• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

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

Status
Not open for further replies.
You need either a euro rgb scart cable with a scart to jpn 21 pin converter, or a jpn 21 pin cable for your console. Just getting a jpn 21 pin cable is probably your best bet.

Either way, you don't want Gamecube component cables for a SNES. They're designed to work with the Gamecube, and that's it; the connector doesn't fit in any other console. Besides, the chip for converting the signal to the appropriate output format is directly on the cable, so it'd probably be confused with whatever the other consoles put out.

(Also, there really isn't such a thing as Gamecube RGB cables; the only ones I know of are component cables that were modded to output RGB instead of YPbPr. Not sure why you'd bother, but evidently somebody out there did.)

So just a straight up Japanese Nintendo branded RGB cable and I'll be fine then?
 
PAL Gamecubes are capable of RGB out the regular AV port. No S-video though. North American GCNs are the opposite; S-video capable but no RGB from the analog video port.
Well, then. Learn something new every day, huh.

So just a straight up Japanese Nintendo branded RGB cable and I'll be fine then?
For an XRGB-mini, that should be sufficient - although aren't the official JP21 cables a bit pricey? Admittedly I've not looked, but I swear I heard something to that effect.
 

baphomet

Member
So just a straight up Japanese Nintendo branded RGB cable and I'll be fine then?

As long as it's an NTSC console I believe that's all you'd need. I believe Shadow is correct about them being kinda pricey though. It may be cheaper to get an NTSC Euro RGB scart cable with a euro scart to jpn 21 pin converter though. Either of those options should work just fine though.
 

Peagles

Member
I'm not quite sure if this will all work out but so far I've acquired (or have in the post)...

A CSY-2100 RGB SCART to Component converter
A SNES RGB SCART cable from that cool eBay lady
A Mega Drive 1 RGB SCART cable (with audio adapter for the headphone port yay!) from that cool eBay lady
A SCART audio breakout converter thingy (to get the audio because the CSY-2100 doesn't do audio)

and

A Euro SCART to Japanese RGB converter cable for future safekeeping (in case I'm lucky enough to get a XRGB at some point)...

I might have to use it just on my Panasonic plasma for now (if it can do 240p), but I'm hunting for either a PVM or another small CRT with component or RGB SCART input.
 

RedSwirl

Junior Member
This past weekend I just went ahead and broke out an old 14" CRT, sat it next to my LCD, and hooked up my N64 to it. Yeah, playing these old consoles on CRTs just feels better somehow. I guess the input lag kinda does make a difference with some games (I tried out Mischief Makers).

How does using an XRGB compare to straight-up playing the game on a CRT?
 

Yes Boss!

Member
This past weekend I just went ahead and broke out an old 14" CRT, sat it next to my LCD, and hooked up my N64 to it. Yeah, playing these old consoles on CRTs just feels better somehow. I guess the input lag kinda does make a difference with some games (I tried out Mischief Makers).

How does using an XRGB compare to straight-up playing the game on a CRT?

Depends on your input/output pipline.

An XRGB/RGB/HDTV setup can outdo most commercial off-the-shelf CRT setups (even those loved Sonys). But they have different looks. Former is more future-proof yet more expensive but you don't have to worry about wonky calibration. Your 14" CRT probably gives a good picture since smaller is often better for color (even if composite).

A Broadcast or Arcade Monitor CRT will far out-do the XRGB, though.
 
So I've picked up a XRGB-mini and got my SNES hooked up to it through s-video, but I can't make it look good. It's either too blurry or ultra sharp with an awkward-ish shimmer to everything. What am I doing wrong? ;_;
 

Rich!

Member
So I've picked up a XRGB-mini and got my SNES hooked up to it through s-video, but I can't make it look good. It's either too blurry or ultra sharp with an awkward-ish shimmer to everything. What am I doing wrong? ;_;

You're using S Video.

Use RGB.
 
So I've picked up a XRGB-mini and got my SNES hooked up to it through s-video, but I can't make it look good. It's either too blurry or ultra sharp with an awkward-ish shimmer to everything. What am I doing wrong? ;_;

s-video

the unit isn't called the XSVIDEO-mini for a reason
 
I dunno, I'm using S-Video on mine (finally got it on Saturday), and it doesn't look that bad. Actually, the XRGB makes the jailbars for my Genesis a lot less noticeable.

