WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

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BuckoA51
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by BuckoA51 »

I have this board in my original launch Wii, but unfortunately I'm not aware of any source for a preassembled ready-to-install version.
I should probably look into making a batch of those, most people just want HDMI out and don't even need the analogue so, yeah.

I'll see if I can contact the designer.
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vol.2
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by vol.2 »

GeneraLight wrote: Hopefully not. It's pretty easy to update the WiiDual's firmware now.
My assumption is that the RGB functionality might be left off to reduce complexity and cost. They will sell more of them if they are easier to install and cheaper.

As for the scaling, you can take the lossless digital 480p picture and scale it to whatever you want with a dedicated scaler already.
Well, yeah, I was just hunting for a new "feature" and scaling options is the only thing I could imagine.
fernan1234
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by fernan1234 »

I remember the idea with the WiiDigital was that it could fully replace the WiiDual's analogue output also since the digital output could be set to the original unscaled video, which then can be converted to analogue RGB with an HDMI to VGA dongle.

Which makes me wish the PS1/2Digital and DCHDMI could do the same, so people can use them on 15khz or multisync CRTs but with clean RGB + digital audio (extracting the digital audio from the HDMI output before the DAC).
bahamutfan64
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by bahamutfan64 »

Can’t you just transcode the 480p (or 480i) over HDMI to component with an external converter?
nmalinoski
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by nmalinoski »

bahamutfan64 wrote:Can’t you just transcode the 480p (or 480i) over HDMI to component with an external converter?
Yes; 240p as well.
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BuckoA51
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by BuckoA51 »

I remember the idea with the WiiDigital was that it could fully replace the WiiDual's analogue output also since the digital output could be set to the original unscaled video, which then can be converted to analogue RGB with an HDMI to VGA dongle.
Of course you can do this, just the Wii Dual has that bit more flexibility of dual output and doesn't require a converter. Finding a good HDMI to VGA converter isn't always easy especially as they don't seem to be consistent, at least at the budget end of the market.
Which makes me wish the PS1/2Digital and DCHDMI could do the same, so people can use them on 15khz or multisync CRTs but with clean RGB + digital audio (extracting the digital audio from the HDMI output before the DAC).
This is how I usually use my DCHDMI and it works fine, even with light guns. I believe some HDMI to VGA converters won't pass through interlace and/or 240p though.
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by fernan1234 »

BuckoA51 wrote:This is how I usually use my DCHDMI and it works fine, even with light guns. I believe some HDMI to VGA converters won't pass through interlace and/or 240p though.
Really? I thought the DCHDMI could only do 480p and above. Was that added in a recent firmware? If so, that's great news, and hopefully gets implemented in the other Digital products as well.

And yeah, cheap HDMI-VGA dongles have become hit or miss. At least experimenting with a bunch doesn't cost too much, or one can always go with something reliable but more expensive like an HDFury.
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by nmalinoski »

fernan1234 wrote:
BuckoA51 wrote:This is how I usually use my DCHDMI and it works fine, even with light guns. I believe some HDMI to VGA converters won't pass through interlace and/or 240p though.
Really? I thought the DCHDMI could only do 480p and above. Was that added in a recent firmware? If so, that's great news, and hopefully gets implemented in the other Digital products as well.

And yeah, cheap HDMI-VGA dongles have become hit or miss. At least experimenting with a bunch doesn't cost too much, or one can always go with something reliable but more expensive like an HDFury.
I believe what BuckoA51 was saying is that he uses an HDMI to VGA converter for 480p light gun usage. You are correct that the DCHDMI doesn't output 15kHz; the smallest option for output resolution is 640x480.

If you want to use your Dreamcast on a 15kHz-only CRT, your best bet is to use the native analogue output (composite, S-Video, RGB, or RGB into something like an RGB2COMP).
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by fernan1234 »

nmalinoski wrote:I believe what BuckoA51 was saying is that he uses an HDMI to VGA converter for 480p light gun usage. You are correct that the DCHDMI doesn't output 15kHz; the smallest option for output resolution is 640x480.

If you want to use your Dreamcast on a 15kHz-only CRT, your best bet is to use the native analogue output (composite, S-Video, RGB, or RGB into something like an RGB2COMP).
Oh I see. Yes I get RGBHV @ 15khz from the Dreamcast's analogue output (and combine it into RGBS with an Extron unit for my monitor), but it would be nice to get that plus clean digital audio at the same time.

