Non-powered active HDMI to VGA adapters for OSSC

[doonut]

I cannot hookup ossc 0.78 to dvi-rgb200 directly but it's work if pass to hdmi selector before. (ossc->hdmi selector->dvi-rgb200)

My DVI-RGB 200 works fine with an OSSC on 0.78 fw (but it's the old version with DVI out and no audio mixing). Did you try flipping the 'EDID source' switch up or down? It could make a difference on some set-ups (also, with the source switch set on 'monitor' it may be necessary to route the buffered DVI output to an LCD as well.. but not so when left on 'selector'). I didn't find the 'EDID select' rotary switch to have any relevance at all on my set-ups.

Thank you.
Before upgrade upgrade OSSC firmware 0.78, I try to flipping EDID but didn't work. show orange light and the signal has not come into dvi-rgb200.
I will try again today. Can have I your setting on dvi-rgb200 as picture? : )

[Xer Xian]

I will try again today. Can have I your setting on dvi-rgb200 as picture? : )

As I said earlier, most of them have no use for our application, but here they are: https://ibb.co/fjNRB5

[doonut]

I will try again today. Can have I your setting on dvi-rgb200 as picture? : )

As I said earlier, most of them have no use for our application, but here they are: https://ibb.co/fjNRB5

Thanks again.
It doesn't work to direct ossc to dvi-rgb200. It still show orange light and signal not come. : ) actually ossc is work fine but need to pass hdmi selector (ossc->hdmi selector->dvi-rgb200) for me.
It might be happen from the dvi pin. Can I have DVI pin you using as picture?

[Xer Xian]

It might be happen from the dvi pin. Can I have DVI pin you using as picture?

Not that it should matter, but I used a DVI to DVI cable from KabelDirekt to hook up the OSSC to the Extron. If you have a 1.6 OSSC - did you try setting 'TX mode' to DVI in the Output opt. sub-menu?

[Tapeworm]

I am using the Tendak hdmi to VGA adapter on my Lacie Electron III, and the brightness is fairly low. I have the monitor contrast and brightness up to 100, and even then it looks fairly dim compared to my other CRTs. I do have scanlines at 50%, but even with them off the picture isn’t very bright. Beginning to wonder if it is just the monitor...

[BazookaBen]

I am using the Tendak hdmi to VGA adapter on my Lacie Electron III, and the brightness is fairly low. I have the monitor contrast and brightness up to 100, and even then it looks fairly dim compared to my other CRTs. I do have scanlines at 50%, but even with them off the picture isn’t very bright. Beginning to wonder if it is just the monitor...

What resolution is the OSSC outputting? 480p looks dim on CRT PC monitors because it has small scanlines, the exact same phenomenon you see with 240p on standard-def tvs/monitors. So go with 1280x960 if you can. 960x720 will also do the trick

[Sid]

Any recommendations for well-performing VGA cables? I recently acquired a couple of monitors with both a 15 pin and a BNC input, and have found that the expensive BNC breakout cable that I have gives a very clean image, while the cheap standard VGA cable shows plenty of ghosting.

I have other monitors that are limited to 15 pin input, so it would be great to clean up the image on those also.

[BazookaBen]

Any recommendations for well-performing VGA cables?

I've only had problems with really skinny VGA cables. Thicker VGA cables have indistinguishable picture from BNC.

[mvsfan]

I also bought one of those startech adapters.

Didnt work at all, all i got was a black screen.

-2 for the Startech.

[Sid]

Any recommendations for well-performing VGA cables?

I've only had problems with really skinny VGA cables. Thicker VGA cables have indistinguishable picture from BNC.

Much appreciated, I'll pick up a chunkier one.

Any experience with Ugreen cables, anyone?

Oh, and I (unfortunately?) just ordered a Startech adapter as well. Will report back on it. I have an unbranded HDMI->VGA adapter and an HDFury 4 to do comparisons with.

[Xyga]

I also bought one of those startech adapters.

Didnt work at all, all i got was a black screen.

-2 for the Startech.

never buy anything Startech, their products are massively overpriced and only competent on the specsheet, not in practice

[BazookaBen]

Any experience with Ugreen cables, anyone?

I don't worry about brands, I just ran by Goodwill every other weekend and picked up thick VGA cables when I found them.

