A Few Questions Concerning RGB, Displays, and Video Capture

[SilverWolf9000]

Hi there!

Being relatively new, I signed up to the forum because I have a case that is (as far as I have been able to see) specific to me. Allow me to explain.

I have a small channel on Youtube (nothing to be impressed with) and I have figured that if I am going to start recording older titles such as SNES and Genesis games, I am going to need a proper setup that is able to provide the highest quality video I can possibly afford. That being said, I have immediately ruled out the possibility of using the XRGB-mini Framemeister as it has a significant delay when transitioning from a 240p signal to a 480i signal and vice versa (as in... what is it, a good few seconds?). Now, of course this does not affect most games because most games do not have this signal switch. However, a few of my favorite games, one being Castlevania Symphony of the Night, do have this transition. Now, this would be all fine and dandy if I was just playing these games in my leisure time; I plan on recording gameplay, and such a delay would have a negative impact on the quality of the content I upload.

Now, I need to decide on the setup I am going to purchase in order to display the games on a CRT monitor (whether that is an RGB monitor or an old PC monitor) and how I am going to split the signal so it goes to both the display and my capture card.

I am thinking on purchasing the Startech PEXHDCAP, but this is a tentative selection. Advice on this is welcome!

Recording software-wise, I am still up in the air with OBS vs AmaRecTV. I have used OBS for everything up to this point and it has not let me down yet. If you have any input on the matter, I would greatly appreciate it.

Truthfully, the only issue I have right now is that I am unsure of what type of display I should use. I have looked into some Sony PVMs, BVMs, and other monitors like them but they just seem too expensive to justify the purchase. I have seen mentioning of using old PC CRT displays, but this would require converting the signal to a 31kHz signal from a 15kHz signal. I will already have to do this for recording (in which I will have a Sync Strike in line in order to be able to capture these devices with the VGA to DVI converter that comes with the PEXHDCAP and RCA audio). Some people seem to use the XRGB-3 in order to linedouble and then output the video to a 31kHz display, but once again, I am trying to avoid using any kind of upscaler, linedoubler, or converter/transcoder unless it is going directly to the capture card, which generally renders it far too slow to enjoyably play anything (besides, these are LCDs, one being an IPS monitor that has a good bit of lag and a television that has a ridiculous amount of lag; not pretty). Are there any RGB displays that you would recommend that are not too expensive and should not be too difficult to find? I checked my local Craigslist and it had monitors much too small for me to enjoy the games (8 inch displays? Seriously?). Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

A quick question on the Sync Strike, it does output stereo RCA audio, correct? Just double checking to make sure.

Also, I seem to be having trouble finding a decent SCART switcher (I only need it for 5 consoles, those being the Genesis, NES, SNES, N64, and PS1). I have heard good things about a few SCART switches, namely the Bandridge and Shinybow ones, but these seem near impossible to find anywhere. Help with this would be greatly appreciated as I would like to keep the SCART cables in perfect condition by not removing them constantly. A splitter cable may be necessary in order to also send the signal to the Sync Strike and PEXHDCAP, but that is secondary to this issue.

One last thing; I have heard good and bad things about RetroGamingCables.co.uk. Should I avoid them completely and stick with Retro Console Accessories on eBay? This might be problematic considering Retro Console's sync on luma cable for the N64 (mine does not sync with raw sync) that has a sync splitter in the cable is ridiculously expensive. Your advice is very helpful.

Overall, I need to figure out where I am going to buy my SCART cables, which SCART switcher I am going buy and where from, and what kind of display I am going to use.

This means I have a budget of ABOUT $500, maybe $600. This is definitely a lot of money, but this equipment adds up FAST. Keep in mind also that I will be making my purchase later in the year (Probably around Christmas time as that will give me the most time to gather the funds and also I will be free from any major school work or otherwise. Don't want to spend money I cannot afford to spend, so waiting will allow me to play it safe). I do not currently own an NES, so this will not be included in any budgeting yet.

With a budget of (let's take the median of the two) $550, I need to allocate funds for the following:

N64 RGB Mod (only system that needs modding) - RetroRGB's is only $25
SCART w/ CSYNC for SNES
SCART w/ CSYNC for Genesis 2
SCART w/ Luma/CSYNC for PS1 (do not know which one this console requires)
SCART w/ Luma Sync and Sync Stripper for N64
PEXHDCAP or Other Capture Card
Sync Strike if Necessary
RGB Display
SCART Switcher
SCART to Whatever Input the Display May Need (Many seem to require BNC...)

Thank you in advance, and I hope to see a response soon. Thank you!

[BuckoA51]

I'm sure last time I tried, 240p to 480i transitions caused issues on the PEXHDCAP and in fact caused recording to stop or at least drop frames. Amarec requires you to tell it what the input signal is anyway (auto detect mode really doesn't work in my experience) To be honest I don't think you will find a capture solution that can handle transitions perfectly, but I'll let other more knowledgeable people chime in.

[blizzz]

I also never managed to find a perfect solution for 240p/480i transitions with the PEXHDCAP. Honestly you might even have a look at the IO Data GV-USB2 if you don't want upscalers. It can only do S-Video, but the quality is still above a Dazzle. If you record all games as 480i you can deinterlace them correctly in post processing. But that would require you to manually cut the video at resolution changes and deinterlace accordingly.

[SilverWolf9000]

Hm..

I will look into what you both have said and will wait to see what others have to say.


EDIT: Perhaps I should have specified what I meant by an upscaler... I do not want anything along the lines of a Framemeister that upscales the image to anything like 1080p or such. I simply need something that allows me to record at 480p which I now realize is done via line doubling if I am not mistaken, so I suppose thats my own fault for any confusion. I figured that it was impossible to get perfect transitions. Would the PEXHDCAP be manageable in terms of handling these signal transitions? I am not afraid to tinker around with anything I need to if it is not that much of a hassle. If that is the case, then the PEXHDCAP should work for me. So I suppose a line doubler is in order so that 480p signals can be recorded, but I would still like to use some sort of CRT if at all possible just to minimize any lag on my end of the game. Any suggestions for the route I should take?