In fact that's already possible with the WiiDual, which can output 15khz compatible signals from the HDMI output. If all the other digital mods for the other consoles could do this it would be great, and would replace the need for any "Dual" mods at all, since even for streaming and capture one only needs to use an HDMI splitter, with one output going into a competent DAC/sync combiner and the other going into the capture device.
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by Unseen »

fernan1234 wrote:Yes I get RGBHV @ 15khz from the Dreamcast's analogue output (and combine it into RGBS with an Extron unit for my monitor), but it would be nice to get that plus clean digital audio at the same time.
Couldn't you use an SPDIF mod for the Dreamcast and the standard analog video output to achieve that goal?
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by fernan1234 »

Unseen wrote:Couldn't you use an SPDIF mod for the Dreamcast and the standard analog video output to achieve that goal?
Yes, but in my own setup that wouldn't be ideal because I prefer to get all digital video/audio sources via HDMI into an HDMI matrix and extract a single SPDIF out from there into my amplifier, rather than having to manually switch SPDIF connections or add an SPDIF switch.

But more importantly I think adding 15khz support to the digital products like the DCHDMI, PS1Digital, and upcoming WiiDigital would make them allrounders, usable for all cases with a single device/mod: digital displays, SD CRTs, digital audio, and streaming/capture.
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by nmalinoski »

fernan1234 wrote:
Unseen wrote:Couldn't you use an SPDIF mod for the Dreamcast and the standard analog video output to achieve that goal?
Yes, but in my own setup that wouldn't be ideal because I prefer to get all digital video/audio sources via HDMI into an HDMI matrix and extract a single SPDIF out from there into my amplifier, rather than having to manually switch SPDIF connections or add an SPDIF switch.

But more importantly I think adding 15khz support to the digital products like the DCHDMI, PS1Digital, and upcoming WiiDigital would make them allrounders, usable for all cases with a single device/mod: digital displays, SD CRTs, digital audio, and streaming/capture.
The DCDigital doesn't preclude use of the analogue video output. You could do what you do now for video (analogue RGB), then send HDMI output to your receiver for audio.
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by fernan1234 »

nmalinoski wrote:The DCDigital doesn't preclude use of the analogue video output. You could do what you do now for video (analogue RGB), then send HDMI output to your receiver for audio.
True, I'm just thinking toward the future and how nice it would be as more digital-to-digital projects arise for various systems, it would be great to get rid of console-specific RGB cables and analogue switches, and instead use HDMI cables for all of them, only needing a single analogue cable or adapter at the end of the chain.
arrghus8
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by arrghus8 »

Hello,

I recently changed my WiiDual install to send CSYNC to Data Pin 15. It was previously sent to Composite Video, and the three SMD components on the composite video line were removed per Dan's instructions (highlighted blue in this image: https://i.imgur.com/o9hXA7A.png).

I'd like to re-enable composite video by replacing the components, so was wondering if anyone knew what each one was.

Thanks!
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Syntax
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by Syntax »

You could buy a broken wii for less than the price you would pay for those bits new and the headache of finding the values. Salvage them. Super tiny and hard to do.
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vol.2
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by vol.2 »

Syntax wrote:You could buy a broken wii for less than the price you would pay for those bits new and the headache of finding the values. Salvage them. Super tiny and hard to do.
Which bits are you talking about? Isn't that just two ceramic caps and a fixed inductor? Like $1 plus $4 shipping on mouser, no?
Also, you could probably get larger components and tack them to the pads to make install easier than the tiny-ass parts on a donor wii (and you also have to desolder them without the parts getting lost in a blob)
mario64
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by mario64 »

Anyone familiar with Samsung QLED “game enhancer”?

The reason I ask is that I’ve noticed it causes screen tearing on both my GCdual and WiiDual. Haven’t noticed issues with any other systems though and it does seem to improve picture quality a bit. Just curious what it does and why it would cause screen tearing. Thanks
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awe444
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by awe444 »

vol.2 wrote:
Link83 wrote:
vol.2 wrote:I haven't put my WiiDual back together in it's case yet because I was thinking there might be another firmware update.


