OSSC (DIY video digitizer & scandoubler)

[Galdelico]

How is monitor compatibility looking for the 4x and 5x modes? I believe nobody found a monitor that didn't accept line-triple right? These new modes have piqued my interest.

My LG 27MU67 is 100% compatible with each and every output, LineX4 and X5 included. Also, thanks to the suggestions I've got in the previous page, I was able to fix the left/right crop I had with the Saturn.

For 240p sources, though, I decided to stick with LineX4... I just love how scanlines look in that mode. It's like, perfect ratio and sharpness, combined with the thicker scanlines I used to get in Linedouble. Absolutely gorgeous, to my eyes.

[arovane]

How is monitor compatibility looking for the 4x and 5x modes? I believe nobody found a monitor that didn't accept line-triple right? These new modes have piqued my interest.

Well my Panasonic plasma TX-P55VT50Y doesn't accept line triple, 4x, 5x, Nesrgb, Snes and Neo Geo.
I'm still trying to tweek the ossc to find a workaround but no luck so far.
Too bad cause other than that this is a very, very good monitor especially for retro gaming. All other systems ok though.

[bobrocks95]

How is monitor compatibility looking for the 4x and 5x modes? I believe nobody found a monitor that didn't accept line-triple right? These new modes have piqued my interest.

Well my Panasonic plasma TX-P55VT50Y doesn't accept line triple, 4x, 5x, Nesrgb, Snes and Neo Geo.
I'm still trying to tweek the ossc to find a workaround but no luck so far.
Too bad cause other than that this is a very, very good monitor especially for retro gaming. All other systems ok though.

I was talking specifically about computer monitors, since they have much better compatibility than TVs it seems. Sorry to hear your plasma isn't working though. I hope in the future when 4K OLEDs become reasonably priced, we have at least a couple that support the OSSC very well.

Of course, considering how long that might take, we may have an OSSC2 by then.

[arovane]

How is monitor compatibility looking for the 4x and 5x modes? I believe nobody found a monitor that didn't accept line-triple right? These new modes have piqued my interest.

Well my Panasonic plasma TX-P55VT50Y doesn't accept line triple, 4x, 5x, Nesrgb, Snes and Neo Geo.
I'm still trying to tweek the ossc to find a workaround but no luck so far.
Too bad cause other than that this is a very, very good monitor especially for retro gaming. All other systems ok though.

I was talking specifically about computer monitors, since they have much better compatibility than TVs it seems. Sorry to hear your plasma isn't working though. I hope in the future when 4K OLEDs become reasonably priced, we have at least a couple that support the OSSC very well.

Of course, considering how long that might take, we may have an OSSC2 by then.

Ah yes, I have a couple of Dell monitors, and everything works flawlessly indeed. More precision on computer monitors than on TV it seems... It's just that, I like the look of plasma much better than LCD or LED, less agressive, better balance in coloirs and sharpness. A good alternative to CRTs when coupled with OSSC. If only everything could work flawlessly

[neorichieb1971]

Glad to hear my choice of U2414H Dell monitor works with all modes on the OSSC.

If a slightly bigger TV is out there that can handle all modes I will jump in and buy a OSSC.

[Harrumph]

If a slightly bigger TV is out there that can handle all modes I will jump in and buy a OSSC.

There's a couple already reported, Samsung, LG and Vizio. By the time you get the OSSC many more will be known, I'm sure.

[NormalFish]

Glad to hear my choice of U2414H Dell monitor works with all modes on the OSSC.

If a slightly bigger TV is out there that can handle all modes I will jump in and buy a OSSC.

y'know you've made so many excuses not to get one in the past handful of months that i'm starting to think you don't actually want one

[neorichieb1971]

Glad to hear my choice of U2414H Dell monitor works with all modes on the OSSC.

If a slightly bigger TV is out there that can handle all modes I will jump in and buy a OSSC.

y'know you've made so many excuses not to get one in the past handful of months that i'm starting to think you don't actually want one

The truth is, i've just spent tons of cash on ebay getting some games here and there. I also have the issue of wanting what I call a "retro studio" in my home. And my home doesn't facilitate such nonsense. But I'm working on it.

