OSSC (DIY video digitizer & scandoubler)

[Simon Belmont]

Maybe keep both and add a DVDO to your setup.

What would a DVDO do for me?

[Guspaz]

Certain DVDO scalers (the VP50 and Edge are the two that are commonly paired with the OSSC) will accept all the off-spec timings that the OSSC outputs and essentially normalize them so that they seem like normal timings to the display device. Basically, it would take your sort-of-720p-but-not-really signal and output it as an actual on-spec 720p signal.

They do this at the expense of some additional lag (well, and actual many-dollars expense), but not very much of it. IIRC the best case is 6ms to 8ms of extra lag, but the cheaper one (the DVDO Edge) has a bug where inputs that get too far off-spec will cause large amounts of extra lag. The VP50 doesn't have that issue, but has worse image quality when scaling a 480p signal (more ringing artifacts). I'm taken to understand that both look similar (no ringing) with 720p input. You'd want to do more research about it to figure out all the positives and negatives, but both DVDO scalers are very expensive, so I'm not sure that it's a practical solution for most people.

[BuckoA51]

I don't know about the VP50 but I think the 50 pro and the Edge have exactly the same scaling engine don't they?

One thing to note, if the incompatibility is due to the off spec refresh (like with the Blackmagic cards) the only way the DVDOs would work in tandem is with unlocked frame rate, which would cause stutter.

[Xyga]

A reminder that compared to the other DVDOs the 50 Pro is able to lock a wider range of off-60Hz refreshes. Although I haven't had the opportunity to test its limits (I don't have stuff like Seibu boards for instance), I can tell where the VP30, EDGE (non-green), or my flat panel displays by themselves happen to fail, the Pro is okay.

Of course it's still kind of expensive...and it can't handle linetripled PAL if that matters.

[Harrumph]

As for the aspect ratio, the projector menu allows you to choose between the following (I haven't changed the setting from Auto, and it looks good after trimming the edges of the Megadrive image overscan using the OSSC). If anyone has any tips on what I should select, I'm all ears (although I assume it's different for different consoles?).

I would use use "Real" for sure, should give you pixel perfect image as there is no scaling. If you want it bigger, I'd guess "Anamorphic" is fine too, because in line-triple it outputs a wide-screen image, iirc. Note that with line-double 4:3 ratio should be used, however.

[Simon Belmont]

I can't believe this. I tried my cheap scaler which also has a HDMI in as well as scart. The OSSC works like a dream now. Wow the picture looks great in line double. in 720p or 1080p. X3 is very sharp, but looks more pixelated where 2x is very smooth. I'm happy with my OSSC now. Hardly any lag as well if any? I'm shocked.

Who would have thought a cheap scaler would work so well.

[CobraKing]

Hi all, marqs released 0.74 firmware publicly yesterday.

0.73 and prior were quite finicky with microSD cards, so I actually purchased one of the 'recommended' 2GB microSD cards as I've had my OSSC for a few months now.

With the 0.74 firmware have any of you had success updating the firmware with newer and larger capacity microSD cards?

[Thomago]

Jepp! Tested it with the 32 GB Sony microSD card I usually use in my smartphone - worked perfectly!

[Guspaz]

I don't know about the VP50 but I think the 50 pro and the Edge have exactly the same scaling engine don't they?

One thing to note, if the incompatibility is due to the off spec refresh (like with the Blackmagic cards) the only way the DVDOs would work in tandem is with unlocked frame rate, which would cause stutter.

I can't remember if it was the regular or the pro, but the MLiG review of the OSSC showed comparisons of the VP50 and Edge (side by side enlarged) and the VP50 had a noticeably worse image in 480p.

It might not help with refresh, but it seems that often the incompatibility is due to strange timing. Like, my projector doesn't support line triple at 60Hz, and yet it supports 720p at 60Hz just fine.

It's true that running any scaler without hard sync to get to 60Hz would lead to either tearing or juddering, but the alternative is no image at all. It's also possible that a display might be more willing to sync to a non-standard refresh rate if it was fed otherwise standard timing (example: GBI ULL is both an abnormally low refresh rate *and* has a different number of scanlines than normal).

[bobrocks95]

As Promised, I returned with more photos.

I would have tried more games, but when they look as good as they do on this setup, it's hard not to just keep playing!

