Questions that do not deserve a thread

[ZellSF]

I have all three and I'm positive that they are all based on the exact same IC. I haven't noticed any horizontal shift out of the ordinary on any of them.

When you say it doesn't support PAL, what do you mean exactly ? 576i50 or 576p50 ? The problem with all of these is that interlaced isn't properly supported. I don't get a picture with any interlaced signal (50 or 60Hz) on my TV, but I can get a (jittery mess) on a VP.

I have no problems with 480i on the two Panasonic plasmas and one HP monitor I tried. 576i is problematic though.

Weird that you get no horizontal shift. Can it be PSU related?

An update on this:

So I buy the Lenkeng converter. It works perfectly, even 576i works. No horizontal shift.

Then I test the cheap other converter again and now it works perfectly too. I'm really clueless as to how, I haven't done anything to it. I tried power cycling it back when I had the horizontal shift problem so that's not why either.

Really weird, but at least now I've got a backup converter.

BTW: I opened both of them up and they're way different.

[tacoguy64]

This can probably get its own thread but I'm gonna ask it here. Aside from arcades made from PC hardware, what are some of the most powerful arcade hardware that are out there and what games showcase that power best?

[andykara2003]

Hi - regarding the USA Gamecube, does anyone know if there's any indication on the box as to whether the console is a DOL-001 (digital out) or a DOL-101 (digital out removed) model? I'm looking to buy a brand new (unopened) console from ebay...

[Ed Oscuro]

This can probably get its own thread but I'm gonna ask it here. Aside from arcades made from PC hardware, what are some of the most powerful arcade hardware that are out there and what games showcase that power best?

In terms of "powerful for its time" I couldn't say (what kind of metric do you want to measure power?) but the Namco Polygonizer and Sega Super Scaler / Model X boards come to mind. But a lot of these seem like really early implementations of GPUs, with lots of simple off-the-shelf CPUs being used heavily in these designs. The later boards started using a lot more expensive custom logic, though, which is why I think the late versions of these might count for your question.

Would be interesting to hear some other perspectives on this, especially if there's any unusual non-commodity hardware floating around for recent games (but I doubt it).

[accaris]

This can probably get its own thread but I'm gonna ask it here. Aside from arcades made from PC hardware, what are some of the most powerful arcade hardware that are out there and what games showcase that power best?

The Killer Instinct board had the same CPU as a Silicon Graphics workstation and was the first game to have a hard drive (a massive one at the time, to boot.) The graphics still hold up today, imo.

[Ed Oscuro]

Killer Stink did have a hard drive, and uses a CPU at least similar to the SGI Indy's...but in this design the CPU was off-the-shelf and the graphics were pre-rendered on a SGI workstation (which, really, was just a form of PC hardware in its day, just not for the commodity market). Ultimately it wasn't as powerful as the Nintendo 64, which had again a similar CPU but also a notable graphics system. Cruis'n USA, on the other hand, did some fairly good if primitive real-time 3D graphics. I guess that might qualify as powerful for its day.

Nintendo set a lot of misconceptions flying around with "on Ultra 64 in 1994" type advertising, when in reality other people were designing the hardware behind these first gen "Nintendo 64" units, and the N64 graphics architecture was more or less the same story. All things said, they didn't do too bad to transition to the highly custom world of 3D console graphics, but other people pioneered the way.

[666duck]

How well would a Commodore monitor (specifically the 1902a model) work with retro consoles ranging from the NES to PS2? What additional hardware would I need for a set up like this?

[Lord of Pirates]

Can I chain a Lumagen Vision unit after my VP30 for color correction without adding extra processing lag?
IE. Consoles, Oppo DV-970, etc.->VP30 at 1920x1080->Lumagen->Display

Should I get a VP50pro or an Edge, presuming it has color controls, instead?

[Fudoh]

IE. Consoles, Oppo DV-970, etc.->VP30 at 1920x1080->Lumagen->Display

you can do that, lag should be minimal. The Lumagens support genlock at a few ms delay and I *think* that color controls are still available in this mode. You need a more modern Lumagen than a Vision though. With 1080p60 input support you probably need a Radiance.

Should I get a VP50pro or an Edge, presuming it has color controls, instead?

they don't. The iScan Duo is the only DVDO processor with a CMS.

[Lord of Pirates]

IE. Consoles, Oppo DV-970, etc.->VP30 at 1920x1080->Lumagen->Display

you can do that, lag should be minimal. The Lumagens support genlock at a few ms delay and I *think* that color controls are still available in this mode. You need a more modern Lumagen than a Vision though. With 1080p60 input support you probably need a Radiance.

Should I get a VP50pro or an Edge, presuming it has color controls, instead?

they don't. The iScan Duo is the only DVDO processor with a CMS.

Thanks for responding so quickly. How does the Duo fare compared to a Radiance? Given the price (used) on the Duo I'd very likely go for it over a Radiance that unless there's a particular reason not to. I presume I'd want to go directly into the Duo/Rad. with my DVD player and my PS3 (BD player) and only chain older systems through the VP30?