If someone told me a UK model of 4k TV that works 100% with the OSSC that would also fast track the OSSC. It would mean I could ditch the idea of the retro studio and put the OSSC on the main TV, or alternatively just use it on the computer monitor. I have an old Sony TV W4500 from 2007/8 at the moment and it needs replacing. So the TV purchase is on hold until this thread convinces me the timing is right. You guys are my R+D team.

[marqs]

On things that are hard to keep track of: marqs can you please answer if it's possible to make the mask brightness even higher

Sure, I selected the current range just based on personal preference as any higher brightness would have disturbed my eye.

Well my Panasonic plasma TX-P55VT50Y doesn't accept line triple, 4x, 5x, Nesrgb, Snes and Neo Geo.

Funny that my earlier generation VT30Y model has better tolerance (e.g. snes ok), but still no line3x/4x/5x support which is a pity. The particular set have started to show line bleed though, so I've been planning replace it with a OLED as soon as one has motion reproduction on par with it (there might be some hope on upcoming Sony/Panasonic models).

A couple notes on 240p passthrough: the feature currently uses IT6613 VCLK PLL (for pixel duplication) which is quite picky on input signal. SNES/NESRGB e.g. are not expected to work with it (at least on my setup), but theres an alternative way to implement the feature which does not utilize IT6613 PLL. Some of the active area calculations need to be reworked to next fw too.

[Guspaz]

240p passthrough on the SNES seems to work for me. OSSC syncs, projector reports it as 720x240. I've defaulted the OSSC to 4X though, because it seems to be the most compatible mode for my projector.

[Voultar]

I've had zero time to do anything for myself. But I I took 5 minutes to work a couple of the packages on the board.

[bonzo.bits]

Edit: use of optimised modes is not essential after all.

Thought I'd put this in here, in case it helps anyone Basically, I've gone from having only linedouble on my main TV to having linequadruple, and holy shit snacks it is fricken awesome!

Thanks to some tips from Harrumph, which he has now put in a thread at VGP https://www.videogameperfection.com/for ... lx5-modes/, I established that my Panasonic VT60 is compatible with Lx3 and Lx4. Yay for me For the last 3 months since building an OSSC barbeones kit, I'd gotten used to the fact that my display could only handle the standard linedouble mode. All it took to fix this error was Harrumph's advice and some playing around with the advance timing tweaker.

After using Harrumphs trick, the output from the OSSC was a bit 'off', but after some adjustments to H.samplerate/backporch and then reducing the V.active back to 240, correct AR was restored and the image looks crisp and vibrant, and stunning overall. The only downside is that with the necessary adjustments to V.backporch (at V.active 256, an image is only displayed when V.backporch < 7), the image is pushed down and results in a few lines going outside the bottom edge of the display. Imo the scarifice is worth it. This may even potentially be resolved if frontporch adjustments are included in a future firmware update.

I also can get the SNES to work at Lx3 only and not x4 or x5. However it looks that good that I'm not phased. Genesis and Saturn do work in Lx4 and they look awesome. Just waiting for a sync-on-luma cable for my RGB modded N64 and I'll be able to test that console out.

Marqs might be getting sick of hearing it, but damn this thing is awesome. I might even end up putting my FM on eBay for $1000+ now :DJ J/k scalpers can go munch on a dirty bum.

[lettuce]

Thought I'd put this in here, in case it helps anyone Basically, I've gone from having only linedouble on my main TV to having linequadruple, and holy shit snacks it is fricken awesome!

Thanks to some tips from Harrumph, which he has now put in a thread at VGP https://www.videogameperfection.com/for ... lx5-modes/, I established that my Panasonic VT60 is compatible with Lx3 and Lx4. Yay for me For the last 3 months since building an OSSC barbeones kit, I'd gotten used to the fact that my display could only handle the standard linedouble mode. All it took to fix this error was Harrumph's advice and some playing around with the advance timing tweaker and the optimised modes for Lx3 and Lx4 ('320 x 240 optim'). I'd messed around with non-optimised mode previously, but it didn't help me get the Lx3/4 goodness.

