OSSC (DIY video digitizer & scandoubler)

[ApolloBoy]

What you're using is perfectly fine, sounds like you might need to tweak the OSSC a bit.

[Seraphic]

There's no way a PS2 can tell what's happening on the other side of the cable.

You probably had your PS2 set to component before, but now to RGB. Set it to component, leave the RGB cable in place and just set the OSSC's input to YUV as well.

Got around to switching things around again.
But unless I use RGB out from PS2 and RGBs in from OSSC I just get the green hue and the same message when trying to enable 1080i mode from the game.
The PS2 will boot the game into 1080i, but image is still off center and blurry. IDK why it was working before and now it isn't.
Only thing I can think of being different from when it was working and when it wasn't, was the OSSC firmware version.
Not a big deal in the end I guess since it is not really 1080i anyway (but it was still fun to mess around with).
Back to 480p mode it is. But if anyone else has a copy of Valkyrie Profile 2 (works with Japanese version only) and is willing to test on their OSSC/PS2 (w/ RGB Scart), let me know.

Here is how to enable 1080i:

Code: Select all

Hold /\ and X as the game boots up to bring up the Progressive Scan enabling screen

Then press (must enter commands quickly): up, left, right, up, left, right, up, left, right, L1, R1, []

[nmalinoski]

But unless I use RGB out from PS2 and RGBs in from OSSC I just get the green hue and the same message when trying to enable 1080i mode from the game.

Whether you use YPbPr or RGB, you need to have the PS2 and OSSC settings match. I'd fancy a guess that you had your PS2 set to YPbPr and your OSSC set to RGB, in which case everything looks green because Y/luma, which has all of the image data in that format, is connected to green and is interpreted as such.

You also need to keep in mind that, if you haven't modded your console to enable full-time RGBS, you will need to switch from RGBS to RGsB on the OSSC in order to use ED and HD resolutions. Or, if you don't want to mod your console, just use YPbPr component, since that can handle all video modes without having to keep toggling between input types on the OSSC.

[Seraphic]

But unless I use RGB out from PS2 and RGBs in from OSSC I just get the green hue and the same message when trying to enable 1080i mode from the game.

Whether you use YPbPr or RGB, you need to have the PS2 and OSSC settings match. I'd fancy a guess that you had your PS2 set to YPbPr and your OSSC set to RGB, in which case everything looks green because Y/luma, which has all of the image data in that format, is connected to green and is interpreted as such.

You also need to keep in mind that, if you haven't modded your console to enable full-time RGBS, you will need to switch from RGBS to RGsB on the OSSC in order to use ED and HD resolutions. Or, if you don't want to mod your console, just use YPbPr component, since that can handle all video modes without having to keep toggling between input types on the OSSC.

Yes, my PS2 is modded for RGBs as to avoid having to switch input modes and my PS2 and OSSC are always normally both set to RGB. The 1080i mode just doesn't seem to work anymore.

I haven't used my OSSC in quite a long awhile. How do you switch the AV1 (RGB-SCART) input on the OSSC to YPbPr again?

[airco]

I got an untested Super Famicom recently, but after plugging it into my OSSC (via Retro-Access CSYNC SCART) and turning it on for the first time, I got a black screen. I tried on two monitors and directly into my Datapath E1S and got nothing. The OSSC recognizes the signal and reports RGBS 262p / 15.74kHz 60.08Hz over AV1 (and sometimes RGBS 263p / 15.72kHz 59.79Hz), but doesn't even output audio over the 3.5mm port. I know some later 1CHIP models don't output CSYNC, but based on the shell of the one I bought, it should be an early model 2CHIP. I've also checked that the two H-PLL settings are correct. Is there something simple I'm missing? I don't have any other Multi AV cables to test with or the right screwdriver to actually open the console, so I'm not sure what's left to test outside of cable pinouts and that's hard with only two arms.

EDIT: another thought is that the game I'm testing with (I only have one) might have dirty contacts causing it to boot directly to a black screen. Would that cause the OSSC to read a signal but output nothing? I get an "HDMI No Signal" error on all of my displays, though.

[nmalinoski]

I haven't used my OSSC in quite a long awhile. How do you switch the AV1 (RGB-SCART) input on the OSSC to YPbPr again?

If you have the remote, you can refer to the diagram in this section of the OSSC manual. If you're using button 0, just keep pressing it until it reads AV1-YPbPr.

[naz]

Hello,

Yesterday I tried 5x 1.920x1.200 resolution on my 4k tv. The image on this mode is similar to the 4x mode (meaning it doesn't cover all the vertical space).

