Mega Drive output to HDMI ?

[IronGiant]

What's the best (and not too expensive!) way to connect a Sega Mega Drive to an HDMI input on a modern LCD TV ?

An RGB cable with an RGB to HDMI adapter, or a cable specifically designed to connect from the Mega Drive to the HDMI input?

[nmalinoski]

"Best" and "not too expensive" are conflicting data points when it comes to retro gaming AV quality. If your budget is tight, you're going to have to compromise.

The best output you can get from the Genesis/Mega Drive is RGB. The best ways to get that RGB to HDMI are with either an OSSC (~$220 USD) or a Framemeister (~$335 USD) depending on your preference for low lag and lower price or scaling control and deinterlacing respectively, plus a shielded coax SCART cable ($25-$45 USD depending on length and level of shielding).

The other popular HDMI converter is the recent RetroTINK 2X (~$100 USD), but, unfortunately, it doesn't do RGB; so you would need HD Retrovision's Genesis cable ($60 USD) to connect it to the RT2X, or you would need an RGB SCART cable, a set of RCA cables (<$10 USD), and one of these transcoders ($50 USD).

[citrus3000psi]

If your TV does component and 240p, this would be the cheapest+best way.

To step up to HDMI you will have to spend quite a bit more.

[maxtherabbit]

anything that's NOT this piece of shit

[IronGiant]

Thanks for the replies.

I was in a hurry when I wrote my first message and I should have said that I'm asking on behalf of somebody I know who wants to connect up his MD to his LCD TV. Besides the normal RF aerial input the TV apparently only has HDMI inputs. With the RF input he gets a really messed up picture (it may just need some fine tuning) so I was wondering about HDMI input methods.

He's going to let me know the make and model of the TV and hopefully we can find a better solution. I'll report back when I know more but I least I can now tell him that HDMI might not be feasible unless he wants to spend quite a bit of money.

[maxtherabbit]

if HDMI is the only option tell him to get a retrotink2x, it's 100bux

he can use a cheap composite cable while he saves up a little more to get a HDRV component cable for 60

[nmalinoski]

Besides the normal RF aerial input the TV apparently only has HDMI inputs. With the RF input he gets a really messed up picture (it may just need some fine tuning) so I was wondering about HDMI input methods.

RF is really the worst possible way you can connect consoles to TVs; the image will be severely degraded. MLiG's RGB 103 is only about 12 and a half minutes long and demonstrates the differences between the different video formats used by consoles. I don't recall if they cover RF, but take a look at their visuals for composite video, which crams luminance, color data, and sync onto a single cable, and then additionally toss in a mono audio channel, and that's RF. :/

[tjstogy]

I’d try talking him into a CRT, unless he has a bunch of cash to do it “right” on an hdtv. Even then, crt is better IMO. Oh and don’t get an “HD ready” CRT either- they will process the mega drive as 480i and it will look like doodie. You want one with component input, non-hd ready. Careful, some 4:3 crts were hd ready (not just the 16:9 ones). There was a small window where these were made, but they’re still easily found for free-$50 on Craigslist.
From here, hook it up however you want for starters. Rf, composite... whatever you have. It will look much better on crt than through hdtv (without owning the additional equipment) and you won’t have lag.
Afterwards:
If mega drive is the only console you’re interested in, use hd retrovision component cables.
If you anticipate more than one system, get scart cables and a scart to component transcoder, and then a scart switch down the road.
The rabbit hole can be deep. Good luck.

[Makinx]

I’d try talking him into a CRT, unless he has a bunch of cash to do it “right” on an hdtv. Even then, crt is better IMO. Oh and don’t get an “HD ready” CRT either- they will process the mega drive as 480i and it will look like doodie. You want one with component input, non-hd ready. Careful, some 4:3 crts were hd ready (not just the 16:9 ones). There was a small window where these were made, but they’re still easily found for free-$50 on Craigslist.
From here, hook it up however you want for starters. Rf, composite... whatever you have. It will look much better on crt than through hdtv (without owning the additional equipment) and you won’t have lag.
Afterwards:
If mega drive is the only console you’re interested in, use hd retrovision component cables.
If you anticipate more than one system, get scart cables and a scart to component transcoder, and then a scart switch down the road.
The rabbit hole can be deep. Good luck.

You're giving this advice to a European. As such, it doesn't really make sense. Crt tv's here rarely came with component inputs (certainly not non-HD crt's), but almost always with RGB scart inputs. Transcoding scart to component or getting an HD retrovision cable is therefore an unnecessary waste of money. Also, Craigslist is pretty useless here.

[tjstogy]

Get off your high horse, bud. My recommendation would be to find a crt that properly processes 240p, and if you’re in Europe- use a scart cable (but you already knew that). If Craigslist doesn’t exist in Europe, I’m sure something similar does.

I’d try talking him into a CRT, unless he has a bunch of cash to do it “right” on an hdtv. Even then, crt is better IMO. Oh and don’t get an “HD ready” CRT either- they will process the mega drive as 480i and it will look like doodie. You want one with component input, non-hd ready. Careful, some 4:3 crts were hd ready (not just the 16:9 ones). There was a small window where these were made, but they’re still easily found for free-$50 on Craigslist.
From here, hook it up however you want for starters. Rf, composite... whatever you have. It will look much better on crt than through hdtv (without owning the additional equipment) and you won’t have lag.
Afterwards:
If mega drive is the only console you’re interested in, use hd retrovision component cables.
If you anticipate more than one system, get scart cables and a scart to component transcoder, and then a scart switch down the road.
The rabbit hole can be deep. Good luck.

You're giving this advice to a European. As such, it doesn't really make sense. Crt tv's here rarely came with component inputs (certainly not non-HD crt's), but almost always with RGB scart inputs. Transcoding scart to component or getting an HD retrovision cable is therefore an unnecessary waste of money. Also, Craigslist is pretty useless here.

[maxtherabbit]

last I checked brits don't really consider themselves european anyway

[Makinx]

Get off your high horse, bud. My recommendation would be to find a crt that properly processes 240p, and if you’re in Europe- use a scart cable (but you already knew that). If Craigslist doesn’t exist in Europe, I’m sure something similar does.

I meant no offense. Just didn't want the guy to run out and buy component stuff when he can do without.
Craigslist does exist here actually. I just couldn't find any crt tv's listed on it. It's not as big and useful as it is in the US.

last I checked brits don't really consider themselves european anyway

Very true. Doesn't change the fact that they are though, at least geographically.

[BuckoA51]

last I checked brits don't really consider themselves european anyway

A great many of us do, thank you very much, please don't tar us all with the same brush.