After using Harrumphs trick, the output from the OSSC was a bit 'off', but after some adjustments to H.samplerate/backporch and then reducing the V.active back to 240, correct AR was restored and the image looks crisp and vibrant, and stunning overall. The only downside is that with the necessary adjustments to V.backporch (at V.active 256, an image is only displayed when V.backporch < 7), the image is pushed down and results in a few lines going outside the bottom edge of the display. Imo the scarifice is worth it. This may even potentially be resolved if frontporch adjustments are included in a future firmware update.

I also can get the SNES to work at Lx3 only and not x4 or x5. However it looks that good that I'm not phased. Genesis and Saturn do work in Lx4 and they look awesome. Just waiting for a sync-on-luma cable for my RGB modded N64 and I'll be able to test that console out.

Marqs might be getting sick of hearing it, but damn this thing is awesome. I might even end up putting my FM on eBay for $1000+ now :DJ J/k scalpers can go munch on a dirty bum.

So before you messed around with the H.samplerate, backporch and V.active you were not able to get a display with x3, x4 or x5 but now you are???

[bonzo.bits]

So before you messed around with the H.samplerate, backporch and V.active you were not able to get a display with x3, x4 or x5 but now you are???

Yeah. I should probably edit that post so it flows better.

Basically:

- no adjustments to the advanced timing tweaker means Lx2 only (no Lx3/4/5)
- jumping into 320x240 (generic or optim) , then increasing V.active to 256 then reducing V.backporch to 6 gives a picture. Works for Lx3/4 but not Lx5 (Lx5 requires V.active of 216, this has worked for Harrumph but not on my TV). SNES is limited to Lx3 only
- adjusting H.samplerate restores correct scale on horizontal
- reducing V.active to 240 restores scale on vertical
- with V.active set at anything < 256, any adjustments to H.samplerate, H.synclen or V.backporch cause loss of image, so V.active adjustments must be the final step. Also means that profiles are saved with V.active 256 and reduced to 240 every time the console is power cycled. If a profile is loaded with V.active at 240 the TV will not recognise the image until V.active is increased to 256.

[Galdelico]

So, my monitor seems particularly sensitive to screen flicker... No matter the response time/overdrive setting, moderate to severe flicker in some spots (white borders around life-bars in fighting games, for example) causes what it looks like burn-in but in reality is 'after-flickering'. The flickering persists on screen, leaving a faint white trace on any colour, and a flickering area on white. This appears to be temporary, and goes away in a short time.

This is going to be a problem, as it pretty much makes me wary to play anything 480i (so PS2, XBOX and Gamecube... A huge part of my collection), fearing that this issue may cause permanent damage to the monitor, on the long run.

Wondering what I should do at this point. Changing monitor sounds like a bit of shame, considering how great it works with the OSSC, even with the systems it's supposed to perform less wonderfully than with others.

[NormalFish]

Have you tried passthrough? I found my asus actually deinterlaces pretty decently, much to my surprise.

[Galdelico]

I did, and - with my big surprise - that's the only thing the monitor doesn't seem to handle well.

Basically, what it does is: it displays an indeed 'decent' image (it's weird, though... Looks very sharp but also 'filtered', in a way, unlike LineX3/4/5's raw pixels), but it completely wrecks the aspect ratio.
Out of the box, with the monitor set to 'original' and passthrough on the OSSC, what I get is a stripe which covers the entire lenght of the screen, but that is only a fraction of it high. If I set the monitor to '1:1', it does the same, only way zoomed out (so it's basically a tiny rectangle in the middle of the screen), while in 'wide' it's all zoomed in and cropped at each side (but yet, it looks like it's still stretched).

My 24" old Asus does a slightly better job, in terms of aspect ratio, but I remember it being quite wonky as well.

[Thomago]

I did, and - with my big surprise - that's the only thing the monitor doesn't seem to handle well.

Set your OSSC's "TX mode" (in Output opt.) to "HDMI", that should fix your problems.

[Galdelico]

Set your OSSC's "TX mode" (in Output opt.) to "HDMI", that should fix your problems.

Thanks Thomago, but I did that too. It does what I reported above with TX mode set to HDMI.