On 4x I get it: the tv receives a 960p signal and multiplies by 2 to a 1.920 vertical size, which is smaller than the tv vertical resolution of 2.160, resulting on a smalls black lines above and below of the image.

so what exactly is going with 5x and 1200p?? the tv receives a 1.200p signal and stretches it, but why not all the way??

also, using 1.200 means the tv does a bit of softening on the vertical size and with generic instead of optim there is a bit of softening on the horizontal size (just a bit). I'm liking this look, the ultrasharp-lego-look of 5x and optim wasn't really working for me.

Regards

[Fudoh]

the tv receives a 1.200p signal and stretches it, but why not all the way??

what's your source ? If you use a source that's underscanning the 240p lines (e.g. everything that just outputs 224 active lines), the TV will retain that same underscan percentage when upscaling.

[maxtherabbit]

EDIT: another thought is that the game I'm testing with (I only have one) might have dirty contacts causing it to boot directly to a black screen. Would that cause the OSSC to read a signal but output nothing? I get an "HDMI No Signal" error on all of my displays, though.

I believe that's exactly what's going on

Clean the edge connector on the game and the slot in the SFC with a toothbrush and isopropyl alcohol

[naz]

the tv receives a 1.200p signal and stretches it, but why not all the way??

what's your source ? If you use a source that's underscanning the 240p lines (e.g. everything that just outputs 224 active lines), the TV will retain that same underscan percentage when upscaling.

you are right, I was playing snes wich is 224 active lines, so the tv does fill the entire screen but with blank lines from the inactive lines. This also means the same is happening on 4x, unliked I wrote before.

thanks

[airco]

I believe that's exactly what's going on

Clean the edge connector on the game and the slot in the SFC with a toothbrush and isopropyl alcohol

Took some rubbing alcohol and got the cart and system contacts as clean as I could, but no luck. Guess I might have to try opening them up or hunting down other carts to test with. Either way, it seems like it might not be the OSSC's problem at this point.

[plasticxo]

I believe that's exactly what's going on

Clean the edge connector on the game and the slot in the SFC with a toothbrush and isopropyl alcohol

Took some rubbing alcohol and got the cart and system contacts as clean as I could, but no luck. Guess I might have to try opening them up or hunting down other carts to test with. Either way, it seems like it might not be the OSSC's problem at this point.

It's exactly that : your SFC is not booting the game. Black screen and sync with the OSSC is normal, I guess the SFC powers up sends a blank video signal and that's it.

Try with a clean game or tweak the cartridge position in the slot (a bit slanting left or right).

[mario64]

Hi all. Question for those of you with a Samsung 4K TV and OSSC. My KU6300 does support the additional line5x resolutions such as 1900x1200 but I’ve noticed something odd. When using this resolution it kicks me out of ‘game mode’ with no option to select it. The only mode I can select is sports mode. This makes me concerned I’m not getting the low input lag of game mode. Anyone else ran into this? It’s almost as if the TV goes into PC mode when in detects that resolution. Thanks

Edit: may have found my answer. Game Mode is 19.8ms input lag. If indeed the TV changes to PC mode when it detects 1900x1200, input lag nearly doubles to 36.7ms. Guess I’ll stick with 1080p for line5x

[DirkSwizzler]

I have a feature request.

TL;DR:
Completely disable HDMI output if there's no input signal locked for the last second or so. Even removing the expected 5v constant power.

Longer:
I've been pursuing a completely auto-switched gaming setup for over a year and a half now. I've got all my analog retro consoles automatically switched such that all I need to do is power one on and it's going to my OSSC in scart rgbs mode. And it outputs to an hdmi port on my TV that's set for gaming.

This makes it trivial to teach my family how to play a retro game. And it works fine as long as all you want going to the gaming hdmi port is retro games.

However, I also want my HDMI consoles to go to that same port. So I have been trying different HDMI switches. Each one has their own tradeoffs. I probably own 10 different 4k capable switches at this point.

One pattern that's emerged from my testing is that some switches will switch to whatever console most recently initiated a handshake. Even if something else is still powered on. And some switches will stay on an active input until it's completely powered off. And it turns out that the OSSC tends to have issues with the former type, and works perfectly with the latter.

The problem with the latter is that now I need to power off my OSSC to turn on another console. Which is also something slightly harder to teach my family.

If the OSSC were able to completely disconnect HDMI output whenever there's no input active. My setup would be 100% fully switched and I'd be super happy.



For reference. The current setup of HDMI switching I've landed on is to use this Awakelion 5 port 18Gbps switch for native HDMI consoles. Right now I have 2 of them chained to handle all the HDMI consoles I have.

