OSSC (DIY video digitizer & scandoubler)

[Zappyraccoon]

side note: in 480p2x mode I'm having a lot of trouble getting the scanlines to line up properly. is anybody else having scanline issues in that output mode?

Yes, I mentioned it in the official OSSC forums. Might be fixable in firmware they never responded. But the workaround I chose most people would probably find overboard. I just bought an SLGHD, SLG SCART and SLG3000 and put those in the chain before they reach the OSSC. Works like a charm but expensive.

[Deubeul]

Hello guys!

My Sony TV (KDL-40BX400) does not accept the 15,61 kHz and 59,37 Hz my PAL modded Saturn gives to the OSSC.

Could someone who has a Japanese NTSC Saturn post the specs on his OSSC's screen?

Thanks in advance!

[LDigital]

At the moment I run a PC in to my Ossc via HDMI to VGA convertor so that I can add scanlines to Am2r and streets of rage remake and play them on my bvm which is great.
I have tried to use my nes mini in the same way to add nice clean scanlines because the built in scanlines filter is a disgusting composite imitation but the Ossc cannot see it for some reason, despite being a 720p signal.

[marqs]

side note: in 480p2x mode I'm having a lot of trouble getting the scanlines to line up properly. is anybody else having scanline issues in that output mode?

Yes, I mentioned it in the official OSSC forums. Might be fixable in firmware they never responded. But the workaround I chose most people would probably find overboard. I just bought an SLGHD, SLG SCART and SLG3000 and put those in the chain before they reach the OSSC. Works like a charm but expensive.

Can you elaborate a bit? 480pX2 scanlines are generated to every other output line, so all original lines are visible even if you set scanline strength to 100%. I guess you're looking for an option that works well with 240p content that is internally linedoubled (vs actual 480p which current implementation is designed for), i.e. generate pattern for 2 consecutive lines in each group of 4 output scanlines.

I have tried to use my nes mini in the same way to add nice clean scanlines because the built in scanlines filter is a disgusting composite imitation but the Ossc cannot see it for some reason, despite being a 720p signal.

No sync information is shown of the character LCD? As above, scanlines wouldn't work properly that way without a special option designed for linetripled 720p input.

[headlesshobbs]

Still getting too much white crush through my vga port.

[Yohanov]

yeah the PSP has lots of great games, I personally think the vast majority of them look and play better on a big-screen TV/monitor rather than on that tiny little LCD.

Have you ever tried psp games with a PSTV? It's full screen. I wonder how it compares.

[Seraphic]

My number came up recently, but I decided not to place an order just yet as I would like to wait until the audio add-on board is available allowing for integrated digital audio.
Looking forward to connecting my PS2/SNES over RGB into the OSSC and then into my Crystalio II VPS-3800 though.

[NormalFish]

yeah the PSP has lots of great games, I personally think the vast majority of them look and play better on a big-screen TV/monitor rather than on that tiny little LCD.

Have you ever tried psp games with a PSTV? It's full screen. I wonder how it compares.

fairly sure the pstv does what the vita does (in this case, 2x integer scale) and then scales that to 720p. So it's probably less sharp, but as the PSP's output is a windowboxed 480p (i believe? i think it's standard 720x480), that's probably preferable for a lot of set ups.

the framemeister still does psp best.

[Zappyraccoon]

Can you elaborate a bit? 480pX2 scanlines are generated to every other output line, so all original lines are visible even if you set scanline strength to 100%. I guess you're looking for an option that works well with 240p content that is internally linedoubled (vs actual 480p which current implementation is designed for), i.e. generate pattern for 2 consecutive lines in each group of 4 output scanlines.

When my OSSC comes back I'll take screenshots and show what I mean. I don't think it's a bug in the firmware. It just looks like when 480p is line doubled to 960p the scanlines are added after the doubling. So it has 480 scanlines instead of the normal 240 scanlines a 480p source would have? (this is just a guess?). But when I add scanlines to the source before it enters the OSSC the device treats it as one image and doubles everything so the scanlines fit the pixels the way they did in 480p mode.

[Harrumph]

Still getting too much white crush through my vga port.

You already tried the brightness/contrast (offset/gain) settings on the OSSC? They are there since fw 0.72.

[Fudoh]

When my OSSC comes back I'll take screenshots and show what I mean. I don't think it's a bug in the firmware. It just looks like when 480p is line doubled to 960p the scanlines are added after the doubling. So it has 480 scanlines instead of the normal 240 scanlines a 480p source would have?

exactly what marqs confirmed a few postings above yours. But I agree. A 240/480 scanline switch for 480p sources and a 240/360 switch for 720p sources would be nice.