My TV does have controls for RGBYMC hue, sat., and brightness but, I assume that's a far cry from the Duo or any of the Radiance units.

[Fudoh]

Thanks for responding so quickly. How does the Duo fare compared to a Radiance?

in terms of what ? Just the CMS ? Very close. While DVDO basically just put out an initial version and never improved upon it, Lumagen never stopped working on theirs until the FPGA has exhausted.

My TV does have controls for RGBYMC hue, sat., and brightness but, I assume that's a far cry from the Duo or any of the Radiance units.

if you feel like you need a CMS, then the Duo is a good option. It's a complicated area though. You need a proper colorimeter and quite some time to spend with whatever software you choose (HCFR, Calman and such).

I personally had a Radiance, but I didn't fell it was worth it on my Sony LCD. Yes, it gave it another edge, but to be honest, 100% color accuracy and something I don't need.

Which TV do you use ?

[Lord of Pirates]

Thanks for responding so quickly. How does the Duo fare compared to a Radiance?

in terms of what ? Just the CMS ? Very close. While DVDO basically just put out an initial version and never improved upon it, Lumagen never stopped working on theirs until the FPGA has exhausted.

My TV does have controls for RGBYMC hue, sat., and brightness but, I assume that's a far cry from the Duo or any of the Radiance units.

if you feel like you need a CMS, then the Duo is a good option. It's a complicated area though. You need a proper colorimeter and quite some time to spend with whatever software you choose (HCFR, Calman and such).

I personally had a Radiance, but I didn't fell it was worth it on my Sony LCD. Yes, it gave it another edge, but to be honest, 100% color accuracy and something I don't need.

Which TV do you use ?

The CMS and deinterlacing/scaling/overall performance, sorry I didn't specify. I'll be getting an i1 Pro 2 and an i1DP sometime soon and time to calibrate is a non-issue for me. At the moment I have a fairly cheap 24" Toshiba TV. I'd be replacing it with a better display, likely a monitor considering the size, before purchasing a Duo.

[Fudoh]

If you get a proper TV you can save yourself the trouble. Sony introduced a CMS on their TVs this year. Samsung and Panasonic always had pretty good systems. Panasonic probably has 10-point gamma control these days.

deinterlacing/scaling/overall performance

very different between a DVDO and a Lumagen. Very much depends on what you want to use it for.

[Lord of Pirates]

If you get a proper TV you can save yourself the trouble. Sony introduced a CMS on their TVs this year. Samsung and Panasonic always had pretty good systems. Panasonic probably has 10-point gamma control these days.

deinterlacing/scaling/overall performance

very different between a DVDO and a Lumagen. Very much depends on what you want to use it for.

My setup is space limited, I think 34 - 36" is the biggest I could go if I moved consoles around. Are there smaller TVs worth considering in the new lines?

Games and watching movies/TV shows would be my uses for any processor and what I'm using my VP30 for at the moment. I opt for BDs when I can but, I've got a decent amount of anime and TV shows I doubt are ever getting transferred past DVD so good processing of such content is a definite plus. Mostly older systems hooked up and my PS3 has seen more use as a BD player lately.

Edit: Systems currently in the setup are PS3 slim, PS3 fat, 360, PS2, DC, Saturn. I'd probably move everything except the 360 and PS3 to my secondary setup if I couldn't use an SLG easily. I should probably also mention that I'm very fond of the zoom, panning, and AR controls on the VP30, I'm not sure if I could live without such controls at this point .

[sky-13]

Did any of the Sega Saturn Virtua Sticks have stock Seimitsu buttons? Or are they all random parts?

[Fudoh]

Are there smaller TVs worth considering in the new lines?

From Sony's 2015 line-up the 32" W7 C is supposed to be great with ultra low lag.

DVD so good processing of such content is a definite plus.

I always prefered the DVDOs over the Lumagens for that. Upgrading from the VP30 to a 50Pro, Edge or Duo will give you a little better DVD processing since you get better sharpening controls with seperate edge and detail enhancement controls. Chroma handling was upgraded as well (less bleeding on saturated reds). It's a bit hard to describe, but while the DVDOs managed to get good DVDs to look almost HD, Lumagen's processing always made them look like upscaled SD instead. Something was missing....

Edit: Systems currently in the setup are PS3 slim, PS3 fat, 360, PS2, DC, Saturn. I'd probably move everything except the 360 and PS3 to my secondary setup if I couldn't use an SLG easily. I should probably also mention that I'm very fond of the zoom, panning, and AR controls on the VP30, I'm not sure if I could live without such controls at this point .

I agree. That's why a XRGB+DVDO combo is (or was) a great recommendation. I would recommend: upgrade your display, keep the VP30, get a OSSC for 240p sources. This way you basically replace the 240p inputs on the VP30 with a secondary processor. The OSSC will handle scanlines as well, so no need for a SLG.