Whoa, that looks offensively good. Do you know the lag on your BenQ projector? Also, what would one have to do for aspect ratio correction, use another processor, or is anything built into that projector?

Thanks! It does look great, and I haven't even "properly" setup the projector yet. It's projecting onto a wall, without a projection screen currently. I need to fix the projector position so I can dial the focus in correctly and run all the calibration disks and such. I would also say that if I took "proper" pictures (not handheld with an iPhone) it would capture even better how good it looks with line tripling and scan lines (I'm not a fan of how it looks without them).

I'm not sure about lag. People seem to obsess about it on forums and such, however I think my reaction times are a way bigger problem in my gaming than lag would ever be. If someone tells me how to test it, and I don't need to buy anything to do it, then I'll do the testing and post the results. I had a problem with audio lag, but this was because I had connected the output of the OSSC to a SONOS Play 5 speaker, and after reading online, I discovered that the line-in on that speaker is in no way useful as an AV speaker (for music, it's amazing for getting my turntable into the multi-room SONOS). The input lag on that speaker is ridiculous (several seconds at least). I hooked up some creative PC speakers and it works well.

As for the aspect ratio, the projector menu allows you to choose between the following (I haven't changed the setting from Auto, and it looks good after trimming the edges of the Megadrive image overscan using the OSSC). If anyone has any tips on what I should select, I'm all ears (although I assume it's different for different consoles?).

*pic*

Perhaps I will experiment, however I'm pretty easily pleased compared to some on here, it's smooth and looks pretty. It scratches my nostalgic itch, and after figuring out that you could save the selected settings, I'm 100% pleased with it. I wasn't able to connect any of my old consoles before getting the OSSC so it's a perfect device for me. As I understand it, projectors are probably more likely to support the OSSC outputs because the internals will be closer to a PC monitor than a TV (pure conjecture).

Thanks for the response! Beyond the aspect ratio options, can you modify the width or height of the picture manually? I don't think the OSSC allows that level of fine-tuning, but I could be wrong.

As for the aspect ratio, the projector menu allows you to choose between the following (I haven't changed the setting from Auto, and it looks good after trimming the edges of the Megadrive image overscan using the OSSC). If anyone has any tips on what I should select, I'm all ears (although I assume it's different for different consoles?).

I would use use "Real" for sure, should give you pixel perfect image as there is no scaling. If you want it bigger, I'd guess "Anamorphic" is fine too, because in line-triple it outputs a wide-screen image, iirc. Note that with line-double 4:3 ratio should be used, however.

Real would indeed look nice for Gnomenthusiast's setup, but these days I'm more concerned about a correct aspect ratio than razor-sharp pixels. One of the other options is likely to be closer to the proper aspect ratio.

[Harrumph]

As for the aspect ratio, the projector menu allows you to choose between the following (I haven't changed the setting from Auto, and it looks good after trimming the edges of the Megadrive image overscan using the OSSC). If anyone has any tips on what I should select, I'm all ears (although I assume it's different for different consoles?).

I would use use "Real" for sure, should give you pixel perfect image as there is no scaling. If you want it bigger, I'd guess "Anamorphic" is fine too, because in line-triple it outputs a wide-screen image, iirc. Note that with line-double 4:3 ratio should be used, however.

Real would indeed look nice for Gnomenthusiast's setup, but these days I'm more concerned about a correct aspect ratio than razor-sharp pixels. One of the other options is likely to be closer to the proper aspect ratio.

I should have clarified, when using "Generic 4:3" line triple, the image comes out with proper 4:3 aspect, but in a "~720p" wide-screen format (black columns on the sides). So on the horizontal, it's not true pixel perfect, but it will be correct aspect.

[orange808]

I don't know about the VP50 but I think the 50 pro and the Edge have exactly the same scaling engine don't they?

One thing to note, if the incompatibility is due to the off spec refresh (like with the Blackmagic cards) the only way the DVDOs would work in tandem is with unlocked frame rate, which would cause stutter.

I can't remember if it was the regular or the pro, but the MLiG review of the OSSC showed comparisons of the VP50 and Edge (side by side enlarged) and the VP50 had a noticeably worse image in 480p.

It might not help with refresh, but it seems that often the incompatibility is due to strange timing. Like, my projector doesn't support line triple at 60Hz, and yet it supports 720p at 60Hz just fine.

