Support NeoGAF

[Shadow Hog]

I'd definitely upgrade the Genesis to RGB. SNES can probably stay S-Video until you feel comfortable upgrading to RGB, and NES can stay composite until that custom RGB chip becomes economically viable (I don't like the idea of stealing PPUs from PlayChoice units :\), but Genesis composite is terrible, so upgrading that would probably take priority.

 

[IrishNinja]

i admittedly feel a bit bad about the playchoice 10 units being cannibalized, too...any idea on what the Universal PPU's plan is? reverse engineering it, 3D printing or what? i don't recall seeing details on the site, but man i really hope that pans out!

 

[televator]

Yeah, I remember seeing pics of that insane looking PPU mod for the NES on a Japanese site.... not cheap.

 

[japtor]

Assuming one wants to do things the other way round.... Is there a way to connect VGA/DVI out from a PC (for emulators) to an old school TV through the RGB/scart connector? I am guessing that the 20 quid or so converters on Ebay aren't very good.

I think the Emotia stuff can do that, but iirc it's pretty pricey. There's a guy on Arcade-Otaku making some JAMMA board that might already have something, looks like maybe this thing (VGA to CGA) might work? It has some RGB connector on the board.

 

[Valjean Lafitte]

preface: i'm new to all of this, so this OP shall be edited as I go! meanwhile here's composite vs RGB:

Are the screenshots on the left side composite through the XRBG? If not, how much of an improvement would plain old composite through an upscaler like that be?

 

[Jellzy]

Has anyone tried using an upscaler with a projector?

Consumer priced projectors have improved drastically in the last couple of years but the scaling at some of the entry level ones have taken a hit to keep prices down whilst improving the quality of native 1080p sources.

 

[dark10x]

Are the screenshots on the left side composite through the XRBG? If not, how much of an improvement would plain old composite through an upscaler like that be?

This shot I posted earlier was a direct feed capture from the XRGB using composite input.

 

[Valjean Lafitte]

This shot I posted earlier was a direct feed capture from the XRGB using composite input.

I see. So, not much of an improvement over direct composite.

 

[MaLDo]

This shot I posted earlier was a direct feed capture from the XRGB using composite input.

And only for comparisson, the result using JXZRGB connection

Spoiler

Obvious joke, sorry

 

[sixteen-bit]

Instead of cannibalizing a Playchoice 10, I'd much rather track down a Famicom Titler for RGB. I'm a fan of obscure hardware like that. That price though :/

 

[RadarScope1]

Has anyone tried a Gameboy Player/GCN -> component out -> xrgb mini? How's that work out?

 

[Yes Boss!]

Has anyone tried a Gameboy Player/GCN -> component out -> xrgb mini? How's that work out?

I was actually wondering the same exact thing. I was playing the Kirby disc (which has some GB games on it) but it was very murky. I mean, the game is more a Wii game, proper, with special borders and stuff, so it makes sense. But I'd love to get a Gameboy player again and play Advance Wars on the HDTV.

 

[AdvanS13]

That's awesome. The monitor pictured is my Makvision which isn't great, but it's one of the last CRT's anyone was selling. It's great for the dreamcast with just a bit of a brightness hit (I really just need to build an amp). Standard Res it has some geometry issues that i'm not sure psyched about but are only noticeable in games with slow scrolling backgrounds .

My Wells Gardner on the other hand is beautiful, or was up until one of the components blew (which really was my fault anyway). I'm not confident enough to fix it myself, but luckily here in Austin we have a really large arcade that specializes in restoration and will actually repair it for me. They just have a bit of a wait list so I'm making due for a few months.

Yeah makvisions are ass in std. Res. good for high res. always thought the scan lines were too beefy as well.

Out of all go7's and other wg monitors info i like the k4600. You should try repairing. Cap kits and other stuff are pretty easy once you get the hang of it.

 

[baphomet]

As far as the Retron 5, I'll be getting one no matter what. I have my PVM running everything in RGB, but being able to use the Retron in the living room for most of my older system is a godsend. I can handle not perfect emulation just for the ease of being able to play stuff in my living room if i ever want to.

 

[IrishNinja]

yeah, it's handy for that and honestly, there's some classics that could really gain something out of save states, for me...

