Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

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Tempest_2084
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Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by Tempest_2084 »

Ok, it's obvious to me now that my crappy CSY-2100 clone isn't going to cut it with my new TV so now I'm in the market for a new RGB to YUV converter. I see that the best two choices at the moment are the Shinybow 2840 and the Retrotek SCBV1P3. From what I read Shinybow was the gold standard for a long time and the Retrotek model had a green tint issue on early versions (which I assume has been fixed by now). So assuming price isn't an issue (they're close enough anyway), which one is the best as of this moment?
Dochartaigh
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by Dochartaigh »

Retrotek doesn't say it explicitly on his eBay post, but I thought those don't do 480p? Or is my memory failing me? Shinybow does 480p as well so more futureproof...
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Tempest_2084
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by Tempest_2084 »

Dochartaigh wrote:Retrotek doesn't say it explicitly on his eBay post, but I thought those don't do 480p? Or is my memory failing me? Shinybow does 480p as well so more futureproof...
My TV doesn't do 480P so that's not an issue for me.
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by Dochartaigh »

Yes, but future proofing it good. Why buy a unit with less features? You might want to do the same on some other set, on another monitor, on another TV.
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Tempest_2084
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by Tempest_2084 »

True enough I suppose. But what I'm looking for right now is build quality (I'm going to be unplugging and plugging in that SCART cable a lot) and picture quality.
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Hoagtech
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by Hoagtech »

Tempest_2084 wrote:Ok, it's obvious to me now that my crappy CSY-2100 clone isn't going to cut it with my new TV so now I'm in the market for a new RGB to YUV converter. I see that the best two choices at the moment are the Shinybow 2840 and the Retrotek SCBV1P3. From what I read Shinybow was the gold standard for a long time and the Retrotek model had a green tint issue on early versions (which I assume has been fixed by now). So assuming price isn't an issue (they're close enough anyway), which one is the best as of this moment?
I prefer the CSY 2100. (not clone)

I have 2. PM me if your interested.
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Tempest_2084
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by Tempest_2084 »

Hoagtech wrote:
Tempest_2084 wrote:Ok, it's obvious to me now that my crappy CSY-2100 clone isn't going to cut it with my new TV so now I'm in the market for a new RGB to YUV converter. I see that the best two choices at the moment are the Shinybow 2840 and the Retrotek SCBV1P3. From what I read Shinybow was the gold standard for a long time and the Retrotek model had a green tint issue on early versions (which I assume has been fixed by now). So assuming price isn't an issue (they're close enough anyway), which one is the best as of this moment?
I prefer the CSY 2100. (not clone)

I have 2. PM me if your interested.
Why so? I thought the Shinybow was considered way better than the CSY-2100 (the real one)?
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Hoagtech
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by Hoagtech »

Tempest_2084 wrote:
Hoagtech wrote:
Tempest_2084 wrote:Ok, it's obvious to me now that my crappy CSY-2100 clone isn't going to cut it with my new TV so now I'm in the market for a new RGB to YUV converter. I see that the best two choices at the moment are the Shinybow 2840 and the Retrotek SCBV1P3. From what I read Shinybow was the gold standard for a long time and the Retrotek model had a green tint issue on early versions (which I assume has been fixed by now). So assuming price isn't an issue (they're close enough anyway), which one is the best as of this moment?
I prefer the CSY 2100. (not clone)

I have 2. PM me if your interested.
Why so? I thought the Shinybow was considered way better than the CSY-2100 (the real one)?
I missed with the clones for awhile and my picture was still terrible.

The factory color calibrations of the CSY 2100 are perfect.

I can’t say I have experience with the shiny bow but the CSY works great for me.
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maxtherabbit
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by maxtherabbit »

I have no experience with it, but this looks interesting

https://www.ebay.com/itm/RGB-SCART-to-Y ... 3545172405
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Tempest_2084
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by Tempest_2084 »

maxtherabbit wrote:I have no experience with it, but this looks interesting

https://www.ebay.com/itm/RGB-SCART-to-Y ... 3545172405
Interesting. Looks a bit bare bones though. I'd have to find a case or something to put it in.
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by nmalinoski »

maxtherabbit wrote:I have no experience with it, but this looks interesting

https://www.ebay.com/itm/RGB-SCART-to-Y ... 3545172405
I messaged the seller about supported resolutions and got this reply:
It's set up for SD resolutions, so 480i/240p / 576i/288p.
The conversion is high enough bandwidth for HD resolutions, but the sync separator isn't. I'm considering doing a VGA in variant later that could do up to 1080i/720p and similar.
So, if you need 480p, I would think the ShinyBow is still the best option for now; although I imagine the majority use case is connecting RGBS-capable consoles to USDM SD CRTs that have YPbPr inputs but not RGB inputs, in which case the best choice might as well be that transcoder you linked at $50 USD shipped, maybe add a few dollars for some craft supplies to make a dust shield. :) The Retrotek is going to be ~$85 shipped, and the ShinyBow is going to be $75-$105 sans shipping.
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maxtherabbit
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by maxtherabbit »

