OSSC (DIY video digitizer & scandoubler)

[Xer Xian]

Another thing that makes simulated scanlines inferior is that, even on high-end pro monitors, real scanlines are much tinner on very bright spots: http://seiyuu.info/bvm_d32_review/page17.php

You could think this is nitpicking but it does make the picture a bit less sterile.

[ZellSF]

I'm going to support the OSSC buy buying one.

I don't invest in experimentation projects.

???

Personally I don't see the OSSC as that much of an experimentation/tweaking device. As long as your output device supports at least 240pX3 and NES/SNES then it's just connect, set the line multiplication mode you want (and maybe scanlines) and you're done.

There are a lot of options, but for causal "I just want a good picture out of my consoles" I don't see the reason to bother with most of them.

I've had a much worse time tweaking the XRGB-mini than the DVDO VP50 and OSSC combined. Speaking of the DVDO VP50, a fuse blew on the third party PSU I'm using so I can't use mine until a replacement fuse is here

[BuckoA51]

As long as your output device supports at least 240pX3

Nothing wrong with 240px2 on many sets either, some Sony sets scale 480p beautifully.

[Blair]

Another thing that makes simulated scanlines inferior is that, even on high-end pro monitors, real scanlines are much tinner on very bright spots: http://seiyuu.info/bvm_d32_review/page17.php

You could think this is nitpicking but it does make the picture a bit less sterile.

that's an interesting thought, are you sure it's not just the emulator that was causing issues with the scanlines? on real hardware with CRTs and LCDs I've been able to get some pretty good results with my scanlines. (by altering a few parameters+processing I could achieve some really nice varied looks) (I also think different display technologies plus the age of the display could factor in to how the scanlines might look, along with line multiplication and native resolution). Fudoh also has a metal slug screenshot on his website from a BVM that looks very similar to your emulator image.

these aren't direct comparisons of the same image/set up but I think they give a good idea of scanline quality.

gallery link: (https://imgur.com/a/lrM0U) (plus a few extra pictures)
(beware, extremely large images)


direct 240p (pvm20L5 crt)

Spoiler

XRGB-1 line doubler+SLG (LaCie Electron crt)

Spoiler

OSSC in 240p x2 mode, scanline 75% (LaCie Electron crt)

Spoiler

OSSC in 240p x5 mode, scanline 100% (LaCie Electron crt)

Spoiler

(all of the above pics were taken with the same SNES system (SNS-CPU-GPM-02) )


and here's a few older LCD+OSSC experiments.

Spoiler

@Guspaz and @marqs

here's a shot of the Wii outputting in component video running RA-wii (Sega core), 240p into the OSSC (line double+scanlines) then into the vp50pro with some negative edge enhancement and detail enhancement (also gamma adjustment), gives it a really Bloomy kind of arcade feel (or at least that's how my nostalgic memories of arcade machines look).


Wii isolated capture (for comparison)




OSSC Scanlines and vp50pro EE-/DE+,

Spoiler

I did some testing of the HD3000+OSSC and got some very nice results. unfortunately the HD3000 has some compatibility issues with a few of the OSSC's features.

Nintendo Wii+OSSC+HD3000, OSSC 480p mode: Auto, scanlines: 100%

Game: Streets of Rage 2: Syndicate Wars(2012) via retroarch wii)

Spoiler

processor is vp50pro, output resolution is 1080p, image enhancements are, EE-100, DE-10, color saturation+45

American SNES 1CHIP-01: Scart RGB (OSSC 240p line triple) (scanlines 100%)

super Mario All-Stars

Spoiler

Samsung LN40+OSSC line 5x with help from a VP50(non pro) scanlines: 100%

[Xer Xian]

Those are very nice shots Blair (I tried to take close-ups a couple of times but the moire effect was quite bad).

Indeed, your OSSC/XRGB+VGA monitor setup looks great. There certainly is some scanlines blooming on there (which is non-existent on the LCD instead). I have pretty much the same setup but I didn't notice it - I'll have to pay more attention. And btw I'd like to try out a VGA monitor with more down-to-earth specs (ie with a bigger dot pitch) sometimes. I suspect the results would still be quite nice and even closer to the real thing.

[Naiera]

I can't get an image from my Neo Geo AES through my Lumagen RadianceXD

[Harrumph]

If sync is not stable on the OSSC you can try the tweaks described here.
If sync is stable on the OSSC, then it's down to the lumagen.

[Naiera]

It was my RGB cable that wasn't working

[BuckoA51]

Have you spent time playing with the OSSC + 50 Pro and negative EE/DE values?

I did quite a bit when I last used my PSP (PSP->OSSC 480px2->VP50Pro) since I found the standard 480px2 to be quite too sharp, you can get some pretty pleasing results it's true.

Speaking of those composite friendly waterfalls, I never did get around to testing the custom scaling filter firmware, I must give that a shot.