I then have that chain go into a ViewHD 5 port 18Gbps switch which is shared with the OSSC before going to the TV. This allows maximum compatibility with the OSSC and maximum switching for everything else.

I've also had reasonable success with this ViewHD 3 port 18Gbps switch as the final OSSC inclusive switch.

Last night I also tried a MonoPrice blackbird 4 port 18Gbps switch as the OSSC inclusive switch without any issues yet. But I haven't had a nearly full set of coverage on it yet.

[EthicalShooter]

Unsure if this has already been noted, but after updating my OSSC's firmware to version .81, the sync time for displays I've used have gone down by like half a second; on one monitor, for instance, it took ~2.5 seconds before it started displaying anything, but now it only takes 2. Any explanation?

[thebigcheese]

I have a feature request.

TL;DR:
Completely disable HDMI output if there's no input signal locked for the last second or so. Even removing the expected 5v constant power.

I'd also like this, though I've gotten around it at this point. My TV lets me have custom names for each of my inputs, so I have one labeled Retro that just the OSSC is plugged into (consoles are connected to that via gscartsw), one that's labeled Modern that takes all the HDMI-capable "modern" systems via an auto switcher, and the third one labeled "Switch/Wii U" that comes from my receiver where another auto switcher connects those two consoles (since they output PCM surround, had to go direct to receiver). Audio for everything other than Switch/Wii U goes through the ARC of the TV. Since those two are connected to the same input of the receiver, I never have to switch inputs on the receiver, either.

It's maybe not as nice as having everything go through a single input, but it's to the point where I can do almost everything with just the little Roku remote my TV came with and the inputs are pretty self explanatory. Only thing that has to be switched manually is the input on the OSSC to get to component for Xbox and PS2 (which are in turn connected to a manual component switch) vs RGB for everything else. And also the Saturn is not usually plugged into the gscartsw cuz I ran out of inputs, but that's not so bad.

With this setup, I can access all of the following by changing nothing other than input on the TV:
-NES
-SNES
-N64
-Genesis (and SMS through adapter)
-PCE
-PS1
-GameCube
-Dreamcast
-Xbox One
-Xbox 360
-PS4
-Wii U
-Switch
-Steamlink

By moving one SCART plug:
-Saturn

By changing input on OSSC and component switch:
-Xbox
-PS2

So the TL;DR version is that yes, I think it would be nice to have that feature (though perhaps it shouldn't be instant because that might add to resolution switch delay?), but you can work around it pretty well depending on your setup.

[mario64]

I have a question concerning PS2 with OSSC. I’ve noticed the colors are off. I’m not referring to the RGB vs Component setting. It’s like the color depth is wrong, similar to playing a PC game on 16 bit (back when that was a thing). If I connect to the Framemeister it doesn’t do this. Colors are correct. Is there an OSSC setting that affects color depth? I’ve tested with line2x and 4x. Thanks

[thebigcheese]

I have a question concerning PS2 with OSSC. I’ve noticed the colors are off. I’m not referring to the RGB vs Component setting. It’s like the color depth is wrong, similar to playing a PC game on 16 bit (back when that was a thing). If I connect to the Framemeister it doesn’t do this. Colors are correct. Is there an OSSC setting that affects color depth? I’ve tested with line2x and 4x. Thanks

OSSC always outputs full range RGB. I believe there is a setting in the PS2 menu for that? But I could be wrong. Framemeister typically does limited range IIRC.

[mario64]

I have a question concerning PS2 with OSSC. I’ve noticed the colors are off. I’m not referring to the RGB vs Component setting. It’s like the color depth is wrong, similar to playing a PC game on 16 bit (back when that was a thing). If I connect to the Framemeister it doesn’t do this. Colors are correct. Is there an OSSC setting that affects color depth? I’ve tested with line2x and 4x. Thanks

OSSC always outputs full range RGB. I believe there is a setting in the PS2 menu for that? But I could be wrong. Framemeister typically does limited range IIRC.

If that was the problem wouldn’t I have seen color issues with my other consoles? Any way to change OSSC to Limited RGB?

[nmalinoski]

I have a question concerning PS2 with OSSC. I’ve noticed the colors are off. I’m not referring to the RGB vs Component setting. It’s like the color depth is wrong, similar to playing a PC game on 16 bit (back when that was a thing). If I connect to the Framemeister it doesn’t do this. Colors are correct. Is there an OSSC setting that affects color depth? I’ve tested with line2x and 4x. Thanks

OSSC always outputs full range RGB. I believe there is a setting in the PS2 menu for that? But I could be wrong. Framemeister typically does limited range IIRC.

There's a limited/full range setting on the PS3, but not the PS2. PS2 might be limited-range only.

