PC Gaming on my T.V. set? (HDTV)

[KingCobra]

I would like to get a used PC or a cheap-O that I can use on my Panny 30" T.V.

I know nothing about PC Video cards? I will need Componet or HDMI output for imput on my Panny set, I will be using it for emulation(mostly Arcade Mame)

What's my options and what kind of price range am I looking at here? Or is a Xbox Mod the better way to go?

Thanks, not sure if this is the right place for this?

[Anthony1]

There basically is two primary options.


Option No. 1 - Get a VGA to Component transcoder. What this will do is take your VGA signal and covert it to wide-band component. A good quality one will set you back about $100 or more. Absolutely avoid the dirt cheap ones. Go to www.avsforum.com and ask a question in one of their forums about the best transcoder to use with your particular HDTV. They will break it down for you.


Option No. 2 - Just use a modded Xbox. The nice thing about a modded Xbox, is that alot of the emulation on it, runs damn near perfect. Not to mention that some of the emulators have special HDTV modes that make them look "almost" as good as native RGB. The NES has flawless emulation that runs great in HDTV. Same thing with Genesis and Super Nintendo. As for Mame, alot of the mame stuff runs very good, but there are also alot of MAME stuff that doesn't run quite right, or doesn't run at all. Still, if you can get a modded Xbox for a good price, one that has a big ole hard drive in there, then you can really go to town with it. It's a really convient way to play all the emulators and alot of MAME stuff on today's modern HDTV's.

[Damion]

Just to jump in here for a sec with a question about the above post.

Would "option one" help with issues of ghosting on LCD TV's?

I don't have my set yet just figured I'd ask ahead of time.

[KingCobra]

Whare do you buy a modded Xbox? What do those run? $200, $300? would it output 1080i for mame? That's why I was thinking of a used PC with good Graphics card, that could get spendy though, right?

[Trebuken]

You would want to buy your own Xbox mod chip. Some are solderless...less than $80 I think. I have been looking at this too, since my 360 should be able to play most of the Xbox games eventually.

You may want to try simply going with composite for emulation. Sure HD emulation would be cool, but setting up composite is easy; any card with TV Out can do it. It's easy to upgrade later.

Most arcade machines (older ones) had a farily low resolution. 1080i can actually make them look less 'arcade like'.

Good Luck.

Later,
Trebuken

[Anthony1]

Whare do you buy a modded Xbox? What do those run? $200, $300? would it output 1080i for mame? That's why I was thinking of a used PC with good Graphics card, that could get spendy though, right?


The best place to get a modded Xbox for dirt cheap is to get one locally. This way, you don't have to pay the shipping and all that. I would try www.craigslist.org and look for the closest city to you. Of course, it really helps if you live near a relatively large city. Where I live, I could get a used Xbox for $80 and then pay somebody about $35 to put a hard drive in and do a soft mod. Of course, you need to supply your own hard drive. Or you can find them where they already got a large hard drive in them, and they already have a soft mod. I would try to get it all done for under $150, whichever way you do it. Some people will tell you to avoid a soft mod, but personally, I don't think there is any reason to do that. I had a couple different Xbox's with soft mods and they worked great for me. If you are really going to go to town with all the various emulators and have tons and tons of roms and have Mame and all the roms, etc, etc, then you need at least a 60 gig hard drive in there, just to have enough space to cover everything. It would probably only use about half of a 60 gig, but I wouldn't go with anything smaller than a 60 gigger.

[Anthony1]

You may want to try simply going with composite for emulation. Sure HD emulation would be cool, but setting up composite is easy; any card with TV Out can do it. It's easy to upgrade later.

Most arcade machines (older ones) had a farily low resolution. 1080i can actually make them look less 'arcade like'.



I will say that MAME on the Xbox doesn't really need the HD resolutions, but the NES, Genesis and Super Nintendo are improved dramatically with it. Especially the Genesis. Make sure to have it in either the 720p or 1080i modes (720p is slightly better), and also make sure you have the Xbox Tri-Linear filtering turned "on". I would also use the Super Scale 2X video mode.

I used to play NES games on there in 720p with the Tri-Linear filtering turned on, and the Super Scale 2X mode activated, and I can tell you that it's the most purdy NES picture you will ever see. When I first saw Contra and Metal Storm running on there, I almost shite my pantalones :D


But yeah, I will agree that MAME seems a little bit screwy on the XBOX. There is some screen tearing and other video anomalies. It's not enough to ruin the experience in any way, but for hardcore MAME purists, they will say that it sucks.

[Anthony1]

Just to jump in here for a sec with a question about the above post.

Would "option one" help with issues of ghosting on LCD TV's?

I don't have my set yet just figured I'd ask ahead of time.


You know, I don't know about LCD, but I know that there are certain DLP sets that have what's known as "video game lag". Especially a number of Samsung DLP sets. I've also heard that if you have a DLP that has a VGA input then alot of people swear by the XRGB2, as far as it helping them eliminate the so called "video game lag".

Again, best bet is to check the AVS forums. www.avsforums.com. Those fools over there have forgotten more about A/V related matters than I have ever known. They know their shit. Try the Home Theater Gaming forum.

[KingCobra]

Thanks for all the imput on this, I'm going to go the PC+Transcoder option. Too much to get a Xbox set up for emulation.

[Jibbajaba]

How is playing a NES emulator on a modded Box in hi-def better than playing a NES emulator on a computer with a nice trinitron monitor?

Chris

[Anthony1]

How is playing a NES emulator on a modded Box in hi-def better than playing a NES emulator on a computer with a nice trinitron monitor?

Chris



Well, for one thing, kicking back on your sofa while playing a NES game is alot more enjoyable than playing it in a office chair in your computer room. Also, it's much easier to move a Xbox around from room to room, or to a friends house, than to take your PC with you. Also, playing a game on a big screen TV in High Def 720p with the Tri-Linear filtering and Super Scale 2X activated, is a more enjoyable experience than playing on a 17 inch PC monitor.

[KingCobra]

I have a Joybox 4 for PS2 controllers(I have PS2 Arcade sticks) to PC, soo I'll be using a decated PC+Transcoder to the Panny and I don't haul my stuff around, and I have an NES anyways ;)

$200-250 used PC + $100 Transcoder=$300-50

Much cheaper than a Modd Xbox.

[Trebuken]

I imagine there's a topic on this already, but it's pertinent here.

What Xbox mod-chip, would be most appropriate for emulation, and easiest (solderless) to install?

I have an Xbox that I am ready to turn into an emulation machine...

There are a dozen sites suggesting this chip or the other but I'd prefer the advice from you dp people.

Later,
Trebuken