[Naiera]

I'm getting quite a bit of "bleeding" now that I actually have a picture. It's quite obvious with the trails off the T in "0 CREDIT" at the bottom left of KOF2000. I've tried messing around with a lot of different settings, but I didn't find anything that helped.

It looked better when I had my XRGB mini, and I was using a different RGB cable back then (a custom one that went directly from the AES to the little round RGB input on the front of the unit). Should I try to get a hold of a better cable? The one I used back in the day, when TVs had Scart inputs, is the one that didn't work.

[Harrumph]

Is it the same if you connect the OSSC directly to a monitor/TV?

[BuckoA51]

Latest firmware on your Radiance? Aren't they known for colour bleed in reds in particular?

[xadox]

Is there a way to backup the OSSC settings to a file?

[FinalBaton]

didn't read the whole thread, but how does the PSP look through the OSSC on a 1080p TV with a setting that fills the screen's height?
interested toknow how it looks with scanlines on a multisync CRT/PC CRT monitor as well (screen filled as much as possible, of course)

[zak]

Just wanted to say my OSSC arrived 2 days ago. It just works, perfectly. Amazing piece of kit.

I fiddled to high heaven on the framemeister, but this is just wonderful. Many thanks.

I was also surprised that I didn't need a DVI to HDMI - Bonus!

[Naiera]

Is it the same if you connect the OSSC directly to a monitor/TV?

I don't have that option. My computer is an iMac.

I'm 95% sure it was better with the XRGB mini, and nothing else in the setup has changed, except for the calibration on the projector being done with newer versions of the calibration software.

I've asked a friend to make a cable that conforms to the specs on the Scart input on the OSSC. I'm sure that'll be better than some old Retro Gaming Cables one.

I'd still love to hear suggestions as to what settings to fiddle with on the OSSC, though. I haven't tried everything, just a lot of them

[Naiera]

Latest firmware on your Radiance? Aren't they known for colour bleed in reds in particular?

Yes, it does have the latest firmware. No other inputs bleed like this. I get a pristine image from everything else. If everything bled like the signal from the OSSC, I and everyone else who owned one would have dumped it a long time ago

[Naiera]

I fiddled to high heaven on the framemeister, but this is just wonderful. Many thanks.

I was also surprised that I didn't need a DVI to HDMI - Bonus!

You missed the news about the new version having HDMI on board, I guess I bought the DVI to HDMI cable a long time ago, but it turns out my mom can use that one for her home office with her work laptop.

I also got tired of fiddling with the Flame Meister. I believe the reason I ultimately lost interest in the setup was that it would lose sync little by little with the Neo Geo AES. That doesn't happen with the OSSC.

[pyrotek85]

I also got tired of fiddling with the Flame Meister. I believe the reason I ultimately lost interest in the setup was that it would lose sync little by little with the Neo Geo AES. That doesn't happen with the OSSC.

Yeah same here. It works well, but it got to be annoying if you have a lot of different systems. The OSSC is about the closest I think we can get to plug and play.

[RGBSource]

I'd still love to hear suggestions as to what settings to fiddle with on the OSSC, though. I haven't tried everything, just a lot of them

While it's slightly buried on the Junker HQ OSSC wiki page, the optimal timing settings page is handy for dialing in optimal settings for various sources.

I haven't been able to add AES settings yet, but the main thing to tweak is:
OSSC base mode: 320x240
H.samplerate=384
H.synclen and H.backporch also need to be adjusted so that the sides aren't cropped. // Need to double check what I use!

Which AES rev do you use? If it's not one of the earlier revisions that has CXA1145P pin 11 (CSYNC out) wired to AES 8DIN pin 7, you can always update the newer revisions with this circuit.

[Naiera]

Thank you very much for the suggestions. My AES is one of the early models with good RGB

[LDigital]

I am having some black screen issues with my Neo mvs. I am using the special settings and sync remains locked on the ossc so I assume it's the non standard refresh rate that displays at 59.45. Does anyone know how to overclock or boost this to a more regular 59.94?

[Naiera]

H.samplerate=384

It took a LONG time for this setting to go from 1170 to 384

It didn't help though. Anything close to 1170 but not exactly 1170 and the image just disappears. I tried 1384, in case you forgot the 1, but that made no difference. I actually did get some picture all the way down at 384, but it was only part of one, and it was very poor looking.

I blame the RGB cable. I've asked a friend to try to make something better that conforms to the information on JunkerHQ.

