XRGB 2 plus
I have the opportunity to get a second hand XRGB 2 Plus, to let my MVS play on Samsung 40" Led TV. Do you think that it worths the cost or is obsolete for today's standard?
Xrgb 2 Plus
Re: Xrgb 2 Plus
The XRGB-2+ only outputs 640x480 for displays with a VGA input (like a PC monitor), according to Junker HQ's 2+ page.
According to that same page, one finds that the XRGB-3's 1080p output is often incompatible with 1080p displays. The XRGB-3 has the ability to convert framerates, i.e. 54Hz Seibu boards to the standard 60Hz of modern monitors. That's very useful. I believe it comes at the cost of two frames of lag however. I do not think the XRGB-mini has this feature.
By contrast, the newest XRGB-mini Framemeister has some additional image enhancements and most importantly has a HDMI output. The XRGB-2, 2+, and 3 all have a VGA connector.
To boil it down then - the 2, 2+, and even the XRGB-3 will require additional upscaling (perhaps your display will handle it well, perhaps it won't) to even show a picture, and this will cost you the nearly lagless upscaling ability of the old units. The connector is probably the wrong style for your unit. I don't know much about VGA to HDMI conversion, but I believe there was some discussion of it lately. I'm not sure if it's problematic. However, it is something to consider and you will probably want a powered converter. It's at least one more box and probably another power cable, so this starts to eat slightly into the savings of going with a 2+ instead of a mini.
In contrast the XRGB-mini Framemeister is all but guaranteed to "just work" with current monitors supporting HDMI. However it does not have a VGA connector (boo).
I recently bought a 2+ secondhand (waiting on it to show up) to replace my XRGB-2, but I have a VGA tube monitor for it.
German upscaling guru Fudoh has a bit of text on his personal website's review of the XRGB-mini Framemeister exploring when a XRGB-3 is better than a XRGB-mini. It is the second box of grey text, found after the screenshots of Zanac Neo (and also Espgaluda and immediately after the Bonk screens).
Fudoh might need to clear something up - if I remember right he just told me that the XRGB-mini has a 54 to 60 Hz conversion. However that text box says it is the XRGB-3 that has it, NOT the XRGB-mini. (I am interpreting it as a laggy mode because according to the Junker HQ this is only available in the more heavily processed B0 mode, which is laggier.) Or maybe that was really the XRGB-3 he was talking about and I've forgotten. Did I get it backwards or is something out of date in the review?
According to that same page, one finds that the XRGB-3's 1080p output is often incompatible with 1080p displays. The XRGB-3 has the ability to convert framerates, i.e. 54Hz Seibu boards to the standard 60Hz of modern monitors. That's very useful. I believe it comes at the cost of two frames of lag however. I do not think the XRGB-mini has this feature.
By contrast, the newest XRGB-mini Framemeister has some additional image enhancements and most importantly has a HDMI output. The XRGB-2, 2+, and 3 all have a VGA connector.
To boil it down then - the 2, 2+, and even the XRGB-3 will require additional upscaling (perhaps your display will handle it well, perhaps it won't) to even show a picture, and this will cost you the nearly lagless upscaling ability of the old units. The connector is probably the wrong style for your unit. I don't know much about VGA to HDMI conversion, but I believe there was some discussion of it lately. I'm not sure if it's problematic. However, it is something to consider and you will probably want a powered converter. It's at least one more box and probably another power cable, so this starts to eat slightly into the savings of going with a 2+ instead of a mini.
In contrast the XRGB-mini Framemeister is all but guaranteed to "just work" with current monitors supporting HDMI. However it does not have a VGA connector (boo).
I recently bought a 2+ secondhand (waiting on it to show up) to replace my XRGB-2, but I have a VGA tube monitor for it.
German upscaling guru Fudoh has a bit of text on his personal website's review of the XRGB-mini Framemeister exploring when a XRGB-3 is better than a XRGB-mini. It is the second box of grey text, found after the screenshots of Zanac Neo (and also Espgaluda and immediately after the Bonk screens).
Fudoh might need to clear something up - if I remember right he just told me that the XRGB-mini has a 54 to 60 Hz conversion. However that text box says it is the XRGB-3 that has it, NOT the XRGB-mini. (I am interpreting it as a laggy mode because according to the Junker HQ this is only available in the more heavily processed B0 mode, which is laggier.) Or maybe that was really the XRGB-3 he was talking about and I've forgotten. Did I get it backwards or is something out of date in the review?
Re: Xrgb 2 Plus
Thank u for the complete and clear explanation.
I ordered a GBS 8220 upscaler, just to make some experiments. I saw someone that just connected rgb and sync outputs to the GBS plug, and it works well. Now, I would like to know if I can do the same or it is better to add a sync cleaner to make it work.
Regards.
Ale
I ordered a GBS 8220 upscaler, just to make some experiments. I saw someone that just connected rgb and sync outputs to the GBS plug, and it works well. Now, I would like to know if I can do the same or it is better to add a sync cleaner to make it work.
Regards.
Ale
Alessandro
Re: Xrgb 2 Plus
I believe Fudoh's recommendation, at least, is strongly that you get a Framemeister for 1080p HDMI displays, and it will likely give you the fastest response on many displays (although it is possible, as he notes, that a VGA connection - if supplied on the monitor - can be very quick too; my own LCD monitor is always connected via VGA and I haven't noticed it performing slowly. In fact it is faster than a Asus G2S B2's integrated LCD screen, when the external monitor is connected into the laptop's VGA output!)
The reason for being of the XRGB series is fast upscaling (with simple scanline emulation), rather than upscaling with effects for movies or other purposes, such as you find on many other processors. Micomsoft does use a standard part (a Marvell processor) for upscaling but their own software implementation of that processor gives it greater compatibility with a wider range of input devices, than any other known device. Don't know anything about the GBS-8220 except that it will be less flexible - but perhaps it is just as quick to upscale for your intended purpose. I think other people must have tested this scaler here but I don't find any references to it...some people might be interested in your review then. I did find some impressions of it here.
The reason for being of the XRGB series is fast upscaling (with simple scanline emulation), rather than upscaling with effects for movies or other purposes, such as you find on many other processors. Micomsoft does use a standard part (a Marvell processor) for upscaling but their own software implementation of that processor gives it greater compatibility with a wider range of input devices, than any other known device. Don't know anything about the GBS-8220 except that it will be less flexible - but perhaps it is just as quick to upscale for your intended purpose. I think other people must have tested this scaler here but I don't find any references to it...some people might be interested in your review then. I did find some impressions of it here.
Re: Xrgb 2 Plus
didn't you recently ask wether the Seibu boards work with the XRGB ? They do not work on the Mini. XRGB-3 in B0 does a conversion to 60Hz. XRGB-3 in B1 passes the 54Hz, so it's a matter of your display.if I remember right he just told me that the XRGB-mini has a 54 to 60 Hz conversion. However that text box says it is the XRGB-3 that has it, NOT the XRGB-mini.
MVS on the XRGB2plus will get you a VGA 480p output with 59.15Hz. This works on many TV sets, but not all of them. It can be made more compatible by adding a RGB interface in between ($25), but eventually it comes down to the display.
Re: Xrgb 2 Plus
Hmm I thought I edited that out. I remembered correctly, after a bit, and nothing written online (until I got it wrong anyway!) contradicts that yet. Has Micomsoft stated anything about future addition of framerate conversion in the mini, or will they reserve it for a future and more full-featured scaler?
Re: Xrgb 2 Plus
I'm sure that they'll add this. Priority is probably not too high though, since people likely not to keen on playing with framerate conversion.