting similar lines with S-Video before (NTSC SNES and a clone system).

HD7HFbf.jpg


Note that I added the black line in Photoshop, just to highlight the direction of the lines in case they're hard to see on your screen.
 

Khaz

Member
Is my Megadrive super bright, or my Saturn super dark, or what?

I have just received an RGB cable for the Megadrive from eBay and I was shocked at how text was bleeding onscreen, especially the TMSS screen which was unreadable. I had to turn down the contrast and brightness cursors in order to get an acceptable picture, but in the process it turned my Saturn way to dark and dull.

I have made comparisons with Sonic 2 on the Megadrive on one CRT, and Sonic Jam on Saturn on another CRT (on which I usually watch DVDs and broadcast TV, supposedly having correct colour, brightness and contrast settings). I set the first CRT to have identical picture to the second. Then I compared the Saturn picture on both, and the first CRT was indeed way darker.

In order to have the same picture, the Megadrive needs to have brightness set to 0, and the Saturn set to 60%.

Is it normal? I recently bought my Megadrive and it came with no cable, so I have no comparison point. It's a French Megadrive 2 so RGB is on by default on it, no mod was needed.
 
Is my Megadrive super bright, or my Saturn super dark, or what?

I have just received an RGB cable for the Megadrive from eBay and I was shocked at how text was bleeding onscreen, especially the TMSS screen which was unreadable. I had to turn down the contrast and brightness cursors in order to get an acceptable picture, but in the process it turned my Saturn way to dark and dull.
Your Saturn is fine, Saturn cables have no signal adjustment. Mega Drive though, has, otherwise image will be brighter and colors will posterize due to it.

Buy cables from Retro Gaming Cables or retro_console_accessories.
Is it normal? I recently bought my Megadrive and it came with no cable, so I have no comparison point. It's a French Megadrive 2 so RGB is on by default on it, no mod was needed.
Not normal.

D1Wz7mZ.gif


Original is crappy ebay PoS. The other is one from one of the stores I just gave you. Same TV, same settings and same user, same complaints you have too.

It's an offscreen comparison but you get the rift, there's white crush and all the gamut is "higher", rising blacks and every color in there.

Mega Drive diagrams:

mega2.png


Those ebay cables, if you open them (the scart area), will be plugging cables into the right spots but will be missing the resistors on red, green and blue.
 
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