PS2 and Framemeister

[nmalinoski]

btw, looks like Behar Bros just announced their own line of PS cables:

https://www.beharbros.com/pro-cables

Always good to have more options from good cable makers!

This is neat. How much are they going for? Their site doesn't want to show me any prices without making me log into PayPal first.

[ASDR]

This is neat. How much are they going for? Their site doesn't want to show me any prices without making me log into PayPal first.

I'm also too lazy to do the PayPal 2-factor dance, especially since my PS 1/2/3/4 are wired up to my satisfaction Probably not priced as a low-end / budget product, though.

[Revolver Ocelot]

I just checkd iIt is a high end product. 45 USD. Quite expensive but maybe worth if. If I am not happy with the cheap cable i will order it along with my toro vga box. So i can save shipping costs.

[ASDR]

I just checkd iIt is a high end product. 45 USD. Quite expensive but maybe worth if. If I am not happy with the cheap cable i will order it along with my toro vga box. So i can save shipping costs.

That's what I assumed, thanks for confirming.

I've always been a bit hesitant to buy from Behar Bros since they ship from Istanbul. Outside the EU, good chance it'll get stuck in customs and then you have to deal with the fees & the general hassle. But if you're anyway getting some of their stuff, why not, probably a fantastic cable and the price is in the same ballpark as other options.

Shipping costs are such a drag, even when just buying from places like RCG. I wish that sellers in the EU/US could offer something like China Post. I buy a lot of stuff from Asia through eBay/AliExpress/BangGood and it never ceases to amaze me that it's totally viable to buy even a single cheap item like a connector or a meter of cable from there. Sure, it takes 14-50 days to arrive and shipments get lost now and then, but shipping is like 50 cents. I'd love to just buy some cable or so with 50c shipping instead of 20EUR.

[Revolver Ocelot]

ASDR You are welcome. I have been hesitant as well to buy from Beharbos so far. I am also concerned about the potential troubles with the customs. Can cost more money than expected. Unfortunately I have not been able to find an nice alternative for their VGA boxes to get the best of of the Dreamcast with the Framemeister. I will Keep looking till next month, but If I do not find anything I will order from Turkey I think.

For the Ps2 there are alternatives like the cheap yuv cable I ordered already. Maybe I like it, and there is no need to take risk to order the cable from Turkey.

[iceman_0]

btw, looks like Behar Bros just announced their own line of PS cables:

https://www.beharbros.com/pro-cables

Always good to have more options from good cable makers!

Thanks for the link. Looks interesting but 45 USD is on the very expensive side to say at least. Even more expensive than the wolfsoft cable that was linked her as well. I had no intention to pay that much to be honest but if the cable is worth it I will consider it at least.

Has somebody of you experience with the Behar Bos products? Are they worth the money?

Would you recommend beharbos in general?

[nmalinoski]

Has somebody of you experience with the Behar Bos products? Are they worth the money?

Would you recommend beharbos in general?

I bought one of their Toro breakout boxes for the Dreamcast and have been pleased with it, but it's not a straight video cable. Personally, $45 sounds like a lot to me for a component cable; I would expect to find a comparable alternative at a lower cost, and, personally, I'd wait to see what HD Retrovision's pricing is.

[ASDR]

Thanks for the link. Looks interesting but 45 USD is on the very expensive side to say at least. Even more expensive than the wolfsoft cable that was linked her as well. I had no intention to pay that much to be honest but if the cable is worth it I will consider it at least.

If you had actually looked at the prices of the recommended cable models you'd see that's not so outrageous. I think you need to either settle for something with less-than-perfect quality or recalibrate your price expectations (or get really lucky ).

Search eBay / Amazon for the other recommended cables like Original Sony or Monster:

https://www.ebay.de/sch/i.html?_from=R4 ... e&_sacat=0

https://www.ebay.de/sch/i.html?_from=R4 ... e&_sacat=0

Looks like you're lucky to get one below 45EUR (!) with shipping.

The HD Retrovision PS2 cables are priced at 26USD + shipping + customs. That's gonna be in the realm of 45$ or sure.

Shielded PS SCART cables from RGC UK cost 27.59GBP. That's >45$ after shipping.

They all cost this much.

[Revolver Ocelot]

Decent cables are quite expensive iceman but you get what you pay for. Do not make the mistake and bother with cheap cables too much. I am new in relm of yuv cables myself, the ps2 yuv cable will be my first one, but I had quite a long journey with rgb scart cables. I started with the cheaper ones, and I was not happy with the image quality so i had to buy an more expensive one to be he happy. So if you want to be on the save side buy a quality cable at once.

If you want to a bit more daring, you can get a cheap one like I did with the ps2 yuv cable but do not be upset when it is not working and you have to buy a more expensiv one.

45 is not cheap but it is not that expensive. For some certain very rare cables you have to pay 100 plus. I am talking about the infamous component cable from Nintendo for the Gamecube.

