Questions that do not deserve a thread

[BazookaBen]

Some games only output 240p, while others only output 480i. For games that support both, the default resolution is 480i.

Nope, none of this is accurate. Any game that supports 240p also supports 480i, but not vice-versa. Some Turbografx games will only play in 480i, and can't be set to 240p, though I only think it's a handful. And as I said, my Wii defaulted to 240p on 8 and 16-bit games, though it seems later Wii models changed to default 480i for those games.

[tacoguy64]

I want to play MM9 and MM10 in 240p using Wii mode on my Wii U, is that possible? I am using the Wii's component cables for this.

[kamiboy]

No, those games never ran in 240p in the first place.

[Blair]

I want to play MM9 and MM10 in 240p using Wii mode on my Wii U, is that possible? I am using the Wii's component cables for this.

you can force them to run in 480p with wii flow, that way you don't get the 480i processing lag.

however the Wii U cannot output 240p, the original Wii can but MM9 and MM10 can only be output at 480i or 480p (720p and 1080p on other systems)

if you want to play them in 240p/with scanlines you'll need a few other pieces of hardware. (you'll essentially have to convert 480p to 240p)

I'm looking for a cheap line doubler with zero lag (or near to zero) like the Extron Andora (mentioned by Fudoh in his page), but this is impossible to find. There is an Extron 4LDxi in ebay but I can't find any info about its lag. does someone know something about this line doubler?

Extron 4LDxi actually sounds like a pretty cool device (it even has a timebase corrector!), the only thing that makes me question its use for 240p video games is the Motion mode compensation feature. according to its brochure (Motion mode compensation– The System 4LDxi line doubler has motion mode compensation to eliminate the "jaggies” which are commonly associated with enhanced video such as line doubling.)

if it doesn't properly recognize 240p, it might treat everything like 480i and apply some type of smoothing filter to the edges of graphics, which might give it more of an emulator filter look than the usual sharp pixel look from other processors/line doublers. however you might actually enjoy the way that looks. my VP50("not" the Pro version) has a graphical filtering effect on 240p content when using its "game mode 1" feature, I actually enjoy the way this looks (especially for 3-D polygon based games).

another downside is that you might get "combing" artifacts similar to the way the Extron Andora processes 240p (this can be remedied with an SLG). if you can find the 4LDxi for a good price it might be worth testing out (if you do end up getting it, please come back and tell us about it)

as far as alternatives and cheap line doublers are concerned there's really nothing all that "cheap" available, you can find some of the original XRGB 1 and 2 models for decent prices on various auction sites (mostly Yahoo Japan), other than that I would say get on the list for the OSSC and save up some money.

I finally got around to testing the 480p output on my Wii for VC games and as expected the TV shows that they are 480p. I tried switching my Wii to 480i mode and running the VC games for comparison, but it says invalid format once the game starts.

Any idea why this is the case?

from what I understand it works like this...

Wii 480i mode - VC games play in 240p, Wii games play in 480i

Wii 480p mode - VC games play in 480p, Wii games play in 480p

however, there are exceptions to this. for instance, when the Wii is in 480i mode the virtual console (Sega) title "Comix Zone" runs in 480i instead of 240p and must be forced into 240p with the "menu trick" (there are a few other games that also have this problem, but that's the only one I own with this issue)

Nintendo 64 VC titles only seem to render in 480i or 480p (at least that's how it works with Mario 64).

overall it's best to set the Wii to 480p if you are running it on an LCD (as most LCDs don't do a very good job of processing 480i/240p)

I would also say RetroArch Wii is superior to the virtual console as it offers you a much wider variety of games/systems (with better/more accurate emulation and enhancement features) and gives you the ability to output them in whatever resolution you want with the component cable (interlaced or progressive and its 480p mode has a scanline option which is great, especially for people gaming on LCDs and PC CRTs) (I would still probably use the virtual console for N64 games in 480p though).

[Ikaruga11]

Nope, none of this is accurate. Any game that supports 240p also supports 480i, but not vice-versa. Some Turbografx games will only play in 480i, and can't be set to 240p, though I only think it's a handful.

It is accurate.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... edit#gid=0

According to this list, Kirby's Adventure, The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link only run in 240p.

And as I said, my Wii defaulted to 240p on 8 and 16-bit games

It defaults once you enter the code.

though it seems later Wii models changed to default 480i for those games.

Not true. It's determined on a case-by-case basis for each Virtual Console game on the Wii.

