Le Roi
Saturn Gamer
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Post by Le Roi on Mar 12, 2017 1:15:24 GMT
Not exclusively a Saturn related topic, but:
Does anyone have experience using SCART to HDMI converters?
There are a couple on Amazon with good reviews for c.£25. My Saturn looks appalling on my 42" LCD, so I'm sure anything would help.
I'm also interested in capturing footage via elgato, so would this improve the quality?
Finally, one of the converters has optical audio out. I'm assuming this isn't a true digital signal from the Saturn, as the scart has already converted it to analogue. Therefore it wouldn't be the Saturn's DAC that I'd be hearing; rather, it would be the converter's.
Many thanks in advance.
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Post by atolm on Mar 12, 2017 2:10:36 GMT
Framemeister or OSSC. Don't accept any imitations, you aren't saving any money in the long run by purchasing a device you're just going to replace.
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Post by pocketpocket on Mar 12, 2017 2:34:40 GMT
I've used the SCART to HDMI adapter, this one in particular: I used SCART for nearly all of my retro consoles on my old TV, but when I got a new TV it didn't have SCART ports, so this seemed like a no-brainer. I haven't used it with my Saturn yet (ordered a SCART cable but it got lost in the mail so gonna have to try again) but it works wonderfully with the Master System. I haven't experienced any control input lag when using it which is what I was most concerned about, but that may be dependent on your TV. Just know that it's gonna be SCART quality as opposed to HD, it'll be crisp but it will make solid colors look a bit weird. Also you'll need another power outlet to power the converter with. Note that I have zero experience with Framemeisters so I can't compare how that will look by comparison, but I don't doubt that the Framemeister is miles ahead, the SCART converter is more or less just an adapter. I just wanted SCART ports on my TV as opposed to an upscaler so this is fine for me. Framemeisters are FAR out of my price range anyway, I can understand why people would swear by them for providing the best picture quality by miles but I can't really bring myself to validate spending $350+ USD on one.
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dj898
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Post by dj898 on Mar 12, 2017 3:35:33 GMT
I use the same one on my Dell PC monitor's HDMI input. Not sure whether this being PC monitor but don't notice any lag of sort compared to when on the CRT via Composite...
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Le Roi
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Post by Le Roi on Mar 12, 2017 10:08:16 GMT
Pocket, is that the Excelvan? It doesn't get great reviews on Amazon. I was looking at the Elephas or Neoteck. Atolm, there's no way I can spend that much I watched this Adam Koralik video where he says the cheap converter still made a big difference: m.youtube.com/watch?v=RS55pmLIEjASounds like that's not people's experience here. I would accept a modest improvement, as there's no way I can fit a large CRT in my room (I live in London...). Thanks for your help.
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Post by pocketpocket on Mar 12, 2017 10:21:09 GMT
Pocket, is that the Excelvan? It doesn't get great reviews on Amazon. I was looking at the Elephas or Neoteck. Atolm, there's no way I can spend that much I watched this Adam Koralik video where he says the cheap converter still made a big difference: m.youtube.com/watch?v=RS55pmLIEjASounds like that's not people's experience here. I would accept a modest improvement, as there's no way I can fit a large CRT in my room (I live in London...). Thanks for your help. It's the Elephas from what I can gather online. Same as what was used in the Youtube video you linked. I personally think it's worth it and haven't had issues with it. There will still be a pretty big quality increase going from composite to SCART, there's a reason I swore by SCART cables on my last TV and got the adapter so I could keep using them.
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Le Roi
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Post by Le Roi on Mar 12, 2017 11:05:49 GMT
Sorry, I didn't make this clear. I'm already using SCART straight from my Saturn into my LCD TV. Im not using composite. So, I assume the converter won't make a difference. This is all so confusing
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Post by barryburton on Mar 12, 2017 12:18:17 GMT
I've tried a couple of cheap SCART to HDMI converters on Saturn and PSX and they made little positive difference. One introduced lag which made arcade type games nearly unplayable. I'd say the main reason to have one is if your TV has no SCART input, rather than better quality than SCART. I may be wrong but i think many of the positive reviews are non European people comparing composite (i.e. single cable video) to SCART and HDMI converter.
