Extron DVS as an alternative to SCART to YUV Scalers?

[GeekMan1222]

So the other forum I would usually post stuff like this to is down and has been down for a while. Well this forum has some cool people also pretty smart and this will also partially involve hooking up a super gun with hopefully.
This topic will pertain to a venture of converting consoles to svideo and rgb and the best way to display those to a consumer CRT using Component input.

ANYWAYS lets begin.

So nothing i have is setup for RGB yet, I have done loads of research on the topic and personal buddy of mine is already pretty versed in the topic before i was. Since I have not done an RGB setup I havent invested in SCART cables. That being said one thing I wanted in this setup was a switcher, I opted for an Extron 300 series Crosspoint 8x8 switcher. This switcher uses BNC, fair enough the cabling will primarily use BNC connections.

--My setup--
will be using 3 different source formats: RGB, Svideo, and Component (which will be the final output that leads to the TV since the TV has component input this seemed logical). All of these formats will go through my Extron switcher.



Now I am on to the next part and by far this is what i spent the last 3 days reading heavily on. Originally i was planning on using one of those 60$ SCART to YUV clone scalers you see online alot. But i got to thinking if you can buy surplus Extron equipment for cheap what did they make as far as scalers... and its likely to be slightly higher quality to boot.. hmmmm :/

So my research led me to an Extron DVS 204 orginally and now I am looking at the 304 model because that seems to be what a few people have used for RGB scaling in a gaming sense. Both seem pretty similar if you look at the inputs and output but the 304 has some extra features and also i think slightly more RGB input scaling options. Ill include a photo below of a draft of my intended setup, but to make it short using this scaler i could take RGB and Svideo and scale them to Component (and also have component going into the scaler like a pass through. This will make bringing video formats from the Extron Crosspoint alot more stream lined too imo.

Also this guy on Youtube is running a Genesis through a DVS 304 but hes using a Sync Strike which iirc is a sync stripper, ill assume that is also something i might need to consider.



--- skip here to by pass the back story ---

So what I'm wondering now, is the Extron DVS 304 really something I want to look at for a decent alternative to convert RGB to Component as compared to one of those SCART to YUV converters? Would the quality be any better, there sure are a lot more options and features with these Extron units. :/

What other things would i need to consider if choosing an Extron DVS 204 or 304? I know the input is DB15 for RGB so ill just assume i need a BNC to DB15 RGB break out solution. This also goes for Svideo in the form of a BNC for Y and C to mini din connector.

As an after thought how well would an Extron 304 or a generic SCART to YUV converter behave with a super gun? Say maybe a MVS. I know i hear its a pain to get JAMMA to run with alot of scalers easily because the video sources are not a true standard in some cases and that can throw those devices off.

Is the DVS 304 really worth it if I'm going the Extron route they can cost any where from 30 to 60 dollars compared to the DVS 204 model?

Any other suggestions, I hear and iirc read in the manual for the Crosspoint it only takes csync but as most consoles send signals as csync at least from what i gathered is that even gonna be a problem?





In the end I might just pick up an Extron anyways if not for more documentation on these devices they seem useful but theres not alot of info on them in terms of retro gaming setups.
I know this might not be the best place to ask all this but if anyone has ideas or comments please let me know.
Thanks so much

http://prntscr.com/exq105

[Xer Xian]

There are more knowledgeable people than me around here, but since Extron scalers don't get talked about that much here, I'll assume they either botch 240p or are too laggy (or both). For example, that's the case for Kramer scalers/converters (another manufacturer in the same audio/video market segment).

If you can find a way of substituting/converting s-video to smth else you can use an OSSC as line multiplier/transcoder to DVI (btw I don't understand why you're looking for a scaler with Component out - if you've got a flat display you'd want a digital signal, while you should be looking for a simple signal transcoder for hooking up to a CRT).

[MetalMilitia]

It depends on what price you are paying for it. The DVS 304 is a really nice scaler, but it is not built for video games. It is no Framemeister or OSSC, but it's a cheap alternative. It reads 240p as 480i, which is the issue most TVs and other scalers deal with, but for 480i and up it does pretty well. Also, being a piece of professional equipment it has numerous tweaks and changes you can make to the picture. So, overall, if you can get it for a good price, I say go for it. It will look much better than plugging 240p consoles directly into a digital display. Just a head's up: mine really did not like the sync coming from a Genesis so you may need a Sync Strike or another type of sync stripper for that console.

[GeekMan1222]

Thank you all for the replys.

(btw I don't understand why you're looking for a scaler with Component out - if you've got a flat display you'd want a digital signal, while you should be looking for a simple signal transcoder for hooking up to a CRT).

So I dont really need a scaler then your saying? I suppose that would make sense.

So as far as best bang for buck with out busting the bank starting out then, http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-SCART-RGB-t ... 1156873851 one of those should really be what I need? If you have other suggestions for something let me know

As far as a DVS 304 or 204 the prices i was looking at ranged from 24 to 35 but if its miss handling 240p then i suppose thats a big issue.. I know the extron 204 manual doesnt actually explicity say what inputs it will take though but yeah. Maybe it would be more useful later down the road if a put an HD TV in the game room later.

[Guspaz]

If you need to convert RGB to Component, IIRC RetroRGB is working on an article about that, but for now, these are the two best options:

Shinybow SB-2840:

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

Fusion Transcoder:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/191876964053

Don't bother with the noname boxes like that CSY clone you linked to. They don't cost much less, but produce significantly worse images, and require you to open it up and play around with potentiometers to get something decent out of it. The Shinybow and Fusion transcoders work out of the box with no tweaking.

[GeekMan1222]

Thanks Guspaz this will probably be what I end up buying then lol the SB-2840 that is. I just wish i could find something more streamlined because the TV set only has one Component input ..hmm Ill have to think on it but I appreciate everyone for the help on the subject.

But what about the Extron Switcher, Ill be bringing Svideo, Component and RGB into it which according to the manual it will take as long as they are on the same planes aka dont cross formats. I know it likes csync according to what I heard. Will everything pretty much work on this or will I need to add anything to the switcher setup to get some things to work??

Ill keep an eye out on this topic in case others have suggestions too.

[Guspaz]

Just because the crosspoint will support s-video and component/rgb doesn't mean that it will do any sort of conversion. It just means that it can switch it. You still need a device to go from s-video to RGB or component.

Converting between RGB and component is easy, there are lots of devices that support that. Converting from s-video to RGB and component is hard, barely anything can do that directly, and the few devices that support it do it poorly. Most scalers (like the DVS) that support it probably don't support 240p properly, although something like the Framemeister does support it (but is meant for HDMI output, not component to a CRT).

What are you intending to use with s-video, though? Most consoles that support s-video at best (N64, GameCube) have mods to get RGB out.

[GeekMan1222]

Yeah I know that the cross point doesnt touch/convert formats but i digress so the consoles that will use svideo will be the 3do and Gamecube. If im not using some fancy multi input scaler thing ill just directly connect the devices needing to use the crt tv's svideo input using an output on the crosspoint that is setup for svideo. I dont think that the gamecube can output RGB at least not that i was aware of. Component we know is expensive as heck to get on a GC and HDMI is also expensive and is not the goal with this setup.