PS2 to HDMI Adapter

[SAM]

Anyone have tried this?

PS2 to HDMI Adapter
https://www.amazon.com/Converter-Adapte ... B0822GP37V

This is just a upscanning device, right?

Is it okay?

Any others solutions for connecting PS2 to a modern TV/Monitor?

[nmalinoski]

No-name devices like these will work but not well.

Since it's on Amazon, the purchase risk is low; you can order one, try it out, and return it for a refund if you think it looks too much like garbage.

[tongshadow]

It's not an upscaling solution, it merely transcodes analog to digital, very poorly at that.
Terrible solution imo, there are better ones.

[SAM]

How about this one?

https://www.columbuscircle.co.jp/produc ... 2&p=1&ca=5

[FinalBaton]

Are you looking for a pure transcoder? or also for an upscaling solution?

the OSSC does both, I haven't seen with my own eyes how it handles 480i, but it should be a great option nonetheless.

for pure transcoders, I'm sure that some of the cheap ones do of good job, although probably not all of them.

some recent TVs do a very decent job at handling 480i material (video at least)

[tongshadow]

How about this one?

https://www.columbuscircle.co.jp/produc ... 2&p=1&ca=5

They're all the same cheap pile of horse shit. I suppose it's the easiest and cheapeast way to connect your PS2 to a modern TV, but if you dont mind crushed or grey black levels, noisy signal, poor color handling, no 240p compatibility, then yes, go ahead and get this.

I would get a Retrotink X2 if you're on a really tight budget. And even though it costs more, remember that there's nothing more expensive than a cheap solution.

[Guspaz]

There are a few out there that work fine, but good luck identifying them: even if you keep buying exactly the same model, suddenly the internals change from one manufacturing run to the next and something that was perfectly good is complete garbage. In order to find one that doesn't add any lag, doesn't blow out highlights, doesn't crush blacks, doesn't blur the image... you'll need to buy a huge number of different units and throw most of them away just to find a good one.

Better to just buy an RT2X and good PS2 component cables. It'll cost a lot more, though.

[SAM]

So...

OSSC >> Retrotink X2 >>>> cheap transcoder

Correct ?

I will go get a OSSC if that is the case.

For OSSC, you mean this one?
https://videogameperfection.com/product ... converter/

[fernan1234]

The Retrotink2X Pro and SCART recently got a 480i alternating scanline mode that apparently looks nice and should pair well with the PS2 (the library being mostly 480i). I'd like to see a comparison between this mode on the RT2X and the OSSC with bob-deinterlace and 100% dark scanlines (which also looks moderately close to 480i on some CRTs).

The Framemeister is supposed to be the best for deinterlacing 480i on the PS2. It may not be an "authentic" look, but it may be the best option for those who prefer a progressive picture.

[mikechi2]

The Retrotink2X Pro and SCART recently got a 480i alternating scanline mode that apparently looks nice and should pair well with the PS2 (the library being mostly 480i). I'd like to see a comparison between this mode on the RT2X and the OSSC with bob-deinterlace and 100% dark scanlines (which also looks moderately close to 480i on some CRTs).

The Framemeister is supposed to be the best for deinterlacing 480i on the PS2. It may not be an "authentic" look, but it may be the best option for those who prefer a progressive picture.

OSSC actually has the same feature, I just found out and tried. So I can't take any credit

[headlesshobbs]

OSSC has bob-interlace, so how you deal with that is your preference. Other folks prefer the framemeister.

If you use pass-thru mode, some panels can interlace better and not induce any lag that affects gameplay. Pairing an OSSC with my LG LN5200 makes 480i look like legit 480p (see Tekken Tag) and doesn't add any artifacts to the mix. Not all will do this well, but you can also change your input label to game or "PC" mode to turn off the processing. Furthermore, you should see if any of your systems have support for 480i out on hdmi, cause that will be a good test indicator before you commit to spending on something you're not certain with.

Edit:

I just want to make this clear that the OSSC does not do any true deinterlacing. It simply runs the board with progressive output, but the interlacing is 1 field line at a time, so you're going to get that classic scrolling effect you naturally see on older crts. The Framemeister deinterlaces and on Hazard City Fudoh has ranked it 1st in it's field. However my setup seems to be pure enough that I wonder if it competes with that.

