OSSC (DIY video digitizer & scandoubler)

[Dochartaigh]

I mentioned this in the 4K Blues thread, but I'm having sync problems with the combination of a Sony X900E TV, OSSC, and SNES. Frequent dropouts especially in the 3x output mode. Reproducible with c-sync, sync-on-luma, and HD Retrovision cables.

I've tried all the Analog Sync LPF and H-PLL Pre-Coast settings with no improvement. Changing H-PLL Post-Coast to anything other than 0 completely loses the signal. Anything else I should try next?

I think it may simply be your TV. You probably already read this, but the Wiki mentions how SNES:

"""SNES compatibility is often regarded as the Achilles heel of the OSSC. While every other system works with little or no fine-tuning, the SNES continues to cause problems on some displays.

Thus far, all computer monitors that have been tested work just fine with the SNES and OSSC, but a number of televisions do not. If your display constantly loses sync with your SNES when running via the OSSC, there's currently no simple workaround. You can chain your OSSC through a secondary video processor such as a DVDO Edge/VP50 or simply use another display.

Research into this problem is on-going and hopefully a better solution will present itself in time."""



My TV seems to work (after reading that the other day I decided to play a couple levels of Super Mario World), and my TV doesn't drop sync thankfully....still has some shadows or something on Mario's character to the left and right on light colored backgrounds I need to sort out though (if anyone has any ideas please let me know - so faint there's no way I can capture it with my camera to post a pic...).

[ZellSF]

Thus far, all computer monitors that have been tested work just fine with the SNES and OSSC, but a number of televisions do not.

My HP LP2475w does not like the SNES. I haven't tried tweaking any settings, but I wouldn't tell people to assume monitors work. They're more likely to than TVs of course.

[ApolloBoy]

I also tested more of my consoles and I found that the PSX is kind of flickery, anyone else notice this?

Anyone notice weird scanline flickering?

could use a bit more information...

1. is this only happening on interlaced sources?

2. are you guys using the "alternating" scanlines feature?

3. have you tried setting 480i to "pass-through"?

It's not a scanline problem and the entire screen somewhat flickers. I don't have this issue with 480i sources, it's specifically with 240p on the PS1.

*ahem*

[Dochartaigh]

Thus far, all computer monitors that have been tested work just fine with the SNES and OSSC, but a number of televisions do not.

My HP LP2475w does not like the SNES. I haven't tried tweaking any settings, but I wouldn't tell people to assume monitors work. They're more likely to than TVs of course.

Just making sure you noticed the three quotes surrounding that block of text – that is directly from the OSSC guys on the Wiki - not my direct quote.

[Blair]

*ahem*.

I replied to you on the previous page,

that's interesting, (experiencing this issue on all PS1 titles?) wondering if it's just the OSSC not liking your scart cable or maybe the analog filter settings might need adjusting (does it look the same if you use "up sample2x" mode with 240p?). do you also have a PlayStation 2 that you can use? might be useful to try playing PSX games on that and maybe with a component cable just see if that looks any different.

also, could you make a video showing what it looks like?

It doesn't, which is why I'm inquiring about technology to solve the scaling issues before they reach the TV. I still would like information on what splitters work with 5x if you have it, please.

these two HDMI Splitter models have worked for me.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CC ... UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L0 ... UTF8&psc=1

I made these videos using them
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WVfkzII-sw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfLT9xIGYg8

as far as scaling goes, you could purchase a faster external scaler that supports the higher modes, (like a vp50) but it might be more cost effective to purchase a newer tv like the 4k TCL sets that are confirmed to work with all modes.

shadows or something on Mario's character to the left and right on light colored backgrounds

Is this a 1-chip snes system?

[Dochartaigh]

shadows or something on Mario's character to the left and right on light colored backgrounds

Is this a 1-chip snes system?

Yes it is, it's a phat/original 1CHIP-02 (I haven't tried my regular RGB-02 to compare it).

And I haven't done the resistor mod to decrease the brightness if that matters (which I've posted two or three times in the "SNES brightness" thread here, asking if the 3x resistor method is still the best way to bring the brightness down to normal non-1chip levels, and not a single person has replied for some strange reason!).

[Blair]

Yes it is, it's a phat/original 1CHIP-02 (I haven't tried my regular RGB-02 to compare it).

