Trying to get the best video quality with my consoles (and other problems)

[Gameguy]

In my opinion I view it from the other side. If graphics artists wanted their work to resemble composite video, they would have drawn and envisioned such.

Some did, with the Genesis some games were designed to take advantage of RF and composite video blending colours together to expand the colours capable by the system. Plus shadows and transparency effects were created in similar ways.

[markusman64ds]

Anyways, let's get back to the questions.

If I leave my old systems plugged into a power strip that is turned off but plugged in, will it still damage the systems?
Is there a power strip with an on/off switch for each outlet?
Will AV switchboxes bring down the video quality?

[alec006]

Anyways, let's get back to the questions.

If I leave my old systems plugged into a power strip that is turned off but plugged in, will it still damage the systems?
Is there a power strip with an on/off switch for each outlet?
Will AV switchboxes bring down the video quality?

Well if the power to the power strip is off then no power is being fed to the DC transformers so that they don't have constant wear on them.

Ask for switch boxes, if it's a powered switched box, minimal to no signal loss is introduced.

Unpowered switch boxes, most every box I've ever used, every input introduces a signal loss.

[APE992]

At some point you'll have to thrown in the towel and mod some consoles for better picture. Once you can get component or RGB output then you're pretty much set for the future unless a replacement DAC is created.

The other point is that eventually RF input and composite video will likely be removed from TVs completely. I'm sure there will be signal converters but they will be god awful ugly in terms of picture quality.

[markusman64ds]

At some point you'll have to thrown in the towel and mod some consoles for better picture. Once you can get component or RGB output then you're pretty much set for the future unless a replacement DAC is created.

The other point is that eventually RF input and composite video will likely be removed from TVs completely. I'm sure there will be signal converters but they will be god awful ugly in terms of picture quality.

Thinking about this now. It can be better to play your games in great quality than crappy quality. But before I make any mods to my systems, would modding them bring the value up or down? I guess it depends on the person really. Some systems you don't even have to mod to get their best video!

If my systems were modded for best video, therefore completely missing the point of the thread, here is what they would have.

2600 - S-video
Intellivision - Composite
VIC-20 - S-video
C64 - S-video (unmodded)
NES - RGB
Master System - RGB (unmodded)
SNES - RGB (unmodded)
X'Eye - RGB (unmodded)
3DO - RGB
Saturn - RGB (unmodded)
PS1 - RGB (unmodded)
N64 - RGB sometimes
Dreamcast - VGA (unmodded)
PS2 - Component (unmodded)
Gamecube - S-video unless I can find one with component (unmodded)
Xbox - Component (unmodded)
360 - HDMI (unmodded)
Wii - Component (unmodded)
PS3 - HDMI (unmodded)

Wow, I only have to mod 6! And I was thinking that if I modded one for best video, I would want to mod them all, but there are only 6 that need it so..... I might mod them. Depends on if it makes the value go up or down.

Anyone getting sick of the word mod now?



EDIT: Can you mod a TV to add more ports?

[markusman64ds]

I looked up some of the mods. Some seem hard to do/cost a lot. For the NES RGB you need to buy a rare chip, and I read that the RGB mod makes some colors display incorrectly. I wouldn't want to mod just one for best video. If I mod one I would want to mod the rest that need it. I was playing my 2600 earllier on an RF signal and it looks fine to me, and it will be at least a few years before RF and composite are removed from TVs. Many people still use those connections.

I won't mod them for now, and since my current TV can display these connections with acceptable quality, I'll probably keep it as my classic gaming TV in the future, when CRTs are gone. I'm still gonna try to get the best available cables for my systems though.

But I'm still wondering if it's possible to add more inputs to my TV. On the side there are three spaces that look like they could fit composite ports.

If I can mod the TV, I'll use this spot for S-video.

[alec006]

Not much difference but a few people don't like it:



But again is a true mod since the PPU was designed for arcade machines, and a few hit and miss games don't work for it. It's not too bad thou. It's sad the original PPU combines the luma and chroma inside the chip otherwise S-Video would be an option.

[markusman64ds]

Not much difference but a few people don't like it:



But again is a true mod since the PPU was designed for arcade machines, and a few hit and miss games don't work for it. It's not too bad thou. It's sad the original PPU combines the luma and chroma inside the chip otherwise S-Video would be an option.

I'm not a genius with modding, so this idea may not work. Would it be possible to install the Playchoice PPU onto a seperate circuit board that is wired to certain pins on the original PPU so you can use RGB but still have the original colors? Like using both chips at the same time.

[markusman64ds]

So are those spaces on my TV just part of a reused case, or can you mod the TV?

[APE992]

Sure, but you'll probably kill/hurt yourself doing it if it is a CRT.

And you can get RGB out of every console - if you mod it. Just because the public at large is only aware of S-Video on a 2600 doesn't mean there isn't RGB.

