S-video artifact. Video masters help please.

[burgerkingdiamond]

I'm using S-video to hook up a saturn, PCBs and PS2 to my CRT. With all three systems I get this slight white outline around the sprites which is shifted up a little bit (monitor is TATED counterclockwise, so the shift is to the right if the TV was normal), kind of like a faint white shadow. It's most noticable on the title screens or anything else with a dark background.

This is basically a minor annoyance, it's not enough to distract you during play. But I would like to know if there is anything I can do to fix it.

Also, thise does not happen when I use the component channel for the 360 or PS2. So I think it's specific to S-Video. I don't know if composite has it or not. I haven't tested.

Any tips?

[Fudoh]

As you said yourself, that's the specific difference between S-Video (Y/C seperated video) and Component video (Y + 2 color channels). There's little you can do about it. Check your TV's sharpness settings. The sharpness setting on CRTs in an Edge Enhancement function which tends to highlight the artefacts caused by composite or s-video. By lowering the sharpness you might lose a little crispness, but you might also be able to tune down the visibility of the outlines.

And by the way: if the very same CRT has component, please get a RGB to component converter ($40), ditch the S-Video cables and get RGB cables instead. Saturn and all PCBs do perfectly fine using RGB.

[burgerkingdiamond]

so one of these babies:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SEGA-SCART-RGB- ... 3362ac07c8

Since US TV's don't have SCART, were US Saturns made with the ability to output RGB through SCART? I don't want to buy a cable and find out that it doesn't work with my system.

[Fudoh]

yes, US Saturns work perfectly fine with RGB cables.

[mesmer]

That looks like the one that antron uses and recommends.

Looking here http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=av:saturnav I don't see any mention of NTSC saturns not having RGB. Only mention of the +9v/CSYNC differences. This might cause a problem if the converter expects +12 on SCART pin 8, and the cable uses pin 1 from the saturn. Unlikely though as the converter is not a TV w/ multiple inputs possible (cvideo, svideo).

[mesmer]

you could build a jamma->SCART adapter too, to feed into the converter. You'll need resistors and caps to bring the jamma video to SCART levels. Similar to the mega drive scart cable: http://members.optusnet.com.au/eviltim/ ... escart.htm

[burgerkingdiamond]

you could build a jamma->SCART adapter too, to feed into the converter. You'll need resistors and caps to bring the jamma video to SCART levels. Similar to the mega drive scart cable: http://members.optusnet.com.au/eviltim/ ... escart.htm

yeah I was thinking that I would make a jamma -> SCART cable so I can get component out from my PCBs through the converter. I thought that I would just be able to go straight through. I can't read that link right now. It's blocked. Why do you need caps and resistors?

Can't you hack a SCART cable to go straight into an Arcade monitor? Isn't that just the reverse of what we're talking about?

[mesmer]

Why do you need caps and resistors?

Viletim's site is a must-read whenever you can get to it:
http://members.optusnet.com.au/eviltim/ ... ga2arc.htm
copy and paste for now:

Arcade video (standard resolution)
Video amplitude: 2-5Vpp
Video DC offset: yes, as much as a volt or two
Video input impedance: 1k-10k
separate horizontal and vertical sync (most of the time)
sync polarity negative (most of the time)

SCART video (RGB SCART)
Video amplitude: 0.7Vpp
Video DC offset: no DC offset, AC coupled
Video input impedance: 75
sync signals stripped from Composite video (CVBS)
sync polarity negative

You need the resistors to cut the amplitude from 2-5vpp down to 0.7vpp
You need the caps to remove the DC offset, and make it AC coupled.

Going the other way (SCART console to JAMMA levels) requires a video amplifier and DC restoration circuit. Viletam makes a board that does this and more, you can find another thread in this section with the details on how to buy it from him.

[mrsmiley381]

so one of these babies:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SEGA-SCART-RGB- ... 3362ac07c8

Since US TV's don't have SCART, were US Saturns made with the ability to output RGB through SCART? I don't want to buy a cable and find out that it doesn't work with my system.

Has anyone used this successfully? I found a guy with screen shots here:
http://www.emuasylum.com/forums/showthr ... ega-MAster

His Donald Duck comparison shot looks radically different from AV Composite when in component 480i. I want to get it, but I'd like some other opinions first. He also uses the converter with a SCART input switch seemingly without losing video quality. That would be a definite upgrade from my switch that creates these strange... scan-squares, I suppose?