Optimal Video Setup For Megadrive?

[ATTRACTS]

Hey all,
Please forgive the ignorance here but I figured many of you have FAR more experience with this than I do.

Long story short, I have giant collection of Japanese Megadrive shmups that I've been playing on my NTSC Genesis, model 3 (no modding, no game genies). I love it but would really like to step up the visuals (ala RGB upscaled) as they look terrible on my Samsung LCD TV. Unfortunately, the Genny 3 doesn't support RGB output so now I need to do a little shopping.

I've been looking at this modded Megadrive 2 with multi region switch and an RGB/Scart output,
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SEGA-Mega-Dri ... 25812aa3ab

and thinking of using this to upgrade the video (not as fancy as the XRGB but ok for what I'm looking for, a crisp video signal)...

http://www.amazon.com/SPECIALTY-AV-SCAR ... words=xrgb

The EBay seller thinks it would be fine but suggested that because the system is PAL, it might have problems playing on an NTSC TV.

Would anyone have any advice here? My Samsung is a 36inch, 5 year old LCD TV with HDMI/Component/Composite/S-Vid etc. I'm just not sure how to tell if the PAL system would have troubles. I'm only concerned with getting a crisp/bright colored video signal, scanlines etc, aren't super important.

Thanks in advance for any help or advice.

[Fudoh]

From a number of recent posts here, especially Mega Drive unit can cause troubles on those Scart to component transcoders. You might be in for some tweaking before it runs fine. You can fine the same Scart RGB to component converter on ebay.com in the US, so you certainly won't have to deal with any PAL problems.

MD/GEN1 is easier to handle and it's easier to get the best possible picture quality out of it. Sound is better as well.

[ATTRACTS]

From a number of recent posts here, especially Mega Drive unit can cause troubles on those Scart to component transcoders. You might be in for some tweaking before it runs fine. You can fine the same Scart RGB to component converter on ebay.com in the US, so you certainly won't have to deal with any PAL problems.

MD/GEN1 is easier to handle and it's easier to get the best possible picture quality out of it. Sound is better as well.

The converter is already in the US, that's not the issue, my question is whether the PAL MD will be able to run on my tv through said converter. I've read mostly positive reviews of the converter itself for MD/Genesis games (just color tweaks necessary)...I'm just trying to figure out if it's viable for me to get this 3 region switched PAL MD to plug into the converter and then into my NTSC TV. Or will it somehow cause video problems/incompatibility.

[Fudoh]

should be no problem. Your TV will likely not work with 50Hz component signals, but as long as you keed the MD at 60Hz, it should be fine. The PAL-portion of the signal should be ignored. And if it really causes problems, you might be able to switch from composite video to raw sync for the RGB sync signal..... it's just changing a single pin on the cable.

[ATTRACTS]

should be no problem. Your TV will likely not work with 50Hz component signals, but as long as you keed the MD at 60Hz, it should be fine. The PAL-portion of the signal should be ignored. And if it really causes problems, you might be able to switch from composite video to raw sync for the RGB sync signal..... it's just changing a single pin on the cable.

thank you kind sir!! that's all I needed to know, i Just wasn't sure about the signal compat. I really appreciate your help.

[Ed Oscuro]

Ask the seller if they can work with Genesis units instead. I'm not sure about the PSU compatibility, but going with a US or JP region system as the base will eliminate that potential source of issues.

I swear I've read something about quirks possible when using a 60 Hz modded Mega Drive instead of one of the NTSC territory units, but I can't find anything on it so maybe there's nothing apart from the obvious (i.e., needing to switch to PAL 50 Hz mode to play a few PAL-fixed games like Streets of Rage 2, not that domestic US hardware will play nicely with that).

[Fudoh]

I swear I've read something about quirks possible when using a 60 Hz modded Mega Drive instead of one of the NTSC territory units

yes, can be an issue on the XRGB-Mini. On other processors not so much though....

[ATTRACTS]

Ask the seller if they can work with Genesis units instead. I'm not sure about the PSU compatibility, but going with a US or JP region system as the base will eliminate that potential source of issues.

Done and done! He happens to have two NTSC Genesis models both with region switch/overclocked and RGB. Problem solved. Thanks again guys!

[BuckoA51]

I swear I've read something about quirks possible when using a 60 Hz modded Mega Drive instead of one of the NTSC territory units

yes, can be an issue on the XRGB-Mini. On other processors not so much though....

It's definitely NOT a mini-only problem, in fact the Mini handles it better than other video processors. I've had issues on DVDO Edge, XRGB3, XRGB3+Gefen and direct to TV too, I think it's more to do with how tolerant your display is of the slightly out of spec vertical sync you get from running a PAL system at 60hz.

[Fudoh]

Don't you think it's more related to your particular setup ? The Gefen does a framerate conversion anyway, doesn't it ? I would compare it to a NG running on those setups. If your combination of processors and display can handle a AES or even MVS (59.15Hz for the MVS), it should usually handle modded PAL Systems as well (which are much closer to NTSC timings than a NG). That's what a framelock is there for. On the Mini though - even if your monitor will handle a NG, it will fail with a modded PAL MD. And that's a combination I have not yet encountered on any other processor.

[BuckoA51]

I've never tried a Neo Geo with my setup. I can tell you that the PAL Amiga CD32 also has issues at 60hz. With the DVDO Edge it actually causes interference lines to strike through the screen, with the Mini it just stutters lightly. I believe it's almost entirely down to what your display will tolerate.

That's what a framelock is there for.

Yeah but that's the issue isn't it? It can't framelock because the frequency is too out of spec. My mini handled my PAL MD just fine apart from the stutter at 60hz.