[3703]

I'm having a problem with my Ikegami TM14-20R monitor.

I've been trying to connect my Japanese N64 through S-Video, and this monitor accepts a Y/C signal through BNC connectors on the rear called "CH C" pictured here:



I bought one of those S-Video to dual BNC breakout cables to do the job: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/131287846302 ... EBIDX%3AIT

And I got a couple of male to male BNC plugs so I could actually plug it into the monitor.

I assumed the breakout cable separated chroma and luma and that the monitor took them separately through the two inputs provided. However, when I set CH C's signal to Y/C in the monitor's menu, and switch the N64 on, I get no picture. If I revert the signal setting to the default "CH C" (I assume this makes it a third composite input or something), I get a black and white slightly warped picture with both cables plugged in, and a normal black and white picture if I have just one of them plugged in.

Also notable is that if I turn off external sync while CH C is set to Y/C, I get a flickering screen as if it needs a separate sync channel, but with no apparent picture coming from the N64 still.

I can post pictures of all of this later, but any ideas?

[Ed Oscuro]

Are there smaller TVs worth considering in the new lines?

From Sony's 2015 line-up the 32" W7 C is supposed to be great with ultra low lag.

Would that be like e.g. this set, the KDL-32R300C, or the KDL32EX340?

[Fudoh]

oh, sorry, possibly another one not available in the US. The R and EX models don't compare. Over here the model decriptor is Sony KDL-32W705C.

[St4rwalker]

I wonder if one can look DVDs on BVM in 240p thatd be sick ..
Imagine Scarface with Scanlines

[Lord of Pirates]

From Sony's 2015 line-up the 32" W7 C is supposed to be great with ultra low lag.

I always prefered the DVDOs over the Lumagens for that. Upgrading from the VP30 to a 50Pro, Edge or Duo will give you a little better DVD processing since you get better sharpening controls with seperate edge and detail enhancement controls. Chroma handling was upgraded as well (less bleeding on saturated reds). It's a bit hard to describe, but while the DVDOs managed to get good DVDs to look almost HD, Lumagen's processing always made them look like upscaled SD instead. Something was missing....

I agree. That's why a XRGB+DVDO combo is (or was) a great recommendation. I would recommend: upgrade your display, keep the VP30, get a OSSC for 240p sources. This way you basically replace the 240p inputs on the VP30 with a secondary processor. The OSSC will handle scanlines as well, so no need for a SLG.

oh, sorry, possibly another one not available in the US. The R and EX models don't compare. Over here the model decriptor is Sony KDL-32W705C.

By OSSC you mean this, right?

Any idea if there are US equivalents from Samsung or Panasonic? I'm not opposed to monitors with hardware LUT calibration if TV options are out, I practically never use the TV for broadcast content.

[Fudoh]

I wonder if one can look DVDs on BVM in 240p thatd be sick ..
Imagine Scarface with Scanlines

Most DVDs have been mastered using these monitors, so that's the benchmark anyway. DVDs are not 240p though, but 480i. What would be the point of reducing the resolution by half on a movie?

[Fudoh]

Any idea if there are US equivalents from Samsung or Panasonic?

as far as I can tell small sizes like these have been abandoned by most and you just get the scrap. If there's any current (and small) low lag Samsung or Panasonic around, I've missed it.

I'm not opposed to monitors with hardware LUT calibration

that's relatively rare if you want to keep it affordable, since you can do the calibration in software when running a windows or osx setup.

[St4rwalker]

I wonder if one can look DVDs on BVM in 240p thatd be sick ..
Imagine Scarface with Scanlines

Most DVDs have been mastered using these monitors, so that's the benchmark anyway. DVDs are not 240p though, but 480i. What would be the point of reducing the resolution by half on a movie?

no interlaced flickering?

[ryu]

60hz interlaced video is perfectly fine.

Just burn your shitty PAL material

....
But even 60hz may look bad on those super sharp monitors...., I guess.

[St4rwalker]

60hz interlaced video is perfectly fine.

Just burn your shitty PAL material

Yeah, porn have to look stunning, too btw..

Imagine the Details

[ryu]

There won't be much of that detail left in 240p

[Lord of Pirates]

as far as I can tell small sizes like these have been abandoned by most and you just get the scrap. If there's any current (and small) low lag Samsung or Panasonic around, I've missed it.

that's relatively rare if you want to keep it affordable, since you can do the calibration in software when running a windows or osx setup.

The Dell U2413 is decently priced but, it has overshoot, the lag is fairly high, and it's 1920x1200. Seems like a monitor and Duo combo is my best choice.

[Fudoh]

I have two U2414 and these don't have any color controls beyond basic color temp settings. I doubt that other monitors in the same price range do.

[Lord of Pirates]

I have two U2414 and these don't have any color controls beyond basic color temp settings. I doubt that other monitors in the same price range do.

According to TFTC Dell offered software that can access and calibrate the hardware LUT with an i1DP or an i1 Pro/2.