Good job on the scart! I noticed my cheap 3rd party Wii scart looked like composite on my crt and wouldn't sync properly with the OSSC, I didn't do much testing but makes sense it's probably wired incorrectly.
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Retro AV Club Thread 2: Classic Gaming Done Right!
- Thread starter Mega
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Good job on the scart! I noticed my cheap 3rd party Wii scart looked like composite on my crt and wouldn't sync properly with the OSSC, I didn't do much testing but makes sense it's probably wired incorrectly.
onimushroom
Member
Thanks! After my positive experience I would suggest anyone who's interested in a little tinkering or DIY to give it a shot, be it cables or mods or whatever else. The net's full of instructions and tutorials.
I would still like to find out how people put different sync like luma or CSYNC in the different pro-made SCART cables (pretty sure it's just plain old sync over composite in mine right now).
mattwhite924
Member
Well, I grabbed one of those VGA to HDMI converters. Unfortunatly my capture device doesn't like it when I connect directly to it. I can use the Framemeister as an intermediate scaler, but I can't get DOS games to work. Can't tell if it's the Framemeister or the VGA box. It works pretty decently with Windows games though.
Here's the quality I was getting from a capture. (that's Quake 2 and Need for Speed II on a PIII/Voodoo 3 if you're curious)
My setup is pretty jank looking now though. XD
Here's the quality I was getting from a capture. (that's Quake 2 and Need for Speed II on a PIII/Voodoo 3 if you're curious)
My setup is pretty jank looking now though. XD
This is the Retro Audio and Video club... soooooo
Found a Sony D-33 with a complete car kit today. I've developed a fondness for old discmans. This particular one sounds great out of all the ones I have acquired so far. We've gone backwards in music audio playback quality from what I can hear...
I need to find some good over ear head phones, but even on shitty ear phones, the difference is stunning.
Found a Sony D-33 with a complete car kit today. I've developed a fondness for old discmans. This particular one sounds great out of all the ones I have acquired so far. We've gone backwards in music audio playback quality from what I can hear...
I need to find some good over ear head phones, but even on shitty ear phones, the difference is stunning.
CrashPrime
Member
My LG V20 and its quad DAC is great for on the go listening. Better than any discman I've heard, and nothing has ever sounded better than my Magni/Mogi setup.
Before my current V20, a stacked FiiO player/amp was my ultimate setup. In many ways sounds a lot better than the V20 but not as convenient.
I'm not trying to say the D-33 isn't a legend and doesn't sound fantastic, but if you look for it, we haven't moved backwards.
Yeah, that last part is a good point. I was premature in what I said. It's not like I've personally experienced every portable music device across every era and have the chops to make general statements like that.
sixteen-bit
Member
I picked up a Discman D-15 a few years ago
This design is from 1988 and still looks damn great today.
squarealex
Member
I picked up a Discman D-15 a few years ago
This design is from 1988 and still looks damn great today.
I through it was a Dreamcast.
It looks cool. The Sound quality is good ?
socksfelloff
Member
You're right though in a way. In the general audio market we have absolutely moved backwards in quality. Most of that generic reciever you are buying today is licencing fees for the 8900 different surround technologies built in. There's no money left to invest into the sound quality. Compare that to a similar reciever you would have bought in the 70s or 80s and you'll be blown away how much better the older one sounds.
When you went to the store and bought some mid range audio equipment in the 70s and 80s it absolutely shit all over today's equipment.
High end audio has never been better though.
I have a marantz 2226b that's I've used and abused for 12-15 years now and it has never given me any Grief. In that times I've gone through 4 modern surround recievers!
i dunno if everyone else wants a bunch of audio posts in here, but those discmans look amazing!! i use a fiio x1 for my usual non-spotify flaccing and stuff, but my true love is... a walkman. not my pic :
Sony WM-EX670. i love cassettes!! they're like 25 cents and have tons of albums from the 60s - 1999 or 2000 available. i pair up with some sennheiser amperiors and end up buying tapes constantly. the format can be crap (turns out no one cared to take care of their cassettes!) but most times it sounds better than streaming off my phone, for real, to my ears.
i love portable audio and home stereos!! cassettes, cds, lps!