Has anyone tried a Gameboy Player/GCN -> component out -> xrgb mini? How's that work out?

i have indeed, was playing gameboy Metal Gear Solid a month or so back, looked great to me. haven't really had a chance to try too many GBA titles though, i saw Yoshi's Island but really no device on earth can save that port.

 

[Madao]

i've been googling around but haven't had luck recently.

what i'm looking for is a way to get the N64 RGB output to a VGA cable. i already looked into the RGB mod and know what needs to be done inside the N64 but the problem is the cable itself since i don't have it and want a solution that can be as easy as possible. for me, i'd need to import RGB cables since those aren't sold in my country so i was looking for a way to get the RGB signal from the N64 to a VGA cable to plug into the monitor since i've got some old VGA cables that could be modded (i also want to know if this is even possible in the first place)

anyone has any tips or a place to point me to?

 

[Lettuce]

This thread reminded me of the Retron 5, which seems to be a nice alternative.

http://operationrainfall.com/e3-2013-retron-5-retro-gaming-console/

It even does scanlines.

Yeah im interested to see how the NES side of this thing performs.....for a lot of us it will be the only chance to see the tru RGB goodness of the NES, rather than the composite shite!!

Just a shame they didnt include a PC Engine, Master System...i would have rather seen them dump the famicom slot for a PC Engine slot

 

[dark10x]

Has anyone tried a Gameboy Player/GCN -> component out -> xrgb mini? How's that work out?

I hate it.

The Super Gameboy is amazing, but the Gameboy Player is junk, as far as I'm concerned.

Games are rendered at improper resolutions and blown up in such as way that image quality is ruined. Furthermore, the games do not synchronize properly with 60 Hz displays and suffer from a visible stutter every few seconds.

Super Gameboy, on the other hand, is brilliant when played over XRGB. Shame there's nothing like that for GBA. :\

what i'm looking for is a way to get the N64 RGB output to a VGA cable. i already looked into the RGB mod and know what needs to be done inside the N64 but the problem is the cable itself since i don't have it and want a solution that can be as easy as possible. for me, i'd need to import RGB cables since those aren't sold in my country so i was looking for a way to get the RGB signal from the N64 to a VGA cable to plug into the monitor since i've got some old VGA cables that could be modded (i also want to know if this is even possible in the first place)

That won't work. The RGB output from N64 is 15Khz. It doesn't matter which end you put on the cable, the end result is the same. A VGA monitor will not accept 15Khz 240p. A VGA monitor accepts 31khz 320x240, not 15Khz.

In order to display a picture you'd need an older XRGB (like an XRGB3) with VGA output. Run the N64 into the XRGB and then output to the monitor. You won't be able to just run a VGA cable from the N64 to any other monitor, though.

I really don't think it's worth jumping through hoops for N64, though. RGB modding does not make a significant difference. The video output quality of N64 simply isn't very good regardless of your output.

 

[Lettuce]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmb_w91vRvw

What the hell is the 'Master Cartridge'??

 

[IrishNinja]

^good question...did he mean Master System? it wouldn't be hard, but five bucks says Mark on Classic Game Room tries to jam his power base converter into that thing, haha

 

[Lettuce]

^good question...did he mean Master System? it wouldn't be hard, but five bucks says Mark on Classic Game Room tries to jam his power base converter into that thing, haha

Yeah or try and convert it into a 5 slice toaster console.

Im guessing you'd be able to load roms onto a SD/USB HDD and connect up to the RetroN5??...guess they could add PC Engine emulation in an update if thats the case!?

 

[IrishNinja]

that's one of the things i'm waiting on confirmation regarding; we know there's a USB slot, but so far nothing on loading ROMs from it. did the prior Retrrons have that capability? i assume it'll be a feature, but it's not announced yet last i checked.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

I need to look into this stuff eventually just to find a way to get my retro consoles working on modern capture cards, which throw a fit if you throw anything at them that runs at less than 480i.

 

[Trojita]

I'm glad there is an OT for this. I had talked about these before on GAF and thought there should have been an easy go to guide for what the best quality would be for each console. Getting into SCARTS and modding can get confusing.

lol yeah I did talk about this on GAF before

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=46396982&postcount=59

I have 2 CRT's. A 32 inch Trinitron SD CRT capable of 480p. It is probably the best SD CRT ever made.

