Need some help with S/NES + SyncStrike + PexHdCap

[Burb]

Hi, new user here. I've had my Pex and sync strike for a while to capture RGB for personal recordings and live streams.
However, the quality could be MUCH better and this is where I need some help and I figured this would be a good place to ask.

First off, here's a picture of the issues I'm having.



Look at those nasty diagonal lines. Quite awful indeed... I want to get a clean picture. In 50 Hz the lines are not moving. But if I switch it to 60 Hz (modded it for Super Famicom titles) then they move/roll/flicker or whatever.

So here's my current hardware setup:
PAL SNES (SNSP-CPU-01) -> MultiAV Out RGB cable -> Sync Strike SCART input -> Sync Strike VGA output -> VGA/DVI adapter -> PexHDCap

So, it could very possibly just be a bad RGB cable, I got it from retrogamingcables.co.uk which I've now heard are bad quality. (I've heard very good recommendations from retro_console_accessories on ebay which uses proper shielding and coaxial cables but currently she doesn't have any SNES cables up)
But also from my understanding the pinout for the MultiAV port doesn't offer sync on PAL consoles, instead +12V. Can this be the problem, and that I would have to get an NTSC console?
I also had the idea to skip scart entirely and solder wires straight from the S-PPU2 chip on my console, from what I've seen it offers composite sync on pin 100 (if the pinout I found is not specific to NTSC), RGB on 95-97, ground on 99 and then plug that into the terminals of the sync strike. Dunno if it would work, just an idea maybe?

If I get an NTSC console, would I still use a PAL RGB cable? (the sync strike is supposed to only work with PAL cables right?) so then I wouldn't get sync either way?

Then there's also the possibility to get a Framemeister, which uses NTSC JP-21. Now that should definitely work with an NTSC console, and I could get the official japan RGB cable from Nintendo. But what about my PAL console, could I even connect it?

Well as you can see I'm very confused and rambling at the moment so I'll just try to sum it all up.

For clean picture without tons of noise:
* Which RGB cable should I get and how should it be wired? And would this alone eliminate the problem? (I found some french PAL RGB cable on ebay which I understand was officially released by Nintendo over there, looking at the picture the cable is MUCH thicker than the one I'm using now and it says Nintendo on the MultiAV connector where mine is just blank)
* Can I get a clean picture from my PAL SNES as it is or should I just buy an NTSC console?
* Is it possible to connect my PAL console up from the PPU chip to the screw terminals on the sync strike like I described (that way I won't have to wait 3 weeks for shipping a new RGB cable)
* Should I add a Framemeister to my setup and how much would that improve things? (and again, how would the RGB cables and wiring change considering it's JP21)

I also have an NTSC NES which is NESRGB modded with a multiav port. Would I use the same sort of cable? (right now I am using my bad PAL cable from the NES to the sync strike and it works just fine, with the same picture problem)

I'm aware the Framemeister adds some lag into the mix but that won't be a problem as I plan to get a distribution amplifier to split the SCART between my Trinitron CRT and capture card anyways. So yeah I want the best possible quality for streams where the target audience are all using LCDs so a Framemeister might be a good idea to improve quality?

I've seen videos where people use framemeister + retro_console_accessories RGB cables and it's basically just as good as on emulator. Solid colors, not a bunch of differentiating colors when it should be just one. No lines, no interference/noise, nothing. CLEAN!

Thanks in advance.

[blizzz]

First some things to clear up about PAL, NTSC, SCART, JP-21. SCART and JP-21 has nothing to do with PAL or NTSC. The difference between SCART and JP-21 is just that the signals are connected to different pins. With a simple adapter that switches the pins you can go from SCART to JP-21. The Framemeister doesn't use JP-21, but it comes with an RGB input adapter that is wired for JP-21. You can either put a SCART>JP-21 adapter in front of it or completely replace the JP-21 adapter with one that uses the SCART standard. If you use a SCART cable you can connect any NTSC console to the SyncStrike.

That said, there are some differences between PAL and NTSC consoles. Depending on the console and the region you will have to use different cables with different components. A PAL SNES and an NTSC SNES do not use the same cable for example. On other consoles there is no difference between PAL and NTSC consoles. You can check the different cables here.

Many people recommend to use composite sync instead of composite video for sync. This is a problem, because the PAL SNES doesn't have composite sync on its MultiAV out. However in my experience you can get a perfect picture even with composite video for sync. Here's a screenshot from my Super Famicom with composite video as sync on the Framemeister:
.

The Framemeister will give you a slightly better picture than the PEXHDCAP & SyncStrike combo. I want to do a comparison between the two, but my problem is that the SyncStrike doesn't use a standard plug for power and the only PSU I have for it adds some noise. If I figure out a way to do a fair comparison I'll post it on my blog in a few weeks. The difference will be rather small though and not visible on a stream.

One problem you will also run into is the SCART distributor. They are rare and even the one that I have that is built for professional use degrades the picture a bit. Here are some old screenshots: SyncStrike > SC-500N1 and with a Shinybow distributor in front of it. Look at the noise on the blue area.

About the screenshot you posted: I'm a bit confused why it's so blurry. The CPU-01 SNES doesn't have good RGB output, but it should still be better than that. What software do you use? If you're using AmarecTV you should try the horizontal color correction option and make sure that you use 720x240 fcc=YUY2 and not fcc=RGB.

[Drjebus]

The Framemeister will give you a slightly better picture than the PEXHDCAP & SyncStrike combo. I want to do a comparison between the two, but my problem is that the SyncStrike doesn't use a standard plug for power and the only PSU I have for it adds some noise. If I figure out a way to do a fair comparison I'll post it on my blog in a few weeks. The difference will be rather small though and not visible on a stream.

Okay, time out. PSU for the SyncStrike adds noise? Hopefully you're not using the one I'm using...but please reassure me! I'm using the PSU that arcadeforge bundles with the device.

[blizzz]

I was using the PSU from arcadeforge into the GBS-8220 and then with a cable into the SyncStrike. I'll have another look at it in the future.