[mario64]

I have a question concerning PS2 with OSSC. I’ve noticed the colors are off. I’m not referring to the RGB vs Component setting. It’s like the color depth is wrong, similar to playing a PC game on 16 bit (back when that was a thing). If I connect to the Framemeister it doesn’t do this. Colors are correct. Is there an OSSC setting that affects color depth? I’ve tested with line2x and 4x. Thanks

OSSC always outputs full range RGB. I believe there is a setting in the PS2 menu for that? But I could be wrong. Framemeister typically does limited range IIRC.

There's a limited/full range setting on the PS3, but not the PS2. PS2 might be limited-range only.

Correct. Some consoles such as Wii and/or Wii U are also hard coded to Limited so I’m not going to change my TV just for the OSSC. I truly hope this isn’t the issue but fear that it is

[bobrocks95]

Limited/full range doesn't really apply to analog consoles. Since the OSSC always outputs in full range, you should ideally have it on its own TV input, and have that input set to full range.

Wii U is the only console stuck with limited range (though ideally an Xbox One should be set to limited as well).

[mario64]

Limited/full range doesn't really apply to analog consoles. Since the OSSC always outputs in full range, you should ideally have it on its own TV input, and have that input set to full range.

Wii U is the only console stuck with limited range (though ideally an Xbox One should be set to limited as well).

Tested both ways and it made no difference. Also tested a different PS2 and different RGB cables.

[bobrocks95]

Limited/full range doesn't really apply to analog consoles. Since the OSSC always outputs in full range, you should ideally have it on its own TV input, and have that input set to full range.

Wii U is the only console stuck with limited range (though ideally an Xbox One should be set to limited as well).

Tested both ways and it made no difference. Also tested a different PS2 and different RGB cables.

Sorry, I kind of lost sight of the bigger question. I don't think an RGB range mismatch would cause any sort of color banding, just black or white crush. You should definitely leave your OSSC input on full range if possible for your setup, but that's probably not the solution to your problem.

[RocketBelt]

I had a cheap scart cable that caused colour banding on PS2 once. The colour banding was clear in the grey of the memory card management screen. Swapped it for a decent cable and the effect went away.

[mario64]

I had a cheap scart cable that caused colour banding on PS2 once. The colour banding was clear in the grey of the memory card management screen. Swapped it for a decent cable and the effect went away.

I’ve tested 3 different Scart cables, 2 from retrogamingcables and 1 from Retro Access. All bahave the same way

[nesboy43]

All,

I have had an OSSC since late last year, am running the latest firmware, and whether I use the Component or SCART input, using a cable directly or through a SCART switch, the picture is always dark. I used to have to boost my projector's brightness and contrast to see the picture. Now there is a Pre-ADC gain option, and only when I crank it to 10 or 12 do things become easy to see. The problem this poses is that it boosts the brightness but it also completely washes out the picture. When I turn on scanlines it is even darker.

I have tried using hybrid scanlines which makes things slightly better but the image is no matter what either too dark or too washed out using the pre-ADC gain. I used to have to adjust the gain manually per color and tweak it in hopes of getting a bright picture.

This projector is properly calibrated using the Disney WOW bluray disc.

Any suggestions? Could it be the DVI-HDMI adapter?

[marqs]

I have a feature request.

TL;DR:
Completely disable HDMI output if there's no input signal locked for the last second or so. Even removing the expected 5v constant power.

So the TL;DR version is that yes, I think it would be nice to have that feature (though perhaps it shouldn't be instant because that might add to resolution switch delay?), but you can work around it pretty well depending on your setup.

It would be possible to disable HDMI TX output, but DDC 5V cannot be dynamically disabled without a HW modification. Depending on the sink, complete TX disable might be sufficient (many already treat it inactive when sync is disabled). I can add that to TODO list next to a test pattern switchback feature request (some people would explicitly like to avoid display auto-switching when OSSC's active input is turned off!).

Work with the soft-CPU replacement has gone forward and now HW side of it has been integrated to Altera platform. Remaining task is integrating / rewriting HAL/BSP part and then it should be possible to continue adding new features to fw.

[jcoelho]

+ good OSSC compatibility (240p LineX5 from my SNES is unstable; everything else works without problems)

Hi Thomago. Would you (or anybody else) mind developing this point? What's the issue with the SNES and the X5 mode on the Viewsonic VX3211-mh? I'm looking for alternatives and the VX3211-mh looks like a great option.

Thanks in advance.

[CobraKing]

@marqs

Thanks for the update. Just curious but will those of us with the original OSSC 1.5 be able to use the upcoming firmware with the new memory framework?