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-KV-32FS320-32-Inch-Trinitron-Flat-Screen/dp/B0002O76Z6/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

and a Sony XBR960 HD CRT. The best CRT ever made.

Wonder what the XBR960 would be like with a RGB upscaler. I wonder if it would help at all.

 

[IrishNinja]

although she comes off hiatus again today, kinda getting tired of waiting on retro_console_accessories just to pick up a RGB cable for my N64...should i try this one or just go with another SNES RGB? i keep alternating her SNES one between the 2 systems, but i do recall her auction saying she wired it to be better for my XRGB mini or something.

 

[dark10x]

although she comes off hiatus again today, kinda getting tired of waiting on retro_console_accessories just to pick up a RGB cable for my N64...should i try this one or just go with another SNES RGB? i keep alternating her SNES one between the 2 systems, but i do recall her auction saying she wired it to be better for my XRGB mini or something.

It's actually true. Most SNES cables I've tried don't work with the xrgb. A friend of mine redid one of them to solve the problem.

They also behave differently between SFC and Snes.

 

[BocoDragon]

although she comes off hiatus again today, kinda getting tired of waiting on retro_console_accessories just to pick up a RGB cable for my N64...should i try this one or just go with another SNES RGB? i keep alternating her SNES one between the 2 systems, but i do recall her auction saying she wired it to be better for my XRGB mini or something.

I'd go with another SNES RGB cable... That's meant for non-modded PAL systems which output SCART out of the box. It might work with your modded NTSC console... but it might not, right? I don't really know.

 

[IrishNinja]

...okay, sounds like ill just hold out for the next one retro_console_accessories lists then, guess its not worth taking a chance when ive got other stuff to play anyway

 

[Pappasman]

Alright, so I've finally got the funds together to pick up an XRGB mini. Where can i get a SNES RGB cable?

 

[dhonk]

Ok, currently don't have the cash to spend on some of the finer devices in this thread... However any feedback on this SVideo / Composite to HDMi scaler?

Reason I'm looking is that my Capture card has trouble recording my 240i sources like the N64. I'm not looking to upgrade the picture, only avoid degrading it. Thanks dooders.

 

[BubbaMc]

Would a CRT, capable of handling RGB of course, look better than a Plasma with an upscaler?

Depending on the CRT quality, absolutely.

 

[IrishNinja]

hopin you guys can help me out with an issue as of late: ill be playing NES via XRGB and after having it on pause for a while or booting up another game later or something, no sound. i fiddle with the cords and that did it once i think, but not this last time. so, i go boot up say SNES over RGB...same issue: graphics look fine, no sound.

my setup is said upscaler plugged into the TV over HDMI, with a digital optical out both going back to the receiver. because of this, i can turn up the volume on the TV and hear the sound coming through just fine - also, anything else plugged into the receiver's great too...leading me to believe the digital optical cable might be the problem. and before it's asked: i did this setup to maximize the HDMI's on the set & receiver, figured there's nothing on the retro systems that woudln't be carried over digital optical just fine rather than figuring out another way.

just wanted to throw this all out there to see if there's anything i might be missing, i don't wanna just conveniently assume the cheapest component is the problem (think it was the lowest priced cable on monoprice, natch), ill double check the receivers settings on that channel but there's nothing about them that should cause it to randomly mute just taht one channel sometimes.

 

[IrishNinja]

oh god, finally got to test out the PS2...im guessin its the cheap component cable i bought on ebay, cause the image is jumping all over the place/going in and out. i was just playing gamecube over d-link to component adapter so i don't think its that...man i really gotta start getting better cables or something

 

[sixteen-bit]

oh god, finally got to test out the PS2...im guessin its the cheap component cable i bought on ebay, cause the image is jumping all over the place/going in and out. i was just playing gamecube over d-link to component adapter so i don't think its that...man i really gotta start getting better cables or something

Try toggling with the color space in the PS2's system configuration menu. That might fix the issue.

 

[IrishNinja]

dammit, accidentally set it to RGB, now there's no image, haha...how do you hard reset these settings again?

 

[El Pescado]

Just got my XRGB-mini. Do I need a power converter in the US or am I good to go? Also, does anyone have some good settings for NES and SNES?

 

[Yes Boss!]