[Thomago]

Ah, sorry. From what you've described I could've sworn that was the solution to your problems.

[lettuce]

So before you messed around with the H.samplerate, backporch and V.active you were not able to get a display with x3, x4 or x5 but now you are???

Yeah. I should probably edit that post so it flows better.

Basically:

- no adjustments to the advanced timing tweaker means Lx2 only (no Lx3/4/5)
- switching to 320 x 240 optim modes, then increasing V.active to 256 then reducing V.backporch to 6 gives a picture. Works for Lx3/4 but not Lx5 (Lx5 requires V.active of 216, this has worked for Harrumph but not on my TV). SNES is limited to Lx3 only
- adjusting H.samplerate restores correct scale on horizontal
- reducing V.active to 240 restores scale on vertical
- with V.active set at anything < 256, any adjustments to H.samplerate, H.synclen or V.backporch cause loss of image, so V.active adjustments must be the final step. Also means that profiles are saved with V.active 256 and reduced to 240 every time the console is power cycled. If a profile is loaded with V.active at 240 the TV will not recognise the image until V.active is increased to 256.

Sadly i have tired this with x4 mode, i get a black screen but as soon as i go lower that 5 V. Backporch i start getting a 'Unsupported Signal' message on the TV, odd that i dont get this message when higher that 5 V.Backporch!

[lettuce]

Ok i have just installed the Audio module for the OSSC, i have check all points for continuity and are all good, i have downloaded and flashed the audio FW but for some reason im not getting any audio over the DVI to hdmi cable. Is there something else i need to be doing to get the audio to work?

[citrus3000psi]

Ok i have just installed the Audio module for the OSSC, i have check all points for continuity and are all good, i have downloaded and flashed the audio FW but for some reason im not getting any audio over the DVI to hdmi cable. Is there something else i need to be doing to get the audio to work?

I just did an audio mod for a customer last week actually. I did NOT lift the pin 5 on the IT6613E to supply the clock.

You didn't forget to cut the traces?
Your voltage lines are correct?
You pulled the clock signal from the correct location?

[lettuce]

Ok i have just installed the Audio module for the OSSC, i have check all points for continuity and are all good, i have downloaded and flashed the audio FW but for some reason im not getting any audio over the DVI to hdmi cable. Is there something else i need to be doing to get the audio to work?

I just did an audio mod for a customer last week actually. I did NOT lift the pin 5 on the IT6613E to supply the clock.

You didn't forget to cut the traces?
Your voltage lines are correct?
You pulled the clock signal from the correct location?

I have the V1.5-A3 audio module, whats the idea of cutting of the plastic around pins 2, 4 and 6 of the scart socket?, are you supposed to resolders these pins back again afterwards?

Worked out i didnt need to cut the plastic around the scart socket as it was a different design. Heres the install, i cant see anything wrong....



After i have cut the trace to the 3 pads and if the audio module isnt working should the OSSC still operate?, as im still getting a picture just no audio!. Is a special type of DVI to HDMI cable need to carry audio or will a standard cable work?

[citrus3000psi]

Ok i have just installed the Audio module for the OSSC, i have check all points for continuity and are all good, i have downloaded and flashed the audio FW but for some reason im not getting any audio over the DVI to hdmi cable. Is there something else i need to be doing to get the audio to work?

I just did an audio mod for a customer last week actually. I did NOT lift the pin 5 on the IT6613E to supply the clock.

You didn't forget to cut the traces?
Your voltage lines are correct?
You pulled the clock signal from the correct location?

I have the V1.5-A3 audio module, whats the idea of cutting of the plastic around pins 2, 4 and 6 of the scart socket?, are you supposed to resolders these pins back again afterwards?

Worked out i didnt need to cut the plastic around the scart socket as it was a different design. Heres the install, i cant see anything wrong....



After i have cut the trace to the 3 pads and if the audio module isnt working should the OSSC still operate?, as im still getting a picture just no audio!. Is a special type of DVI to HDMI cable need to carry audio or will a standard cable work?

Pic is not working. Google says I don't have permission from my IP. So Id imagine you see the picture fine. Use something like imgur.com instead.

