Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

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Vixtro
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

Post by Vixtro »

So I finally got my card today (took long enough!) and got it all set up, I can say I am somewhat impressed at how it all just worked! I'm a little saddened though that some of my previous problems still persist, for example, I still get the vertical lines from my Sega Saturn that I thought was just a product of my TV's poor scaling. Here's some images to show what I mean (all 288p besides the one noted):

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For some odd reason, only the title screen is in 576i for Dark Savior.
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At least I don't get the loading judder and 'Chemical Plant Zone' effect any more ay! :P

Next up, my Dreamcast and Gamecube only seem to want to output 576i/480i, I can't get progressive scan from them. It wouldn't have been too much of a problem since the picture is still great and the de-interlace option in the software is pretty good, but I cannot get full frames since it's not progressive...
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blizzz
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

Post by blizzz »

Vixtro wrote:Next up, my Dreamcast and Gamecube only seem to want to output 576i/480i, I can't get progressive scan from them. It wouldn't have been too much of a problem since the picture is still great and the de-interlace option in the software is pretty good, but I cannot get full frames since it's not progressive...
The PAL Gamecube doesn't support 480p, you'll have to buy a NTSC one with digital video out (and ofc the NTSC game discs). Luckily the component cable is the same for PAL / NTSC.

I don't know much about the Sega Saturn, but maybe a bad cable is causing the vertical lines?
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

Post by GregI »

Wii Virtual Console 480p intros and demos I captured.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgXziL9vYTk

Took me awhile to figure out color space issues but should be good now.
Vixtro
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

Post by Vixtro »

blizzz wrote:
Vixtro wrote:Next up, my Dreamcast and Gamecube only seem to want to output 576i/480i, I can't get progressive scan from them. It wouldn't have been too much of a problem since the picture is still great and the de-interlace option in the software is pretty good, but I cannot get full frames since it's not progressive...
The PAL Gamecube doesn't support 480p, you'll have to buy a NTSC one with digital video out (and ofc the NTSC game discs). Luckily the component cable is the same for PAL / NTSC.

I don't know much about the Sega Saturn, but maybe a bad cable is causing the vertical lines?
I only have a PAL Gamecube and PAL games, so interlaced is all I can get with those? What about the Dreamcast, I'm guessing it's only possible to get progressive with the VGA box? (which is only compatible with certain games).

As for the Sega Saturn, I have an official and third party SCART that was recommended by SegaSaturn.co.uk, both display the vertical lines shown above.

I'm kind of happy with what I got already, I just need a decent SCART splitter, something I can put a console into as an input, then have 2 outputs, 1 going to the Sync Strike and the other going to the TV. I have looked around but whenever I search for a splitter, all I get is SCART blocks/switchers.
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

Post by Fudoh »

I only have a PAL Gamecube and PAL games, so interlaced is all I can get with those?
indeed.
What about the Dreamcast, ... the VGA box? (which is only compatible with certain games).
most DC games are compatible with the VGA box - at least most NTSC ones, but I think the larger part of PAL library as well.
As for the Sega Saturn, I have an official and third party SCART that was recommended by SegaSaturn.co.uk, both display the vertical lines shown above.
seems like a bad interference. I would add a sync stripper to one of the cables to see if it changes anything (I would assume it does). If not you have a bad system.
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

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Fudoh wrote: most DC games are compatible with the VGA box - at least most NTSC ones, but I think the larger part of PAL library as well.
Should have realised 'NTSC favouritism' :P , I'll look into picking up what I need in NTSC then. Shame it's not that easy with the Gamecube though and well, pretty much every other console I have without applying some sort of hard mod (I hate having hard modded consoles).
Fudoh wrote:seems like a bad interference. I would add a sync stripper to one of the cables to see if it changes anything (I would assume it does). If not you have a bad system.
I wouldn't be surprised to be honest if it was just the Sega Saturn itself, although it's in good condition, it's a MK1 launch model and has been well used and travelled about a bit. I will go about adding a sync stripper though, always worth a shot if it might help. I have no idea about it though, had a quick Google search and found this: http://www.mmmonkey.co.uk/console/other/sync.htm Is that what I would need to do to, exactly?
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

Post by Fudoh »

exactly. You can fit the LM1881 into the Scart connector itself.

