Connecting Saturn to LCD Monitor (screen)

[Deleted]

hey guys

I currently play my Xbox 360 on a LCD screen using a VGA cable. Is there a way I can play my Saturn on it?

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!

[buckoa51]

Short answer, yes there are.

Long answer, do your homework first. Some converters give excellent results (Micomsoft's XRGB2, 2+ and XRGB3 for instance, though they can be difficult to work with). Most off the shelf converters are optimized for film rather than videogames, some wont even accept a 240p signal at all.

The new XRGB Mini will be out soon, you might want to hang on a month or so until the first reviews are in, though obviously you'll need to import one.

[AE86_Steve]

This is what im going to be using once it gets here for my tv since it does not have an s video hook up, but it does have VGA

www.ebay.com/itm/120725364158?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

If your using a computer monitor use the above along with this vga male to female adapter. www.ebay.com/itm/10PCS-SVGA-VGA-15-Pin-Male-Female-Adapter-Convertor-/310279829514?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item483e1e780a#ht_1259wt_1037

Hope this helps you out.

[buckoa51]

LOL, that is for PC's with TV out capability on their graphics cards, it won't work with the Saturn or any other retro console under any circumstances.

[Deleted]

Oct 16, 2011 17:36:57 GMT buckoa51 said:

Short answer, yes there are.

Long answer, do your homework first. Some converters give excellent results (Micomsoft's XRGB2, 2+ and XRGB3 for instance, though they can be difficult to work with). Most off the shelf converters are optimized for film rather than videogames, some wont even accept a 240p signal at all.

The new XRGB Mini will be out soon, you might want to hang on a month or so until the first reviews are in, though obviously you'll need to import one.

Thanks!

I'll keep an eye out for that cable

[buckoa51]

If you're on a tighter budget, Arcadeforge's scaler and sync strike combination produces good results for the money:- wp1114205.wp150.webpack.hosteurope.de/xtcmodified/index.php?cPath=4

[AE86_Steve]

Oct 16, 2011 21:33:58 GMT buckoa51 said:

LOL, that is for PC's with TV out capability on their graphics cards, it won't work with the Saturn or any other retro console under any circumstances.

How would that not work on a vga on a tv for input? It only makes sense that it would. It may be made for pc card out puts to tv's but their is no reason it should not work as long as it all connects right and the Saturn sends a signal. All it does is take the connections and forms it into vga. But ill find out soon if this is true or not.

[buckoa51]

It makes no sense at all. You've fundamentally misunderstood what the cable is intended for. It's for PC's with a special TV out mode on their graphics cards to output a S-video signal. The cable does no conversion whatsoever, it simply allows the pins on the PC's graphics card to output S-video. Heck, its even going in reverse of what you want it to do.

VGA is 31khz RGB, S-video is 15khz Luma/Chroma, converting from one to the other is not a trivial process (also pointless in the Saturn's case as it outputs RGB).

You can't just assume because a cable has the same connections as what you are trying to connect that it will magically work, do a little research first.

[AE86_Steve]

Oct 17, 2011 17:56:03 GMT buckoa51 said:

It makes no sense at all. You've fundamentally misunderstood what the cable is intended for. It's for PC's with a special TV out mode on their graphics cards to output a S-video signal. The cable does no conversion whatsoever, it simply allows the pins on the PC's graphics card to output S-video. Heck, its even going in reverse of what you want it to do.

VGA is 31khz RGB, S-video is 15khz Luma/Chroma, converting from one to the other is not a trivial process (also pointless in the Saturn's case as it outputs RGB).

You can't just assume because a cable has the same connections as what you are trying to connect that it will magically work, do a little research first.

Well im from the states I have a 42" lcd samsung HD TV. It has no S Video hook up and I wanted to run S video to it. To get the best picture I could. What would you do to get an S video hook up on an HD tv that does not have one? Or should I use a sega saturn rgb scart cable to some sort of adapter to change it over to RGB/component? I'm going to try the above regardless as all the cords are on their way. But what do you recommend I should do? Thanks for the info. Any other adapters out there that could give me an S video hook up?

Sorry don't mean to thread jack.

