OSSC (DIY video digitizer & scandoubler)

[Guspaz]

It's not lying: as I said, the shutter speed setting ensures that no part of the frame is exposed for longer than that. It's just that it doesn't all get exposed at the same time.

Cameras with global shutters do expose the entire frame at once, so they solve the problem, but these days they tend to be restricted to professional film cameras (RED, Arri, BlackMagic, etc).

CCD sensors tend to be global shutters, while CMOS sensors (used in most cameras these days) tend to be rolling. A few sensor manufacturers have announced CMOS sensors with global shutters in the past few years, but I'm not sure if any of them have made it into actual products.

[Joelepain]

I think it's a problem with English language that people get confused. As a french, when I saw review of lenses for the first time, when they were saying "this lens is fast, this one is not so fast", I was thinking they were talking about the autofocus speed. It took some time for me to understand they were actually talking about the aperture of the lenses.

I think it's the same for the shutter. The "shutter speed" setting does not control the actual "speed" of the shutter, but the time a part of the sensor get exposed, as Guspaz explained. The shutter actually always moves at the same speed. They control the time a part of the sensor get exposed by changing the delay between the first curtain starts to open and the second curtain starts to close, as you can see in the Slo Mo Guys video I posted.

[Nrg]

I have a weird problem with OSSC video output.. It used to work properly earlier, but now the output video signal from OSSC works OK with some displays/devices only, and with other devices it's "weird color" and/or glitchy or really noisy. Here's some examples:

- OSSC --> Dell 23" display: OK.
- OSSC --> HDMI-to-VGA converter: OK.

- OSSC --> Dell 24" display: FAIL, output video is purple/blue and/or glitchy and/or noisy.
- OSSC --> Extron video processor: FAIL, output video is green and/or glitchy and/or noisy.
- OSSC --> Another Extron video processor: FAIL, output video is green and/or glitchy and/or noisy.

This problem happens even with the default "calibration picture" of OSSC (when no OSSC input is selected), so it's the default 480p @ 59.54 Hz mode. See these pics for examples:

- http://pasik.reaktio.net/ossc-problem01.png
- http://pasik.reaktio.net/ossc-problem02.png (the moire pattern here is from my camera, it's not on actual output signal).

I've tried all the OSSC firmware versions (currently using v0.76), and they don't seem to affect this behaviour. I suspect it's somehow OSSC hardware related.. my OSSC is from the first batch, v1.4-DVI.

I've also tried all the "basic troubleshooting" steps, meaning multiple different displays / video processors, multiple DVI/HDMI cables, etc.. and I've resetted the OSSC settings to defaults aswell. No help.

Any ideas what might cause this? And how to fix it..

(yeah, I had the OSSC fuse blown recently, but this video output problem started before i messed up with the power supply and blew the fuse.. actually this output problem is exactly the reason why I wanted to try another power supply to rule out if the problem is caused by a bad PSU - and that's confirmed now, I have exactly the same video output problem with two different PSUs, so I don't think OSSC PSU is causing this problem).

[Monogamous]

Hi,
Will there be any future option for the OSSC that will allow it to ignore sync and "force" 240p? That would universally fix the 240p/480i switching issues in games like Silent Hill.

[marqs]

I have a weird problem with OSSC video output.. It used to work properly earlier, but now the output video signal from OSSC works OK with some displays/devices only, and with other devices it's "weird color" and/or glitchy or really noisy. Here's some examples:

Sounds like HDMI transmitter chip may have got damaged - see this post and follow-up about how to check whether it is so.

[BuckoA51]

Hi,
Will there be any future option for the OSSC that will allow it to ignore sync and "force" 240p? That would universally fix the 240p/480i switching issues in games like Silent Hill.

It's not as simple as that, when consoles change 240p->480i the refresh rate changes too.

[Sp33dFr34k]

Found out about this thing waaaaaay too late, #4346 in line now

[lettuce]

Found out about this thing waaaaaay too late, #4346 in line now

how do you find out what position you are in?

[Harrumph]

how do you find out what position you are in?

https://www.videogameperfection.com/for ... your-spot/

[lettuce]

how do you find out what position you are in?

https://www.videogameperfection.com/for ... your-spot/

Hmmm, i ordered one about a year ago and signed up to the news letter again as i want a 2nd device but the end of my url tag is '=47-edda6d9e98' so does that mean position 47?, if so im guessing that is still taking my first sign up to the news letter and not this recent one?. If thats the case how on earth do i get on the list for a 2nd device?

[Harrumph]

There will be pre-orders for the next batch.

[lettuce]

There will be pre-orders for the next batch.

So what ever position your in the 'line' it doesnt matter then?

[Nrg]

Sounds like HDMI transmitter chip may have got damaged - see this post and follow-up about how to check whether it is so.

I managed to measure the link1 pins now with a diode tester multimeter. It seems the OSSC DVI connector pin 9 (TMDS link1 digital green -) makes the multimeter give constant beep, instead of giving the ~560 measurement all the other link1 pins give me.. based on the multimeter manual that means the pins are shorted. and that probably means the HDMI transmitter chip is broken?

[ZellSF]

The wrong 480p/960i detection also happens on the Wii. Weird that no one noticed. Maybe not a whole lot titles people want to go back to on the Wii. I just started it to test if the gcompsw I got worked like I wanted it to.

[Guspaz]

I have not seen that behaviour on the Wii at 480p, although I haven't tested that extensively.

[Thomago]

I have seen it

[NormalFish]

The wrong 480p/960i detection also happens on the Wii. Weird that no one noticed. Maybe not a whole lot titles people want to go back to on the Wii. I just started it to test if the gcompsw I got worked like I wanted it to.