EDIT: how do you currently connect your Saturn the capture card ? Doesn't your adapter already has a sync stripper integrated ? Doesn't the Startech card require raw sync by default ?
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

Post by Vixtro »

Fudoh wrote:exactly. You can fit the LM1881 into the Scart connector itself.

EDIT: how do you currently connect your Saturn the capture card ? Doesn't your adapter already has a sync stripper integrated ? Doesn't the Startech card require raw sync by default ?
I connect the RGB SCART cable to the Sync Strike, then from that it's a VGA cable to the capture card.

About 480i/576i, could I use another adapter that will scale those signals to 480p(/576p?) before it reaches the capture card?
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Fudoh
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

Post by Fudoh »

The Sync Strike does already have a LM1881 inside, so that won't solve your problem.

You can use any upscaler you like to convert to 480p, 576p or even 720p prior to capture.
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

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Fudoh wrote:The Sync Strike does already have a LM1881 inside, so that won't solve your problem.
Right, like you said about it possibly being the Sega Saturn itself, I think it is. With the official SCART cable I can make the lines 'judder' by wiggling the connection in the back, but it doesn't do it when I use the third party cable. I think my best bet is to just get another Sega Saturn, I've always wanted to own a white Japanese version anyway. :)
Fudoh wrote:You can use any upscaler you like to convert to 480p, 576p or even 720p prior to capture.
So, if I get one of these: http://r.ebay.com/K8UnSn and do what Fagin showed in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X2Gszx0Ox4 that would convert my 480i/576i signals into progressive scan output?
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

Post by Fudoh »

yes, but using this kind of converter doesn't really make the picture look any better. What do you expect to gain compared to capturing 480i/576i ?
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

Post by Vixtro »

Fudoh wrote:yes, but using this kind of converter doesn't really make the picture look any better. What do you expect to gain compared to capturing 480i/576i ?
To gain full frames, interlaced signals only give me half the frames on the Startech card, so in theory, converting them to progressive should give me 50/60 FPS. Plus with the CGA to VGA scaler, it seems it would be possible (using a decent VGA splitter of course) to output the signal to both another monitor and the capture card at the same time.

Also found what I want in a SCART splitter, just had to use the word "amplifier" :P So something like this is what I need: http://r.ebay.com/PbqEX1
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

Post by Fudoh »

To gain full frames, interlaced signals only give me half the frames on the Startech card
called fields, not half frames. Why don't you just run the recorded signal through a Yadif deinterlacer ?
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

Post by Vixtro »

Fudoh wrote:called fields, not half frames. Why don't you just run the recorded signal through a Yadif deinterlacer ?
That's fine for making videos, I've already used Avisynth in the past to make 50/60 FPS videos, but I need it on the fly so I can play it and stream it live.

Update on the Sega Saturn, I tested some more games, some games have less vertical bars than others, also being less visible. I guess it's to do with some games being optimised for PAL whereas some weren't.

Here's some games that have less visible vertical bars:

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The BIOS for the Sega Saturn itself is the same obviously:

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Finally, 2 more games that have more visible vertical bars:

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It's a strange one, does anyone else here with the same setup have a PAL Sega Saturn and PAL games to see if they get similar vertical lines? I think it's back to the SegaSaturn.co.uk forums regardless though to post my findings.
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lettuce
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

Post by lettuce »

I get the faint vertical lines on my SNES, but i believe that was just due to the brightness/contrast being up too high, i adjusted it and you couldnt see the vertical lines anymore....give it a go
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

Post by Vixtro »

lettuce wrote:I get the faint vertical lines on my SNES, but i believe that was just due to the brightness/contrast being up too high, i adjusted it and you couldnt see the vertical lines anymore....give it a go
Yeah I found out it does help, doesn't get rid of them completely though. So if you get them on the SNES, it must just be a product of these old consoles, so my Sega Saturn must not be defective.