The cheap one you've found might still be worth a try, but don't get your hopes up.
My LG OLED TV has a pretty decent SCART processor built in and OSSC still makes a big difference. A bit pricey but worth it if you can afford it. Maybe get on the mailing list?
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Post by atolm on Mar 12, 2017 12:34:25 GMT
Atolm, there's no way I can spend that much Bull. SAVE. The saturn has been around over 20 years now, what's a few extra weeks? Let's say it takes you two weeks (no idea, I'm just using this as an example) to scrape together the money for a cheap converter. Instead of spending it, put it away somewhere. After another two weeks pass and you have the money again to buy a cheap converter, put it away. Rinse repeat until you can afford the quality device. Also, WHY are you watching Adam Koralik?
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Le Roi
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Post by Le Roi on Mar 12, 2017 13:14:09 GMT
Barry, that's what I thought. Atolm, if you're asking whether I have £300 -- yes. Am I spending it on a framemeister? Nope! Not without seeing one in action and knowing exactly what the difference is. I guess I should have said "won't" rather than "can't" Thanks for the link.
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Post by atolm on Mar 12, 2017 13:34:13 GMT
Barry, that's what I thought. Atolm, if you're asking whether I have £300 -- yes. Am I spending it on a framemeister? Nope! Not without seeing one in action and knowing exactly what the difference is. I guess I should have said "won't" rather than "can't" Thanks for the link. The OSSC now features 1080P via firmware, and a new configuration of the hardware will integrate HDMI. BuckO should have more info on this. shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=59525&start=120Speaking from a Saturn perspective only the Framemeister's advantage is excellent deinterlacing of 480i (VF2, last bronx etc..) The availability for both devices is crap right now, unfortunately. That super cheap converter is mainly for us NTSC folks who don't have scart inputs on their TV. If you're in Europe with a flat panel that has RGB scart, it's just redundant. My life in gaming makes this point at 11:20 in the video. I have however run my saturn through component (via an RGB transcoder) to my Sony Bravia. Which for all intents and purposes of this conversation is the exact same as you hooking up via RGB scart. The cheap scaler would at best yield the same results. Using the Framemeister however is an entirely different ball game. 240P content works correctly, pixels are sharp. Way more scaling options than my TV can muster.
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Le Roi
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Post by Le Roi on Mar 12, 2017 13:57:53 GMT
Ok cheers, really appreciate all the info.
I might get my 21" Sharp CRT out of my parents' attic one day. Seems like the best cheap option.
Framemeister would be amazing, but just not at dat price.
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Post by barryburton on Mar 12, 2017 14:03:55 GMT
OSSC is about £150, cheaper than Framemeister. Seems there is still a waiting list but I'd say either get that or stick to normal SCART.
Adam Koralik provides very little new or valuable content. If he was engaging or funny (like say Metal Jesus who is at least a bit likeable, or our own Carter who is passionate and makes me chuckle) I'd understand his popularity but he just bores on and on, far too many words to say not much. No idea how he's so successful, maybe just good at getting topical videos out at the right time.
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Post by atolm on Mar 12, 2017 14:27:20 GMT
Adam Koralik provides very little new or valuable content. If he was engaging or funny (like say Metal Jesus who is at least a bit likeable, or our own Carter who is passionate and makes me chuckle) I'd understand his popularity but he just bores on and on, far too many words to say not much. No idea how he's so successful, maybe just good at getting topical videos out at the right time. Supposedly someone just sent him a Framemeister free of charge, which is just mind-boggling. He does little to no research for his videos, and seems to just spitball whatever he thinks he knows. I think it was his Neo Geo video where he made the claim that there was essentially no 3rd party support for it, which I simply knew offhand was a load of crap. 3rd party software from Visco, Video System, Data East, Hudson Soft, Sunsoft, Taito etc. makes up a sizeable chunk of the system's library.
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nevermind
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Post by nevermind on Mar 12, 2017 17:09:07 GMT
Are you using a full Rgb scart lead? Many of them are not full Rgb, put out a composite signal instead.
My full Rgb scart looks great on my lcd hdtv. I'd imagine a upscaler will make it look better mind you.
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