I don't like the long pause between me turning a console on and the unit displaying things, though. I know it needs to determine what kind of signal it's getting, but I'm so used to that being instantaneous.
 

jivran

Neo Member
Hey guys, I'm pretty sure I'm going to pull the trigger on a framemeister, but I'm a little unsure about where the best place to purchase one is. I have read good things about that solaris site, but I was wondering since it's a Japanese site, if I use my paypall account which pulls from one of my debit cards, will my bank get feisty over it?
 
My bank didn't get feisty over using Paypal. I got a little feisty because I expected Paypal to be at the current exchange rate when they were actually a few notches lower. Once I got over that, Solaris was quite swell to deal with.
 

Yes Boss!

Member
Hey guys, I'm pretty sure I'm going to pull the trigger on a framemeister, but I'm a little unsure about where the best place to purchase one is. I have read good things about that solaris site, but I was wondering since it's a Japanese site, if I use my paypall account which pulls from one of my debit cards, will my bank get feisty over it?

$400 in this day in age is nothing. World is global and small now. You won't be flagged.

Paypal is a proxy anyways. Even if paying with yen it will process on this side.

If you are really concerned just call your bank and give them a heads up. Usually a good idea for big-ticket items being purchased from foreign countries that are not standard. No bank should flag you for something less than $500, though.
 

jivran

Neo Member
My bank didn't get feisty over using Paypal. I got a little feisty because I expected Paypal to be at the current exchange rate when they were actually a few notches lower. Once I got over that, Solaris was quite swell to deal with.

That's kind of lame, but I don't really think I'm going to be able to purchase this thing from anywhere without paypal, so I guess I'll just have to deal with it.
 

baphomet

Member
Ha ha. Point taken. RGB cables are already on the way. I just thought the s-video would look a little better than that.

Can I use the same cable on my US GCN without modding?

If its a PAL GameCube it should work. RGB output was removed from NTSC consoles.
 

baphomet

Member
Blast. Is there an easy mod or should I just forget it. I'd only have used it for the GameBoy Player anyway...

Unfortunately the only way to get RGB out of an NTSC cube is modifying a set of GameCube component cables. At that point you're better off buying a PAL cube, having a mod chip installed, and using the chip to force 60hz. My cube is the only thing I run in svideo currently because of that.
 
Unfortunately the only way to get RGB out of an NTSC cube is modifying a set of GameCube component cables. At that point you're better off buying a PAL cube, having a mod chip installed, and using the chip to force 60hz. My cube is the only thing I run in svideo currently because of that.
Or just using component out of the component cable.

EDIT: Wait, you meant in terms of cost-effectiveness. Disregard!
 

Jamix012

Member
Does anyone know if FrameMeister are working on a new upscaler? I'd like a version with more inputs and preferably a VGA input too. Maybe one that works better with PAL as well.
 

Sixfortyfive

He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
Anyone know a good resource for finding a CRT VGA monitor that can accept 15 kHz signals? The more I think on it the more I think I'd rather just skip the upscaler altogether if possible.

Also, anyone know a good place to grab JP RBG cables (not SCART) for Saturn? That one eBay shop everyone references doesn't have any.
 

Peagles

Member
I'm not quite sure if this will all work out but so far I've acquired (or have in the post)...

A CSY-2100 RGB SCART to Component converter
A SNES RGB SCART cable from that cool eBay lady
A Mega Drive 1 RGB SCART cable (with audio adapter for the headphone port yay!) from that cool eBay lady
A SCART audio breakout converter thingy (to get the audio because the CSY-2100 doesn't do audio)

and

A Euro SCART to Japanese RGB converter cable for future safekeeping (in case I'm lucky enough to get a XRGB at some point)...

I might have to use it just on my Panasonic plasma for now (if it can do 240p), but I'm hunting for either a PVM or another small CRT with component or RGB SCART input.

Just hooked it all up but no dice. Nothing on screen, no response at all. Back to the drawing board I guess...

Question, if I have a Super Famicom do I have to use Japanese RGB or can I just use RGB SCART? Cos that's what I'm trying to do and it's not working ...
I got my cable from that eBay lady but I'm hoping it's set up to work with my SFC. I have a US SNES but no way to power it, I guess I could try it on that if I can find a suitable power adapter. Would that make a difference?
 

baphomet

Member
It should be euro scart and not Japan 21 pin. For your snes it needs to be a euro scart cable for an NTSC console. Do you have a link to the specific cable you bought? Does the genesis work with the setup?
 