Will be interesting to see if the likes of the Dreamcast will produce the same sort of thing when I convert it's interlaced signals to progressive scan.
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

Post by BuckoA51 »

I've never seen anything as bad as those lines on my Model 2 PAL Saturn.
I only have a PAL Gamecube and PAL games, so interlaced is all I can get with those?
If you have a modchipped machine then there's software that can force several pal titles into 480p. It's not something I've got around to trying because all but a handful of my Gamecube games are NTSC anyway, but its something to be aware of.
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

Post by Vixtro »

BuckoA51 wrote:I've never seen anything as bad as those lines on my Model 2 PAL Saturn.
Yeah? I might just get a model 2 Sega Saturn then and modchip it so it can play both 50/60Hz games.
BuckoA51 wrote:If you have a modchipped machine then there's software that can force several pal titles into 480p. It's not something I've got around to trying because all but a handful of my Gamecube games are NTSC anyway, but its something to be aware of.
Well if I just get one of those CGA to VGA scalers then I can output it all into progressive anyway, probably cheaper that way too.
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

Post by BuckoA51 »

Well if I just get one of those CGA to VGA scalers then I can output it all into progressive anyway, probably cheaper that way too.
modchip's are cheaper I believe but not 100% compatible. Of course converting interlace to progressive is never going to be anywhere near as good as outputting progressive in the first place.
Yeah? I might just get a model 2 Sega Saturn then and modchip it so it can play both 50/60Hz games.
As a general rule the Model 1's have a better picture. I'd try another cable first before you spend any serious money.

Might be a bit of a cheeky question but, do you expect a lot of people will want to tune into you playing Gamecube games? I can't imagine wanting to sit watching a stranger play Zelda or Pikmin across the internet.
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

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BuckoA51 wrote:Might be a bit of a cheeky question but, do you expect a lot of people will want to tune into you playing Gamecube games? I can't imagine wanting to sit watching a stranger play Zelda or Pikmin across the internet.
There are thousands who watched Cosmo play Wind Waker every day. ;)
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

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BuckoA51 wrote:modchip's are cheaper I believe but not 100% compatible. Of course converting interlace to progressive is never going to be anywhere near as good as outputting progressive in the first place.
I'm not expecting it to look any better, that's not what I'm after, I just want it to act as a de-interlace really, just so I can get the full frames and without the interlacing. Basically what one would do during post-processing, I want that on the fly.
BuckoA51 wrote:As a general rule the Model 1's have a better picture. I'd try another cable first before you spend any serious money.
Like I said before, I've tried both an official cable and this third party one I have, both produce the same results. The third party cable actually seems to be a bit better because when I wiggle the official cable it makes the lines judder, the third party cable doesn't do this. It's just gotta be the Sega Saturn itself that is a tad knackered, the connection itself does look worn, but it's probably more than that, something to do with the internals.
BuckoA51 wrote:Might be a bit of a cheeky question but, do you expect a lot of people will want to tune into you playing Gamecube games? I can't imagine wanting to sit watching a stranger play Zelda or Pikmin across the internet.
Lol, you'd be surprised, the last time I actually did a cast of Wind Waker, I had nearly 100 viewers. I've been casting on a site called Justin.tv since early 2008, I have a fairly good following. I'm not very popular these days though because I've not been able to cast as much since 08/09. I do it more for my own self gratification and to do these classic consoles the justice they deserve, too many people just use emulators these days...
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

Post by blizzz »

Micomsoft has released a new beta driver v1.1.0.116 (Startech is 114). I haven't tested it, but what's more interesting is that this is actually a driver for the SC-510N1 card (the version with 1080p60 support)!
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

Post by dieKatze88 »

blizzz wrote:Micomsoft has released a new beta driver v1.1.0.116 (Startech is 114). I haven't tested it, but what's more interesting is that this is actually a driver for the SC-510N1 card (the version with 1080p60 support)!
Oh my. Is this card on sale yet?
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

Post by Stefan_L »

If i understand correctly so does Micomsoft not recommend those new drivers if you use VideoKeeper?
Also a "VideoKeeper 2" is coming soon?
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

Post by GregI »

Stefan, correct on both statements.

