XRGB series Question (PS2/480i)

[FamiDriveDuo]

I'm dying to play my PS2 & OG Xbox again, but I have no easy way to obtain a CRT of any kind, and the best I have is a low-lag LG 24gm77 gaming monitor, and I was wondering how well any of the XRGB boxes would fare? This is mostly for 480i sources like PS2. Is it worth picking up the 3 or any of the older units? I specifically ask about the pre-Framemeister because I was curious about the VGA out possibly being lower lag since my monitor has VGA.

[AndehX]

You can't get a CRT from a local charity or second hand shop?

[FamiDriveDuo]

You can't get a CRT from a local charity or second hand shop?

I don't have a car and I don't really have any friends who can help me pick one up. I'm likely gonna stick with the XRGB route until I can actually get my hands on a CRT.

[Xyga]

On a monitor today VGA or HDMI won't make a difference in regards to lag.
The scaler and type of deinterlacing you expect on the other hand, will.

The XRGB-3 can do both types of deinterlacing;
- using only one field of the 480i signal (lagless but will look like linedoubled 240p)
- or both fields (about 2 frames of lag, but you get complete upscaling of both fields, output from 480p to the usual PC and HDTV resolutions)
The results are up to personal preference and settings.

The Mini will easily give you the very best picture upscaling quality, but at the price of undefeatable 1,5 frames of lag.
Unless you're a diehard player of only the most timing-critical games the PS2 and X1 libraries have to offer, I would say such a delay is very acceptable.

Otherwise there's a cheaper and possibly better solution coming, but you'll have to pre-order and get in line to get one: http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.ph ... &start=270

[SGGG2]

The 480i emulation on the XRGB3 is fantastic. Perfect for fast action games. It has a totally different look and feel than 480i deinterlacing/scaling. One frame of lag, IIRC.

I tried several different scalers, displays, and even emulating at HD resolutions on a high-end PC and I found the XRGB preferable in most instances.

[austin532]

The 480i emulation on the XRGB3 is fantastic. Perfect for fast action games. It has a totally different look and feel than 480i deinterlacing/scaling. One frame of lag, IIRC.

I tried several different scalers, displays, and even emulating at HD resolutions on a high-end PC and I found the XRGB preferable in most instances.

Would you say the XRGB3 is better for 480i/p games compared to the mini and would you say it's worth getting even if you already own a mini? I play a lot of 480i/p games and need a better solution.

[kamiboy]

Try finding some small time local movers in your local listings, contact them and ask how much they want for picking up a CRT and delivering it to your place. Pennies to peanuts that the total cost of a used CRT plus the fee for the movers is going to be smaller than what you would need to fork over for a compromise like the XRGB.

[BuckoA51]

Would you say the XRGB3 is better for 480i/p games compared to the mini and would you say it's worth getting even if you already own a mini? I play a lot of 480i/p games and need a better solution.

For interlace it depends what you're prioritising, if it's picture quality then from a purely video game standpoint I don't think the Mini can be beaten, it's 480i deinterlacing handles video game material really well (in my opinion anyway). If it's input lag then the XRGB3 is basically lagless, but you will have to put up with a shimmering picture.

Remember the XRGB3 can be kinda picky about what displays it works with too (or perhaps, displays have got more picky). Monitors are usually more tolerant than TVs though. Marqs new linedoubler should be a perfect replacement for the XRGB 2/3 (in B1 mode) in all but a tiny number of edge cases.