nmalinoski wrote:
maxtherabbit wrote:I have no experience with it, but this looks interesting

https://www.ebay.com/itm/RGB-SCART-to-Y ... 3545172405
I messaged the seller about supported resolutions and got this reply:
It's set up for SD resolutions, so 480i/240p / 576i/288p.
The conversion is high enough bandwidth for HD resolutions, but the sync separator isn't. I'm considering doing a VGA in variant later that could do up to 1080i/720p and similar.
So, if you need 480p, I would think the ShinyBow is still the best option for now; although I imagine the majority use case is connecting RGBS-capable consoles to USDM SD CRTs that have YPbPr inputs but not RGB inputs, in which case the best choice might as well be that transcoder you linked at $50 USD shipped, maybe add a few dollars for some craft supplies to make a dust shield. :) The Retrotek is going to be ~$85 shipped, and the ShinyBow is going to be $75-$105 sans shipping.
hmm short sighted of him to use an 1881? or whatever it is instead of the lmh1980
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by nmalinoski »

maxtherabbit wrote:
nmalinoski wrote:
maxtherabbit wrote:I have no experience with it, but this looks interesting

https://www.ebay.com/itm/RGB-SCART-to-Y ... 3545172405
I messaged the seller about supported resolutions and got this reply:
It's set up for SD resolutions, so 480i/240p / 576i/288p.
The conversion is high enough bandwidth for HD resolutions, but the sync separator isn't. I'm considering doing a VGA in variant later that could do up to 1080i/720p and similar.
So, if you need 480p, I would think the ShinyBow is still the best option for now; although I imagine the majority use case is connecting RGBS-capable consoles to USDM SD CRTs that have YPbPr inputs but not RGB inputs, in which case the best choice might as well be that transcoder you linked at $50 USD shipped, maybe add a few dollars for some craft supplies to make a dust shield. :) The Retrotek is going to be ~$85 shipped, and the ShinyBow is going to be $75-$105 sans shipping.
hmm short sighted of him to use an 1881? or whatever it is instead of the lmh1980
Possibly. Or it was popular at the time of design. Or, being New Zealand, it could've been an availability issue. Or something else entirely. :)
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Tempest_2084
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by Tempest_2084 »

What's the picture/color quality like with the Shinybow compared to the Retrotek?
Roboplodicus
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by Roboplodicus »

The shinybow had image degradation for me the retrotek didn't give me any of that although I think I might know why. My set up is a RGB moded N64 with TIm worthingtons board using a luma sync cable from retrogamingcables.uk and I got very noticeable image degradation from the shinybow, I think it might be because I was using luma sync although I didn't have another cable to test to be sure at the time, I even sent it back and got a second unit just to make sure. The retrotek converter worked well for me on the other hand. I think it might have had something to do with me using luma for sync but I'm not sure. The build quality of the shinybow is definitely better though it comes in a metal case the retrotek comes in a plastic one and the scart plug is not a very tight fit.
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by bobrocks95 »

The negative reviews mentioning the green tint made me a little wary of the Retrotek- presumably it's been fixed, but I'd like to find a forum post or some kind of acknowledgment from the creator about what went wrong and how it's been fixed in current revisions.

You have a very negative review like this (from someone who then went and bought a Shinybow 2840) and then a single Reddit comment from a since deleted account that says:
For anyone who has had this issue, it's a known issue with older revisions of the converter. I got a hold of Fusionz (the guy who makes them) on eBay and he has offered to fix it for me if I send it in to him.
So what was the actual issue and why am I reading about a fix from a reddit commenter and not Fusionz?

EDIT: Found another post about it on shmups, it does seem to be fixed, but I think Bahn Yuki is the only person I've confirmed as having a well working one? And I'd still prefer to know what the problem was and how it's been addressed. Maybe I'm just being anal about it though.
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by RGB0b »

I'll soon be releasing a video I shot comparing different RGB to component converters. Most of the footage is shot, I just need about a day's worth of editing, so who know's when I'll actually get to it ;/ In the video, we found the Shinybow to perform the best. The clone converters with the POT's on the inside can be tweaked with a scope and they're not terrible. Unfortunately, you can't just swap the POT's for resistors with another owner's calculated correct value, you'd need to manually tweak each individual unit. I still need to test a Key Digital converter and maybe one other, but overall those two look like the best choices.

The Retrotek Fusion performed so badly that I removed all links to it on my site. I emailed the creator to make sure I had the newest version and to see if he had any comments, but never heard back. To be clear: Electrically speaking, the Fusion is perfectly safe and will not harm any of your equipment...it just performs badly. If it's currently working "good enough" for you, keep using it. If you're looking to buy a new one, get something else (assuming the design was never updated).
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by maxtherabbit »

just a thought, it would be a bit hacky and tricky, but the $50 ebay transcoder I linked should work perfectly with any resolution if you remove and bypass the sync stripper on board and only feed it CSYNC
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by bobrocks95 »

That's a shame about the Retrotek. I was hoping to get the VGA one so I could simplify my setup. I'm stuck with 3 adapters to get from VGA to SCART, a straight VGA cable would have been nice.
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by RGB0b »

maxtherabbit wrote:just a thought, it would be a bit hacky and tricky, but the $50 ebay transcoder I linked should work perfectly with any resolution if you remove and bypass the sync stripper on board and only feed it CSYNC
If someone in the US has one, I can try to test it. LOL, I seem to have a history of borrowing stuff and reviewing it six months later though. I'm trying really hard to get better about that, but no promises... :)
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by orange808 »

+1 on the Shinybow

IMHO, the much older and harder to find Kramer RGB to component units are the best Shinybow alternatives, but the Shinybow looks great and it can be easily purchased, brand new, with a manufacturer (and vendor) warranty.