And I haven't done the resistor mod to decrease the brightness if that matters (which I've posted two or three times in the "SNES brightness" thread here, asking if the 3x resistor method is still the best way to bring the brightness down to normal non-1chip levels, and not a single person has replied for some strange reason!).

ah, Personally I adjust my brightness either with an RGB interface or just using the settings on my TV or processor. and for the shadows i've seen other users refer to that as "1-chip ghosting" also shows up on crts but it's harder to see. I don't know how prevalent it is, but my 1-chip also does this. you can see a bit of that in this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfJMCmBP2zg (especially when mario gets the mushroom in front of the blue mountain)

I don't know if it's fixable or what causes it, but i've mostly learned to ignore it. unless yours looks super different it's most likely not OSSC related.

[Harrumph]

Yes it is, it's a phat/original 1CHIP-02 (I haven't tried my regular RGB-02 to compare it).

And I haven't done the resistor mod to decrease the brightness if that matters (which I've posted two or three times in the "SNES brightness" thread here, asking if the 3x resistor method is still the best way to bring the brightness down to normal non-1chip levels, and not a single person has replied for some strange reason!).

for the shadows i've seen other users refer to that as "1-chip ghosting"
[...]
I don't know if it's fixable or what causes it, but i've mostly learned to ignore it. unless yours looks super different it's most likely not OSSC related.

Borti figured out the ghosting is due to improper voltage input to the cpu, and can only be fixed by putting an in-line resistor on one of the pins. Syntax posted some images here. An added bonus is this also fixes the brightness.

Since it involves lifting a hard to get to cpu pin, you'd need experience and guts to do it that way though. So 3x-resistor mod is as good as any to fix brightness.

[MysticSynergy]

Recently received the OSSC and it's a fantastic piece of hardware. Strong build quality too, and who doesn't love that fresh electronics smell. Mmmm.

TV: TCL P605 55 4K Display
Consoles: SNES, N64, PS1 and PS2
RGB connections via Scart Cable

While experimenting with different consoles and line modes, I have a few questions:

1. I'm not sure if it's the way my TV handles 1080P scaling, but LineX4 modes seem to looks most crisp and proper. Especially when playing SNES or PS1 games. Why is this? Shouldn't LineX5 be the "sharpest" as it's taking the 240P and quintupling it to 1080p? I've changed the resolution to 1600 X 1200 and it looks great too, but I can't shake that 4X seems to look the sharpest. Maybe it's just my eyes?

2. While I haven't messed around with changing the low pass filter option, I did notice that on certain games such as Final Fantasy Tactics, particularly the opening bits, the text looks blurry and not fully solid. It's tough to describe but in LineX4 and even X5, the text on some larger fonts doesn't look right. The same happens with Star Ocean 2. Character sprites look a bit blurry and the font isn't as crisp as other games. Is this just due to the way the game is designed? Other 240p games like Lufia 2 and Super Mario World look sharp and have no noticeable changes. I believe I have a regular RGB amp in my SNES as I had it modded many years ago. Would it be wise to change the amp to the new 7374 one with the low pass filter turned off?

3. Regarding PS2: In the OSSC wiki - for modes such as 480i and 480p using the passthrough option, it states "only digitization is applied". What does this mean? I've noticed (at least on my display) that the passthrough seems to look better for PS2 but when doing Line x2 with Bob interlacing, while it looks good, there is a noticeable blur from most of my PS2 games. Maybe the TV I'm using doesn't have a good 480p scaler?

Thanks so much for any help if these can be answered. I am SUPER satisfied with the OSSC. It's truly a dream come true. Playing Breath of Fire 2 on a 55 inch screen in all it's glory makes my heart swell and I'm transported back to 1994 and I'm a kid again

[BubbaMc]

I would also like to know which is the best 27" monitor that is compatible with the OSSC as well.

I'm really surprised this information isn't forthcoming on its own. All the information forthcoming is what doesn't work, when some of us can bypass all the nonsense by buying new equipment that we know works.

Dell U2711 works great with all line multiples. In fact the picture is almost identical to my BVM-A20F1U, but with perfect geometry

[BubbaMc]

I managed to update the OSSC and try the new modes.

My projector is compatible with everything including 5x, with MegaDrive, NES, SNES, PS1.

Which projector is that?