I think I've observed this as well. Start up the Wii -> Load USB Loader -> run NGC game -> weird resolution/framerate detected (not at home to check what it is, but it doesn't look like anything i've ever seen) -> flick the OSSC on/off and it resolves.

[marqs]

I managed to measure the link1 pins now with a diode tester multimeter. It seems the OSSC DVI connector pin 9 (TMDS link1 digital green -) makes the multimeter give constant beep, instead of giving the ~560 measurement all the other link1 pins give me.. based on the multimeter manual that means the pins are shorted. and that probably means the HDMI transmitter chip is broken?

Yeah, that chip is a goner. It's replaceable with some effort but unfortunately they're not that easy to find.

The wrong 480p/960i detection also happens on the Wii. Weird that no one noticed. Maybe not a whole lot titles people want to go back to on the Wii. I just started it to test if the gcompsw I got worked like I wanted it to.

An updated firmware will be available in a couple days, fixing much of the interlace detection logic, and enabling passthru via VGA too.

[NormalFish]

An updated firmware will be available in a couple days, fixing much of the interlace detection logic, and enabling passthru via VGA too.

Good to hear. Looking forward to it.

[orange808]

Are people that have trouble with the Wii using BootMii?

[NormalFish]

Are people that have trouble with the Wii using BootMii?

I installed all the homebrew on my wii ages back so I can't recall if I use it specifically, but it seems highly likely that I do. I think I had the same issue when playing NGC games from my retail discs, too, though.

[undamned]

The wrong 480p/960i detection also happens on the Wii. Weird that no one noticed. Maybe not a whole lot titles people want to go back to on the Wii. I just started it to test if the gcompsw I got worked like I wanted it to.

An updated firmware will be available in a couple days, fixing much of the interlace detection logic, and enabling passthru via VGA too.

Always improving things for us! Thanks!
-ud

[Xer Xian]

Thanks for the prolonged support to the OSSC! I know I'll sound like an ungrateful prick asking for even more features but would it be possible to have a selectable 1280x1024 output for Line4x/2x480p (maybe adding a Line4x/Line2x480p Format sub-menu kinda like for Line5x)?

This could probably increase compatibility for Line4x/2x480p (I'm especially thinking about DVDO scalers which don't accept raw Line4x and do a less-than-stellar 480p upscaling), and also will be welcomed by users of 5:4 LCDs with no 1:1 mode (believe it or not, 5:4 1280x1024 LCDs are still being carried today, and some products are quite respectable - the NEC EA193Mi for example is a 5:4 LED IPS with declared 5ms GtG response, but doesn't have a 1:1 mode so the image will be inevitably stretched

[marqs]

Thanks for the prolonged support to the OSSC! I know I'll sound like an ungrateful prick asking for even more features but would it be possible to have a selectable 1280x1024 output for Line4x/2x480p (maybe adding a Line4x/Line2x480p Format sub-menu kinda like for Line5x)?

This could probably increase compatibility for Line4x/2x480p (I'm especially thinking about DVDO scalers which don't accept raw Line4x and do a less-than-stellar 480p upscaling), and also will be welcomed by users of 5:4 LCDs with no 1:1 mode (believe it or not, 5:4 1280x1024 LCDs are still being carried today, and some products are quite respectable - the NEC EA193Mi for example is a 5:4 LED IPS with declared 5ms GtG response, but doesn't have a 1:1 mode so the image will be inevitably stretched

1280x1024 can be output with some adjustments in Adv. timing. That should work with displays that are ok with slightly reduced vertical backporch and/or sync (both adjustable in latest fw).

[marqs]

Fw. 0.77 is out now. As always, more information on the new options is found on the wiki.

* Sync processing rewritten, fixing interlace detection issues etc.
* Mask brightness range increased
* Line2x optimized modes added
* 480i/576i Line3x and Line4x modes added
* HDMI IT content option added
* Some compatibility options added

[Jademalo]

Sweet!
Looking forward to testing out the Line2x optimized modes!

[xadox]

Thx for another update to perfection

[Guspaz]

Looks like the new sync logic does not impact the Wii 240p VC -> GARO -> OSSC sync issues: both v0.76 and v0.77 exhibit the same behaviour, the OSSC will not sync unless one of two things are done, either the h-sync tolerance must be set to 12.30 or higher (which causes other issues) or a VGA cable must be connected between the GARO and OSSC (even if the VGA input is not selected on the OSSC).

[Thomago]

Fw. 0.77 is out now. As always, more information on the new options is found on the wiki.

* Sync processing rewritten, fixing interlace detection issues etc.
* Mask brightness range increased
* Line2x optimized modes added
* 480i/576i Line3x and Line4x modes added
* HDMI IT content option added
* Some compatibility options added

Sweeeeet!

[ZellSF]

480iX4 works on the generic SCART scaler and on the XRGB-mini. Pretty much what you expect, looks sharper than 480iX2. I'm sure you could get 480iX2 to look equally sharp on the XRGB-mini with some tweaking of course.

480iX3 works on the XRGB-mini, but looks awful. Tweaking V scaler makes it look better, but so blurry any advantage over 480i is lost. It does not work on the generic SCART scaler.

While I didn't try much, neither of the new modes appeared to work on the DVDO VP50.

Mask brightness now closely enough matches my TV's settings that I'm not worried about burn-in on it when connecting directly to it and I won't be worried when I get an OLED either, so that's nice.

HDMI IT content didn't seem to do anything for either the DVDO VP50 or the generic SCART scaler, but I didn't experiment that much with it.

I thought I'd mention. I thought the TX setting (DVI or HDMI) was useless, but it has a huge effect on image quality on the generic SCART scaler and a huge effect on supported modes on the XRGB-mini. Anyone who hasn't tried experimenting with that on their devices really should.