Peagles

Member
It should be euro scart and not Japan 21 pin. For your snes it needs to be a euro scart cable for an NTSC console. Do you have a link to the specific cable you bought? Does the genesis work with the setup?

Yep I asked for Euro SCART for both and I also got an adapter to use with the XRGB (to turn it to Japan 21 pin) for an awesome future time when I actually own an XRGB.

This is the one I bought: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200960430238

I need to grab my Mega Drive from my parents' house this weekend to test it out. At the moment I got nothing to test components separately I'm afraid. The light comes on on the SCART to component converter so I don't think anything is amiss there. Is it possible my TV is just completely ignoring the 240p signal?
 
Is it possible my TV is just completely ignoring the 240p signal?
Very possible. You might want to get a Wii hooked up via component there and see if that can display Virtual Console games in 240p. Instructions for that:

You're wrong, though you need to use the button combo to activate 240p on component. Here are the steps:

1. Start a virtual console game
2. Press the Home button to bring up the Home menu, and then click on Operations Manual
3. Attach a Nunchuk controller to your Wii remote
4. Press A+2+Z simultaneously (A and 2 are on your Wii remote, Z on your Nunchuk)
5. You should hear a sound confirming that you've done this correctly. This should activate 480i mode for all
6. to switch back to 240p mode for VC, follow the same steps as above, but press A+1+Z instead

And yes, it's been confirmed the Wii sends a true 240p signal. Initially VC games were only 240p/480p though there were display issues with some sets and in 2007 Nintendo started defaulting to 480i/480p, though you can still access 240p for most games. The only ones that can't iirc are TG16 (though CD games can) and N64.
If you get no signal when it's in 240p mode, then your TV simply does not accept 240p over component. Don't feel too bad... many HDTVs don't.
 

Kobiekun

Member
Does anyone know if FrameMeister are working on a new upscaler? I'd like a version with more inputs and preferably a VGA input too. Maybe one that works better with PAL as well.

If memory serves, the FrameMeister came out somewhere between five and six years after the XRGB-3. The gap between the XRGB-3 and its predecessor was also pretty long. Judging solely by this timeline, it seems unlikely that a successor to the FrameMeister will be released anytime soon, as the FrameMeister was released in early 2012. Moreover, the VGA input is one of the (only?) inputs that didn't make the transition from the XRGB-3 to the FrameMeister.
 

s_mirage

Member
Does anyone know if FrameMeister are working on a new upscaler? I'd like a version with more inputs and preferably a VGA input too. Maybe one that works better with PAL as well.

Supposedly Micomsoft were rumoured to be at least interested in working on an xRGB 4. That was quite a long time ago though and there has been no news recently.
 

STG!

Member
Anyone know a good resource for finding a CRT VGA monitor that can accept 15 kHz signals? The more I think on it the more I think I'd rather just skip the upscaler altogether if possible.

You'll have to look for a multi-sync CRT monitor. There's a few out there, one's I had or have that handle both were the Mitsubishi Megaview series or the NEC XM series. The XM series is great in particular, you can send almost anything to that monitor and it displays, plus you get a ton of different ports in the back of it. :)
 

Danny Dudekisser

I paid good money for this Dynex!
Is it possible the framemeister is what became of the XRGB4?

Definitely possible. As I recall, the plan was to make the XRGB4, and have the Frame Meister be this smaller, more budget priced box that would be comparatively limited. That clearly didn't happen, as the Flame Meister is now Micomsoft's flagship device and has the price tag and feature set to prove it. So I'm guessing the XRGB4 ain't happening. Or at least, if it does, it'd be the successor to the FM like 4 or 5 years down the road.
 

baphomet

Member
Yep I asked for Euro SCART for both and I also got an adapter to use with the XRGB (to turn it to Japan 21 pin) for an awesome future time when I actually own an XRGB.

This is the one I bought: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200960430238

I need to grab my Mega Drive from my parents' house this weekend to test it out. At the moment I got nothing to test components separately I'm afraid. The light comes on on the SCART to component converter so I don't think anything is amiss there. Is it possible my TV is just completely ignoring the 240p signal?

