OSSC (DIY video digitizer & scandoubler)

[cyborc]

received my OSSC a few weeks ago and finally got a chance to hook it up to my tv (SONY 55w900a) Just as I'd feared, anything above line2x will not work. I also tried it on my viewsonic 1440p gsync monitor and it wouldn't do anything above line3x. Not a huge deal because I plan to get a 4k TV early next year and I still have a CRT.

[BuckoA51]

Looking at opt2not's WiiWare snapshots above the active Wii image seems indeed to be 640px only (or it was the programmer's choice).

Having tried more Wii games I can say it definitely varies. Kirby's Epic Yarn, for instance, seems to use all but a few pixels of the 720 area. Good old Nintendo

[Xyga]

...

[dadjumper]

Got my OSSC in the mail today. Unfortunately, my Sony 40W730C doesn't want to do anything above 2x, and won't accept anything but generic 4:3 in terms of modes. That said, it looks and feels great!

I've tried messing with V. Backport/V.Active settings as recommended and cycling between modes, but no luck Any tips?

[Fudoh]

Xyga, thanks for the review on that 32" IPS screen. It's a shame that all those review sites only focus on the higher end displays these days.

[Xyga]

Yeah that's too bad, guess with limited means and so many products released every year it's hard to blame them for giving the hot stuff priority.
They're not like big PC-parts oriented websites and major AV joints that receive entire new lines as marketing samples every year or get invited to the labs/shops to test.
I still wonder why though, seeing how important the role of displays is today and how many confused Q&A the internet is filled with year after year, it's still a mystery.
Maybe everything but the high-end is still an opaque joint-ventures system with collusion on components prices like the good old days of CRT, and so no manufacturer really cares about what happens to the bulk of the market because most of the turnover is negociated in advance?

...

[Galdelico]

Any suggestion about what are the best OSSC settings for the GBI (GameBoy Interface), through a PAL GameCube + original Nintendo RGB scart cable?

I can't seem able to find the right optim. spot, and I guess that's due to the fact GBA doesn't output neither at 320p and 256p.

Thanks in advance guys!

[comp1demon]

Just got my OSSC for my Dreamcast. Going to use VGA box with it.

Anyone else with OSSC and Dreamcast? You think it is the best solution? or is Akura better and I should wait to grab one of those?

[nmalinoski]

Just got my OSSC for my Dreamcast. Going to use VGA box with it.

Anyone else with OSSC and Dreamcast? You think it is the best solution? or is Akura better and I should wait to grab one of those?

Maybe check out some of the comparisons on YouTube and figure out which would best work for your setup.

Personally, I'd go with a Toro and OSSC (it helps that I already have an OSSC), because these are both more versatile and flexible than the Akura--they both give me more control over how I want the image presented.

I would say the Akura is good if you really only care about connecting your Dreamcast (and not really anything else) to a modern display and/or if you just want something that simply plugs in between your Dreamcast and TV/receiver.

[Harrumph]

Any suggestion about what are the best OSSC settings for the GBI (GameBoy Interface), through a PAL GameCube + original Nintendo RGB scart cable?

I can't seem able to find the right optim. spot, and I guess that's due to the fact GBA doesn't output neither at 320p and 256p.

Thanks in advance guys!

Here are the optimized modes for GBI, I never got around to adding them to the wiki.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... edit#gid=0

[Galdelico]

Here are the optimized modes for GBI, I never got around to adding them to the wiki.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... edit#gid=0

Awesome, thanks!

Apologies for the dumb question: how do I switch from default 11:10 to 1:1 - as per your suggestion - in GBI-LL?
Thanks again!

[Harrumph]

Here are the optimized modes for GBI, I never got around to adding them to the wiki.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... edit#gid=0

Awesome, thanks!

Apologies for the dumb question: how do I switch from default 11:10 to 1:1 - as per your suggestion - in GBI-LL?
Thanks again!

I do it via .dcp options in swiss, but can be added as permanent arguments also in whatever the file format is called (edit: seems to be .cli), can't remember off the top of my head and I'm pretty jetlagged to boot. Check the GBI thread in GC-forever forum.

[ApolloBoy]

Recently got a Hisense 39H5D after moving into my new apartment and one of the first things I tried on it was my OSSC. Very pleased to see that it supports the 5x mode and it rules playing 240p stuff scaled up to 1080p. Lag is almost nonexistent so long as you put it in game mode.

[eric90000]

Can the OSSC theoretically support loading profiles off a micro SD card? There are so many tweaks people are discovering, it'd be amazing if the profiles could be shared....I'm sure FirebrandX would love to sink his teeth into them!