[fernan1234]

OSSC actually has the same feature, I just found out and tried. So I can't take any credit

Any implementation in different hardware deserves credit! I really think more people ought to check out the beneficial effect of alternating blank/black lines on content that was originally interlaced. It can produce a sense of greater sharpness than even the most sophisticated de-interlacing, close to how interlaced content looks very sharp and vivid on a CRT.

[Fudoh]

OSSC actually has the same feature, I just found out and tried. So I can't take any credit

Just to be clear on the history: the concept of alternating scanlines for 480i sources doubled to 480p was introduced by Micomsoft on the old XRGB units. And Sony has been and is using the idea on their flat panel PVM und BVMs to simulate interlaced content.

[mikechi2]

OSSC actually has the same feature, I just found out and tried. So I can't take any credit

Any implementation in different hardware deserves credit! I really think more people ought to check out the beneficial effect of alternating blank/black lines on content that was originally interlaced. It can produce a sense of greater sharpness than even the most sophisticated de-interlacing, close to how interlaced content looks very sharp and vivid on a CRT.

Thanks man!!

OSSC actually has the same feature, I just found out and tried. So I can't take any credit

Just to be clear on the history: the concept of alternating scanlines for 480i sources doubled to 480p was introduced by Micomsoft on the old XRGB units. And Sony has been and is using the idea on their flat panel PVM und BVMs to simulate interlaced content.

Surprised that this isn't more commonly used. At least to me, this is the least objectionable way to view "true" 480i sources (as in can't be inverse telecined).

[Guspaz]

It's a 30Hz flicker, though, which is... not great. Bob deinterlacing still technically has a 30Hz flicker, but at least it's not flickering half the image to black at 30Hz...

[djc5166]

So alternating scanlines will still have a flicker similar to Bob deinterlacing (or less so?)? I take it this will probably also burn IPS screens like Bob deinterlacing flicker tends to do?

[fernan1234]

So alternating scanlines will still have a flicker similar to Bob deinterlacing (or less so?)? I take it this will probably also burn IPS screens like Bob deinterlacing flicker tends to do?

The burn in from bob deinterlace in some IPS panels was overly exaggerated, but is ingrained in the OSSC JunkerHQ wiki and in the minds of many users. But IPS panels are actually just prone to temporary retention due to fast pixel changes or flicker. It goes away after a short time.

And I'd say the flicker is less noticeable when half of the lines are blanked out (which would also be blank in the original 480i). Mike is right, this is the best (or least bad, depending on how you look at it) way to present originally interlaced content on flat panels. It actually also applies to 1080i content, which looks amazing in the Sony OLED PVM/BVMs that Fudoh mentioned.

[Fudoh]

Mike is right, this is the best (or least bad, depending on how you look at it) way to present originally interlaced content on flat panels.

I think it depends very much on the actual content. In terms of games for example: rapidly moving action vs. any other type of gameplay. I adore PROPER video deinterlacing. It's nothing that's to be found easily, but if there's one thing that's always able to really amaze me, that's well implemented deinterlacing.

Field based scanlines are an alternative to simple BOB deinterlacing and a way to see interlaced content as close as possible as it was originally intended (hence the use of that technique on the BVMs), but I would never give up proper deinterlacing for it.

[fernan1234]

Field based scanlines

Good to learn the proper term for it. Yes, video content vs. gaming content can make a difference in what would be preferable between this and good deinterlacing. I don't have as much experience with deinterlacing, but I've been so thoroughly impressed with this field based scanlines technique for both 480i and 1080i in video as well as games that it feels like the ultimate solution to my eyes.

For 1080i I don't think motion is a problem since the the lines are much finer with the higher resolution compared to 480i. With 480i I think it depends also on how much the picture has been blown up or upscaled. When seeing 480i on an OLED BVM with this technique + native scan, the picture is small and as a result the interlace flicker and accompanying motion artifacts is in fact less noticeable than on a CRT BVM I have next to it.

[djc5166]

So alternating scanlines will still have a flicker similar to Bob deinterlacing (or less so?)? I take it this will probably also burn IPS screens like Bob deinterlacing flicker tends to do?

The burn in from bob deinterlace in some IPS panels was overly exaggerated, but is ingrained in the OSSC JunkerHQ wiki and in the minds of many users. But IPS panels are actually just prone to temporary retention due to fast pixel changes or flicker. It goes away after a short time.