[badwhite40]

This should be great.
I find moire in scanlines in triple mode. (720p from OSSC into the 1080 native vewlix panel).
When I put the lines at 6/12% no moire. But are too weak scans for me. If I make them stronger... moire noticeable
May be 240 scanline can fix this for me
Any other trick or tip?

[Fudoh]

Not what I mean. For 720p output from the OSSC you already get the correct number of scanlines for 240p/480i inputs.

If you're display can't properly handle the upscaling you can try a secondary processor. Check Blair's snapshots above from his iScan Micro. That's affordable and doesn't add more lag when used between the OSSC and your Vewlix panel.

[xadox]

Tried now around 7 TV's, but no luck with x3 mode
Think I have to buy finaly a bigger pc monitor.

did you try setting the tx-mode of the OSSC from DVI to HDMI? i've had good luck doing that with some tvs that would not accept x3 mode.

also, make sure you know how the hdmi inputs on the set work, sometimes one HDMI port will be listed as its a hybrid port. or as the best one for PC/DVI input. alot of samsungs do this with hdmi port-1 .

some times to activate PC mode you have to go to the TV's inputs list and use the rename function and set input-1 as "PC". that will usually give you more flexibility with resolutions and timings.

but do give the TX settings on the OSSC a try first.

Oh, thx for the advice. I will try then again.

[ZellSF]

Going more off-topic, but the iScan Micro and Mini are identical processing wise, right? Just that you can't control scaling parameters on the Micro so you have some forced sharpening you could avoid with the Mini?

[Fudoh]

I have the Mini, but not the Micro, so I can't confirm it. For example I don't know if you can set the output resolution on the Micro as you can on the Mini. I guess the scaling engine itself is identical, but with the removed enhancement settings it's hard to say what DVDO chose as a neutral level on the Micro.

[ZellSF]

Do they pass through 480i or just give you a black screen? Sort of tempted to get one, but if I have to put another HDMI splitter in my setup and use another HDMI input on my TV then it's less tempting.

[ShadowofBob]

side question: how are the OSSC scanline patterns generated? is it based on the input resolution of the game? or the output resolution of the OSSC? is it a set stock pattern every time?

Line1x, line2x: every other output line has scanline masking. Line3x: every third output line has scanline masking. Depending on alignment option, either first (top) or last (bottom) of the group of replicated lines is the one which gets masked.

Has anyone else has issues with RGBHV input and the Dreamcast? Not sure if something has started failing in my unit, but the other day I noticed that there is a random flicker/white level change happening with VGA input from my Dreamcast. Noticeable on primarily lighter colors, especially the boot sequence. None of the other inputs have this occur or even with RGBS over AV3. Tried swapping Dreamcast systems, power supplies for the OSSC and it still happens. Bypassing the OSSC doesn't show this issues on my VGA monitor. I'm going to try another RGBHV source like my GCN or my Xbox 360 VGA cable tonight to see if it's that or something weird with how my Dreamcast VGA box interacts with the OSSC.

I have experienced flicker and color issues with this cable:

I first thought it was an ossc issue, but I pulled out my old vga box

Any while the Naki fixes the flicker there is still some color issues but less than before. Mostly noticeable only on solid black backgrounds with logos.


So your VGA box might be the problem.

Remember that there's almost no LPF for VGA input, so all inperfections in the signal show up easily. Try setting "480p in sampler" to "DTV 480p" for DC via VGA if you haven't done it already. Adjustment of sampling phase may also be needed for some VGA modules.

Just wanted to update this for others experiencing this flicker issue. I changed Sync Options -> H-PLL Post-Coast from 0 to 1 line and the flicker with Dreamcast VGA has stopped occurring.

[TillDawn]

Hey everyone. I wanted to ask this in the forum over at videogameperfection, but somehow my registration was messed up; so I thought, until that is sorted out, I might try here.

I received one of the OSSCs from the first batch, back in spring. I am very happy with it, great product. Sadly, when I wanted to fire it up yesterday, it did not light up, seems to be completely dead. The green/red status LEDs are dark, as well, and there is no indication that the unit receives voltage. I used it previously about 1 or 2 weeks ago, everything seemed fine then. I did not change the PSU; I also checked that it provides 5V. The same with a second PSU. Both PSUs are fine and the problem must be with the OSSC.

