Recommendations for a good scart to component box?

[jade88]

I'm gaming on a Toshiba 24AF44, just a nice little consumer grade CRT. It has component hookups, so i wanted to get the best picture out of it.

I'm looking for something that can convert RGB to component with no lag, just a real no frills device that looks good.

I see these boxes from $5-50 dollars or so, which are the best of the bunch? I've heard of the CSY-2100 and it's clone and even the RGB 3, but what are say the top 3 boxes out there for my set up?

Thanks for the help guys!

[Shoryukev]

I just bought one of these about half an hour ago, it might take a week for it to come in the mail but I'll report back when I get to try it out.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/191876964053?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

[quicksilver02]

I use a Kramer FC-14, which works great. It uses BNC or DB15 for the RGB input, and can deal with a variety of methods of sync (RGBS, RGBHV, sync on green, etc.)

It may be a bit hard to find since Kramer discontinued it, and they usually aren't cheap when they do pop up.

[Guspaz]

The Shinybow SB-2840 has good build quality and does not require any tweaking out-of-the-box. It is either still in production, or is at least still easily available new-in-box:

http://www.ani-av.com/shop/product_info ... cts_id=220

It is only $25 more than the cheap knockoffs, which don't work out of the box (you need to tweak pots).

Ani-AV was also willing to shuck the packaging for me so that they could ship it to Canada for much cheaper than shipping the retail packaging.

[jade88]

The Shinybow SB-2840 has good build quality and does not require any tweaking out-of-the-box. It is either still in production, or is at least still easily available new-in-box:

http://www.ani-av.com/shop/product_info ... cts_id=220

It is only $25 more than the cheap knockoffs, which don't work out of the box (you need to tweak pots).

Ani-AV was also willing to shuck the packaging for me so that they could ship it to Canada for much cheaper than shipping the retail packaging.

Wow that looks awesome, I see it has audio video built in. I'm definitely into something I don't have to open up and tinker with. How do you like it? Does it need an AC adapter?

[BuffaloWing]

I also own the Shinybow SB-2840. Like what Guspaz said, it's very well built and works out of the box for my Sony WEGA CRT. It's made in Taiwan, not from China. It comes with a 100V-240V 50/60Hz AC adapter with a U.S. type plug cable (I purchased mine from their U.S. store).

[marus]

I have experience with the generic CSY-2100 clone and Fusion's transcoder box. I'm not a videophile but I can give some general impressions. I primarily use them to play on my consumer-grade CRT (a 27" JVC 27230s) but recently I've also experimented with splitting the signal to my PEXHDCAP capture card for local recording.

The CSY-2100 clone is alright for the price. You do have to open it up and spend some time tweaking the pots when you first get it, but once you calibrate it the color accuracy is pretty good as far as I can tell. There is a little bit of noise in the signal which causes some jitter, but I had a hard time noticing it on my CRT. Once I tried hooking it into my PEXHDCAP for recording though it was immediately noticeable. I've read the noise has to do with the quality of the included AC adapter, so replacing the AC adapter with a better-shielded one may alleviate this. Honestly it didn't bother me too much, but the biggest issue I had with it was just the build quality. The SCART and power connectors are very loose, and the signal would often distort or go out on me while playing because of cables coming loose.

I only got Fusion's box about a week ago so I don't have a ton of experience with it yet, but so far I'm a lot happier with it than the CSY-2100 clone. It comes calibrated out of the box, and there's much less signal noise in comparison so the picture quality is overall better (again, it's not too noticeable on my CRT but video captures are much more clear now). The quality of the connectors feels a lot more secure - only time will tell but I don't expect to have any problems with cables coming loose anymore. It also handles audio, so you don't need to buy an adapter if you're grabbing audio from the SCART cable.

Overall the CSY-2100 clone isn't terrible. It's still a good jump up from s-video, but I'd recommend just spending the extra $25-30 and getting one of the higher-quality converters. Even if the signal noise doesn't bother you, the increased build quality is worth it if you're planning on using this for a long-term gaming solution.