[Blair]

didn't read the whole thread, but how does the PSP look through the OSSC on a 1080p TV with a setting that fills the screen's height?
interested toknow how it looks with scanlines on a multisync CRT/PC CRT monitor as well (screen filled as much as possible, of course)

@FinalBaton, do you already have a specific TV in mind? have you tried hooking the PSP to it to see how it looks? (test the zoom and stretch options?)

the OSSC works very nicely with the PSP. different versions of the PlayStation portable hardware have different video output modes. (the 2000 models can only output 480p for gaming, and I believe the 3000 and PSPgo models can output 480i, 480p and 240p for PlayStation original titles) one of the main drawbacks with a PSP and its video output is that it does not display gameplay in a normal way. instead the video output is windowed or "letterboxed" in a 480p frame (you probably already know that). this can be alleviated with zoom and stretch functions. and some televisions have wonderful stretch functions that can fill the entire screen with the PSP's visual information (no borders) the OSSC however doesn't have zoom or stretch functions. as the OSSC is a line multiplier (aka scandoubler) and not a Video Scaler (like the FrameMeister or DVDO products). what the final output is going to look like depends a lot on what TV you use. what type of zoom options it has, and how it's scaling engine works.

for scanlines, that's one drawback with the PSP+OSSC combo as its 480p scanline pattern doesn't really work well with the letterboxed image from the PSP. especially when zoomed in to fill the screen. However on a crt thats less of an issue because you could just use an SLG.

this is my personal solution if I want nice scanlines with a PSP title, such as Street fighter Alpha 3:MAX (features all Street Fighter Alpha 3 characters, plus 4 new ones).

Code: Select all

Video chain: PSP 480p out via component, OSSC HDMI out to Vp50 scaler (zoomed to fill screen)+VGA out+SLG+CRT. 

OSSC can also line double 480p to 960p, assuming the display can handle that resolution (there is some pretty good videos on YouTube with psp gameplay in that mode, some games look really fantastic with that setting) OSSC has a different scanline pattern for 960p content. But I haven't tested it out and I haven't seen what it looks like for PSP games.

Hope that helps.

Those are very nice shots Blair (I tried to take close-ups a couple of times but the moire effect was quite bad).

Indeed, your OSSC/XRGB+VGA monitor setup looks great. There certainly is some scanlines blooming on there (which is non-existent on the LCD instead). I have pretty much the same setup but I didn't notice it - I'll have to pay more attention. And btw I'd like to try out a VGA monitor with more down-to-earth specs (ie with a bigger dot pitch) sometimes. I suspect the results would still be quite nice and even closer to the real thing.

Thanks!

unless it's a widescreen specific game, I tend to do most of my "retro" gaming on CRTs. it's definitely my favorite set up so far.

gallery link: (https://imgur.com/a/nGguG)

That does actually look really good. Maybe I'll drag my DVDO Edge down from the attic and give it a go with the Wii.)

Thanks!

I definitely feel that 2D and pixel-based graphics from the Wii benefit quite a bit from the OSSC's 480p 2x mode. even some 3-D ones I think can benefit (like some games with really strong blur/flicker filters)

[Harrumph]

H.samplerate=384

It took a LONG time for this setting to go from 1170 to 384

It didn't help though. Anything close to 1170 but not exactly 1170 and the image just disappears. I tried 1384, in case you forgot the 1, but that made no difference. I actually did get some picture all the way down at 384, but it was only part of one, and it was very poor looking.

You should adjust in Optimized mode, not Generic mode. They are separate settings, refer to the OSSC wiki. http://junkerhq.net/xrgb/index.php?titl ... Output_opt.

[RGBSource]

OSSC base mode: 320x240
H.samplerate=384

It took a LONG time for this setting to go from 1170 to 384

It didn't help though. Anything close to 1170 but not exactly 1170 and the image just disappears. I tried 1384, in case you forgot the 1, but that made no difference. I actually did get some picture all the way down at 384, but it was only part of one, and it was very poor looking.

You should adjust in Optimized mode, not Generic mode. They are separate settings, refer to the OSSC wiki. http://junkerhq.net/xrgb/index.php?titl ... Output_opt.

Exactly. In addition to setting the 240p processing mode, you also have to set the corresponding lineNX mode to 320x240 optimized.

http://junkerhq.net/xrgb/index.php?titl ... utput_opt.

This is an example of line4x in 320x240 optimized with H.samplerate=384:

Spoiler

Also, the older revs do benefit from updating the resistors on the RGB input and output side, along with recapping the RGB output capacitors.

Spoiler

[Naiera]

Thanks, guys

[xadox]

Let me ask again
Is there a way to export the settings to a file?

[Blair]

Let me ask again
Is there a way to export the settings to a file?

I think the profiles are saved inside "slots" on the OSSC itself, and not to a file on the SD card. so I don't think it has profile sharing capabilities yet. you might want to put in a request for that feature.

[Harrumph]

Let me ask again
Is there a way to export the settings to a file?

I think the profiles are saved inside "slots" on the OSSC itself, and not to a file on the SD card. so I don't think it has profile sharing capabilities yet. you might want to put in a request for that feature.

Requests have been made already, e.g. https://www.videogameperfection.com/for ... -micro-sd/
so it should be on Marqs's radar. No idea if it's possible to implement though.