[theclaw]

We have a source for 2600 RGB PPUs? I guess transcoding from s-video to RGB could get very close results.

[alec006]

I'm not a genius with modding, so this idea may not work. Would it be possible to install the Playchoice PPU onto a seperate circuit board that is wired to certain pins on the original PPU so you can use RGB but still have the original colors? Like using both chips at the same time.

I don't think that would be technically possible being that they are two similar but totally different chips.

If you had someone create a Playchoice PPU with the NES colour pallet then yes, but that would be super expensive.

Sure, but you'll probably kill/hurt yourself doing it if it is a CRT.

And you can get RGB out of every console - if you mod it. Just because the public at large is only aware of S-Video on a 2600 doesn't mean there isn't RGB.

Can the 2600 do RGB? The TIA only outputs chroma & luma signals so that's why S-Video is the easiest option being S-Video is separation of the two signals.

Also speaking of luma, the TIA has 3 Luma outputs it seems, that's abit interesting.

Now is there a chip that can take those signals and produce RGB?

[markusman64ds]

Sure, but you'll probably kill/hurt yourself doing it if it is a CRT.

And you can get RGB out of every console - if you mod it. Just because the public at large is only aware of S-Video on a 2600 doesn't mean there isn't RGB.

It's a plasma screen so I think I'm okay. But instead of modding the TV, which would be fairly difficult, I might get an S-video to YPbPr adapter. According to the internets, S-video, RGB and YPbPr are all component video because they have more than one video signal, so it would be better than an S-video to composite adapter. That, the RGB to YPbPr converter, and a DVI to HDMI adapter would be all I need other than cables and the Dreamcast VGA box.

This S-vid to component looks good. Awfully expensive though.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/TV-Composite-...item1c24149c43

[theclaw]

Hm. A bit unique device. Better than s-video to composite. Of not as good as upscaling RGB/component to simulate HD.

You can't add quality. Once source video has been downgraded, that's it. Making sure the entire link in a console's display chain stays at s-video or greater is one step in the right direction.

[markusman64ds]

Why do Gamecube component cables cost so much?

http://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_nkw=g....c0.m270.l1313

And I don't see any audio out on these.

[theclaw]

Why do Gamecube component cables cost so much?

http://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_nkw=g....c0.m270.l1313

And I don't see any audio out on these.

They're expensive because only Nintendo made them, not giving the specs for third parties to use.
See... Gamecube outputs digital video and audio. Rather than component. Every component cable has an analog video encoder chip inside.

This left the port's audio officially unused, so you're supposed to use a composite/s-video cable for sound. (though an SPDIF mod has been found)

Nonetheless Nintendo's original plan didn't happen. Real digital A/V cable was never released.

[markusman64ds]

They're expensive because only Nintendo made them, not giving the specs for third parties to use.
See... Gamecube outputs digital video and audio. Rather than component. Every component cable has an analog video encoder chip inside.

This left the port's audio officially unused, so you're supposed to use a composite/s-video cable for sound. (though an SPDIF mod has been found)

Nonetheless Nintendo's original plan didn't happen. Real digital A/V cable was never released.

So would that mean I'm better off just using S-video? That's all my current Gamecube can do.

[markusman64ds]

With those converters I would only need component inputs, VGA and HDMI. I'm probably better off just using S-video for the Gamecube because the component cables are rare and I will be converting S-video to component anyway. I'm using DVI with a PC I have hooked up for games, and that will be converted to HDMI.

Before I get the converters however, I'm gonna get some PS2 component cables. Apparently playing PS1 games on PS2 through component cables will show if your TV can do 240p on component inputs. If I don't check first I could end up spending a lot of money on stuff that won't work on my TV.

If it doesn't work though, I'm gonna have to find another TV.

[markusman64ds]

Would this be a good alternative to the S-video to component converter?

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/NEW-ADAPTER-R...item2571623f23

Since I'm getting the SCART to component anyway, this seems like a good alternative. Why pay $80 when you can pay $1?

[alec006]

Would this be a good alternative to the S-video to component converter?

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/NEW-ADAPTER-R...item2571623f23

Since I'm getting the SCART to component anyway, this seems like a good alternative. Why pay $80 when you can pay $1?

That particular convertor only converts SCART to RCA jacks or vise versa. It does nothing for the video signal what so ever rather all it does is map the SCART pins to the correct jacks on the RCA side.

The SCART to Component converter actually has a video processor in it that takes only the RGB signal, not the luma chroma signals required for S-Video and/or composite and converts them to YUV component.

Also if your thinking about doing SCART to component on these consoles, you need a SCART switch with Audio out since most SCART to component converters don't output an audio signals.

However, SCART to HDMI converters do since the signal is sent down one digital cable.