WTB or trade: DC VGA Box!

[Kitsune Sniper]

New thread!

I'm in need of a Dreamcast VGA Box. I need an S-Video connection and all the S-Video cables I've bought are total garbage, so I'm hoping to get one of these. I prefer to trade but will buy one if needed. Please PM me if you've got one! Thanks!

[b1aCkDeA7h]

While I don't have a spare one available, I can definitely make a recommendation.

If you don't mind plugging it in, get a JVC one. Personally, I use a JX-S777. Converts my composite video to S-Video and has two component inputs. Got it used so it didn't have a remote, which wasn't too big of a loss to me.

One of these days, I'm going to find out if a universal remote can work with it.

[Kitsune Sniper]

... That thing looks bigger than my TV set.

And there's none on eBay or Amazon. ._.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Back from page two...

[b1aCkDeA7h]

Heh, yeah, it is quite large, about the size of a big VCR. The main drive for me getting that beast is that I wanted all of my systems connected at the same time.

The thing I noticed about non powered AV Selectors is that you tend to lose picture quality unless you only do a single system at a time, although that experience has only been with cheap ones like the Radio Shak one you were describing.

I got mine through eBay, generally a search for JVC AV Selector or A/V or Switcher in some combination of those terms gets hits. I got very lucky and only paid maybe $50 for mine, but I wouldn't expect as much luck finding a JX-S777 at that price since it's essentially JVC's best non HDMI AV Selector. Still, it is a rather archaic piece of tech so it may show up in a goodwill or a flea market.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Well, I've bought powered A/V switches and they all mess up the video! They make things brighter and it's a pain. The one I have right now has next to no signal degradation and it also converts S-Video to RCA so I can have one output go to my PC, and the other to my TV.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Bump.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Bump.

[b1aCkDeA7h]

Another option is to get a surround sound receiver, but that does sort of ask for a respective surround sound system as well.

If my JVC Switcher brightens the picture, I certainly haven't noticed. Again, I seem to have gone from two extremes, bad non powered switcher to a JVC one and it was like night and day for me.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Another option is to get a surround sound receiver, but that does sort of ask for a respective surround sound system as well.

I've seen those, but they'd be both too big and would use too much power to be of any use.

I'll keep hunting for one at the flea markets... but I don't want to deal with overblown prices.

I actually did some tests, and the selector -is- in fact degrading the signal. I tested my capture card with it, and then I hooked up a game system directly, and had no signal loss. So it's the box. Blargh.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Bump. In case you're wondering why I'm looking for one, here's some test captures:

Test capture taken directly from the system: http://i49.tinypic.com/2wclk6r.png

Test capture taken through A/V selector: http://i45.tinypic.com/24vmiau.png

The A/V selector introduces some very slight but still noticeable brightness in the video, and there's some interference and sharpness in everything. It's irritating. >

[Kitsune Sniper]

Bump for new wants!

[tomwaits]

The racketboy.com store sells a couple Dreamcast VGA products. I don't know anything about their video quality though...

http://www.racketboy.com/store/sega-dreamcast.html

[b1aCkDeA7h]

I bought mine off of eBay. It's pretty much perfect since I couldn't get S-Video cables for the Dreamcast. Then I got a new TV and it became even more perfect.

http://cgi.ebay.com/DreamCast-DC-VGA...item3efa6e3adf

Only downside was that the shell was a bit too large for my monster cable so I had to chip off pieces of the shell for my cable to fit. Also, you'll need a 2.5mm stereo to RCA cable when it's in VGA mode and separate RCA audio cables when it's in S-Video mode as not all DC games support VGA. Monster cables are pretty cheap on eBay as well.

I also noticed that this was the topic for the old A/V switcher, I can chime in on that too with this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/JVC-Audio-Video-...item3efa69743b

Expensive, relatively, but it comes with a remote, which doesn't sound like much, but somehow makes a world of a difference. This is the second best non HDMI, powered AV switch JVC makes.

[Kitsune Sniper]

I don't really want the box for the VGA, I just want it for the S-Video. I bought a Dreamcast S-Video cable off eBay and it was GOD. AWFUL. I don't even think it was true S-Video, I think it was just a hack job that spliced the Composite signal to S-Video.

I hope I get some extra sales so I can bid on that thing you linked me to. It looks awesome.

[b1aCkDeA7h]

Same problem I had, terrible picture from a "S-Video" cable. VGA box is pretty much the only way to go for S-Video on a Dreamcast.

I've come to notice that Sega was always behind the times in terms of S-Video. It's always been a complicated solution to a problem that shouldn't have existed in the first place.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Same problem I had, terrible picture from a "S-Video" cable. VGA box is pretty much the only way to go for S-Video on a Dreamcast.

I've come to notice that Sega was always behind the times in terms of S-Video. It's always been a complicated solution to a problem that shouldn't have existed in the first place.

Not really. I own a Saturn S-Video cable... first party, too. Apparently this was only available in Japan. (I got it as part of an import Saturn set I picked up at my local flea market.) Works beautifully, as those screenshots above show.