I want to play MM9 and MM10 in 240p using Wii mode on my Wii U, is that possible? I am using the Wii's component cables for this.

MegaMan 9 and MegaMan 10 for WiiWare do not output in 240p. Even if they did, you still wouldn't be able to use it since the Wii U (and Wii Mode by extension) do not support 240p.

Wii 480i mode - VC games play in 240p, Wii games play in 480i

Wii 480p mode - VC games play in 480p, Wii games play in 480p

So are the non-N64 VC games line-doubled, de-interlaced or rendered naturally at 480p?

I would also say RetroArch Wii is superior to the virtual console as it offers you a much wider variety of games/systems (with better/more accurate emulation and enhancement features) and gives you the ability to output them in whatever resolution you want with the component cable (interlaced or progressive and its 480p mode has a scanline option which is great, especially for people gaming on LCDs and PC CRTs) (I would still probably use the virtual console for N64 games in 480p though).

Genesis and SNES games on the Wii Virtual Console are emulated extremely well, the former being developed by M2.

[bobrocks95]

I don't think there's an emulator in existence that renders 2D games at a higher resolution than their native. It's all upscaling for 2D stuff.

[atheistgod1999]

I don't think there's an emulator in existence that renders 2D games at a higher resolution than their native. It's all upscaling for 2D stuff.

It's literally impossible to render a sprite-based game at a different resolution, unless the view is zoomed in or out.

[BazookaBen]

It is accurate...

Dude, I never had to do the 240p code for 8 and 16-bit VC games, that was what they did by default. I guarantee you will see other people on this forum that had the same experience. It seems to be the earlier Wii's that default to 240p for those titles. Nintendo added the ability to switch to 480i for certain flat panels that couldn't display 240p.

And that list you provided is the farthest thing from official, it is just a database that can receive contributions from anybody.

[Einzelherz]

Actually that list is mine. It's ridiculously incomplete. I can go back and check on those 'only' that I added since I can't really remember what it meant specifically.

[BazookaBen]

Actually that list is mine. It's ridiculously incomplete. I can go back and check on those 'only' that I added since I can't really remember what it meant specifically.

Yeah, I find it hard to imagine there are NES games that won't launch in 480i.

[Einzelherz]

Yeah it appears that the wads I have for those games won't change to 480i. I've only checked this on a CRT. I can try to verify on my plasma tomorrow because it acts funny with a 240p signal.

This might support the idea that I always assumed was true - there's more than one version of VC titles.

[RottenToTheGore]

For large/heavy crt owners, what do you use for a stand? I've got 2 PVMs that will crush my Ikea Kallax I'm sure.

[Einzelherz]

The cheapest bet is to find a free actual tube tv stand from 10 years ago. If you would rather be fashionable, make sure to have a vertical board or two under the set to support the weight. Particle board is crap under tension but it's ok under compression.

[atheistgod1999]

I took a picture of my LCD monitor at 144Hz on Blur Busters UFO test with a shutter speed of 1/400.


Is this a good response time?
Wish I had access to a high-speed camera...

[Einzelherz]

I don't think static photos are the point of their testing.

[accaris]

For large/heavy crt owners, what do you use for a stand? I've got 2 PVMs that will crush my Ikea Kallax I'm sure.

Built one out of real wood.

[Akuji]

I have no idea how pricing goes for PVMs, but there's a guy on craigslist selling a PVM-1954Q for 300 bucks and a PVM-14M4U for 250. Are these fair prices? Sorry if this isn't right place to ask, I've only been lurking for a few months here.

[Lord of Pirates]

Are there any good coax./optical to stereo converters or should I just get something from Monoprice and call it a day?

[FinalBaton]

Are there any good coax./optical to stereo converters or should I just get something from Monoprice and call it a day?

There are a ton of good external audio DAC out there : it's a big market.

the monoprice one will be fine

but if you're aiming for audiophile level sound quality then the monoprice one won't cut it. you would need to get a good external DAC. (luckily there are some relatively cheap options that fit the bill now)


Depends of what you want really.

[Einzelherz]

I have no idea how pricing goes for PVMs, but there's a guy on craigslist selling a PVM-1954Q for 300 bucks and a PVM-14M4U for 250. Are these fair prices? Sorry if this isn't right place to ask, I've only been lurking for a few months here.

Those are on the high side, especially considering their age.