It's true that running any scaler without hard sync to get to 60Hz would lead to either tearing or juddering, but the alternative is no image at all. It's also possible that a display might be more willing to sync to a non-standard refresh rate if it was fed otherwise standard timing (example: GBI ULL is both an abnormally low refresh rate *and* has a different number of scanlines than normal).

I would caution people about the (Framemeister bad) 20+ms bug with some sources on the Edge. The VP50 does not do it. RetroRGB says something about needing confirmation about the bug on the VP50 on his page; here it is. PC Engine and NTSC N64 in 6ms flat.

So, you pay the price for less ringing.

[bobrocks95]

Real would indeed look nice for Gnomenthusiast's setup, but these days I'm more concerned about a correct aspect ratio than razor-sharp pixels. One of the other options is likely to be closer to the proper aspect ratio.

I should have clarified, when using "Generic 4:3" line triple, the image comes out with proper 4:3 aspect, but in a "~720p" wide-screen format (black columns on the sides). So on the horizontal, it's not true pixel perfect, but it will be correct aspect.

I didn't know the OSSC had an option for this, that's really nice to hear.

[BuckoA51]

I just sent out a small number of invites with the intention of clearing the last of our current batch. If you’re number 1753 or under you should have had an invite, if not, contact me.

Thanks everyone for your support! It’s been a busy few weeks!

[sqturn2k]

I'm 1754
Not my lucky day lol.

(Is there a way to get in this batch ? )

[Thomago]

Congratulations!

Btw, how many people are there on the mailing list?

[Thamiel]

Got my OSSC today, haven't got anything too interesting to say that others haven't already said. Incredibly easy to set up, it just works.

Although for anyone curious LineX3 works through my VP30 perfectly. Directly into my Sony w800a was a no go.

Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk

[Simon Belmont]

I've tried to update firmware to 0.74 3 times with 3 different 32gb micro sd cards and every time it has said no sd card detected?

[Gnomenthusiast]

Projector Central says that the BenQ W1070 has 24ms of input lag, which is extremely low for a projector. That's half a frame faster than mine, which is already considered very fast for a projector. Most projectors are much higher (often well over 100ms), and if they can hit the 30-50ms range, it's usually only in a "game" mode that looks quite a bit worse. To achieve 24ms without needing to reduce image quality in a "game" mode is quite impressive.

I didn't know that, or know that most projectors were assumed to have lag problems, thanks for the info!

What projector do you have? Do you use the wall or a screen? Your pic's look good mate.

Thanks! It's a BenQ W1070+, projecting onto a light cream wall. I have the paint to do a proper screen but haven't had the time to organise it yet.

Thanks for the response! Beyond the aspect ratio options, can you modify the width or height of the picture manually? I don't think the OSSC allows that level of fine-tuning, but I could be wrong.

I don't think this is possible with the projector, although there are options in the menus that are greyed out, so maybe it is. I'll have another look tonight. I think the OSSC firmware could possibly be updated to allow all the overscan to be trimmed out completely? There appears to be enough range to do it, however you would need some way of changing the point that the system thinks is the center. At the moment if you bring the border in horizontally to get rid of the top overscan, it also trims away the bottom of the image because it does it symmetrically. I may also be talking mince.

Real would indeed look nice for Gnomenthusiast's setup, but these days I'm more concerned about a correct aspect ratio than razor-sharp pixels. One of the other options is likely to be closer to the proper aspect ratio.

It turns out the manual is lying, and there is no "real" option. 4:3 puts everything in the correct aspect and makes it look super crisp, I like it! If it was on a TV, and there was black borders with the image in the middle, that would probably annoy me, however because the projector image has no outside frame, it looks great.

[rtw]

I've tried to update firmware to 0.74 3 times with 3 different 32gb micro sd cards and every time it has said no sd card detected?

Are you using a Mac ?

[hunter291]

I've tried to update firmware to 0.74 3 times with 3 different 32gb micro sd cards and every time it has said no sd card detected?

Are you using a Mac ?

<0.74 only supports 2GB or smaller SD cards if I remember correctly.

[Simon Belmont]

I've tried to update firmware to 0.74 3 times with 3 different 32gb micro sd cards and every time it has said no sd card detected?

Are you using a Mac ?