[Shoryukev]

I only got Fusion's box about a week ago so I don't have a ton of experience with it yet, but so far I'm a lot happier with it than the CSY-2100 clone. It comes calibrated out of the box, and there's much less signal noise in comparison so the picture quality is overall better (again, it's not too noticeable on my CRT but video captures are much more clear now). The quality of the connectors feels a lot more secure - only time will tell but I don't expect to have any problems with cables coming loose anymore. It also handles audio, so you don't need to buy an adapter if you're grabbing audio from the SCART cable.

Thanks for your thoughts on fusion's box. I couldn't find any reviews for it so I was a little leery about it when I placed my order, I feel much more confident in my decision now LOL

[marus]

No problem. I was a little worried when I bought mine as well for the same reason, but so far I'm very happy with my purchase. I didn't know about the Shinybow until I read this thread though, so now I am kind of curious about that one as well, haha.

[FinalBaton]

so now I am kind of curious about that one as well, haha.

Same.
Now all we need is a Fusion vs Shinybow throwdown

[tjstogy]

so now I am kind of curious about that one as well, haha.

Same.
Now all we need is a Fusion vs Shinybow throwdown

You can add the real csy 2100 (not the copy) which is still available in limited stock for $119 shipped incl tax from CYP in Australia.

I'm gonna be buying one of these soon as well would like to know which is the best.

Bob from retrorgb, nudge nudge!

[jade88]

So i went ahead and bought the Shinybow, it seems perfect for my setup. I'm buying the RGB cables from retrogamingcables overseas, they seem like the best made cables available?

My real question is about component cables, which ones should i go for? Are their component cables that come with audio cables?

[Fusion916]

Just out of curiosity, what do you guys recommend for me to do to get the word out that my converter box is trusted? How do I get more people to review it other than ebay feedback? I get the feeling a lot of people are leery of purchasing my box due to my brand being unknown... I thought making more products available (look at my other auctions) and getting a lot of sells would do it. Seems like people still trust cheap chinese stuff more than my converters, haha.

[FinalBaton]

MrFusion, Hello

IMO the best way is to get favourable reviews on trusted gaming hardware forums such as here, on ASSEMBLER forums, etc.

Having someone who has proved to be knowledgeable, and has reviewed the best of them, review your unit is a great way, so maybe sending them a free unit for reviewing purposes is a good way to achieve this. Out of all the people I can think of, Fudoh comes at the top of the list, as the one with the best reputation and knowledge, so I would def contact him and ask if he has the time and wants to do a comparison (I'm not saying he will automatically say yes, maybe he's too busy right now. But it's worth asking him anyway).
As for other people to send your product to and get a review from, I won't pronounce myself cause I can't tell whose 2nd best, 3rd best etc. I just don't know enough about other people's pedigree.

And then after that you could contact Youyubers who talk about videogame gear, and who have a good reputation, and ask them to review your adapter, or at least give it a shoutout via Twitter.
As a way to convince them that your product is worth mentionning, you caqn link them to the review you previously got, as suggested in my previous point

[bobrocks95]

Contact Bucko at videogameperfection.com and the guy behind retrorgb as well I'd say. Set up a sale post on Assemblergames and see if anyone latches on (easier if you're starting with outside reviews you can link to of course)- once a thread like that gets rolling, you'll start getting recommendations.

[Shoryukev]

My life in gaming hasn't done an episode on SCART to YPbPr converters yet, you might be able to get in on that.

I'll admit I was a little leery too, but I am very happy with my unit I got from you. I would suggest getting some good photos of both direct capture of the signal and pictures taken of the image quality on a CRT.

A lot of products like this they do comparison photos too, if you had a picture of what your unit running RGB looks like right next to really fuzzy composite it might help....I certainly see it in a lot of other product marketing pages.

You definitely did your homework when you designed this converter box, once word of mouth starts to spread you'll probably see a bump in sales. I know I've personally told several of my friends they need to get one LOL

[Guspaz]

I think, for the Fusion box, a few pieces of advice:

- You need a name for the thing, because searching for "fusion scart to component converter" it's only the second link, and even then it wasn't obvious that "FS" was the name of the thing. Look at what others doing a similar sort of enthusiast product have done: GARO, TORO, HANZO, OSSC, SyncStrike, gscartsw, HD Retrovision, etc. Lots of unique names that when you google for them, you're going to find them easily. It's hard for me to tell somebody to take a look at your product if I can't tell them what to look for to find you. If I told somebody "Yeah, go look at the gscartsw", then they could find it easily, but what do I say if I want to point somebody to your stuff without giving them a URL? You need to be discoverable and locatable (OK, so that's not a word)!