[FBX]

Can the OSSC theoretically support loading profiles off a micro SD card? There are so many tweaks people are discovering, it'd be amazing if the profiles could be shared....I'm sure FirebrandX would love to sink his teeth into them!

It does as far as I've experimented with. However, instead of labels, it just allows save slots (i.e. 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.). Still though, it's better than nothing, and should make for transferable data using the microSD card.

[Syntax]

Quick question, I hooked the ossc up to an LCD monitor and tried 3x and 4x in 240p. Both worked fine but caused the screens audio to stutter badly. What's the deal?

My tv only accepts 2x.

Also I tested a nes RGB on both the tv and monitor and the top 20ish pixels have poor sync pulled left.
Genesis and Snes don't do it.

[Harrumph]

Also I tested a nes RGB on both the tv and monitor and the top 20ish pixels have poor sync pulled left.
Genesis and Snes don't do it.

That is a known issue. You can read more about it here: https://www.videogameperfection.com/for ... on-new-fw/

[FBX]

I'm really digging the optimal timing functions. You have to obsessively fine-tune the settings to dial it in, but man what a payoff when you nail it! Check out this Neo Geo screengrab I took after developing a 320 optimal timing profile for my AES:

[ZellSF]

Thanks to Markus' help I've manage to get 480px2 working on the VP50 Pro. Here's the settings you need to use.

H.samplerate=858
H.synclen=62
H.backporch=107*
H.active=640
V.synclen=6
V.backporch=4
V.active=512

*Adjust H.backporch as necessary to centre the image.

With these settings I get an image that's quite badly squashed on the vertical, but by using the vertical zoom control on the VP50 this can mostly be corrected. This does mean the scaling is not pixel perfect.

That's great news (though personally there's few games I would use 480pX2 for), but what do you mean with scaling not being pixel perfect? The OSSC can't output anything but a pixel perfect image can it? And isn't getting DVDO VPs to output a pixel perfect image from any of the OSSC's weird modes pretty difficult?

I'm guessing 240pX4 is still impossible?

Hey,

I was a bit annoyed about the LCD backlight. It was too bright and has to be turned off every power cycle and turned on if I wanted to change something. Hence I decided to do something.

I implemented an automatic control:

• turn on backlight every time a button (either PCB or remote) is pressed
• first press does nothing in order to give the user a chance for orientation (where I am, is the menu still open, etc.)
• backlight is turned off after 30s after the last button detection

Everything is implemented in hardware. Advantage is that there is no code space of the software needed atm. Drawback is that the BL is turned on even if another compatible remote is pressed.

Here is a beta build if someone wants to test it out. https://www.dropbox.com/s/fyalimywdpm20 ... t.zip?dl=0

I also have an option in mind, which controls the timeout time: e.g. 15s up to 60s in steps of 5s and always on.

What do you thing? Small feedback is appreciated.

Not sure about everyone else, but I think it would be far more intuitive if the OSSC exited out of the menu after a period of inactivity.

[Galdelico]

I'm really digging the optimal timing functions. You have to obsessively fine-tune the settings to dial it in, but man what a payoff when you nail it! Check out this Neo Geo screengrab I took after developing a 320 optimal timing profile for my AES:

That's pretty awesome.

Do you plan to go over all the major systems and provide - if not downloadable profiles, as with the Framemeister - a list of ideal settings, to use as a reference?

I do it via .dcp options in swiss, but can be added as permanent arguments also in whatever the file format is called (edit: seems to be .cli), can't remember off the top of my head and I'm pretty jetlagged to boot. Check the GBI thread in GC-forever forum.

Thanks again, I'll check it out!

[FBX]

Do you plan to go over all the major systems and provide - if not downloadable profiles, as with the Framemeister - a list of ideal settings, to use as a reference?

I plan on doing a tutorial video to show how to dial in optimal timings. I discovered a neat trick that makes it easy, when normally it would be a lot of trial-and-error guess work. Right now, I've done timing profiles for SNES, Genesis 320, Genesis 256, and Neo Geo. I want to spend more time with the functions and see how it goes with interlaced sources before I do the comprehensive video on the subject. But yeah, it looks like I can pretty easily home in on the timings for each console using my 'trick' I worked out.

[Galdelico]

I plan on doing a tutorial video to show how to dial in optimal timings. I discovered a neat trick that makes it easy, when normally it would be a lot of trial-and-error guess work. Right now, I've done timing profiles for SNES, Genesis 320, Genesis 256, and Neo Geo. I want to spend more time with the functions and see how it goes with interlaced sources before I do the comprehensive video on the subject. But yeah, it looks like I can pretty easily home in on the timings for each console using my 'trick' I worked out.

That sounds great, and of course I'm looking forward to your tutorial.
Thanks!