You don't need a special cable or anything. I havn't tested but I'd imagine the OSSC would work fine, picture wise, with the audio firmware on and no audio board.

[Galdelico]

Ah, sorry. From what you've described I could've sworn that was the solution to your problems.

No worries and thanks again. ^_-

I double checked last night - I also tested each and every overdrive option, tried different color profiles, contrast intensity, etc. - but no dice unfortunately. More or less, every interlaced source - with the OSSC left to bob-deinterlace it - produced the aforementioned 'after flickering' on screen, ranging from subtle shimmering on whites, to persistent and visible burn-in-like effects.
For this reason, I ended up swapping monitors between my two gaming setups.

I'll be using the LG with the PS3/360 (lots of TATE shmups to enjoy, there... and I may get a PS4 Pro, after all, in the summer), and I put my older Asus 24" 1080p in the retro corner. It's older and TN, but it still handles every OSSC output just as well, if not better than the its bigger brother. No 'after-flicker' crap at all with interlaced sources - I tried Virtua Fighter 2 and loads of PS2 games that affected the other panel - which also look overall better and less flickery to begin with, and that basically wipes away all my fears to even play anything like that on the newer monitor, with the risk of permanently damaging it.
Finally - and, while this isn't really surprising, for some reason I didn't expect that - it perfectly handles LineX5, with no cropping at any given resolution.

So, yeah: all in all, even though it's a bit of a shame it turned out to be far from adequate for my retro purposes, I don't regret having purchased the LG 27". It will get just as much use, if not more (and in a more appropriate way too, some would say ), and I'll keep rocking my Asus until I find a good deal on another 27". Granted, next time I'll go for something cheaper and 1080p only.

[Thomago]

I double checked last night - I also tested each and every overdrive option, tried different color profiles, contrast intensity, etc. - but no dice unfortunately. More or less, every interlaced source - with the OSSC left to bob-deinterlace it - produced the aforementioned 'after flickering' on screen, ranging from subtle shimmering on whites, to persistent and visible burn-in-like effects.

Would you mind checking on this site (https://www.testufo.com/#test=ghosting) if your LG monitor has an "inverted trail" (http://www.blurbusters.com/wp-content/u ... oronas.jpg) in its lowest overdrive setting? Would be interesting to know if the "after-flicker"-effect is something to be reckoned with in general or if your monitor just has a particularly aggressive overdrive.

[lettuce]

Pic is not working. Google says I don't have permission from my IP. So Id imagine you see the picture fine. Use something like imgur.com instead.

You don't need a special cable or anything. I havn't tested but I'd imagine the OSSC would work fine, picture wise, with the audio firmware on and no audio board.

Sorry should be working now!?

[citrus3000psi]

Pic is not working. Google says I don't have permission from my IP. So Id imagine you see the picture fine. Use something like imgur.com instead.

You don't need a special cable or anything. I havn't tested but I'd imagine the OSSC would work fine, picture wise, with the audio firmware on and no audio board.

Sorry should be working now!?

On the surface it looks fine. So at this point. I would trace back through audio board. and go over each component. And follow the electrical path of Clock, Left, Right, +3.3 and 5v make sure you can trace back and nothing is broken. Make sure no pins are bridged on the ADC, its hard to tell with the flux.

[Galdelico]

Would you mind checking on this site (https://www.testufo.com/#test=ghosting) if your LG monitor has an "inverted trail" (http://www.blurbusters.com/wp-content/u ... oronas.jpg) in its lowest overdrive setting? Would be interesting to know if the "after-flicker"-effect is something to be reckoned with in general or if your monitor just has a particularly aggressive overdrive.

I'll check it out as soon as I can, and report. Moving around the monitor from where it's placed now may be a bit tricky, and I don't have direct access to any PC in my gameroom. I'll see if I can connect my MacBook to it and give it a try. ^_-

That said - if it can be of any help - response time in general isn't the strongest plus of my LG, and it's highlighted in every review I've read. I was aware of it when I bought it, as I thought it wouldn't be much of a problem. Still, I'm not sure if that caused the issue I had with interlaced sources.