Now, I am not 100% sure that I did not reverse the polarity on the plug that goes into the OSSC at some point. I am using one of these universal PSU with multiple, reversible plugs. By now it is in the correct orientation and I double checked, of course (5V, positive tip). My question: might a possible inversion have damaged the OSSC? Is there a way to check whether it should still work with just a voltmeter (sorry, not very knowledgable about electronics)? If it's fried: might anyone offer some sort of repair service or am I out of luck and have to order a new one?

Thanks in advance for any help!

[marqs]

Just wanted to update this for others experiencing this flicker issue. I changed Sync Options -> H-PLL Post-Coast from 0 to 1 line and the flicker with Dreamcast VGA has stopped occurring.

I'll have to investigate a bit if that setting really has some effect in RGBHV mode where coast function should be completely disabled.

Now, I am not 100% sure that I did not reverse the polarity on the plug that goes into the OSSC at some point. I am using one of these universal PSU with multiple, reversible plugs. By now it is in the correct orientation and I double checked, of course (5V, positive tip). My question: might a possible inversion have damaged the OSSC? Is there a way to check whether it should still work with just a voltmeter (sorry, not very knowledgable about electronics)? If it's fried: might anyone offer some sort of repair service or am I out of luck and have to order a new one?

If you take off bottom plexi and look under the leds, there's fuse F1 and TVS diode D5 that might have got damaged due to inproper PSU/polarity. With PSU detached, you could check these components with a continuity function of a multimeter (across fuse there should be continuity, across TVS not).

[headlesshobbs]

Does anyone think that 480i could work with the option to cancel odd or even fields to replicate the way certain extron boards downscale to 240p?

3rd Strike on PS2 looks very much like it's CPS3 counterpart, but some of the interlacing garbage still gets caught up in the rendering. I think if we can get clear fields out of this thing, then we wouldn't need to buy external hardware to accomplish this.

Hey Marqs? When you tested the Dreamcast, did you just stick with the Garo/Kuro vga boxes, or have you tried testing them with the official one and other 3rd party?

[TillDawn]

If you take off bottom plexi and look under the leds, there's fuse F1 and TVS diode D5 that might have got damaged due to inproper PSU/polarity. With PSU detached, you could check these components with a continuity function of a multimeter (across fuse there should be continuity, across TVS not).

Thanks for the quick reply. I checked the continuity on fuse F1 and, indeed, there is no connection. TVS seems fine, i.e. no continuity. Would it be save to assume that the fuse did its job and replacing it should put the unit in working order again? I have an engineer friend who might be able to do this; I will ask him. Thanks again for your help!

[Galgomite]

Is anyone else having trouble with the OSSC combined with the DVDO edge? I get an extremely fuzzy picture and that's when the color shows up (other times the picture is mostly green). I was hoping to use this to solve a vertical shift downward when connected directly to my TV. My Edge works fine for my PlayStation 3 otherwise I would've thought it is dying. I also mean to test with my VP20 but my PSU has died...

[EnragedWhale]

Is anyone else having trouble with the OSSC combined with the DVDO edge? I get an extremely fuzzy picture and that's when the color shows up (other times the picture is mostly green). I was hoping to use this to solve a vertical shift downward when connected directly to my TV. My Edge works fine for my PlayStation 3 otherwise I would've thought it is dying. I also mean to test with my VP20 but my PSU has died...

I'm using my OSSC with an edge and was having issues to begin with although they differ from yours somewhat.

I was getting scrolling, rotating interference that got worse with the length of analogue cabling. i.e. heavily shielded scart cable straight into the OSSC made it unnoticeable, my usual setup of daisy chained switches was terrible. 100% digital (360 + PS3 over HDMI) showed no issues what so ever. It would even introduce these issues on my FM just by being plugged in (on standby) and connected to the TV at all, even without being used.

Replaced the power supply in the edge and it resolved the issue. Again my problem was quite different to yours so I don't know if my experience helps any but at least its on here and may help someone at some stage. I use mostly PAL 50hz systems and I'm super happy with the OSSC + DVDO edge combo for everything except 480i stuff that I go back to the FM for.

Link to the replacement PSU I used http://www.mouser.in/ProductDetail/Cinc ... CPVA%3D%3D

[Herr Schatten]

Just got my Atari 2600 back from having it RGB modded. I can confirm that this is another console whose output looks just fantastic through the OSSC.