Only x2 works on my Sony VPL-HW45ES, I havent had time to tweak the modes however.

[Gnomenthusiast]

I managed to update the OSSC and try the new modes.

My projector is compatible with everything including 5x, with MegaDrive, NES, SNES, PS1.

Which projector is that?

Only x2 works on my Sony VPL-HW45ES, I havent had time to tweak the modes however.

It's a BenQ W1070+

I haven't found a mode that it doesn't support. The Advanced Timings allow you to pull the picture into line easily as well (these didn't seem to do anything on my monitor).

Does anyone know the best in game and OSSC settings to use on N64 for Goldeneye? It's RGB modded with the switch to disable anti-aliasing. I don't remember it looking as bad as it does, it is playable (just) but I had hoped it would be better than it is.

[citrus3000psi]

Does anyone know the best in game and OSSC settings to use on N64 for Goldeneye? It's RGB modded with the switch to disable anti-aliasing. I don't remember it looking as bad as it does, it is playable (just) but I had hoped it would be better than it is.

Golden Eye has not aged well. IMO making the game look sharper only makes it look worse. I would make sure scanlines are one. and leave de-blur off. From there its going to depend on how well your TV handles things. LineX2 might look better then LineX3 etc.

[Gnomenthusiast]

Does anyone know the best in game and OSSC settings to use on N64 for Goldeneye? It's RGB modded with the switch to disable anti-aliasing. I don't remember it looking as bad as it does, it is playable (just) but I had hoped it would be better than it is.

Golden Eye has not aged well. IMO making the game look sharper only makes it look worse. I would make sure scanlines are one. and leave de-blur off. From there its going to depend on how well your TV handles things. LineX2 might look better then LineX3 etc.

It's playable, but barely. I will have another go, I wasn't using scan-lines so that's an idea. Why they thought a long level like runway was a good idea with such a stupidly short draw distance is beyond me.

I might remove the N64 from the setup and sell it, and get something else instead.

A Seperate question :


I've looked for a DVDO iScan VP30/50/50Pro for a while, and haven't seen anything in good condition or for a reasonable price even.

Is there really nothing available new that does the same job? I want it mostly for Zooming and centering an image on the screen after the OSSC. Thanks in advance,

[CobraKing]

It's playable, but barely. I will have another go, I wasn't using scan-lines so that's an idea. Why they thought a long level like runway was a good idea with such a stupidly short draw distance is beyond me.

I might remove the N64 from the setup and sell it, and get something else instead.

Just curious but did you own a N64 back in its heyday? As @citrus3000psi said, most of its games haven't aged well and a number of games that were pioneered on it were improved upon tremendously in successive consoles. You really need a strong sense of nostalgia to appreciate the N64 today.

Don't mean to derail the thread but I thought I'd ask as you said you'd remove it from your setup.

[Gnomenthusiast]

It's playable, but barely. I will have another go, I wasn't using scan-lines so that's an idea. Why they thought a long level like runway was a good idea with such a stupidly short draw distance is beyond me.

I might remove the N64 from the setup and sell it, and get something else instead.

Just curious but did you own a N64 back in its heyday? As @citrus3000psi said, most of its games haven't aged well and a number of games that were pioneered on it were improved upon tremendously in successive consoles. You really need a strong sense of nostalgia to appreciate the N64 today.

Don't mean to derail the thread but I thought I'd ask as you said you'd remove it from your setup.

I didn't have one, but a friend did and we played it a lot. With other consoles (Genesis, SNES, PSX etc.) the games seem to be as 'fun' as they were back then, and I appreciate the graphical and sound design in a lot of titles is excellent.

You are correct, it was probably not great back then, but for some reason it always stuck with us as being "awesome". Starfox is still good fun if a little hectic, Star Wars racer is good. I just feel like I should go for something that looks/sounds a bit better in my setup. I never knew anyone that had a PC Engine, but I played a few games for it with an emulator and they seem good, I might try to get one. The N64 was professionally modded and I have 2 controllers and few games, should be able to get enough for it to get a PC Engine I think.

What other consoles give a good output from the OSSC?

[Xyga]

I've looked for a DVDO iScan VP30/50/50Pro for a while, and haven't seen anything in good condition or for a reasonable price even.

There's still a couple of VP50 (no psu, no remote) and a VP20 (psu+remote) available on ebay as we speak...

