OSSC (DIY video digitizer & scandoubler)

[ZellSF]

I could never get the passthrough of the XRGB-mini working reliably, even on the latest FW version. I have 5$ HDMI switches that are more reliable.

[Gunstar]

I asked earlier about operating an OSSC with a possibly busted D5 diode but it got buried. I've used it a for a few hours and it seems fine? It's entirely possible that I'm mistaken and the D5 is working fine as it wouldn't run without one but I don't really know. Any help would be appreciated.

[marqs]

I asked earlier about operating an OSSC with a possibly busted D5 diode but it got buried. I've used it a for a few hours and it seems fine? It's entirely possible that I'm mistaken and the D5 is working fine as it wouldn't run without one but I don't really know. Any help would be appreciated.

The function of D5 is to protect against transients (and also unsuitable PSUs) by clamping voltage to safe operating range. By clamping, extra current flows through D5 which typically causes fuse F1 to blow before the TVS diode fails, i.e. shorts itself. In your case F1 seems intact - possibly due to your initial PSU not being able to provide enough current to trigger the fuse - while D5 could have initally shorted, and after a while burned and then turned into open circuit. Anyway, I'd recommend at least removing the burned D5, and replacing it if possible.

[Gunstar]

Appreciate such a detailed answer, marqs. Thank you!

[cleeg]

PS1 PAL ossues on Panasonic TV sorted.. I increased Vertical active to 300 in advanced 288p timing.

Thank you all for the suggestions, but no joy stretching my image yet. One other thing, any idea how to make the unit output 4:3 for 240p stuff? I can only make it do 16:9.

EDIT - I've stretched my image a bit actually, it worked!

[cleeg]

I could never get the passthrough of the XRGB-mini working reliably, even on the latest FW version. I have 5$ HDMI switches that are more reliable.

Me too. The Mini seems to move the pic a bit for me. So, any ideas how to vertically squash the OSSC picture a bit?

[marqs]

It's now one year since first release boards were sent out. Unfortunately not everyone interested have been yet able to get one, but things are progressing on that front. Firmware has become quite feature-rich despite all limitations, but documentation for customizing and building it has been lacking. Lots of stuff to do still then.

There have been numerous hardware revision requests with audio integration as the most frequent wish. Surpisingly many have also asked for a variant with JP21 connector instead of SCART. I've been working on a slightly updated DIY board design with those in mind. The v1.6 PCB is now almost finished and will include the following new features:

* multi-input audio ADC added on board
* existing 3.5mm connector made usable as AV1 audio passthru (like before) or as AV2 audio input, selectable via a miniature switch
* extra 3.5mm connector added for dedicated AV3 audio input
* alternative v1.6-JP21 revision with JP21 connector pinout

The form factor has remained the same, so with all cables plugged it can get even more crammed (those wanting a more elegantly designed board should take a look at Wolf edition). The design is almost finished and ready for a test run, after which kits should be available from a couple resellers depending on demand. PCB v1.6 design files and gerbers will also be uploaded to github for delight of those who want to proceed independently.

[RocketBelt]

Wow fantastic developments, this project will make even more people happy.
How does digitised audio leave the board? Is there to be an hdmi connector? How did you come to terms with the hdmi licensing issues?

[Guspaz]

Being that it's to be DIY-only, Marq's solution appears to be avoiding licensing issues by simply not building or selling the new version himself. DIY-only, but presumably people will sell fully built units based on the design. It's a great approach, although it's unfortunate that Marqs might not get any cut of sales by that approach

[ZellSF]

I'm still amazed that the majority of picky gamers (that don't accept their TV's handling of 240p) have shitty sound systems.

I knew there were some, but I would've thought that most people who were picky about video quality also wouldn't settle for the lowest audio quality.

[BuckoA51]

Yeah that always surprises me too, but there's no denying that the digital audio mod can be convenient, especially if you want to take your OSSC and Saturn over a friends house for some Bomberman, for example.