- The price: you're charging more than a brand new Shinybow unit ($5). When I look at the unit, I see something that is probably three times the size by volume and much less polished looking, and yet it costs more. I'm not trying to criticize your product here, I'm trying to indicate that if you're going to offer a bulkier and less polished looking product and charge a higher price, you need to communicate why somebody should pay the extra. Why should a customer pay the premium? Does it work better? The eBay page is just a description of what it does, with nothing to indicate how it might differ.

I feel like the 3D-printed case must be adding a significant chunk to the price. Would a project box or acrylic-and-post construction help match or beat the price of competing solutions?

[Fusion916]

Hey all

Thanks for the feedback! I agree I need an actual product name instead of just "SCART to Component converter" - sounds very generic and hard to look up. Do you guys have any suggestions?

Also, yes maybe I do need to send a few free ones to youtube channels and some other hardware review sites. I'll be looking into that soon.

As far as the price and the price point comparison to other products. Thats actually more a volume thing and component selection thing. The 3D printed box only adds maybe $2 to the final price versus if I got a mass quantity mold injection box. Believe it or not the components to put together the boards, the opamps, sync splitter, PWM module, AC caps, etc, are relatively expensive (if not ordered mass quantity by the 100s). There are no cheap components on the board at all and the design is robust. At $79.99 I'm BARELY making money per box, trust me. Any price point lower than that and it really wouldn't be worth doing at all.

[Guspaz]

I wasn't so much criticizing the price as I was criticizing the lack of an explanation about why people should pay that price instead of getting a cheaper Shinybow unit.

If you're going to charge more, that's fine, but then you need to convince people *why* it's worth more. Does it work with a wider variety of input resolutions? Does it have better quality output? Does it handle iffy sync signals better? Etc.

[Fusion916]

I wasn't so much criticizing the price as I was criticizing the lack of an explanation about why people should pay that price instead of getting a cheaper Shinybow unit.

If you're going to charge more, that's fine, but then you need to convince people *why* it's worth more. Does it work with a wider variety of input resolutions? Does it have better quality output? Does it handle iffy sync signals better? Etc.

Understood. Something I suppose I'll work on but I don't have much reference since I don't own any of the cheaper units.

[RGB0b]

A bit more detailed info on what signals it supports would be great. Will it accept all forms of sync we generally use in analog consoles?: Composite video as sync (CVBS), composite sync (csync - both TTL and 75 ohm), luma as sync, or even RGsB? Also, will it handle 240p, 480i and 480p?

Also, the nerdier of us (like me) would always appreciate technical info on how you built it. Did you test everything with a scope? Were there any issues with the prototypes that you were able to learn from and tweak it? Have you tested with consoles that are known to have weird issues, like Neo Geo and PCE?

My opinion on the price is this: I never mind paying a little extra for something, knowing that it was designed for the exact thing I'll be using it for. A good example for me is the gscartsw: It's very expensive, but it's design was 100% focused on retro gaming and many, MANY tweaks were made over the prototype revisions to ensure compatibility with all consoles, add features we all need, etc.

[Fusion916]

A bit more detailed info on what signals it supports would be great. Will it accept all forms of sync we generally use in analog consoles?: Composite video as sync (CVBS), composite sync (csync - both TTL and 75 ohm), luma as sync, or even RGsB? Also, will it handle 240p, 480i and 480p?

If your console outputs standard SCART, it should send RGB + Composite Video. There is a sync stripper for the composite video but if you send it regular TTL sync it will also work just fine. This SCART to Component video box is 240p/480i only but I have a more generic RGB to Component converter that will sync any resolution (240p/480i/480p and any computer resolution), and also handle HV Sync (any polarity) or composite sync. I've tested every possible sync combination on this converter and it works fine (all sync and polarities checked on a oscilloscope).

Also, the nerdier of us (like me) would always appreciate technical info on how you built it. Did you test everything with a scope? Were there any issues with the prototypes that you were able to learn from and tweak it? Have you tested with consoles that are known to have weird issues, like Neo Geo and PCE?

Yes everything is scope tested. No issues with any of my prototypes but Ive built these things (different version) many times before so I know what I'm doing. I don't own a Neo Geo or PCE, what weird issues do these have? Some kind of non-standard sync? In theory if the console is following SCART spec there should be no issues. If you're moding a console for RGB instead of using a SCART output directly your better off using my generic VGA to Component converter anyway.

My opinion on the price is this: I never mind paying a little extra for something, knowing that it was designed for the exact thing I'll be using it for. A good example for me is the gscartsw: It's very expensive, but it's design was 100% focused on retro gaming and many, MANY tweaks were made over the prototype revisions to ensure compatibility with all consoles, add features we all need, etc.

Thanks. I think my converter, in fact all of my products are priced fairly for a product that is not mass produced. Like I said on all my products I actually don't make much money I just do it as a hobby and I know there are a lot of people like me who take retro gaming seriously and want quality products.

[laserbrick]

So I am using Wookiee win and retroconsole accessories cabling(bnc/scart) if I want to stay bnc would the Kramer fv-14 be the way to go to convert my signal before going into my SOIA IA100?

[Fudoh]

If you just want BNC because of your existing equipment, there're $1 RCA/BNC adapter plugs which will solve your connectivity problem.

[laserbrick]

Of course!

[Michael Ikonomidis]

I have an XSELECT-D4 by Micomsoft, it does a great job of SCART to Component. I may be selling it soon as it doesn't get much use these days.

Here is some info on it:

http://nfggames.com/games/xselectd4/

[laserbrick]

I second this. I have a close friend who runs www.thisandthattech.com and is always looking for more material to assist gamers and techies. I just messaged you on your ebay account. Perhaps if your product is comparable to the Shinybow, then I'd purchase it, test it and potentially vouch for you (not that I am a super credible source, lol). If anything, I can vie for you via their forums and spread the word that way.

MrFusion, Hello

IMO the best way is to get favourable reviews on trusted gaming hardware forums such as here, on ASSEMBLER forums, etc.

Having someone who has proved to be knowledgeable, and has reviewed the best of them, review your unit is a great way, so maybe sending them a free unit for reviewing purposes is a good way to achieve this. Out of all the people I can think of, Fudoh comes at the top of the list, as the one with the best reputation and knowledge, so I would def contact him and ask if he has the time and wants to do a comparison (I'm not saying he will automatically say yes, maybe he's too busy right now. But it's worth asking him anyway).
As for other people to send your product to and get a review from, I won't pronounce myself cause I can't tell whose 2nd best, 3rd best etc. I just don't know enough about other people's pedigree.

And then after that you could contact Youyubers who talk about videogame gear, and who have a good reputation, and ask them to review your adapter, or at least give it a shoutout via Twitter.
As a way to convince them that your product is worth mentionning, you caqn link them to the review you previously got, as suggested in my previous point

[laserbrick]

Hey guys, I'm checking out the Fusion Scart to Component box (something about buying 'Merican), hopefully I'll get it in a couple days. Expect a full report of this device paired with my Image Anyplace IA100 and my Samsung LED.

[Hoagtech]

I would reccomend he csy 2100. (Not the black box clone) It can be found easier on U.K. eBay than the US.

It comes pre calibrated out of the box and supports variable voltage and refresh rate. 120-230v 50/60

Mine costed a little bit (180 bucks used) and I had to solder my own pc cord inside of the euro power plug.

But after messing around with the 240p suite and my pots inside the knockoff (for weeks) I politely gave it away to someone I didn't know very well.

I think if I had a grey point calibration tool like they use on projectors and movie theaters I may able to overcome it. Until then I would advise staying away from the black box knockoff.

Also I stopped using my CRT and have been using the X MINI but it still looks great just not quite as sharp.

Reason being the 240p image has to be interger scaled anyways by your TV set coming from your component scaler so it defeats the purpose of component as it can never be fead native resolution from your component scaler like the XRGB can handle.

I have yet to try Marqs doubler but somehow slipped the cracks as an early adopter.

I really would reccomend the CSY for most mid era 4:3 crt sets and they generally support component and 240p progressive scan natively with no noticeable lag because of no need for your tvs scaling

[accaris]

Does anyone know if the Shinybow accepts sync-on-luma for SNES 1CHIP-03? I'm not really down for modding my system for csync.