OSSC signal standardisation for finicky displays

[bonzo.bits]

Anyone know a cheap unit that standardises the OSSC signal with minimal loss of quality.

My OLED only accepts 2x. It's does 3x also but the necessary sampling tweaks cause incorrect AR. I much prefer 4x/5x at correct AR.

[nmalinoski]

Depends on your definition of "cheap", I suppose. The Extron DSC 301 HD works well--deinterlaces, seems to take any line multiplication method you can throw at it--but you can expect to pay $50~$100 (or more) for one, and you'll end up with slow resolution transitions (3 sec using the HDMI input, 1 sec using an HDMI to VGA converter and using the analogue input).

You could also try any of the HDMI-to-HDMI scalers on Amazon or eBay, but those all seem to fall into the same price range.

Either way, you'll be spending less than if you bought a new 4K display.


Edit: Link to your thread on VGP.

[orange808]

There is no complete one machine solution. Do some homework on what you buy.

The Extron won't get you good deinterlacing and it uses a full frame buffer. There will always be a trade off.

[Fudoh]

But it's alright. Do we really mind now adding a single frame of lag to a ZERO lag device? It's ok.

I'm using the Extron 301 and I like it very much. Only downside with the OSSC is that it doesn't like the NES/SNES jitter. On these systems you'll still be locked to 2x unless you have a dejitter mod installed.

[Xyga]

He didn't specify his TV model though, a handful of OLEDs have 40+ms of delay already, adding 16ms to that would be bothersome, IMHO.

[orange808]

But it's alright. Do we really mind now adding a single frame of lag to a ZERO lag device? It's ok.

I'm using the Extron 301 and I like it very much. Only downside with the OSSC is that it doesn't like the NES/SNES jitter. On these systems you'll still be locked to 2x unless you have a dejitter mod installed.

It depends on the game and display. I still prefer my DVDO in many situations.

---------

To answer OP's question:

The Gefen scalers are probably worth a mention, here. The old Gefen Hi Def Scalers can be had for very little money.

They support linex4 just fine. (No linex5) The Dreamcast sampling issues are handled by the OSSC. They don't advertise frame lock, but I couldn't detect any hiccups on the SNES or NES. No jitter drops. PanScan mode gives a pretty good "4:3" with 1080p output. For an inexpensive solution, that's my pick.

The Gefen does add a full frame of lag, though.

[bonzo.bits]

In my experience, going from 23ms input lag to 39ms would be too much of a difference. I mostly play driving and action games so the extra lag does impact gameplay. Although it would still be less than my old plasma, I've used a CRT for the last 2 years so any lag is now quite obvious.

If I want lagless/negligible lag on the device between the OSSC and OLED, does that mean I lose the possibility of a cheap solution?

Atm I'm looking at a Gefen, there is one available in my country, whereas the Extron isn't and is also more expensive by 1.5x and up, once postage is factored in.

[Xer Xian]

The cheapest low-lag scaler is probably the DVDO Edge. It adds only 6-7ms in most cases - up to 20+ with some system (I think the Saturn, PCE and N64 were the main victims). It can be had for around €150 on ebay. Much less than that if you happen to find one with an exhausted PSU.

But what is it that's wrong with the 2x mode on your OLED? Broken scanlines? Poor compatibility across different consoles due to non-standard frame rates or sync irregularities? Poor deinterlacing and you love the PS2? Because if it's only a matter of a slightly soft picture due to scaling from 480p, one has to weigh that against the cons of added lag and any other possible shortcoming any scaler can have.

[orange808]

The cheapest fast scaler for progresive inputs is the iScan HD / HD+. It accepts linex3. No linex4 or linex5.

I like the look of the scaling from 720p (240p linex3) to 1080p using it.

Deinterlacing isn't great. You'll want to use the OSSC line doubling.

480p scaling isn't all that great, but there's a workaround--provided you don't care about scanlines on native 480p content.

For the money, I think the HD is a better buy than the Edge.

------


If you're going to start accepting 20ms of lag, you might as well get a Framemeister.

[bonzo.bits]

I prefer the added sharpness of the higher multiplication modes of the OSSC. When I upgraded from Panasonic plasma to Panasonic OLED I foolishly assumed that the (somewhat broken) acceptance of Lx4 would still be available. I also sold my Framemeister as about a year after getting the OSSC, it was just gathering dust. I don't play many 480i games, and the plasma did a decent job with both 480i/p anyway.

So, I guess most of my issue is caused by the OLED. Lx2 isn't sharp enough, and Lx3 is only available with a timing tweak so it appears in a PC mode of something like 1324 x 768. Whatever the resolution is, it results in loss of detail, which I assume is because it isn't an integer scale...

In Lx4 mode OSSC or with integer scaling on the Framemeister, on the plasma the pixel sharpness and motion processing were both amazing. With the limited OSSC compatibility on the OLED, the only improvement over the plasma are the scanline blackness and image colour accuracy. So I'd like to achieve an image with the BVM-like scan lines (they already look that good, to my eyes) and the pixel sharpness of modern displays. Buying a FM or replacing the OLED are not viable options for me in the foreseeable future.

Fwiw, the comparison is between the VT60 and FZ950.

[Xer Xian]

The cheapest fast scaler for progresive inputs is the iScan HD / HD+. It accepts linex3. No linex4 or linex5.

You're right, those are most likely the cheapest of the bunch (isn't the non-plus iScan HD stuck with pass-trough only for 720p and up though). Whether they are gonna be a better buy than the Edge really depends on the price difference though, and on the importance placed on the systems plagued by the added latency. The iScan HD+ has a glitch-prone firmware and the Edge works with 2x480p with no extra tweaks and no sampling issues/cut borders for some system. Availability is another factor - the OP is unlikely to find older DVDO machines for sale in Australia - I sold my iScan HD+ to an australian forum member who couldn't source one locally. The Edge is still reasonably easy to find today.

Buying a FM or replacing the OLED are not viable options for me in the foreseeable future.

Then your only option is a DVDO machine (older Lumagen Radiance also have sub-10ms lag, but are more expensive and rare).

[bonzo.bits]

Thanks for all the replies. Not looking good for availability nor affordability of a DVDO. Maybe I should just get a different brand of OLED....