I actually ran into an interesting issue with this card. In Amarec it states that the colorspace used is YUY2 which makes sense so I select Huffyuv (v2.1.1). After the capture ended I used Media Info and the Color space was stated as RGB.... In all the captures I had done, I thought I was getting YUY2. Nothing I could do would get YUY2 from Huffyuv. Only Lagarith and setting the YUY2 mode worked.

I wonder if the card is doing some preprocessing to RGB since well, it is a RGB card? Either the card is reporting YUY2 incorrectly and it's RGB or Huffyuv is bugged.

This color space issue is way too complex for what it is.
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

Post by blizzz »

GregI wrote:I actually ran into an interesting issue with this card. In Amarec it states that the colorspace used is YUY2
The driver ignores the colourspace. You can set anything (even a random String) in Amarec and the result will be the same.
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

Post by GregI »

I set the color horizontal adjust to Type-C and selected Lagarith in YUY2 mode. This is good right?

How do I check the color space from Amarec recorded files to make sure it is YUY2? Only capturing from Virtualdub shows me the color space in Media Info.
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

Post by Vixtro »

Got my GBS-8220 CGA to VGA scaler today and I must say, it's very impressive, it does exactly what I wanted it to do, convert interlaced to progressive on the fly. The unit works great with the majority of the consoles I tested it on like the Dreamcast, ps2, Xbox and to my surprise, it even eliminates the vertical line problem I was having with the Sega Saturn. I didn't really want to use it on the Sega Saturn since there was no need as I was already getting progressive scan with just the Sync Strike, but I was too curious and glad I was because look at these:

Image BTW, the reason I keep using taking a shot right at the beginning of the game is because my CR2032 battery in my Sega Saturn died and I haven't been bothered to replace it because I just back up my saves on my Pro Action Replay. :P

Image

So they look awesome right? All good, my main concerns are over and done with, Sega Saturn and Dreamcast capturing is pretty much sorted! I'd like to note though, I had to use my official Sega Saturn RGB SCART cable to get it like that, the third party cable that generally gives a better picture just hates the GBS-8220 scaler, the picture jumps erratically all over the place!

Now then, there is one system that is giving me some agro with this scaler, the Gamecube. It's not terribly important though since really, I ought to just run my Gamecube games from my Wii via component. I'll explain away anyway. I get a black screen with "No Signal" in the corner with the Gamecube, although for one second I did manage to see the loading screen of the game I had in it (Phantasy Star Online), because of how the Sega Saturn was, I'm just guessing it's down to the cable. So if I see a better RGB SCART cable for my Gamecube for a good price, I'll have it!

So in closing, I have to say many thanks to all you guys here who helped me get to this point, it may have cost me a bit of a bundle to put all this together, but it's damn well worth it for the classics that need to be appreciated properly and not just by cheap 'never 100%' emulation. :D
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

Post by lettuce »

Am trying to use my Xbox 360 with this via HDMI, have selected, w=1920, h=1080, fps=59.94, fcc=YUY2, bit=16 but i get this message...

Image

if i select 50hz so w=1920, h=1080, fps=50.00, fcc=YUY2, bit=16 i get a picture. Any ideas why i cant get a display at 60hz?
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Re: Micomsoft SC-500N1 RGB Capture Card

Post by Fudoh »

Am trying to use my Xbox 360 with this via HDMI, have selected, w=1920, h=1080, fps=59.94, fcc=YUY2, bit=16 but i get this message...
the card cannot capture 1080p60, so you probably have to set your XBox to 1080i60 and define the timing as 1080p29.97.
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