[BuckoA51]

That's great news (though personally there's few games I would use 480pX2 for)

If you've not tried 480pX2 for some time, you need to go back and try it with the Allow upsample2x option on. This changes it from over sharp to very sharp (IMO, your mileage may vary) and really improves the scaling on older TVs and processors like the DVDOs. Just a shame it's not more widely compatible.

but what do you mean with scaling not being pixel perfect?

Scanlines aren't even. 240p size scanlines are but not the razor thin 480p CRT ones. Not sure what the issue is. If you're stretching the image then it's not going to be pixel perfect anyway, but it doesn't bother me.

I'm guessing 240pX4 is still impossible?

Have a look here - https://www.videogameperfection.com/201 ... uple-vp50/

Not convinced it's much better than x3 in this case though.

[Xer Xian]

I see that, according to some, line multiplying is better reserved for 2D graphics only, otherwise it would introduce over-sharpening and aggravate 'jaggies' on polygon-based graphics. I've never felt this was the case - not while playing on an OSSC+VGA monitor setup, nor on an OSSC+VP+LCD setup. For reference, here's a couple of screenshots from two progressive PS2 games, one sharp and one with the kind of 'smoothed' graphics that was commonly found on this console (the OSSC output was scaled to 1080p prior to capturing):

Sharp game, 480p base: http://image.ibb.co/jb0Tcb/2017111313174962.jpg
Sharp game, 960p base: http://image.ibb.co/gXnkOG/2017111313180636.jpg
Smooth/filtered game, 480p base: http://image.ibb.co/kRMqqw/2017111313255955.jpg
Smooth/filtered game, 960p base: http://image.ibb.co/gLCKiG/2017111313260910.jpg

Can you see any difference? I really can't. As I've already said sometime ago, I think that other variables, like panel technology or additional post-upscaling, are often conflated into the whole integer-scaling-looks-more-pixellated argument. But I'm not an expert, so I'm open to hearing about different opinions - especially if accompanied by hard evidence or a logical explanation of why I'm totally wrong.

[Fudoh]

your captures are color compressed, right ?

You can see a difference at high contrast edges, e.g OutRun2SP top left lettering, where the inner yellow letters meet their blue outline. Looks better in 480p I guess.

[Xer Xian]

You're right, I didn't zoom in on the images for some reason! Yes I can see the difference now. Is there absolutely no chance that this is just a case of the CII doing a better/sharper upscale of an higher-res source?

[ZellSF]

Can you see any difference? I really can't. As I've already said sometime ago, I think that other variables, like panel technology or additional post-upscaling, are often conflated into the whole integer-scaling-looks-more-pixellated argument.

I can see the difference pretty clearly. At least in the Outrun screenshot. Not just in the font (but that's the one where the "integer scaling is always better" people confuse me). Darkness gets rid of a lot of detail in the Haunting Ground (?) screenshot.

It's also exactly the differences I expect to see between 480p and a 480pX2 scales. I wouldn't attribute it to difference in scaling algorithms for different modes.

[Thomago]

This is going to be a long story, so hold tight...!

With the arrival of my OSSC I set out to get a new monitor, as my old monitor, the iiyama ProLite XB2783HSU, amongst other problems, didn't have functional aspect ratio controls.

Here's what I orignally wanted my new monitor to be:

- 27"
- FullHD (I wouldn't mind 4k but am not willing to pay 200-300 € extra for that), 16:9
- ergonomic stand
- not curved
- at least two digital inputs (one HDMI), VGA input
- antireflection coating
- decent picture quality incl. no backlight bleeding
- no excessive lag
- 50 and 70 Hz compatibility (for PAL stuff and Mode13h DOS games)
- aspect ratio controls including a 4:3 option
- decent scaling
- decent OSSC compatibility

Here's a list of monitors I tried; the comments point out why I had to return the respective monitor. You will notice that I strayed quite far from my what I originally set out to find but well... the monitor market does only offer so many options, so I had to compromise.