And I'd say the flicker is less noticeable when half of the lines are blanked out (which would also be blank in the original 480i). Mike is right, this is the best (or least bad, depending on how you look at it) way to present originally interlaced content on flat panels. It actually also applies to 1080i content, which looks amazing in the Sony OLED PVM/BVMs that Fudoh mentioned.

I will have to try it out, I always saw settings for alternating scanlines and wondered what it did or why people would use it. Guess I will try it on my OLED first.

[SAM]

My OSSC unit arrived, I tested it on my PS2 with Gradius V.

It seems to me that RGB cable give a sharper image then connecting with Component cable. Am I correct?

The only draw back with RGB cable is that you cannot enter 480p mode while using it. Or can I?

[Fudoh]

The only draw back with RGB cable is that you cannot enter 480p mode while using it. Or can I?

you can. The PS2 will switch from RGBs to RGsB if doing so, but the OSSC is fine with that.

[nmalinoski]

It seems to me that RGB cable give a sharper image then connecting with Component cable. Am I correct?

I think it depends on your cable; if you've got a good, shielded SCART cable, that will likely look better than a cheap/crappy component cable, but, if you've got comparable cables, there shouldn't be a noticeable difference. You can directly compare the color spaces by using your SCART cable and switching between RGB/YPbPr on the PS2 and AV1-RGBS/AV1-YPbPr on the OSSC.

[Guspaz]

There was a longstanding belief that the PS2's component video output was lower quality than its RGB video output, so there was for a long time much interest in people using RGB from it instead, and then putting up with the way that it changes sync type for different resolutions. This turned out to just be that everybody who saw such a difference was using low quality component cables, and that the vast majority of PS2 component cables on the market were low quality. IIRC even the official cables from Sony aren't ideal.

Really the only reason to use RGB at this point is for compatibility. If you're using an OSSC, that's not really an issue. Component cables for the PS2 have the advantage of working with all resolutions without requiring any configuration change, while for RGB you'll need to manually change the sync type on the OSSC between RGBS and RGsB each time. It's not a major issue, of course, and it may not be worth spending extra money to avoid if you've already got the RGB cables.

Because I'm super biased (I sell them), I recommend the HD Retrovision PS2/PS3 cables. They're quite high quality and use shielded coax.

[Fudoh]

There was a longstanding belief that the PS2's component video output was lower quality than its RGB video output

With offcial cables (both RGB and component) you tend to see a little bit more of noise in the component signal. RGB cables have caps which can act as a low-pass filter on DC noise. In essence I would say the output signal is the same, but the way RGB cables are built, they help a little with the noise already present at the source.

This said, on the OSSC with it's built in LPF, neither is a problem and to say that component looks VISIBLY worse than RGB hints at extremely crappy cables

[nmalinoski]

...while for RGB you'll need to manually change the sync type on the OSSC between RGBS and RGsB each time.

You can avoid manual switching by setting Settings opt. > Autodetect input to "Current input" or "All inputs". When the OSSC loses sync, it will start checking other formats/inputs; so, if you scope it to Current Input, and you're using a SCART cable on AV1, when the console switches between 15kHz RGBS and 31kHz+ RGsB, the OSSC will just switch back and forth between RGBS and RGsB until it gets sync on one of them.

[djc5166]

The only draw back with RGB cable is that you cannot enter 480p mode while using it. Or can I?

you can. The PS2 will switch from RGBs to RGsB if doing so, but the OSSC is fine with that.

http://dansprojects.com/ps2sync.html

You can also do this, if for some reason RGsB isn't supported on your setup.

[Guspaz]

...while for RGB you'll need to manually change the sync type on the OSSC between RGBS and RGsB each time.

You can avoid manual switching by setting Settings opt. > Autodetect input to "Current input" or "All inputs". When the OSSC loses sync, it will start checking other formats/inputs; so, if you scope it to Current Input, and you're using a SCART cable on AV1, when the console switches between 15kHz RGBS and 31kHz+ RGsB, the OSSC will just switch back and forth between RGBS and RGsB until it gets sync on one of them.

When I tested that feature on my OSSC, it didn't work, so I'm not sure it can be counted on.

[RocketBelt]

Has anybody else noticed that the PS2 component output at 480i is really dark? Switch to 480p and you get normal brightness. With RGB the brightness is the same 480i or 480p. I tested this on a couple of different display devices.
This is one of the reasons I prefer to use RGB.