[ASDR]

I have something like 20+ consoles up & running, and I replaced every single cheap cable I've ever bought. Literally every single one was not money saved but money wasted. Sometimes I thought things were OK, but then I upgraded my TV and could see a problem. Or I modded the console and needed something better. Or I got the OSSC and could see defects. Or just got annoyed by audio buzz. Or the cable actually broke when moving stuff around. Or it was kinda-OK, but then my setup grew and I needed an extension cable and added another switcher and the end result was just bad. Or I upgraded one system and then noticed how much worse the other looked. Or the cable was actually causing a compatibility problem or was wired dangerously wrong and a risk to other equipment.

And we're not talking about audiophile snake oil nonsense here, you can actually tell the difference and I'd notice if you'd switched them back

These cables seem expensive, but that's the result of making specialty products for a niche audience. Sourcing things like multi-core shielded cables can actually be a problem. Or maybe read about all the crap the HD Retrovision guys had to go through to get a quality PS A/V connector for their cables: https://www.hdretrovision.com/blog/2017 ... on-journey.

Be happy you don't use an Extron switcher and need BNC terminated cables for you PS2, those seem to *start* at 55$:

https://retro-access.com/collections/pl ... 0115460133

[iceman_0]

@ASDR and Revolver Ocelot Ok I see. In that case I won't be stingy and get some high qualtiy cable. That's what I want after after all.

edit @Ocelot this info could be useful for you . maybe. You said you want to order the toro box for your Dreamcast. this way my initial plan too, i even made to thread here to ask about that matter, but then I decided to wait for the the hd retro vision yuv cable. Could take some time till it will be released could be worth waiting. It also seems that retro gaming cables uk are working on a 480p scart cable. This could also be useful for both of us. The Framemeister can take 480p over Scart I think. Could take some time till the 2 cables are released but it is worth considering I guess.

[Revolver Ocelot]

iceman Yeah just get a good quality cable, you want regret it. I am sure of it.



Thanks for the info about the retro gaming cables hd cable. That could be indeed a nice alternative to the toro box if the Framemeister scart plug can take the 480p signal.

[ASDR]

From what I understand about the DC issue:

- The DC can only output 480p as VGA, which is RGBHV
- The FM & normal SCART devices (unlike the OSSC) only support RGBS, not RGBHV

So basically any cable that would allow the DC to connect to the FM in 480p needs an active sync combiner to convert RGBHV to RGBS. Same for the HD Retrovison cables, there you need both a RGB->YPbPr transcoder (like in any HD Retrovision cable) and the sync combiner to put composite sync the on Y line.

I'm just saying this to temper expectations, both the RGC and HD Retrovision cables would need to include various active circuitry like the Behar Bros boxes, so they're likely going to be priced more like those rather than passive cables.

[Revolver Ocelot]

From what I understand about the DC issue:

- The DC can only output 480p as VGA, which is RGBHV
- The FM & normal SCART devices (unlike the OSSC) only support RGBS, not RGBHV

So basically any cable that would allow the DC to connect to the FM in 480p needs an active sync combiner to convert RGBHV to RGBS. Same for the HD Retrovison cables, there you need both a RGB->YPbPr transcoder (like in any HD Retrovision cable) and the sync combiner to put composite sync the on Y line.

I'm just saying this to temper expectations, both the RGC and HD Retrovision cables would need to include various active circuitry like the Behar Bros boxes, so they're likely going to be priced more like those rather than passive cables.

Thanks for the information. Yes i though already that these 480p scart cables must be special, so they would cost more than the standard cable. In my case that would not be a problem, I have no issues with paying the 80 USD for the Toro, but a cable would be alternative to the Toro but only if it really works as advertised.

Both cables are not out yet, neither the Hd retro component, nor the 480p scart cable retro gaming cables . So it is hard to tell if they are any good and really can be considered as a toro alternative..

[iceman_0]

I'm just saying this to temper expectations, both the RGC and HD Retrovision cables would need to include various active circuitry like the Behar Bros boxes, so they're likely going to be priced more like those rather than passive cables.

Thx for the warning.Yes it sounds logical that such special cables woud have a higher price than then the normal cables. As far as I know scart cables (at the least the one for video game systems )are normaly not made for 480p so the new upcoming cables are something special.

The extra cost would not a big deal. I did not scrap the vga plan due to money issues. more space issues. With my current set up handling a vga box would be a bit bothersome due to space restrictions, a cable ( the hd retro vision yuv cable or the retro gaming cables uk, 480p scart cable ) would be more conviniant.

But as Ocelot already said, lets better wait till the tow cables have been released to see if they are really as good as the vga boxes.

[strygo]

I can echo ADSR's comments almost verbatim. I have not been successful seeking deals when it comes to AV cabling for old consoles.

I would also add that if you are planning to hook your systems up to switches, bite the bullet and get the fully shielded versions of cables. They cost more, but if you don't, you will absolutely see and hear degradation when you hook your system up through the switch (even though you won't when going direct).

I have bought from all of Retro-Access, RGC and the Behar Bros. All are exceptional businesses that take their customers very seriously.

[Revolver Ocelot]

@iceman I am not sure if you have found a cable already or not. If not take a look at the hd retro vision ps2/ps3 component cables. They seem to be back in stock.

[iceman_0]

Ordered a Monster cable aleady but still thanks for the Information Ocelot.