[Gnomenthusiast]

I've looked for a DVDO iScan VP30/50/50Pro for a while, and haven't seen anything in good condition or for a reasonable price even.

There's still a couple of VP50 (no psu, no remote) and a VP20 (psu+remote) available on ebay as we speak...

In the US and Australia, not local to me. Also very used looking in the case of the VP50s. Not worth the hassle of spending £300 to get something that may or may not survive the shipping, or work at all.

There is really nothing else?

[Xer Xian]

Well there certainly are more recent, hdmi-only video processors. Most are not well documented though (if at all). Here's a few from established brands:

Lumagen Radiance Mini
Kramer VP-424
Extron DSC HD-HD
TVOne 1t-vs-626
CYP SY-300h
TVOne 1t-c2-750

Some of these can be found on eBay for ~$100 (the Radiance is pricier, but it's probably overkill for your purpose). Processing lag will hardly be under two frames for most of them though (just the Kramer has a declared processing delay of 20ms, probably for progressive sources only). If you only need separate processing for non-240p RGBHV and/or YPbPr sources, you can also consider placing an analog-to-analog machine before the OSSC - usually these have HD15 input and output and are generally quite cheap nowadays. I've bought this one today (doesn't look very user-friendly, but still it's a full-fledged video processor that costs less than €50 even shipped internationally).

[Xyga]

@Gnomenthusiast: Don't know which one you're looking at but the VP20 should cost you about £210 shipping+import included. Yes that's expensive but the DVDO VPs were never cheap to begin even the used ones, and it doesn't look like the value's decreasing with time either, you're definitely not the only one after them as more and more new OSSC owners seek a secondary - lagless - processor to assist, naturally a DVDO.

Most DVDO processors sales will be in the US/CA, EU sellers are more scarce, and if you're looking only at the UK, well good luck.
Prices on our side of the Atlantic will be inflated anyway so the difference won't be enormous on ebay.
If you want to pay the fairest price for a DVDO your only hope is to start a WTB thread here or over at avforums.com for instance, bump it often-enough and be very patient.
Also I think the iScan HD+ is another valid choice if you want to expand your search.

[orange808]

I've looked for a DVDO iScan VP30/50/50Pro for a while, and haven't seen anything in good condition or for a reasonable price even.

There's still a couple of VP50 (no psu, no remote) and a VP20 (psu+remote) available on ebay as we speak...

In the US and Australia, not local to me. Also very used looking in the case of the VP50s. Not worth the hassle of spending £300 to get something that may or may not survive the shipping, or work at all.

There is really nothing else?

You can always message the seller and make an agreement about some extra bubble wrap.

Also, I remember a vp50pro going for only ~$350 usd recently, so patience can pay off.

[orange808]

Well there certainly are more recent, hdmi-only video processors. Most are not well documented though (if at all). Here's a few from established brands:

Lumagen Radiance Mini
Kramer VP-424
Extron DSC HD-HD
TVOne 1t-vs-626
CYP SY-300h
TVOne 1t-c2-750

Some of these can be found on eBay for ~$100 (the Radiance is pricier, but it's probably overkill for your purpose). Processing lag will hardly be under two frames for most of them though (just the Kramer has a declared processing delay of 20ms, probably for progressive sources only). If you only need separate processing for non-240p RGBHV and/or YPbPr sources, you can also consider placing an analog-to-analog machine before the OSSC - usually these have HD15 input and output and are generally quite cheap nowadays. I've bought this one today (doesn't look very user-friendly, but still it's a full-fledged video processor that costs less than €50 even shipped internationally).

That Corio 2 has fully programmable output and the ability to create and save plenty of resolutions. Nice little test pattern box.

Also, has practical uses for gaming.

[Charlie97L]

Hey all!

I've just hooked up a TCL 43S405 and an OSSC, and I'm having a few issues here and there.

I'm running a gscartsw switch and a gcomp switch going to a PVM and the HD setup.