Is it possible there will be, or should I just go ahead and put the thing back in it's case already?

Thanks
The latest GCVideo 3.0e update was released just last week and supports software updates using .dol files (Assuming you have a way of running homebrew) So if you have already updated to Dan's WiiDual 3.0e release using an external programmer, then there probably isn't much of a reason reason to keep your system disassembled.
No, I haven't done that update. Thanks for telling me. This is basically what I've been waiting for. So, basically, after this update, I can just button it up and any future ones I can do with an SD card, right?
Just wanted to bump this question that was asked a while back in this thread and never directly answered, as I am having my WiiDual board installed and want to check on the latest status. Is there a software-updatable (v3+) version of GCVideo compatible with the WiiDual yet? Or is the WiiDual still on v2.4 for one reason or another? Thanks!

Edit: Found info on the GitHub release page (mentioned in the quote) which pretty obviously implies that yes the WiiDual has homebrew-updatable functionality in v3.0e. Guess that answers that!
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by Link83 »

awe444 wrote:Just wanted to bump this question that was asked a while back in this thread and never directly answered, as I am having my WiiDual board installed and want to check on the latest status. Is there a software-updatable (v3+) version of GCVideo compatible with the WiiDual yet? Or is the WiiDual still on v2.4 for one reason or another? Thanks!

Edit: Found info on the GitHub release page (mentioned in the quote) which pretty obviously implies that yes the WiiDual has homebrew-updatable functionality in v3.0e. Guess that answers that!
Yes the WiiDual has a 3.0e firmware release directly from Dan (The WiiDual creator):-
http://dansprojects.com/firmware/WiiDual/
If your WiiDual was purchased from the final production run (Last few months) then your WiiDual should already have the latest 3.0e firmware preinstalled. If your WiiDual is from an older production batch, then you will likely need an external programmer to update the firmware.
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by bahamutfan64 »

I've been trying to upgrade to the latest firmware with a ch341a programmer but I keep getting a "File length beyond range of will be ignored" error message. I can still proceed with the flash, but that results in the Wii displaying in black and white with a corrupt firmware error message.

Anyone has any ideas?

EDIT: Flashing back to 2.4c.2 works perfectly - no error messages from the ch341a programmer or from the actual Wii. So it's only an issue when trying to flash 3.0c, 3.0d, or 30e.

EDIT 2: Nevermind, I figured it out - the Type, Manu, and Name parameters within CH341A.exe weren't the same as per Dan's installation video https://youtu.be/RSG9kC6o0G0?t=799
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awe444
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by awe444 »

Link83 wrote:Yes the WiiDual has a 3.0e firmware release directly from Dan (The WiiDual creator):-
http://dansprojects.com/firmware/WiiDual/
If your WiiDual was purchased from the final production run (Last few months) then your WiiDual should already have the latest 3.0e firmware preinstalled. If your WiiDual is from an older production batch, then you will likely need an external programmer to update the firmware.
Thanks for clarifying, much appreciated! Yes mine’s from the last batch so that makes things a whole lot simpler. And now I know where to look for future updates :)
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by Joelepain »

Hello,

I have a Carby v2 for some time now, and I was finally able to upgrade its firmware to 3.0e. I noticed there some new settings since v3.0 and I would like you to clarify something for me :

If I disable the chroma interpolation and I set the output to YCbCr 4:2:2 and I set all the picture ajustements to 0, is the video data left absolutely untouched and sent bit for bit perfect to the output ? Or does some conversion still happening ?
My final concern is that I'm using a vp50pro to deinterlace and upscale the picture, and knowing it internally process in YCbCr 4:2:2 format, is it worth it to change the output of the gcvideo to this setting, or just stick to regular RGB Full range 4:4:4 ?
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by Extrems »

Joelepain wrote:If I disable the chroma interpolation and I set the output to YCbCr 4:2:2 and I set all the picture ajustements to 0, is the video data left absolutely untouched and sent bit for bit perfect to the output ?
Yes, and chroma interpolation has no effect in this mode.
Joelepain wrote:My final concern is that I'm using a vp50pro to deinterlace and upscale the picture, and knowing it internally process in YCbCr 4:2:2 format, is it worth it to change the output of the gcvideo to this setting, or just stick to regular RGB Full range 4:4:4 ?
Possibly. You'd have to test it. There's no reason to use RGB if you can avoid it.
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by Unseen »