Dell P2717H (bad scaling, ugly yellow tint)
AOC ProLine I2775PQU (heavy backlight bleeding, insufficient aspect ratio controls)
Philips Brilliance S-Line 271S7QJMB (same problems as the Dell P2717H while having a worse build quality and a higher price)
BenQ BL2700HT (like the iiyama ProLite XB2783HSU minus overdrive, therefore ridiculously slow)
ViewSonic VG2753 (lacking image quality, ridiculously uneven lighting and heavy backlight bleeding) (tried 2 units)
BenQ BL-Series BL27006HT (same problems as the ViewSonic VG2753, but great electronics - the best I had seen to this point) (tried 2 or 3 units)
Fujitsu L27T-1 (down to the OSD exactly the same as my iiyama minus an ergonomic stand)
BenQ GC2870H (insufficient aspect ratio controls)
Eizo EV2450-BK (can't do 70 Hz, insufficient aspect ratio controls; also expensive)
Dell Ultrasharp U2414H (I tried 4 units and each of them had heavy backlight bleeding)
Wortmann AG Terra LED 2756 (extreeemely slow panel)
Acer B276HC (same problems as my iiyama)
Samsung C24FG70FQU (incompatible to NTSC SNES and 50 Hz signals)
Medion X58322 (very bad image quality)
Samsung S32F351FUU (can't do 70 Hz, also the glossy panel made me feel nauseous)
AOC Agon AG 272FCX (very expensive and full of bugs - don't even bother!)
Samsung C27F591F (incompetent aspect ratio controls; buggy contrast setting in AV mode)
HKC NB32C-DH (very bad image quality, lacks overdrive)
Philips E-line 278E8QJAB (overbearing wide color gamut, 70 Hz doesn't work, bad backlight homogeneity)
ASUS VA327H (displays a stupid non-deactivatable "Out of Range"-message with 70 Hz signals... while displaying the signal perfectly fine)
ViewSonic XG3202-C (incompetent aspect ratio controls)
Medion Erazer X58426 (can't do 50 Hz)
Acer ED322Qwidx (garbage image quality)
AOC I2790PQU/BT (https://www.videogameperfection.com/for ... r-problem/)
HannsG HP278UJB (pure junk, don't even think about it)

(I might have forgotten a few models but well... it's hard to keep track at this point.)

And then came the ViewSonic VX3211-mh:

+ great picture quality (color reproduction, gamma ... everything's really really good)
+ backlight bleeding is unproblematic (I tested three units; one of them had very light, uncritical backlight bleeding; the other two had none at all)
+ good OSSC compatibility (240p LineX5 from my SNES is unstable; everything else works without problems)
+ perfectly fine scaling
+ perfect overdrive adjustment out of the box
+ 50/70 Hz compatibility
+ perfect aspect ratio controls (everything can either be displayed in fullscreen, 4:3 or as if it had quadratic pixels)
+ very sturdy build quality
+ nice design including extras like VESA holes and a headphone holder
+ cheap (200-240 €)

- it's an IPS display and therefore prone to bob-deinterlacing induced flicker-retention
- I prefer VA because of the higher contrast ratio and subjectively better viewing angles (IPS glow!)
- one of the units I tested had a fleck of dirt in its panel
- one of the units I tested was slightly darker in the uppermost right corner than it should be
- slightly brighter on the bottom (otherwise homogeneity is great)
- glossy panel
- non-ergonomic stand
- only has one HDMI and one VGA input
- the user interface is kind of awkward

Mind you - all this is from my point of view. I do care about PAL and DOS games, I don't care about speakers, I don't really like glossy panels... your individial interests may vary.

Btw... I'm pretty much certain that Xyga's LG 32MP58 has the same panel. And looking at his review, I'd say: The ViewSonic VX3211-mh is the better choice.

[RGBSource]

A list of ideal settings, to use as a reference?

A list already exists: Optimal timings

[Xyga]

And then came the ViewSonic VX3211-mh:
...
+ good OSSC compatibility (240p LineX5 from my SNES is unstable; everything else works without problems)

Could you please develop this point? Do you actually get a 1:1 1080p non-letterboxed picture ? (w/ some active lines of the source cut out)
This is crucial because although the Samsung S32F351 could take x5 it always forced black borders on top and bottom even in 1920x1080 output mode and basically ruined the only purpose of it (could have make the monitor a terrific choice for OSSC users if that mode worked properly). Every Full-HD display I've tried and that showed something in x5 unfortunately also did the same forced letterboxing.

Btw... I'm pretty much certain that Xyga's LG 32MP58 has the same panel. And looking at his review, I'd say: The ViewSonic VX3211-mh is the better choice.

Could very well be the same panel yes since besides LG I don't know who else would still makes 32" Full-HD IPS panels. Not sure the glossy coating is the same though, there's different kinds and Viewsonic could well have picked a better one, dunno (worse is also possible lol).
Well I love glossy displays so it's good for me anyway.

EDIT/ any idea about the lag? Very high chances it's similar to most other Full-HD monitors today and therefore easily sub-1 frame, but we never know 100% until tested. :p

Regarding VA's here are the next monitors I have my eyes on;
LG 32UD59 (4K VA FreeSync) couldn't find any good reviews yet.
AOC Q3279VWF (WQHD matte VA FreeSync, should be sub-400 zeni) pcmonitors.info should be reviewing it soon. No VESA though. Tch.