I'll be looking at opening up pre-orders for the new revision as soon as our suppliers can provide Markus with a test/prototype unit, assuming there's nothing wrong with the prototype then it's all systems go again.

[Xyga]

I'm still amazed that the majority of picky gamers (that don't accept their TV's handling of 240p) have shitty sound systems.

I knew there were some, but I would've thought that most people who were picky about video quality also wouldn't settle for the lowest audio quality.

I'm not surprised at all.

Blasting your music/film/game at your place loud-enough so everyone including the neighbors can more or less hear it too isn't a 21st century thing.
I've experienced this the years I've lived in a flat, people will scream, hit gongs or whatever, but the av/hifi sound is considered anti-social now, maybe after decades of complaints the 'quiet rule' has settled in many cultures (or we've all become antisocial and can't bear whatever comes from the others, whatever) so I had to forget about my beloved powerful sound system and settle for built-in speakers and headphones.
That phenomenon and the democratization/digitalization of portable audio sure didn't help the sound hardware market. Even the popular sound bars and BT speakers that have replaced the average hifi are almost never used at their full power/potential.

Integrated speakers are shit but socially acceptable, convenient, perfect for today's mass consumer needs, and when the sound's so weak nobody cares about quality anyway.

[ZellSF]

I'm still amazed that the majority of picky gamers (that don't accept their TV's handling of 240p) have shitty sound systems.

I knew there were some, but I would've thought that most people who were picky about video quality also wouldn't settle for the lowest audio quality.

I'm not surprised at all.

Blasting your music/film/game at your place loud-enough so everyone including the neighbors can more or less hear it too isn't a 21st century thing.
I've experienced this the years I've lived in a flat, people will scream, hit gongs or whatever, but the av/hifi sound is considered anti-social now, maybe after decades of complaints the 'quiet rule' has settled in many cultures (or we've all become antisocial and can't bear whatever comes from the others, whatever) so I had to forget about my beloved powerful sound system and settle for built-in speakers and headphones.
That phenomenon and the democratization/digitalization of portable audio sure didn't help the sound hardware market. Even the popular sound bars and BT speakers that have replaced the average hifi are almost never used at their full power/potential.

Integrated speakers are shit but socially acceptable, convenient, perfect for today's mass consumer needs, and when the sound's so weak nobody cares about quality anyway.

If noise disturbing others is a problem, I still think picky people would get a decent headphone setup over routing audio through their TV.

[Jademalo]

I'm someone who always uses headphones, I own a very nice pair of cans that require a lot of power to drive.

But holy crap, actually getting console audio into them while also hearing PC sound is like this crazy impossible feat without having either latency somewhere or getting a ground loop. The only way I've managed it is to use my music production audio interface, and monitor the input from whichever console. Even then there's a minor ground loop that's impossible to get rid of.
Without the HDMI audio injection, I'd need a metric tonne of cables running to the interface, and I'd need to switch them around depending on the console since I use the same setup for digital consoles. Thankfully with it, I can just route everything into an HDMI switch with a breakout, but the DAC on that is pretty crap.

In order for me to actually solve this problem, I'd need a pretty expensive mixer, and that's especially annoying because I'd have to then compromise everything else since I'd have to run my DAC output through that mixer. When you're talking $400 DACs and $1.2k amps, you don't really want to chain in bad equipment that will screw with the path.

If it was possible to monitor a capture card's audio in realtime this wouldn't be an issue, but since Windows audio is awful it's literally impossible. Honestly, video is the easy part, Audio is an absolute nightmare.

[Xyga]

@Zell^ I think they do (I'd bet many of us here have decent headphones and even DAC/amps) but no one really wants to have to use headphones for too many hours straight.
Also an additional wire is annoying when your arms and hands are busy with a pad or stick, like really, even if you try to push it aside. Wireless is better but you then need the proper equipment that's not too shitty either, and there isn't much choice in that area (no, TV manufacturers don't give the world easy BT audio just like that).

[Jademalo]

I think they do (I'd bet many of us here have decent headphones and even DAC/amps) but no one really wants to have to use headphones for too many hours straight.