No hunting for a unit. No waiting for one to show up. No auctions. The Shinybow isn't used gear.

What's not to love?
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by Tempest_2084 »

orange808 wrote:+1 on the Shinybow

IMHO, the much older and harder to find Kramer RGB to component units are the best Shinybow alternatives, but the Shinybow looks great and it can be easily purchased, brand new, with a manufacturer (and vendor) warranty.

No hunting for a unit. No waiting for one to show up. No auctions. The Shinybow isn't used gear.

What's not to love?
Yeah that's what I just ended up ordering. We'll see how good my TV looks with it.
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by Hoagtech »

I would really like to find a component RGB transcoder that outputs at 480p.

The only problem I ran into with my CSY is that it outputs at 240p and wont allow to me use scanline generators.

LCD sets have bad luck interpreting 240p as 480 i and support 480p properly.
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by nmalinoski »

Hoagtech wrote:I would really like to find a component RGB transcoder that outputs at 480p.
By "component RGB transcoder", do you mean YPbPr to RGB? Yeah, I don't think there are any readily-available, all-in-one devices that do that; especially in the US, where going RGB->YPbPr makes more sense, because the displays here never widely supported any kind of RGB.

You're probably going to have to get something like an OSSC, a Portta or Tendak active HDMI to VGA converter, and then, if you need RGBS instead of RGBHV, an RGB interface like the Extron 201/202/203 rxi.
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by cyborc »

I use the Retrotek VGA to component Transcoder and it works great. I used to own a Kramer FC-14 and the quality of the retrotek is very close, if not identical. It supports 240p up to 1080i. I've only tested it with 240 and 480p.

Here's a picture of it in action (please excuse the overscan) https://i.imgur.com/69F0pZa.jpg

I had to use a different power supply because the included one didn't work. The seller doesn't seem to respond to messages.

I've never used the retrotek scart to component converter but that seems to be the one that has problems. Bob, which version did you test?
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by Tempest_2084 »

Ok I got my Shinybow this weekend and I hooked it up. The quality is great, all the colors look right without adjustment, just as advertised. The only strange thing is the sound. I can hear it, but it's very weak and adjusting the volume on my TV does nothing. Does the sound out of the Shinybow need to be amped? If so what kind of speakers do I need? Will powered computer speakers work?
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orange808
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by orange808 »

I don't remember any issues with audio, but I admit I don't have a Shinybow hooked up right now.

Regardless, you can use one of those Chinese SCART passthrough plugs (with RCA plugs) to tap audio before the Shinybow.
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Tempest_2084
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by Tempest_2084 »

I figured it out. I had the wires plugged into the external input jack and not the regular inputs on my TV. It works just fine now. My only issue is that the image gets cut off a bit at the bottom of the screen. However I dont see a way to adjust the screen size on my TV.
Last edited by Tempest_2084 on Mon Oct 01, 2018 7:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Dochartaigh
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by Dochartaigh »

My two 2840's (only have one now) also passed through audio no problem.

Also, if you're running this through something like an Extron Crosspoint switcher be sure to put a resistor on the RGBS (the "S" sync line) when running it to the Shinybow or you could damage it over time (I confirmed with them it does NOT take TTL level sync which the Crosspoint will output on all sync lines).
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Re: Shinybow 2840 vs Retrotek SCBV1P3

Post by Go-Kyo »

I recently ordered the Retrotek (SCBV1P3) from Fusion I was torn between this or the Shinybow. I was asking around and was recommended the Retrotek was the way to go my CSY-2100 clone from Specialty-AV no longer sync correctly I wasn't to sure if it was the unit itself but later found out it may have been a bad power adapter. After some testing and unplugging the power adapter one of the prong's was stuck in the power outlet so I am only to assume it was the adapter itself but I had already ordered the Retrotek.

I'm browsing threads and trying to get all the information on the retrotek and at the moment it seems mixed. Another reason I went ahead and went the retrotek route is the eBay listing location out of California I'm just a state away in Nevada so I figured the turn around wouldn't be so bad but this is not the case I placed an order on the 23rd of this month waited 3 days later to see if it would ship, no conformation so I decided to send a message in regards and just today I finally go an answer.

Seem like Fusion is low on parts and is waiting on orders so if you guy's recently bought one from him be prepared for a little delay (My unit should be shipped sometime early next week). And I'll will keep you guy's posted on my thoughts on the product.
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