[Xer Xian]

Before shipping out my CII to Fudoh, I decided to use it one last time to adjust the gamma on my HDFury Nano GX. Unfortunately I found that the Nano is adding an awful lot of noise to a few selected test patterns, like this gamma chart here:

CII: http://image.ibb.co/gXFmS6/CII.jpg
Gefen: http://image.ibb.co/kqh0n6/Gefen.jpg
HDFury 1: http://image.ibb.co/eOc0n6/HDFury1.jpg
HDFury Nano GX: http://image.ibb.co/dvV9fR/Nano.jpg

Randomly I got a similar misbehaviour from the other DACs too, but a simple reset was enough to take care of it. However, nothing seems to cure the occasional Nano GX video noise. I tried:
- Resetting multiple times the Nano GX, the OSSC and the CII
- Changing video cables
- Changing USB power cord
- Changing PSU
- Not using any PSU
- Hot swapping the Nano GX with the HDFury 1 with everything else up and running exactly the same. Clean image with the Fury 1, noise with the Nano
- Hooking up the Nano GX to a VGA monitor, feeding it with a 720p output (the LaCie doesn't display 1080p) - there's considerably less noise on 720p, but it's very far from being completely gone

I'm starting to consider that my unit is faulty, which sucks given that I bought it new and barely used it. This, along with my wonky HDFury 2 (which has subpar quality anyway, not unlike the Fury 3 seemingly) is kinda making me reconsider the entire HDFury line's worth.

[orange808]

I don't have a CII, so I don't have the test pattern in the pics. You're probably onto something here, but I haven't been able to reproduce it, yet.

I used the DVDO test patterns and I can't find anything. Just to be sure: Is the unit adding noise or failing to filter it? How are your components plugged in?

Looks like there's no perfect DAC solutions out there.

[BazookaBen]

My Nano GX has ringing at certain resolutions, I think that's what you're seeing in your pic. Not sure if there's anything that can be done about it. Not super noticeable in everyday use. But I do prefer the HD Fury 1 when I don't need an HDMI audio sink.

[Xer Xian]

I've done some more testing. Yes, I now think that my unit is fine - it's just a case of the Nano GX performing poorly with finely detailed images at higher res (well, 1080p):

Checkerboard 1080p - pass: http://image.ibb.co/eUFUfR/Checkerboard.jpg
Horizontal lines 1080p - pass: http://image.ibb.co/mbrKfR/Hor_Lines.jpg
Very fine checker 1080p - fail: http://image.ibb.co/dxWKfR/Fine_checker.jpg
Vertical lines 1080p - fail: http://image.ibb.co/fGizfR/Vert_Lines.jpg
Fine checker 720p - pass: http://image.ibb.co/cOZGS6/Fine_checker_720p.jpg
Vertical lines 720p - pass: http://image.ibb.co/fHFZEm/Vert_Lines_720p.jpg
Gamma chart 720p - mmh: http://image.ibb.co/dSSBS6/Gamma.jpg (artifacts on the right-hand side of the small boxes.. seems more like ghosting than ringing)

(Please be aware that all my captures show some noise and/or soft edges as a result of 4:2:0 sampling and H.264/MJPEG encoding - it's no way as dramatic as some pics above, that's 99% the DAC's fault)

But I do prefer the HD Fury 1 when I don't need an HDMI audio sink.

Yes, the HDFury 1 handles 1080p better. It's not perfect (zoom in on the boxes with control+scrollwheel on the 1080p gamma chart to see noise/loss of detail), but it's acceptable. The Nano GX is also acceptable with 720p and under (1080i is mostly fine too). I'll use it with the PSTV set to output 720p or 480p.

Looks like there's no perfect DAC solutions out there.

Indeed, or at least - if there's one, I've not found it. I thought the Nano GX could be it thanks to its audio out and on-board gamma adjustments, but not now.See here for another guy's journey in the search for a good DAC. I don't fully understand his methodology nor his results, but he didn't seem to find a clear winner either.

[orange808]

Does feeding 1080p with reduced blanking improve the output?

[Xer Xian]

Maybe? I'm not so eager to test that since I'll have to feed standard sync timings to my CRTs anyway..

[orange808]

Maybe? I'm not so eager to test that since I'll have to feed standard sync timings to my CRTs anyway..

I see the logic there. Just hoping to verify that pushing the pixel clock to its limit is creating the issue.

For people that use the HDFury to feed a digital display or capture card, the reduced blanking trick could be a good workaround. If it's a significant improvement, it might even be worth asking for a reduced blanking output mode from the OSSC. I imagine there are lots of people using HDFury to get access to the only low lag option on their digital display.

I've only owned one CRT that could handle 1080p, but I'm sure there are lots of them out there. For those displays, we'll have to keep looking.

Hopefully, the OSSC 2.0 or the Wolf edition will give us native analog RGB from the OSSC and end some of this heartache.

[Xer Xian]

I think the user base of these DACs is made up of CRT enthusiasts mostly. But you have a point.

I read that the CVT-RB standard for 1080p has a pixel clock of 2080 * 1111 * 59.934 = 138.5MHz. Luckily the CII saved me the trouble to input custom timings, since under "Fixed Resolution" there's a second 1080p pre-set available that is even less bandwidth-consuming at 131.74MHz. The Nano GX still had trouble with it though: http://image.ibb.co/crwDQR/Vert_Lines_RB.jpg

Btw, if by chance anyone is now thinking of dumping their HDFury's - these test patterns are specifically made for 'stress-testing' displays/equipment. Under normal usage scenarios you will be unlikely to experience such major issues.