Joelepain wrote:If I disable the chroma interpolation and I set the output to YCbCr 4:2:2 and I set all the picture ajustements to 0, is the video data left absolutely untouched and sent bit for bit perfect to the output ?
No, the data is reshuffled and padded to 12 bits per component to conform with the required data layout. Furthermore, if "Fix resolution" is enabled, additional black video data is generated to properly center the Gamecube's video signal and make sure it processed in the correct aspect ratio by the receiver and if you have enabled line doubline, every line in the video data is duplicated by GCVideo.
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by Joelepain »

Ok thanks for the info !

Ok basically what I meant by "bit for bit perfect" is that a certain color value from the GC video end up to be the same in the hdmi output, and not slightly shifted because of multiple RGB<->YUV conversion and quantization errors.
Unseen wrote:No, the data is reshuffled and padded to 12 bits per component to conform with the required data layout
Do you mean that the GCVideo process internally in 12 bits, or is it really just "padding" just to conform to certain parts of the FPGA (I really don't know how these works so sorry for the nebulous vocabulary).
Does this mean that the gc video could potentially output in more that 24 color depth ? ( I think it was called Deep color in Hdmi standard before HDR was a thing if i'm not mistaken)
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by Extrems »

Joelepain wrote:Do you mean that the GCVideo process internally in 12 bits, or is it really just "padding" just to conform to certain parts of the FPGA (I really don't know how these works so sorry for the nebulous vocabulary).
No, it's just how HDMI YCbCr 4:2:2 is formatted. This isn't a problem for limited range video.
Kyusha
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by Kyusha »

sorry, i exactly dont understand what is this, an hdmi mod for wii? would this mean gc titles looking better than with gc and its official component cable?
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by splits »

I have a question for experienced WiiDual installers--has any one else lost composite video after an install (excluding cases where composite was disabled for csync)?

I installed a WiiDual 1.1 in a Japanese 06 Wii today, and I had hoped to keep both composite video and D-terminal video functional. I mostly wanted WiiDual for HDMI output.

This is my install.

When I tested my install, HDMI video worked fine. D-terminal video worked fine (before I removed Q7 and R55). However, I have no composite video. I kept the components along the path to composite out that are removed when using composite csync, and did not short any jumpers initially.

I later wondered if perhaps "No Where (Only Component Video and RGsB will work) - Do NOT short anything" on the install page could mean that if no jumper is shorted, then composite video will not work, so I removed Q7 and R55 and shorted jumpers 1 and 2. However, this brought no change.

I just see a brief white flash over composite, then nothing.

I think my install is clean, so I am not sure what may be going on.

Edit: my WiiDual is from the most recent batch, so I think it has FW 3.0e.

Any ideas? Is there a firmware setting I am missing perhaps?

On a related note: is s-video necessarily lost when using the WiiDual? There is a comment on the v2 YouTube install video where someone asks "I hope someone can help me with a question, if I plan on using HD RETROVISION Wii YPbPr Component Cable and hdmi would I still need to remove components or can I just install the mod. And if so which ones (the same that are remove here? Or less?)" and citrus300pri replies "No components would need to be removed if you only plan to use YPbPr."

So if I wanted to use YPbPr over a D-terminal cable, I could also leave those components in? And I would still have s-video?
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by vol.2 »

splits wrote: I just see a brief white flash over composite, then nothing.
I've only done the one WiiDual install, but your pictures look ok to me. Seems like you shorted 1 and 2 and removed the D term components like you should.

If it was me, I would try to find the composite video signal and see where it disappears. If you have an oscilloscope, you could put it in video mode and trace the path back to see what's what. If you don't, I'm not sure what you could do.

Maybe someone else will see something I missed. When I did mine, I removed the composite video components and then I got the wrong cable and I had to go in and remove the D term components. So I also lost composite video, but I could theoretically restore it if anyone can ever tell me the values of the components. (no one seems to know)
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Re: WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

Post by splits »

vol.2 wrote:If you have an oscilloscope, you could put it in video mode and trace the path back to see what's what. If you don't, I'm not sure what you could do.
I don't have one with enough bandwidth to see composite video signals, unfortunately. Maybe I should think about getting one...
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