First, my dreamcast (running over SCART) won't pick up, even though my CRT sees it. Is that something I need to plug into the VGA port on the OSSC? *SOLVED* Turned the Sync Stripper on my GSCART to "off"

Second, my Region modded PCE won't pick up, while the CRT does see it. It's a CoreGrafx II, it's got a region mod and i'm using the StoneAge Gamer engine block, and an everdrive. Getting "NO SYNC". It does have a sync jumper, but it's running through everything else fine (and my Framemeister saw it as well). *SOLVED* Turned the Sync Stripper on my GSCART to "off"

This is the only thing I need to ask about, left:
Third, my toploader NES, which has a NESRGB mod installed, has a bit of a bend near the top of the screen. I know that's potentially a sync issue, anything I need to tweak? Any tweaks I should make for this setup in general? I've only changed the mode to 3X or 5X and I've turned scanlines on at 25%.

Neo Geo, SNES, Gamecube, Saturn, PS2, and PS1 all working fine on both the CRT and the OSSC.

Anyone have a favorite mode? I'm liking 3X a lot so far!

[CobraKing]

It's playable, but barely. I will have another go, I wasn't using scan-lines so that's an idea. Why they thought a long level like runway was a good idea with such a stupidly short draw distance is beyond me.

I might remove the N64 from the setup and sell it, and get something else instead.

Just curious but did you own a N64 back in its heyday? As @citrus3000psi said, most of its games haven't aged well and a number of games that were pioneered on it were improved upon tremendously in successive consoles. You really need a strong sense of nostalgia to appreciate the N64 today.

Don't mean to derail the thread but I thought I'd ask as you said you'd remove it from your setup.

I didn't have one, but a friend did and we played it a lot. With other consoles (Genesis, SNES, PSX etc.) the games seem to be as 'fun' as they were back then, and I appreciate the graphical and sound design in a lot of titles is excellent.

You are correct, it was probably not great back then, but for some reason it always stuck with us as being "awesome". Starfox is still good fun if a little hectic, Star Wars racer is good. I just feel like I should go for something that looks/sounds a bit better in my setup. I never knew anyone that had a PC Engine, but I played a few games for it with an emulator and they seem good, I might try to get one. The N64 was professionally modded and I have 2 controllers and few games, should be able to get enough for it to get a PC Engine I think.

What other consoles give a good output from the OSSC?

Ok thanks for the response. FWIW, I actually had my original N64 from '99 modded and the games that I played extensively back then have never looked better and I enjoy playing them presently. However I did go out and purchase some games that I had wanted back in the day (but couldn't due to being a broke teenager) and I wasn't as impressed.

[pyrotek85]

Ok thanks for the response. FWIW, I actually had my original N64 from '99 modded and the games that I played extensively back then have never looked better and I enjoy playing them presently. However I did go out and purchase some games that I had wanted back in the day (but couldn't due to being a broke teenager) and I wasn't as impressed.

I wouldn't say it's just you, early 3D games in general haven't aged as well. Nintendo's own titles seemed to fair a bit better with the typically more simplified art style, but some games from that era just look bad and it's hard to get adjusted to them. The 6th gen all still look pretty good in my opinion, especially when paired with the OSSC or Framemeister.

[lui]

The OSSC input issue has been resolved partially in regards to the towns.
The present machine on hand is set to automatically boot MS DOS for FM Towns from the HDD if no CD is input.
After loading the FM Towns OS CD the OSSC has recognised the device as an RGsB signal (Which albeit makes sense considering it is a 31khz signal) and has subsequently displayed a picture.

I'm still unaware as to exactly what signal the PC outputs when DOS is loaded. For now it seems like a problem OSSC side.
As for the picture, whilst it has manged to detect the Towns, the image displayed was extremely dark and inclusive of slightly coloured jailbars.

Setting the 480p in sampler from auto to VESA 640x480@60 removed the jailbars but as for the brightness, no change.
Additionally the very top of the image shows an unstable sync wherein the image is wavy plus what looks to be a black bar to the left of the picture.

[kardus]

To those that received their units already, about when did they put in their preorder? I have one done from early/mid July and have not received anything/updates yet.

[Charlie97L]

To those that received their units already, about when did they put in their preorder? I have one done from early/mid July and have not received anything/updates yet.

Were you in the first batch?

[Dochartaigh]

To those that received their units already, about when did they put in their preorder? I have one done from early/mid July and have not received anything/updates yet.

Ordered June 23rd, 2017 (think that was the day they sent out the email to people on their newsletter saying it could be pre-ordered - or something like that).

Delivered Sept 22.

[Harrumph]

Orders after 29th of June are batch 2, should be delivered second half or end of october (I think).