Scaler for old DOS PC

[ldeveraux]

I've recently been restoring my PCs from the mid 90s that use DOS, WIN 311, and Windows 98. They all have era appropriate GPUs, the DOS ones output I think 320x200. I have them going into my 1080p monitor through a generic VGA to HDMI converter that I found years ago work well with most inputs. While it's great for the Windows 98 PC (I think 1024×768), the display struggles with the lower resolutions.

My question is whether there was a gaming scaler that would work perfectly for this situation? In my pile of goodies I have a Framemeister, original OSSC, GBS-C and likely other scalers I can't remember. I was thinking of using the GBS-C as it's DE9 in/out, though ultimately It should convert to HDMI for the monitor.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

I know the older Retrotink 2X can upscale the 320 x 240 resolution to 640p but am not sure if it can accept the 320 x 200 resolution -- you're more than welcome to try it out and see if it works or not.

If all else fails, it'd be necessary to use an "old-school" multi-sync VGA/SVGA CRT monitor that can accept the 320 x 200 resolution at the very minimum -- they were still being sold back in 1995-1996 era and could buy the largest 21" sized CRT screen at that current point in time (but at the expense of making sure you had ample afforded "real estate" space-wise to accommodate it as they were huge, of course). The smaller multi-sync CRT monitors came in the 14", 15" and 17" sizes as well (in addition to the previously mentioned 21" sized ones).

Here's a cheap-ass one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/307042681326?_ ... R9ywpvzmZw

Both the Retrotink Scart 2X and Retrotink 5X Pro have the Scart input but would need a VGA to Scart adapter namely this one: https://castlemaniagames.com/products/r ... eq=uniform

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Fudoh]

None of your PCs actually output 320x200. They all have a minimum output of 31khz, which means 320x200 is output as 640x400@70Hz instead.

Cheapest and easiest solution is an Extron DSC 301, which will happily accept VGA in all common output resolutions and upscale brilliantly to Full HD or 1200p.

[ldeveraux]

None of your PCs actually output 320x200. They all have a minimum output of 31khz, which means 320x200 is output as 640x400@70Hz instead.

Cheapest and easiest solution is an Extron DSC 301, which will happily accept VGA in all common output resolutions and upscale brilliantly to Full HD or 1200p.

Ooh, I completely forgot I also have a DSC 301 HD, is it better for what I need than the GBS-C? Looks like I'll give this a try at least.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Here's one but the shipping from the UK is mucho expensive: https://www.ebay.com/itm/406948806639?_ ... R_z_64XnZw

It does come with the obligatory PSU but you'd need to supply your correct and appropriate PSU cord though.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Fudoh]

Ooh, I completely forgot I also have a DSC 301 HD, is it better for what I need than the GBS-C?

absolutely. The GBC is really meant for 15khz sources (like 240p/480i consoles). The Extron was built for classic PC video sources.

[ldeveraux]

Ooh, I completely forgot I also have a DSC 301 HD, is it better for what I need than the GBS-C?

absolutely. The GBC is really meant for 15khz sources (like 240p/480i consoles). The Extron was built for classic PC video sources.

On one DOS computer, somehow the DSC301HD is able to scale perfectly in DOS. However when I open Windows at 1024x768, it's unusable. Of course if I set the resolution of the GPU to 640x480 it looks beautiful, but then it's in 640x480. Is there a way to have a more manageable desktop experience and be above 640x480? What's the sweet spot for configuring vintage PCs to 1080@60 output? Should I change the output?

[orange808]

On one DOS computer, somehow the DSC301HD is able to scale perfectly in DOS. However when I open Windows at 1024x768, it's unusable. Of course if I set the resolution of the GPU to 640x480 it looks beautiful, but then it's in 640x480. Is there a way to have a more manageable desktop experience and be above 640x480? What's the sweet spot for configuring vintage PCs to 1080@60 output? Should I change the output?

I would try cropping it 720p (creating some overscan) using the Extron and have the display upscale the 720p image to 1080p, because 720p upscaling is a popular use case.

The better option is to use a good 4k scaler.

[Fudoh]

With scaling factors so low (768p to 1080p) there's only so much you can do. If you opt for a sharp output, you get obvious scaling artefacts (thicker lines here, thinner ones there) and if you opt for filtered output your result gets blurred a bit. Your display is likely doing a better job here than most external scalers. You get a more filtered output on the Extron, if you reduce the detail setting by a few clicks.

You can also try to increase your Windows output resolution (e.g to 960 or 1024p) and then just display the output windowboxed 1:1 running through the Extron. Or you can define a second output resolution on your Extron that matches the Windows input, so you can basically switch into passthrough when needed to let your display to the scaling on the higher resolutions.