MAXIMUM quality

Renfrew · Posted: Mon May 12, 2014 8:15 am Post subject: MAXIMUM quality

I like retro gaming, but I also like HD, so I'm interested in ways to get the most out of your old consoles with a new TV, especially since for the forseeable future I'm living in a tiny apartment with no CRT TV. I know you can run the Dreamcast VGA adapter through a VGA to HDMI converter and get that thing pumping 1080p, but are there any sort of similar methods for other systems? I'm mainly interested in the Saturn at the moment but I thought I'd start this thread so anybody could talk about upscaling methods for any old console.
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Felix · Posted: Mon May 12, 2014 10:44 am

Honestly you'll have better luck emulating at that point. Most solutions to get old consoles outputting a nonterrible display on a 1080p LCD involve expensive eBay purchases and add latency &c.

conversely, buy a CRT

shnozlak · Posted: Mon May 12, 2014 2:13 pm

Ive posted about this in the COOL KIDS SEGA THREAD but...

Get RGB output or scart output (which is rgb) by whatever means you can then use this: (SCART-TO-HDMI)

http://www.amazon.com/BG-460-SCART-System-Digital-Converter/dp/B00988GMLG/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1399904224&sr=1-1&keywords=SCART+to+HDMI+Converter

It outputs in 1080, 720 and some smaller squarer resolutions so you should be able to find one that looks the best on your set. the HD resolutions tend to be a lot BRIGHTER than the smaller rez-s for some reason. There are no color controls so you will have to set that up on the TV set side.

I am using it to play sega genesis on a HD set and if there is lag I cannot detect it. Some consider it TOO CLEAN but I think those folks are nutty.

If you plug this: (Saturn scart cable for NTSC systems)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/201051137038?lpid=82
into the converter I posted above you should be 100% good to go for about $77

* * *

On the CRT side I have found that used 19" sets are going for like 10 to 15 in my city. I just bought 6 for a crazy art project Ive also posted about here. However I like the scart adapter's output so much I wouldn't bother hooking one up for gaming purposes.
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shnozlak · Posted: Mon May 12, 2014 2:38 pm

The Retron 5 has just dropped (at least my local shop has a demo unit)

Its got a bunch of cart slots and HDMI output built in.

Reviews seem pretty good.
The really interesting points are the save states, save memory back up and graphical / sound smoothing modes.
It really behaves a lot like an emulator which is sort of neat and sort of disturbing.

I haven't heard any word on how the processing modes effect lag, but I am suspicious. The Sega mode's sound emulation is not good enough for me to consider one for that reason.
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another god · Joined: 04 Dec 2006

Greng · Posted: Mon May 12, 2014 2:51 pm

It's easier to buy a CRT monitor if you are looking for a solution to multiple consoles.
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Renfrew · Posted: Mon May 12, 2014 3:41 pm

Gironika · Joined: 05 Dec 2006 Location: Dragon Range

if you want to play ESPgaluda, check your upscaling equpiment first whether it can do shadows properly.

Yes, I got an invitation to a collectors/enthusiasts flat just because he wanted to test his scaling AV equpiment with ESPgaluda. Needless to say, it couldn't properly handle the shadows, but that aside, it was a pretty great time! → go for a incredible expensive scaler, emulate or buy CRT (best option).
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Talbain · Joined: 14 Jan 2007

shnozlak · Posted: Mon May 12, 2014 5:19 pm

3D emulation is fascinating because in some cases you can increase the 3D engine's internal resolution and turn off things like distance fog and even increase the draw distance and camera angle to get real wide screen.

N64 emulation even has texture replacement allowing you to play games with user created up scaled 2D stretched over the now sharper 3D models. I played OOT like this at a sold 60fps and it was pretty nice. Weird to be able to see so clearly but nice.
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Cynic · Joined: 20 Nov 2008

http://retrogaming.hazard-city.de/

Talbain · Joined: 14 Jan 2007

1CC · Joined: 08 Oct 2010

You can find 14 inch Sony PVMs for under 50 bucks. You might want to get an RGB adapter cable as well though.

They're small enough to carry around effortlessly but not too small if you sit right in front of them.

Then again if you don't mind a bit of lag and chunky pixels, go for the LCD + scaler combination.

Felix · Posted: Mon May 12, 2014 5:50 pm

oooh, I'm glad that something finally surpassed nullDC, I hadn't been keeping up with demul

I hope their hikaru support actually means planet harriers at some point

1CC · Joined: 08 Oct 2010

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS55pmLIEjA

"Saturn has never looked this good"

"this is what it's supposed to look like"

"it would not look this good even if you went straight Scart into a CRT TV"

LOL

BenoitRen · I bought RAM Joined: 05 Jan 2007

dementia · Joined: 05 Dec 2006

Get a PVM or BVM or if you're super awesome an NEC XM29

If you're absolutely against a CRT, then get an XRGB Framemeister.

Renfrew · Posted: Tue May 13, 2014 5:12 am

I love chunky pixels.

I'm just not an emulator kind of guy. I like having shelves and collections and the real hardware.

When I go back to America I'm going to buy as big of a CRT as possible, but until then I want to play around and see what's possible on an HDTV
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Takashi · Joined: 04 Dec 2006

Toups · tyranically banal Joined: 03 Dec 2006 Location: Ebon Keep

feel like spending $500?
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rye · Joined: 06 Dec 2006

Wow.

(they want $50 for an NES controller?)

I can imagine that sort of person that would buy something like that, though.
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Toups · tyranically banal Joined: 03 Dec 2006 Location: Ebon Keep

me, if I had the money :(
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DaleNixon · Joined: 04 Dec 2006 Location: dirty dirty south

I totally traded an older rear projection 60" Sony HDTV for a 32" Toshiba CRT with composite, s-video, and component inputs. It's not an EDTV (only does 480i over component), but this seems to be the best way to play ancient consoles all the way up to PS2 games like R-Type Final without going the emulation route.

zombieman000 · Joined: 03 Nov 2007 Location: A.D. 2219

Schwere Viper · Joined: 14 Feb 2007 Location: Western Australia

If your HDTV has S-Video, that's a cheap and easy way to get nice, crisp video out of a Saturn. Same goes for VGA for the Dreamcast I'd imagine, just be sure to get a cable with audio connectors as well.

The amount of expensive, fiddly bullshit I'd have to go through to get true RGB going down here is hilarious. So for 16-bit era stuff backward, I'm fine with slightly fuzzy composite for the foreseeable future.
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allensmithee · Posted: Sun May 18, 2014 9:40 am

My fuckin S-Video is B/w and IDK if its the Dreamcast or TV but its pooped ):
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notbov · Joined: 14 Feb 2009

hang out around universities and government places and score yourself a CRT projector. the good ones will do 15Khz/240p to 720p/1080i via RGB/RGBHV, which will conceivably cover anything that doesn't demand HDMI as an output, and even then there's adapters for that. of course, the downside is that these things are huge and heavy and you need a dark-ass room, but it'll be an awesome room.
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