Tv likely doesn't support 240p over component like has been said. I'd test it on a different tv and see what happens.
 

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
You know, as much as I love the Mini, I would really like to see Micomsoft produce an update which solves the 1080p scanline problem. Scanlines look like shit in 1080p when they should, realistically, be the easiest to handle due to the fact that most TVs are native 1080p. I'm annoyed that the problems have never been solved.
 
That and shortening the amount of time it takes to go from console powered on to XRGB displaying image. I'm spoiled by my TV's built-in scaler doing it instantly.
 

Vito

Banned
My bank didn't get feisty over using Paypal. I got a little feisty because I expected Paypal to be at the current exchange rate when they were actually a few notches lower. Once I got over that, Solaris was quite swell to deal with.

You can opt out of Paypal automatically converting currencies for you. It's possible but I forgot where, I opted out long ago since their rates seemed to be shit.
 

Peagles

Member
Very possible. You might want to get a Wii hooked up via component there and see if that can display Virtual Console games in 240p. Instructions for that:

If you get no signal when it's in 240p mode, then your TV simply does not accept 240p over component. Don't feel too bad... many HDTVs don't.

I tried that after some advice earlier in this thread, but the button combo doesn't seem to trigger anything. Does it matter if my Wii is PAL?

Tv likely doesn't support 240p over component like has been said. I'd test it on a different tv and see what happens.

Yeh I'm hoping to get a small CRT soon. It doesn't come up and say no signal or incompatible signal or anything though, just acts as if I had never turned the SFC on.
 

Shining

Member
You know, as much as I love the Mini, I would really like to see Micomsoft produce an update which solves the 1080p scanline problem. Scanlines look like shit in 1080p when they should, realistically, be the easiest to handle due to the fact that most TVs are native 1080p. I'm annoyed that the problems have never been solved.

I don't know how these things work but according to Fudoh over at shmups.com that's easier said than done:

"Fixing the scanlines in 1080p mode (if that's what you mean) involves changing the scanline engine completely and - my bet - most people would not like the results."
 

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
I don't know how these things work but according to Fudoh over at shmups.com that's easier said than done:

"Fixing the scanlines in 1080p mode (if that's what you mean) involves changing the scanline engine completely and - my bet - most people would not like the results."
Perhaps that's a limitation of the Mini hardware then, but the concept of displaying scanlines on a display with 1:1 pixel mapping seems easier than what they're doing in 720p and 480p.
 

Sixfortyfive

He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XThqpOZcsx8

I used a Genesis w/ RGB cable for the first test run of my new capture card. Other than Youtube butchering the frame rate (maybe I should just interpolate everything to 30fps beforehand?), it looks pretty nice.

I think I'll try streaming with it on Sunday if I have time. The latency on this thing is pretty low; I'm playing directly through the capture window for now and not having any issues.
 

Beckx

Member
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XThqpOZcsx8

I used a Genesis w/ RGB cable for the first test run of my new capture card. Other than Youtube butchering the frame rate (maybe I should just interpolate everything to 30fps beforehand?), it looks pretty nice.

I think I'll try streaming with it on Sunday if I have time. The latency on this thing is pretty low; I'm playing directly through the capture window for now and not having any issues.

Man, that looks great. I am dying looking at my Genesis and waiting on my SCART/mini-din adapter (17 days out, maybe today's the day. EDIT: it wasn't, nor today, giving up and getting one from retro_console_accessories now that she's got them back in stock.).
 
Thinking of getting this for my GC/PS2/Wii collection. Has anyone else used XRGB for those any of those three systems through component to an LED? I'm trying to get an idea if this is worth the $400 so that I can play these games on my HDTV without wretching. Poor Mario Galaxy and Twilight Princess, so many artifacts and washed out colors, someone help!!
 

Yes Boss!

Member
Thinking of getting this for my GC/PS2/Wii collection. Has anyone else used XRGB for those any of those three systems through component to an LED? I'm trying to get an idea if this is worth the $400 so that I can play these games on my HDTV without wretching. Poor Mario Galaxy and Twilight Princess, so many artifacts and washed out colors, someone help!!

I pretty much only use it for my Wii and Wii VC (and Saturn here and there). Pretty much perfect.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom