XRGB-mini Framemeister

[FBX]

A SGB(2) profile would be nice, too.

Assuming it uses the same display output as the SGB, the SGB profiles should work exactly the same for it.

Have you made such profiles? I must have missed that. It should be the same aspect ratio afaik.

I did quite some time ago. In the instructions, you'll find this entry:



SGBRGB7X: (Super Game Boy RGB scaled to 7x the Game Boy graphics)

This is for the original NTSC Super NES console "Super Game Boy" device and is scaled to 7x the original 224 resolution via an RGB CSync cable. This profile expands the Game Boy image area to almost fill the screen, and is aspect corrected to mimic the original Game Boy. What you'll need to do is use the 4x or 5x SNES profile first so you can see to set the Super Game Boy button assignments and set the border to plain black, then you simply load this 7x profile to expand the Game Boy graphics. Suggested display area: Full Pixel

[NormalFish]

Yup, sounds exactly like what I'm looking for. Should have checked your download before posting, I suppose.

Thanks!

[TrendyNinja]

Hi guys,

Could somebody kindly let me know what the difference is between INT LINE & INT SMOOTH when setting your scanlines?

I've found that when I set scanlines my colours always seem to change for the worse or the picture goes way too bright.

I'm using a monster component cable with a softmodded original Xbox.

[austin532]

INT LINE controls how light or dark the lines will be and INT SMOOTH controls the thickness of the lines.

What do you mean the colors seem to change? I've never experienced the picture getting brighter by enabling scanlines, if anything the picture should get darker and you usually need to increase the Gamma.

Since you are using them on XBOX I assume you are playing a 480i/p game. They look "OK" on 480i games but it requires you to set INT LINE down to about 50 and INT SMOOTH to 105. They do not work correctly on 480p or higher.

[ras2a]

Get a MicroSD card, upload the profiles to it through your PC or Mac (FBX profiles are great) and load them through the data menu on your Mini. Easy as that...

Don't forget to reboot your Mini twice otherwise it won't load

Cheers mate, appreciate that

[Everblue]

Whats the best option to use a PS2 with a Framemeister? Thanks!

[FBX]

Whats the best option to use a PS2 with a Framemeister? Thanks!

For ease of use, just get a set of PS2 component cables and order a D-Terminal adapter from Solaris Japan if you don't already have one.

[Everblue]

Whats the best option to use a PS2 with a Framemeister? Thanks!

For ease of use, just get a set of PS2 component cables and order a D-Terminal adapter from Solaris Japan if you don't already have one.

Hi FBX, thanks for your reply - yes, I do have a D-Terminal. At what resolution would games run then? 480i? Do I have to "tell" the PS2 to output to that resolution?

[austin532]

Most PS2 games run at 480i. You don't have to tell the PS2 anything. The only time you do is when you want to enable 480p Progressive Scan by holding down the X and Triangle buttons before the game boots up. I don't recommend doing that though as 480p from the PS2 looks softer when going through the Framemeister.

[TrendyNinja]

INT LINE controls how light or dark the lines will be and INT SMOOTH controls the thickness of the lines.

What do you mean the colors seem to change? I've never experienced the picture getting brighter by enabling scanlines, if anything the picture should get darker and you usually need to increase the Gamma.

Since you are using them on XBOX I assume you are playing a 480i/p game. They look "OK" on 480i games but it requires you to set INT LINE down to about 50 and INT SMOOTH to 105. They do not work correctly on 480p or higher.

Thank you for replying austin.

Below is a picture of me using zoom mode with scanlines off:



This is a screenshot of me using zoom mode but with scanlines on and using your suggested settings:



My last screenshot is when zoom mode is off but scanlines are being used:



As you can see from the last screenshot the scanlines when used do make the picture darker (as you would expect) and a slight adjustment to the gamma or brightness fixes this. Yet when in zoom mode and using scanlines it's a different story. No amount of adjusting the gamma or brightness can fix this issue. There is a loss of detail in the first picture but that is due to my camera phone, the image next to the compass is much more clearer and not so bright.

I know scanlines are personal preference but I would really like to use them on my original Xbox. I feel that it gives the image more depth, as you can see in my last screenshot.

[jdawg131]

Just a note - be very careful if using a Monster Cable or a high grade "boutique" cable that has the dreaded death grip. I had to disconnect my Monster Nintendo S-Video cable (the thick 10ft purple one) from the front RCA jacks to connect my new S-Video switch, and it was a struggle to get them off. Unfortunately, the red and white pieces in the jacks are a little loose now. Fortunately though, there appears to be no significant (real) damage. There is no hissing, humming, or intermittent audio drop outs with my N64 connected through the newly installed switch to the front RCA jacks on the XRGB Mini. It appears that there no damage has been done to the sodering on the PCB.

[jdawg131]

INT LINE controls how light or dark the lines will be and INT SMOOTH controls the thickness of the lines.

What do you mean the colors seem to change? I've never experienced the picture getting brighter by enabling scanlines, if anything the picture should get darker and you usually need to increase the Gamma.

Since you are using them on XBOX I assume you are playing a 480i/p game. They look "OK" on 480i games but it requires you to set INT LINE down to about 50 and INT SMOOTH to 105. They do not work correctly on 480p or higher.

Thank you for replying austin.

Below is a picture of me using zoom mode with scanlines off:



This is a screenshot of me using zoom mode but with scanlines on and using your suggested settings:



My last screenshot is when zoom mode is off but scanlines are being used:



As you can see from the last screenshot the scanlines when used do make the picture darker (as you would expect) and a slight adjustment to the gamma or brightness fixes this. Yet when in zoom mode and using scanlines it's a different story. No amount of adjusting the gamma or brightness can fix this issue. There is a loss of detail in the first picture but that is due to my camera phone, the image next to the compass is much more clearer and not so bright.

I know scanlines are personal preference but I would really like to use them on my original Xbox. I feel that it gives the image more depth, as you can see in my last screenshot.

I don't have experience with the Xbox, but I use scanlines (INT LINE = 40 and INT SMOOTH = 105) for my PS2 using component in 480i and have not experienced that bloom affect. Are you making any adjustments to the DEC_LINE settings? Are you using one of FBX's profiles a starting base? I know that Implant Games has a Youtube video under their How to XRGB Mini series with some picture setting recommendations. Have you tried their settings?

[dark1x]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned (but it could be somewhere in here) is the use of H_SCALER = 16 or 17 and V_SCALER = 7

Why 16 or 17? That's crazy, right?

Well, for Sega Genesis/Megadrive games with heavy dithering, I've found that it's a good compromise that blends the stipple alpha together somewhat. The image is blurred but still dramatically sharper and cleaner using RGB than what you'd get with composite but you can enjoy smoother color gradients.

This isn't necessary for a lot of games, but in some cases, like Pitfall The Mayan Adventure, the game uses heavy dithering with ugly results on the XRGB. Increasing H_SCALER to this level really improves the end results for those games.

[austin532]

Yes, it does help but I find 16 and 17 to be an overkill on some games. This is why I wish there was a color bleed feature to help blend colors together and hide most of the dithering without sacrificing a lot of the sharpness.

The dithering also varies from system to system. NES for example is still noticeable even with Composite which leads me to believe that developers though that most games would be played with RF. Plus seeing as how most NES games were developed in Japan and the Famicom could only output RF, this sort of makes sense.

[deltaspirit]

how well would an xrgb mini with an hd fury work with a fw900? Would like to know if I can get the most out of the mini at 1080p with scanlines on it, not sure what 1:1 pixel mapping is or if the fw900 supports it or if the mini would work well with a 16:10 screen

I currently use an xrgb3 with the fw900 but I don't really like how it handles 480i and I would like my games upscaled to 1080p with scanlines

[Pentaru]

"Hi, I just tried this one but seems the scanlines get messed. Is this intended for 720p or 1080p? Also is it integer scaled? Thanks!"

It works well in 720p, Amiga 600 > SCART > Euro SCART to DIN adapter > XRGB Mini > HDMI > SONY BRAVIA KDL-42W705B.

[Everblue]

I am pondering getting a Neo Geo MVS (consolized or with a SuperGun) which will be used with my Framemeister. Considering that Neo Geo MVS does not run exactly at 60hz but slightly less, will it run ok on a FM or there will be some micro-stuttering going on every now and then due to frequency mismatch?

[Fudoh]

The FM can run in sync with a MVS (I got one) and will output the upscaled image at the same refresh rate. But there's a good chance that your TV will add a framerate conversion to that and introduce some kind of stutter.