You should try some of the top end over ear cans, I've been wearing my HD800s on average 14 hours a day for about 3 years. Top end headphones are crazy comfortable.

[Xyga]

I did own several, HD600's being the best I've had (800's don't have the kind of sound signature I would enjoy). But even those were too much, especially in summer.
Not everyone can stand headphones as long as you do, in the best conditions I can bear for 3~4 hrs, after that I need to be 'free'.
(typically I use headphones for a couple of hrs)

[Jademalo]

Haha, fair enough. The 600s touch your ears a bit though still, I felt the same with those. The 800s are bliss though.

And what can I say, I like my audio how I like my pixels. Accurate to a fault

[Thomago]

Accurate to a fault

Well said. Some games (Dark Souls comes to mind) sound pretty much horrible through headphones due to bad sound mixing, while through speakers, everything is fine.
Same goes for some animes; Haibane Renmei for example is unbearable through headphones.

[Xer Xian]

I'd say it depends on the games. Imho for retrogaming i.e. 8-16bit chiptune music you don't really need an hifi system or Sennheiser headphones. Of course things are different from CD-based consoles onwards but even then I can compromise more easily on audio quality than on video - I mean I don't always manage to appreciate the added value of a €500 'phone/hifi set over a cheap soundbar while being immersed in some frantic playing (of course they're nice to have when that orchestrated piece or vocals start off or for games like Rez and similar).

[Hoagtech]

Would I adding any input lag if I used a DVI-D to Vga Cable?

there's no such thing, but if you add a DVI/HDMI to VGA converter it will work and don't add additional lag.

I am currently using the Gofanko DVI to VGA converter and I think it has problems displaying 480p's content in the darker color (black crush)

Is there a better converter than this to use on my Megaview?

[orange808]

Would I adding any input lag if I used a DVI-D to Vga Cable?

there's no such thing, but if you add a DVI/HDMI to VGA converter it will work and don't add additional lag.

I am currently using the Gofanko DVI to VGA converter and I think it has problems displaying 480p's content in the darker color (black crush)

Is there a better converter than this to use on my Megaview?

HDFury Nano has built in gamma adjustment.

[Hoagtech]

HDFury Nano has built in gamma adjustment.

Yes but does it do Digital to Analog conversion as well?

[orange808]

HDFury Nano has built in gamma adjustment.

Yes but does it do Digital to Analog conversion as well?

Yes. It accepts HDMI and outputs RGBHV over HD15 (aka "VGA").

Just grab a passive DVI to HDMI adapter and plug in.

I have a Nano and it is probably the best HDMI to RGBHV converter out there. It's compact and the built in gamma adjustment is handy.

You can get slightly better image quality with an HDFury 2 chained through a Gamma X, but it's really not worth the money. I have all of them and I just use the Nano to chain the OSSC back into my VGA switcher.

[Bahn Yuki]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwE78lajIuY

Absolutely breathtaking having an OLED display paired up with the OSSC.

[lettuce]

Yeah that always surprises me too, but there's no denying that the digital audio mod can be convenient, especially if you want to take your OSSC and Saturn over a friends house for some Bomberman, for example.

I'll be looking at opening up pre-orders for the new revision as soon as our suppliers can provide Markus with a test/prototype unit, assuming there's nothing wrong with the prototype then it's all systems go again.

Will you be supplying a pre-made version?

[BuckoA51]

Yes of course.

[bobrocks95]

Oh, I think people were assuming it wouldn't be sold pre-made due to licensing concerns. I don't think such a niche product has anything to worry about, so that's good to hear!

[BuckoA51]

Hopefully if they do decide to crack down we'll get a cease and desist letter rather than anything else more nefarious....but like you say so far it's not been a problem.

[bobrocks95]

Hopefully if they do decide to crack down we'll get a cease and desist letter rather than anything else more nefarious....but like you say so far it's not been a problem.

I don't think it would be worth the time for a corporate conglomerate to bother with litigation. Tons of hobbyist projects are already violating it anyway, and it doesn't seem like anyone's had any problems.