Sony WM-EX670. i love cassettes!! they're like 25 cents and have tons of albums from the 60s - 1999 or 2000 available. i pair up with some sennheiser amperiors and end up buying tapes constantly. the format can be crap (turns out no one cared to take care of their cassettes!) but most times it sounds better than streaming off my phone, for real, to my ears.
i love portable audio and home stereos!! cassettes, cds, lps!
mattwhite924
Member
Oh man! We're doing retro audio here now too!?
Alright then! Well, I picked up a TEAC 450 tape deck recently. It's in amzing shape. Just needed replacement belts and it was good to go.
Look at those lovely VU meters!
Ordered some Type 2 tapes, so I'm good to go on making my own recordings.
Unfortunately I'm not really sure where to put it. My turntable is usually where it is in that pic, and then turntable is higher priority for me. Eh, I'll find something to do with it.
Alright then! Well, I picked up a TEAC 450 tape deck recently. It's in amzing shape. Just needed replacement belts and it was good to go.
Look at those lovely VU meters!
Ordered some Type 2 tapes, so I'm good to go on making my own recordings.
Unfortunately I'm not really sure where to put it. My turntable is usually where it is in that pic, and then turntable is higher priority for me. Eh, I'll find something to do with it.
I picked up a Discman D-15 a few years ago
This design is from 1988 and still looks damn great today.
That does look good!
I used to have this MiniDisc Walkman (the silver one on the left) back in the day, pre-iPod. I loved it! There was just something about that chunky industrial design, and the tangible feel/sound of slapping in a minidisc inside the mechanism. That was a near perfect piece consumer electronics, IMO.
I've been looking for a retro cassette/CD deck like that for a long time, but haven't found one, or then it's been super expensive.
Incidentally, after seeing Guardians of the Galaxy, I had to check if my parents' place had any working walkmans, but they were all gone or broken..
I love analog technology like that, I'd love to get an amplifier/deck with various flashing meters, lights etc. but it's just a pipe dream.
Incidentally, after seeing Guardians of the Galaxy, I had to check if my parents' place had any working walkmans, but they were all gone or broken..
I love analog technology like that, I'd love to get an amplifier/deck with various flashing meters, lights etc. but it's just a pipe dream.
NormalFish
Banned
Buddy of mine exclusively listened to cassettes in the car. Might have to follow in his footsteps.
I love old audio products as well! I use an old 70s Solid State amplifier, a Technics SL-1200 Mk 2, and a great Pioneer 5 disc caddy CD player (That I found in the basement of a house my buddy was renting and "bought" from him for a 6-pack of beer).
Here's me enjoying Silent Hill easier on vinyl than I would the actual game due to the constant 240p/480i issue with the Framemeister
Here's me enjoying Silent Hill easier on vinyl than I would the actual game due to the constant 240p/480i issue with the Framemeister
Riesenfass
Member
This retro audio stuff is awesome, keep it coming!
I don't have anything special myself, but I really am digging this.
Somewhat related, I saw a sony watchman fd-555 for sale at a local thrift store... Pretty cool looking but I have zero use for it so I left it behind.
I don't have anything special myself, but I really am digging this.
Somewhat related, I saw a sony watchman fd-555 for sale at a local thrift store... Pretty cool looking but I have zero use for it so I left it behind.
socksfelloff
Member
I picked up a Discman D-15 a few years ago
This design is from 1988 and still looks damn great today.
That discman looks so good I've started scouring the internet for one and I havnt given 2 shits about a cd player in 20 years!
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Sony used to be the absolute king of hardware design. The "post-Steve Jobs return Apple" of the 80s and 90s.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
I'm lame. My primary music setup is just my computer, but I have some pretty awesome speakers hooked up to it. All my music is either CDs that I ripped or stuff from HDTracks. It's kind of the best of both worlds -- you get the convenience and the sound quality.
sixteen-bit
Member
Well at the end of the day when it comes to audio media it has my largest digital to physical ratio there too.