On another front, I seem to experience some issues with my Dreamcast, which is connected via VGA. While some games seem to run just fine (e.g. Gunlord), with others I get a fast-flickering red LED and display message on the OSSC, as if it's catching and losing sync on a frame by frame basis. Since I hadn't connected the Dreamcast via VGA ever before, I wouldn't outrule bad output from the console or a faulty VGA box, though.

[Galgomite]

Link to the replacement PSU I used http://www.mouser.in/ProductDetail/Cinc ... CPVA%3D%3D

Thanks for the response! The PSU could be the problem with my Edge anyway.

[ShadowofBob]

Just got my Atari 2600 back from having it RGB modded. I can confirm that this is another console whose output looks just fantastic through the OSSC.

On another front, I seem to experience some issues with my Dreamcast, which is connected via VGA. While some games seem to run just fine (e.g. Gunlord), with others I get a fast-flickering red LED and display message on the OSSC, as if it's catching and losing sync on a frame by frame basis. Since I hadn't connected the Dreamcast via VGA ever before, I wouldn't outrule bad output from the console or a faulty VGA box, though.

I saw this on Hydro Thunder on my Dreamcast recently. Didn't have time to investigate more though, but had similar symptoms with the status LED flashing red. My monitor wouldn't resync with this signal though.

[karma_police]

I uploaded a video of Resident Evil 2 using line triple mode and routed through a DVDO Edge Green. It was captured using an Elgato HD60. I will be uploading additional videos from other systems in the next few days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6fV5RN7TjU

[TillDawn]

If you take off bottom plexi and look under the leds, there's fuse F1 and TVS diode D5 that might have got damaged due to inproper PSU/polarity. With PSU detached, you could check these components with a continuity function of a multimeter (across fuse there should be continuity, across TVS not).

Thanks for the quick reply. I checked the continuity on fuse F1 and, indeed, there is no connection. TVS seems fine, i.e. no continuity. Would it be save to assume that the fuse did its job and replacing it should put the unit in working order again? I have an engineer friend who might be able to do this; I will ask him. Thanks again for your help!

Just a quick feedback on this issue: it was indeed the fuse. I replaced it and the OSSC fired right up again. Thanks again for all the help!

[Blair]

Going more off-topic, but the iScan Micro and Mini are identical processing wise, right? Just that you can't control scaling parameters on the Micro so you have some forced sharpening you could avoid with the Mini?

I have the Mini, but not the Micro, so I can't confirm it. For example I don't know if you can set the output resolution on the Micro as you can on the Mini. I guess the scaling engine itself is identical, but with the removed enhancement settings it's hard to say what DVDO chose as a neutral level on the Micro.

Do they pass through 480i or just give you a black screen? Sort of tempted to get one, but if I have to put another HDMI splitter in my setup and use another HDMI input on my TV then it's less tempting.

I have the micro, as far as I know you can't select the output resolution (the included remote only adjusts the 3-level sharpness setting). It seems to use whatever information it gets from the display [EDID?] and then decides to output whatever the displays reported maximum resolution is. Ergo if it sees a 1080p display it will output at 1080p if it sees a 4K display it will output 4K. At least that's what it's supposed to do. I have seen it mess up a couple of times and spit out PC resolutions. But That would only happen if it was being fed a DVI signal (OSSC TX mode DVI instead of HDMI).

As far as interlaced processing goes I only tested 480i from a PS2, and 1080i from a PsvTV (I also only tested one game each Virtua fighter 4 on PS2 and persona 4 on Vita TV). ps2's 480i looked absolutely awful being processed by the micro. Hard to describe just how bad it looked (pictures would probably help). 1080i didn't really look all that different from my own tv's internal processing. Perhaps with more thorough testing (different sources, different games). The micro might be usable for interlaced processing, but I doubt it. It's a mystery to me why DVDO didn't just allow it to pass through those signals instead, as it can pass through signals it doesn't understand (like 240p over HDMI).


It's a nice (extremely fast) device but the micro does feel a bit half-baked. Just a few more buttons on the remote would've really been nice. a Micro Paired with the OSSC makes sense as a fairly decent (and portable) gaming solution (especially since the OSSC could do all the 480i processing).

Sega 6-pack






(display is Samsung LCD TV LA32C450, Max resolution 720p/1080i, game mode: on)

American Sega Genesis CDX: Scart RGB (OSSC 240p line triple) (scanlines 100%)