Just got my XRGB-mini. Do I need a power converter in the US or am I good to go? Also, does anyone have some good settings for NES and SNES?

AC Adapter it comes with is good to go for NA.

 

[Slermy]

AC Adapter it comes with is good to go for NA.

I can confirm this as well.

 

[Shining]

Awesome thread IrishNinja

These questions about composite on the XRGB scares me a little. It will look somewhat better than before, sure, but overall it will be a waste of money. You should not even settle for s-video. Seriously, if you spend hundreds of dollars on an upscaler unit that can make your games look glorious you should not settle for anything but the best. And that is RGB, if the console supports it (most do). Also, do not settle for cheap cables from some random seller on ebay. Some cables are prone to giving this annoying buzzing sound when not properly shielded. retro_console_accessories on ebay has got some of the best custom made cables around: http://stores.ebay.com/retroaccessories

Here's another RGB Famicom shot. It's taken with a camera so the colors are a bit dull compared to what it looks like in real life:

 

[IrishNinja]

Shining, you got a PM man!

haha im totally gonna go broke trying to get my NES to look like his screenshots, too. also i second the recommend for retro_console_accessories, who is selling her cables again right now! just bought another SNES RGB one for my N64.

 

[theSlacker]

Shining, you got a PM man!

haha im totally gonna go broke trying to get my NES to look like his screenshots, too. also i second the recommend for retro_console_accessories, who is selling her cables again right now! just bought another SNES RGB one for my N64.

Since you brought it up, is there a reason to try to get the raw sync cable if I'm going to use it with the n64, or is the normal one fine just like for the snes?

 

[plc268]

AC Adapter it comes with is good to go for NA.

The AC Adapter indeed works, however, make note that it's rated for 100V AC input. Your walls will be outputting 120V. While it'll work, I like to be on the safe side, and I bought a 100V-240V universal adapter.

This one here has enough amperage and the correct tip included:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NNFECS/?tag=neogaf0e-20

 

[IrishNinja]

yeah, the stock AC runs a bit hot even when idling

Since you brought it up, is there a reason to try to get the raw sync cable if I'm going to use it with the n64, or is the normal one fine just like for the snes?

someone on the SHMUPs forum basically convinced me to go with the non-raw one, since id been using that already and had no problems/weird effects. i emailed the seller but again she's gonna ship long before replying, her Q&A section on most auctions mentions being flooded with questions so i guess that's it

 

[baphomet]

Seriously, I am so jealous of Shining's rgb nes it's not funny : /

 

[Bog]

Finally got RGB cables for Genesis, SNES and Saturn to go with my XRGB Framemeister. Friggin' amazing.

What's the best way to hook up an original Playstation?

 

[baphomet]

Finally got RGB cables for Genesis, SNES and Saturn to go with my XRGB Framemeister. Friggin' amazing.

What's the best way to hook up an original Playstation?

why, rgb of course!

 

[IrishNinja]

yeah im currently having problems with my PS2 over component upscaled, id be interested to see RGB vs component comparison (though i imagine you're talking PS1, which i debated but id only do nowadays on its own if i had a modded unit for imports)

 

[Madao]

well, i pulled the trigger and ordered an XRGB mini with the money i had saved for a Black 3DSXL.

i look forward to seeing how much all these consoles that require upscaling end up looking on my TV. running the XRGB mini with the TV's native resolution is the best way to run it, right?

also, i have an official S-Video cable for N64. is that good enough to make the RGB mod unnecesary?

 

[BocoDragon]

yeah im currently having problems with my PS2 over component upscaled, id be interested to see RGB vs component comparison (though i imagine you're talking PS1, which i debated but id only do nowadays on its own if i had a modded unit for imports)

What problems are you having, out of curiosity?

 

[baphomet]

well, i pulled the trigger and ordered an XRGB mini with the money i had saved for a Black 3DSXL.

i look forward to seeing how much all these consoles that require upscaling end up looking on my TV. running the XRGB mini with the TV's native resolution is the best way to run it, right?

also, i have an official S-Video cable for N64. is that good enough to make the RGB mod unnecesary?

I'm sure svideo will look good, but I would think rgb would look better. If you decide to go the rgb mod route I have some extra rgb amps for n64 I could get rid of for cheap.