[buckoa51]

Ditch S-Video, there's no point trying to convert that when the Saturn outputs RGB. Your choices then have been discussed on the forum before. You can use the above options, though the XRGB3 is unlikely to work directly with your TV. You can use a DVDO Edge videoprocessor, or the XRGB3 in tandem with a DVDO Edge processor. This is expensive but produces wonderful results.

If you're on a tighter budget, see the Arcadeforge solution discussed above.

You can try that cable if you like, it's unlikely to do any damage, but it won't in a million years produce a picture with your Saturn. Hopefully you spent a little longer researching your TV purchase and didn't buy a set with massive amounts of input lag (sadly easier said than done these days!)

[AE86_Steve]

Oct 18, 2011 9:35:37 GMT buckoa51 said:

Ditch S-Video, there's no point trying to convert that when the Saturn outputs RGB. Your choices then have been discussed on the forum before. You can use the above options, though the XRGB3 is unlikely to work directly with your TV. You can use a DVDO Edge videoprocessor, or the XRGB3 in tandem with a DVDO Edge processor. This is expensive but produces wonderful results.

If you're on a tighter budget, see the Arcadeforge solution discussed above.

You can try that cable if you like, it's unlikely to do any damage, but it won't in a million years produce a picture with your Saturn. Hopefully you spent a little longer researching your TV purchase and didn't buy a set with massive amounts of input lag (sadly easier said than done these days!)

I recently bought an scart rgb cable for the Sega Saturn along with a RGB SCART to Component Video coverter + Phillips SCART Audio Splitter. From the rgb/component out put on the converter box can I use a component/rgb to vga cable like this one?

www.ebay.com/itm/3-FT-15-Pin-VGA-3-RCA-COMPONENT-VIDEO-TV-HDTV-CABLE-/150638280423?pt=Video_Games_Accessories&hash=item2312bdbee7#ht_2079wt_1037

I want to do this as I have my x box 360 hooked up with the component cables already on my tv.

[buckoa51]

From the rgb/component out put on the converter box can I use a component/rgb to vga cable like this one?

Nope, you cannot. Component video is not RGB. "This cable doesn't support a computer monitor video port, or Y, Cr, Cb Video. Your video card should provide a Y / Pb / Pr Component Video Signal from the HD 15 video ports to use this cable."

Also, there's no guarantee that transcoding the Saturn's SCART output to component will work with your TV either, some TV's flat out refuse to display 240p via component. If it does work the quality will be anything from terrible to reasonable. If it does work to an acceptable standard there are component video switch boxes, or simply hook your 360 up via VGA instead.

[AE86_Steve]

Oct 21, 2011 19:56:43 GMT buckoa51 said:

From the rgb/component out put on the converter box can I use a component/rgb to vga cable like this one?

Nope, you cannot. Component video is not RGB. "This cable doesn't support a computer monitor video port, or Y, Cr, Cb Video. Your video card should provide a Y / Pb / Pr Component Video Signal from the HD 15 video ports to use this cable."

Also, there's no guarantee that transcoding the Saturn's SCART output to component will work with your TV either, some TV's flat out refuse to display 240p via component. If it does work the quality will be anything from terrible to reasonable. If it does work to an acceptable standard there are component video switch boxes, or simply hook your 360 up via VGA instead.

Well this is what I got coming. From what I read it seems to give the best picture. www.ebay.com/itm/220872454728?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_500wt_1287

It should work out good I would think. I read its the best picture you can get from the Saturn or many other retro consoles. fingers crossed! Thanks for the help. Ill just have to run the xbox in vga. I'll keep you posted.

[buckoa51]

Well this is what I got coming. From what I read it seems to give the best picture.

As a transcoder it's fine, however as stated above some TV's just don't support 240p (as the Saturn outputs most of the time) over component at all. If you already ordered it though, guess you will find out.

I read its the best picture you can get from the Saturn or many other retro consoles.

Not even close. Component video inputs are optimized for 480i video. The picture will probably be a little washed out, and also deinterlacing will be incorrectly applied resulting in higher than needed input lag and glitching on things like drop-shadows. Should still be usable though, you'll see why people keep CRT's.

In your position, assuming your budget doesn't stretch to the more expensive converters, the Arcadeforge solution mentioned above, or a Lenkeng converter would have been better, but you seem to prefer to just buy the first cable/adapter you find and hope it works, so all the best with that