Extron VSC700 to RGB 203xi - Connection Help Needed

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rancid
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Joined: Sun Sep 02, 2018 1:08 pm

Extron VSC700 to RGB 203xi - Connection Help Needed

Post by rancid »

Hi all,

Newbie here so go easy on me. I purchased an Extron Super Emotia GX and have glorious 240p scanlines from my laptop outputting via HDMI > HDFury 2 > Emotia GX > PVM. I recently came across a good deal on a VSC 700 and already had an RGB 203xi and wanted to give the infamous combo a try. The problem I am having is getting a signal from the HDFury 2/figuring out how to make this combo work. Right now this is how it looks:

Laptop HDMI > HDFury 2 > VGA Male to Female Changer > Other end of Female changer to VGA Male BNC Break out Cable > Input on VSC700 via BNC > VSC700 BNC/VGA Breakout cable Output to RGB 203xi VGA Input > RGB 203xi BNC output to PVM BNC input. I am not getting a signal with this combo and think the issue is at the the very first junction going into the VSC700 because if I plug the HDMI Fury 2 into the RGB 203xi VGA input it gets a signal just fine.

If you are still with me, the question is how can I get a working signal from an HDMI source with a VGA converter (HDFury) into the VSC and RGB 203xi for 240p? I wouldn't think it is the cables since most are bi-directional, but let me know if I am wrong.

Thanks for any help!
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Fudoh
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Re: Extron VSC700 to RGB 203xi - Connection Help Needed

Post by Fudoh »

Have you tried flipping around the H/V sync plugs ? I found the color coding on these breakout cables to very inconsistent.
rancid
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Re: Extron VSC700 to RGB 203xi - Connection Help Needed

Post by rancid »

Fudoh wrote:Have you tried flipping around the H/V sync plugs ? I found the color coding on these breakout cables to very inconsistent.
Genius, thank you Fudoh that did the trick!

When I flick DDSP "on" the scanlines are no where near as prominent than with it off and I have quite a bit of flicker on the horizontal axis. I tried setting the flicker filter to 3 on the VSC700 but it doesn't seem to help. Any thoughts on what I need to do to tweak this?
Dochartaigh
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Re: Extron VSC700 to RGB 203xi - Connection Help Needed

Post by Dochartaigh »

rancid wrote:Any thoughts on what I need to do to tweak this?
It's probably because you're comparing it to an Emotia....it's simply no comparison. I always call the Extron RGB + VSC trick "quasi-240p" because it's simply not as clear as real 240p, and still has a little bit of flicker (which is more apparent on PVM and BVM's than consumer TV's). Still looks nice though for people who can't afford an Emotia - I've played many a game with a RGB/VSC combo turned on.

If you're looking for an alternative for downscaling 240p I would take a look at the TVOne Corio2's.
rancid
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Re: Extron VSC700 to RGB 203xi - Connection Help Needed

Post by rancid »

Dochartaigh wrote:
rancid wrote:Any thoughts on what I need to do to tweak this?
It's probably because you're comparing it to an Emotia....it's simply no comparison. I always call the Extron RGB + VSC trick "quasi-240p" because it's simply not as clear as real 240p, and still has a little bit of flicker (which is more apparent on PVM and BVM's than consumer TV's). Still looks nice though for people who can't afford an Emotia - I've played many a game with a RGB/VSC combo turned on.

If you're looking for an alternative for downscaling 240p I would take a look at the TVOne Corio2's.
You are probably right, I also have the Corio2 as well and my biggest complaint with it is getting a center image vs. using the Extron stuff with the dials. I do agree, the Emotia is pretty much the cream of the crop from all three.

I'll continue to play with it some to see if I can reduce the flicker, thanks for the heads up.
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Fudoh
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Re: Extron VSC700 to RGB 203xi - Connection Help Needed

Post by Fudoh »

well, yes and no.

If you max out the anti flicker setting on the VSC700 the Extron will always render two identical lines in a row. This is very noticeable, so you certainly can't miss it compared to the lower flicker free settings. Now what the DDSP toggle trick on the interface does, is to tell the display to show two alternating lines on the same height instead of using interlacing. If you adjust this properly in terms of position and input/output mapping, you can can get a flicker free image. This is very different from simply converting a standard interlaced signal. It's hard to get right.

But - of course - with any other 240p solution on hand, there's no point in going down this road....
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