Windows 10. I'm on FW 0.73 atm.

Which 2gb micro SD card should I get?

[Dookie1985]

So after a couple of replacements, I now have my OSSC. After only successfully testing a couple of sources (RGB modded N64, Mega Drive, Japanese Sega Saturn), I am amazed. This small unit outputs some amazing pictures.

I wish I've had more time to play around with it but I will get round to it. Still have a few RGB cables to buy to play some of my other consoles but so far, I am one happy customer.

Now at the start, I said successfully. Unfortunately, I've not been able to get my Sega Mark III to work. But, that is only because after testing without the OSSC, the cable doesn't actually work properly (image shaking horizontally severely). Annoying that I waited until now to test it. My own fault...

The picture I've found most impressive so far is the Mega Drive for how crisp the images are! This truly is an amazing piece of work Marqs and I can't wait to try out some more consoles!

[Gnomenthusiast]

The picture I've found most impressive so far is the Mega Drive for how crisp the images are! This truly is an amazing piece of work Marqs and I can't wait to try out some more consoles!

Agreed, It's really amazing!

[neorichieb1971]

The picture I've found most impressive so far is the Mega Drive for how crisp the images are! This truly is an amazing piece of work Marqs and I can't wait to try out some more consoles!

The Megadrive seems to be the showcase model for the OSSC. The most impressive feedback from owners is when connecting the OSSC to the Genesis/Megadrive.

Would like to see other consoles as well though. The Crash Bandicoot pics further back were mighty impressive.

[neorichieb1971]

Which is the best -

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cable-SOWTECH- ... able&psc=1

https://www.amazon.co.uk/HDMI-Rankie-Go ... pter&psc=1


I'm assuming they both work fine and that the actual cable is the better option.

[Dookie1985]

The picture I've found most impressive so far is the Mega Drive for how crisp the images are! This truly is an amazing piece of work Marqs and I can't wait to try out some more consoles!

The Megadrive seems to be the showcase model for the OSSC. The most impressive feedback from owners is when connecting the OSSC to the Genesis/Megadrive.

Would like to see other consoles as well though. The Crash Bandicoot pics further back were mighty impressive.

Hopefully, if I can sort out the issue with my Mark III cable, I'd like to see how that looks.

[Dookie1985]

Which is the best -

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cable-SOWTECH- ... able&psc=1

https://www.amazon.co.uk/HDMI-Rankie-Go ... pter&psc=1


I'm assuming they both work fine and that the actual cable is the better option.

I would personally go with the SOWTECH. Only for the reason that you don't need to buy another HDMI cable on top of the price.

[Gnomenthusiast]

The picture I've found most impressive so far is the Mega Drive for how crisp the images are! This truly is an amazing piece of work Marqs and I can't wait to try out some more consoles!

The Megadrive seems to be the showcase model for the OSSC. The most impressive feedback from owners is when connecting the OSSC to the Genesis/Megadrive.

Would like to see other consoles as well though. The Crash Bandicoot pics further back were mighty impressive.

I'll try some other PS1 titles tonight and take a few pics. I've ordered a game for my SNES to try that out too, hopefully will arrive tomorrow. Someone has kindly given me a NES that I'm working on getting RGB modded at the moment.

[Galdelico]

Hi guys, how's everyone doing? First poster here.
I'm not really familiar with SHMUPS Forums in general, but I kept lurking this OSSC board since quite a long time, and now that I'm finally going to receive my unit, I thought to jump in!

I would personally go with the SOWTECH. Only for the reason that you don't need to buy another HDMI cable on top of the price.

That's the same cable I bought as well. DVI-D to HDMI.

I think the OSSC firmware could possibly be updated to allow all the overscan to be trimmed out completely? There appears to be enough range to do it, however you would need some way of changing the point that the system thinks is the center. At the moment if you bring the border in horizontally to get rid of the top overscan, it also trims away the bottom of the image because it does it symmetrically.

That's one thing that gets brought up alot, and I couldn't agree more with you on it.
Being able to cut off all the coloured overscan you get with Mega Drive games (there are a few Saturn titles that use it too), and control each crop border independently (in order to keep them all centered), would be a super welcome addition to the OSSC's display settings. I hope the feature will be implemented soon.

You may consider to highlight the topic in the 'Feature Requests' section of the official forum at VGP.