[Guspaz]

Are there any good coax./optical to stereo converters or should I just get something from Monoprice and call it a day?

There are a ton of good external audio DAC out there : it's a big market.

the monoprice one will be fine

but if you're aiming for audiophile level sound quality then the monoprice one won't cut it. you would need to get a good external DAC. (luckily there are some relatively cheap options that fit the bill now)


Depends of what you want really.

Monoprice's S/PDIF DAC also costs $18, so it's not bad for the price.

The use case would be relevant, though, as there may be better approaches depending on what problem is being solved.

[FinalBaton]

Monoprice's S/PDIF DAC also costs $18, so it's not bad for the price.

The use case would be relevant, though, as there may be better approaches depending on what problem is being solved.

agreed on both accounts

[Lord of Pirates]

Are there any good coax./optical to stereo converters or should I just get something from Monoprice and call it a day?

There are a ton of good external audio DAC out there : it's a big market.

the monoprice one will be fine

but if you're aiming for audiophile level sound quality then the monoprice one won't cut it. you would need to get a good external DAC. (luckily there are some relatively cheap options that fit the bill now)


Depends of what you want really.

Monoprice's S/PDIF DAC also costs $18, so it's not bad for the price.

The use case would be relevant, though, as there may be better approaches depending on what problem is being solved.

It'd be for a VP20->KV-34XBR800, which only has analog unbalanced stereo inputs. I'm not sure if I want to buy anything over not running audio through the VP20 but, I figured I'd look into options anyway.

[Akuji]

I have no idea how pricing goes for PVMs, but there's a guy on craigslist selling a PVM-1954Q for 300 bucks and a PVM-14M4U for 250. Are these fair prices? Sorry if this isn't right place to ask, I've only been lurking for a few months here.

Those are on the high side, especially considering their age.

Then I guess I'll keep waiting for a good deal. Any other places I should check besides Craigslist? Sorry if this is a frequent question, it sure seems like it would be

[FinalBaton]

It'd be for a VP20->KV-34XBR800, which only has analog unbalanced stereo inputs. I'm not sure if I want to buy anything over not running audio through the VP20 but, I figured I'd look into options anyway.

Since your sending the analog audio to a TV, then the Monoprice one is perfectly fine. Go with that.

A quality external DAC, like I alluded to, is only worth it when the analog audio is sent into a quality hifi system.

[Einzelherz]

I have no idea how pricing goes for PVMs, but there's a guy on craigslist selling a PVM-1954Q for 300 bucks and a PVM-14M4U for 250. Are these fair prices? Sorry if this isn't right place to ask, I've only been lurking for a few months here.

Those are on the high side, especially considering their age.

Then I guess I'll keep waiting for a good deal. Any other places I should check besides Craigslist? Sorry if this is a frequent question, it sure seems like it would be

I've picked up two monitors from eBay with patience. I'm not saying you can replicate it, but it isn't impossible.

The 14M4 is a good screen, if you're find with its size. I'd offer 150 if you really need a monitor.

[Lord of Pirates]

It'd be for a VP20->KV-34XBR800, which only has analog unbalanced stereo inputs. I'm not sure if I want to buy anything over not running audio through the VP20 but, I figured I'd look into options anyway.

Since your sending the analog audio to a TV, then the Monoprice one is perfectly fine. Go with that.

A quality external DAC, like I alluded to, is only worth it when the analog audio is sent into a quality hifi system.

Thanks.

[Akuji]

Then I guess I'll keep waiting for a good deal. Any other places I should check besides Craigslist? Sorry if this is a frequent question, it sure seems like it would be

I've picked up two monitors from eBay with patience. I'm not saying you can replicate it, but it isn't impossible.

The 14M4 is a good screen, if you're find with its size. I'd offer 150 if you really need a monitor.

I'm in no rush, but I don't want to wait until they get crazy pricy! Plus I don't have enough cash as of right now. What price should I shoot for a 19 inch one?

[BazookaBen]

I'm in no rush, but I don't want to wait until they get crazy pricy! Plus I don't have enough cash as of right now. What price should I shoot for a 19 inch one?

I got my first 20" PVM for $50, the next two for $35 each. But I found a medical equipment reseller within 50 miles of my house that had dozens of them from hospitals around the state.

[accaris]

My SLG Mini is a little wobby on my iScan due to the heavy cable I'm using. Would it be okay to prop it on a block of wood or plastic or something, or should I keep the solder points on the bottom of the board free from contact?