NormalFish
Banned
Where do you guys go to get old audio equipment? That buyers market seems so competitive that eBay is a pretty penny. Do you scour thrift stores?
PumpkinSpice
Banned
Thrift stores or pawn shops. As long as it's not vinyl related people haven't really caught on that old hi-fi suff is still pretty nice.
NormalFish
Banned
Makes sense. Maybe I'll go hunting around next week.
Superblatt
Member
So I've completely redone my setup and will be moving away from my PVM and janky BVM to a framemeister and 50" panel.
Damn have framemeisters gotten pricey on Amazon. Is $430 the new going rate?
Damn have framemeisters gotten pricey on Amazon. Is $430 the new going rate?
No but people pay it so they list it at that price.
https://solarisjapan.com/collection...ster-compact-up-scaler-unit-eur-scart-adapter (Euro scart link)
Thrift and pawn are great and definitely where I got / get a lot of great gear.
If you're willing to pay shipping then there is a bunch of good stuff on ebay for cheap too, just not the *hot* brands. Realistic and Sherwood can be had for pretty cheap and can sound and look amazing!
sleazefrenzy
Member
I'm finally getting my order in for a Framemeister today and just want to check I'm not forgetting any cables before I place the order.
I'm in the UK so I'm buying this bundle and also picking up this cable for connecting component systems.
Is there anything major I'm forgetting? Probably start with setting it up for PS2, SNES and Mega Drive, then Dreamcast down the line.
I already have scart cables for my SNES and Mega Drive. I'm guessing everything else I need should be available to buy from RetroGamingCables?
I'm in the UK so I'm buying this bundle and also picking up this cable for connecting component systems.
Is there anything major I'm forgetting? Probably start with setting it up for PS2, SNES and Mega Drive, then Dreamcast down the line.
I already have scart cables for my SNES and Mega Drive. I'm guessing everything else I need should be available to buy from RetroGamingCables?
NormalFish
Banned
All seems about right.
Basic checklist is just:
- XRGB Mini unit
- SCART to 8 din adapter
- Component to D-terminal adapter
and you've got those. Like you say, everything else can be sourced from whatever cable supplier you prefer.
InfiniteCombo
Banned
Holy shit, you're right, that got pricey fast. I bought mine only less than two years ago, and paid $300 flat for it.
NormalFish
Banned
you might've gotten yours when the yen was really low, like I got mine. Paid about the same price. Not long afterwards the yen went back up and the price rose.
sleazefrenzy
Member
Thanks a lot, I'll go ahead and get my name on the waiting list.
NormalFish
Banned
So PS2 is a bit of a mess. In general, it depends on what hardware specifically you have available to you:
the FM does not handle 480p very well. You'll get a pretty janky picture more or less no matter what. However, your TV probably has a decent scaler for 480p content via component, so if the games you want to play are in 480p, that's the way to go.
Unfortunately, most of the PS2 library is 480i, which muddles things somewhat. The framemeister almost certainly will give you a better picture than just about any tv in terms of deinterlacing, and without a ton of lag (talking 1.5-2 frames on the FM + your TV's lag at 720/1080p as opposed to the likely higher lag of your TV's deinterlacing).
So then when it comes to deciding a cable, the trend of lacking an obvious preferable solution continues. The PS2's component output is somewhat noisier than its RGB output, regardless of what content. It's not something that will distract you unless you look for it, but you're in a thread of perfectionists, so it's worth a mention. Additionally, the framemeister doesn't have the cleanest component input either, though again it -- by itself -- isn't a huge deal. The combination may push you away from component, however. The alternative -- SCART -- doesn't offer 480p with the FM. So if all the games you want to play are in 480i, or if you find the FM's deinterlacing technique competitive enough not to bother with 480p (which is more or less what I found, given the aforementioned weakness in 480p processing), then SCART might be the way to go.