[BazookaBen]

I played a few games at 2048x1536@60hz on a Nano GX and GTX 1080 and they looked good. Only a couple times would I notice the ringing, like when looking at a building against a blue sky.

So yeah, it works, it looks pretty good most of the time, but it's also disappointing there's no perfect solution out there. I mean, the 400mHz RAMDAC's on your typical video card seem to do pretty well, but I bet under scrutiny there would be some faults there too.

[Hoagtech]

I would like to know how to input a Nintendo switch into an OSSC and output to an analog monitor.

I tried using a DAC on the d sub input and another DAC on the dvi output but couldn't get an image.

I even tried changing the output of the switch to 480p to no avail.

Has anyone successful overcome this scenario?

[BazookaBen]

I would like to know how to input a Nintendo switch into an OSSC and output to an analog monitor.

I tried using a DAC on the d sub input and another DAC on the dvi output but couldn't get an image.

I even tried changing the output of the switch to 480p to no avail.

Has anyone successful overcome this scenario?

Why do you need to send the switch to OSSC? Why not straight to the DAC?

I send 1080p from my Switch directly to an HD Fury 1.

EDIT: Oh wait, do you think the VGA port is an output on the OSSC? That's an input.

[Hoagtech]

I would like to know how to input a Nintendo switch into an OSSC and output to an analog monitor.

I tried using a DAC on the d sub input and another DAC on the dvi output but couldn't get an image.

I even tried changing the output of the switch to 480p to no avail.

Has anyone successful overcome this scenario?

Why do you need to send the switch to OSSC? Why not straight to the DAC?

I send 1080p from my Switch directly to an HD Fury 1.

EDIT: Oh wait, do you think the VGA port is an output on the OSSC? That's an input.

I wanted to use the scan line features of the OSSC and other features.

The switch also has neo Geo virtual console that could use a SLG.

Also my switch doesn't show a picture when directly connected to the DAC.

I tried using the Tendak and Gofanko

[orange808]

I would like to know how to input a Nintendo switch into an OSSC and output to an analog monitor.

I tried using a DAC on the d sub input and another DAC on the dvi output but couldn't get an image.

I even tried changing the output of the switch to 480p to no avail.

Has anyone successful overcome this scenario?

Why do you need to send the switch to OSSC? Why not straight to the DAC?

I send 1080p from my Switch directly to an HD Fury 1.

EDIT: Oh wait, do you think the VGA port is an output on the OSSC? That's an input.

I wanted to use the scan line features of the OSSC and other features.

The switch also has neo Geo virtual console that could use a SLG.

Also my switch doesn't show a picture when directly connected to the DAC.

I tried using the Tendak and Gofanko

Works fine with my DAC setup. Turn off match TV power state.

Switch 480p/720p -> HDFury Gamer 2 RGBHV -> OSSC -> HDFury Nano GX -> CRT

I don't have a 1080p capable CRT monitor anymore to test with, but it's safe to assume 1080p would work as well.

[fafangus]

I use a NanoGx with my 31k crt, I haven't noticied any crush...Maybe (I should) I have to do a face off test with 2 or 3 of this adaptators :p

[Xer Xian]

Fafangus - you have a CII, right? You could try and see if you get the same issue. With the CII set to output 1080p, just go under System -> Test patterns -> Vertical lines into the Nano GX. If you don't have a CRT that supports 1080p, you can go Nano -> OSSC -> digital display.

[peteyboy]

Has anyone ever gotten color depth upscaling (16-235 -> 0-255) working with an HD Fury (X3)? It doesn't seem to do anything.

Edit: The device actually only expands YUV HDMI signals, not RGB Limited. Theoretically they could do a firmware update to do the latter as well, but it looks like the product is no longer supported.

[Khael85]

Hello, anyone knows if 240p passthrough from OSSC is handled properly by Tendak hdmi to vga converter? Thanks

[Gunstar]

Hello, anyone knows if 240p passthrough from OSSC is handled properly by Tendak hdmi to vga converter? Thanks

I didn't have an LCD screen to test on so tried with a PVM (MegaDrive>OSSC>Tendak>VGA to BNC cable>PVM)

It seems to pass through the image okay although the rolling, I'm assuming, is happening as a result of the sync not being combined and should be fine through an Extron RGB or a Sync circuit of sorts. Hopefully, someone can confirm for sure.


Danster5 has kindly tested another Tendak DAC, a cheaper model that looks like a Startech HD2VGAE2:


-$8 (current price on amazon.com)
-No power required

Didn't work for him so not recommended.

I got my adapter, however when I plug it into my HDMI port on my graphics card the monitor blinks between my desktop and a black screen.

I still need to update the OP with Xer Xian's wonderful testing of HDFurys along with Blair's recommendations. Thanks to everyone in this thread!