[Everblue]

The FM can run in sync with a MVS (I got one) and will output the upscaled image at the same refresh rate. But there's a good chance that your TV will add a framerate conversion to that and introduce some kind of stutter.

Does it do that on your setup? Cheers!

[Fudoh]

yes, on both my Sony LCDs (HX9 and W6).

[Everblue]

yes, on both my Sony LCDs (HX9 and W6).

Eep - would a Neo Geo AES have the same problem? Or that is fixed at 60hz?

[Fudoh]

The chances are better, but it's still not "on-spec". The best solution would be a clock mod to speed up either the MVS or AES to real NTSC speed.

[Everblue]

Sounds easier said than done =)

[Xyga]

Or mod the display's on-board pcb to force it to the same refresh. :p :p :p

[Everblue]

Or mod the display's on-board pcb to force it to the same refresh. :p :p :p

Would a Freesync monitor do the trick?
Edit: Nope, it is only supported on display port devices.

[Xyga]

I don't know if FreeSync and G-Sync work with external source yet, nor if it's even planned (?)

Anyway technically, and assuming most LCDs still work by the same basic principles, I think the vertical sync information isn't even necessary to display a full image at it's original going rate. It's just that in the early LCD boom years, industry standards quickly turned all LCD built-in electronics into "working with specific rates only" shiteborads, and that's why it's hell the moment we use most 'unlisted' modes.

FreeSync is probably only something like a 'switch' to disable those limitations, and G-Sync too but in the form of an expensive overengineered 'overprice justification module'.
If we could all learn how all that works we could probably mod our own LCDs and avoid paying premium for slightly modified but obviously obsolete flat panel technology gaming monitors.

[Everblue]

Looking at my monitor's official specs, it says that vertical frequency anywhere between 50hz and 60hz is supported. Obviously I don't know if that means that it takes any input between those 2 digits and then re-syncs them to 60hz, or if actually displays the image at the original frequency.

[Xyga]

Looking at my monitor's official specs, it says that vertical frequency anywhere between 50hz and 60hz is supported. Obviously I don't know if that means that it takes any input between those 2 digits and then re-syncs them to 60hz, or if actually displays the image at the original frequency.

I don't know, honestly I think each built-in board model has its own 'hidden' characteristics. When you try various custom modes working with one monitor, the same settings may not work at all with another model.
(and it's sooooo random)

Anyway there's no efficient way - AFAIK - to force and store modes on current LCDs using an external source that's not a computer.

[Xileize]

I've started having a problem with my Framemeister and I'm hoping someone could give me a hand.

My Framemeister hooks up to my TV like so: Framemeister > Onkyo HT-R548 Receiver > externally powered HDMI splitter > Splits into TV And El Gato capture card.

This setup has been working since I got the Framemeister about 6 months ago, until yesterday.

I was trying to setup my original Xbox with the Framemeister but the picture kept cutting out (I think a sync issue, but I'm not 100% sure). To see if it was receiver/splitter related, I unplugged the HDMI cable from the receiver and hooked the Framemeister directly up to the TV. This did help the problem somewhat, but it was still prevalent enough to be borderline unplayable, so I plugged my Framemeister back into the receiver as it was.

Ever since then, my Framemeister refuses to work through the receiver as it once did. All I get is a "No Signal" message on my TV. Changing cables hasn't helped, trying a different port on the receiver hasn't helped, and the Framemeister still works as expected connecting it directly to the TV. Everything else connected to the receiver still works as it always did, just the Framemeister is causing this issue.

It may be worth noting that I was using a EuroSCART cable/adapter to connect the xbox, whereas before I have only been using JP21 with my SNES, but I didn't mix the wrong cable with the wrong adapter or anything like that.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT: Two things I missed: I tried removing the splitter so the connection was simply Framemeister > Receiver > TV and I still get "No Signal". The Framemeister does also acknowledge it's connected to something, as the Output Link LED is on.

[fafangus]

Hi

My Framemeister hooks up to my TV like so: Framemeister > Onkyo HT-R548 Receiver > externally powered HDMI splitter > Splits into TV And El Gato capture card.

1)Have you set up the onkyo on auto mode ?
2)Have you trying dvi out on the xrgb ?