I hate to do this, but there really isn't a good solution for PS2 with the Framemeister. If the PS2 is your primary console of choice, then you should really be looking at sidegrading to an OSSC, since it takes RGsB signals, which allow for 480p via SCART, avoiding both the PS2's noisy component, and offering perfect scaling of 240p and 480p content. Though if you hate interlacing artifacts, you might have to chain it with something anyway. It's a toughie.
Get yourself an English overlay for the remote.
https://www.retrogamingcables.co.uk/index.php?route=product/search&search=framemeister
socksfelloff
Member
Out of all the consoles I really think ps2 needs a CRT the most. Frameister / ossc do a terrific job with every other console.
mattwhite924
Member
480i was a dark time for consoles.
It does kind of bum me out that the GCN, Xbox, and Dreamcast all handled progressive scan better than the PS2.
socksfelloff
Member
480i along with ps2s muddy, dull, look make it very hard to go back to compared to other Gen 6 consoles. I personally think it's a shame the PS2 was such a juggernaut Becuase we could have seen so many great games look so much better on better consoles.
Edit : Another big, unrelated, issue with going back to ps2 is the lack of homebrew and video options. The dreamcast, Xbox and gamecube all have easy ways of running games off sd/usb/hdd/optical replacement and easy ways to change and force different resolutions but support for those features are super spotty on ps2.
Thank you very much for the detailed answer! I think I'll try component direct to the tv and see how that looks.
Thanks again!
PumpkinSpice
Banned
480i is fine with good deinterlacing as long as you aren't trying to play something super lag sensitive. I'm really happy with the way PS2 looks on my TV just direct into the component jacks, same with 480i only GC games.
NormalFish
Banned
I actually disagree. The N64 takes that crown, I think. The PS2 is perfectly fine with OSSC + GSM/Good deinterlacing.
And homebrew is actually really easy once you have an FMCB memory card or the ability to run burned discs with elfs
socksfelloff
Member
N64 is 240p so it's nice and easy.
I disagree with the PS2 being easy. I have a fat with fmcb and open loader running everything off an internal HDD. Compatibility is spotty and requires reading a wiki before you play a game. Forcing resolutions is also extremely iffy.
mattwhite924
Member
The problem with the N64 is that it pretty much requires that you mod it to get decent video quality out of it. It should be pretty easy once you've modded it though.
PumpkinSpice
Banned
I have roughly the same setup but I knew going in that compatibility wasn't going to be perfect. My solution is just to try it in OPL and if I run into anything weird, bail and fallback on a burned disc (I don't like wasting time on fiddling with configs).
Seems like the biggest thing holding back a proper ODE on PS2 is the existence of OPL / native (if spotty) game running off an IDE interface.
I also just don't bother trying to force resolutions, the 480i thing stopped bugging me a long time ago. Actually it was spending way too much time trying to get Tales of Symphonia running in not-480i once that it completely killed any interest I had in playing the game, afterward I realized that just running it in 480i on my cube was much easier and didn't look bad at all.
S-video bro
NormalFish
Banned
I have yet to run in to many show-stopper issues with OPL. Compatibility is largely very good, though perhaps there are certain genres that fans of which wouldn't be happy.
N64 is 240p, yeah, but it looks fucking terrible due to the filtering. I mean we have mods to remove the blur now, but if you want the normal video signal to look as good as it can, you should really look at a CRT. One of Phonedork's old videos goes over this and my experience lines up with his.
mattwhite924
Member
It's quite an improvement over composite, but it's still not as nice looking as what other consoles of the time can pull off. Lack of RGB and that stupid horizontal blur filter are the problems.
At least Quake 1 lets me turn it off.
NormalFish
Banned
New OSSC firmware:
I'm not at home to confirm if this solves some of the interlaced detection weirdness as has been discussed on shmups but someone will check as its been discussed at some length recently.
I'm not at home to confirm if this solves some of the interlaced detection weirdness as has been discussed on shmups but someone will check as its been discussed at some length recently.
PumpkinSpice
Banned
Sincerely, most games look better with the blur on. Ports maybe not but the games you would actually want to play on N64 were designed with it's presence in mind. Text especially tends to look like hot garbage with deblur.
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