Connecting Saturn to HDTV

[Nick1984]

I currently use my Saturn on a 32" Samsung HDTV with the following ports:

3x HDMI
1x VGA
1x Componant
1x RGB Scart
1x Composite Scart
1x S-Video
1x RF

I'm quite happy with using RGB (cable that came with console) at the moment and I accept the low resolution, however there does seem to be a slight blur around some edges and I'm wondering if there's any way to get a sharper picture.

I use VGA for my Dreamcast which is great quality.

[digichan]

hmmm mine is connected via RGB too and I don't think I have any blurring.. there was another topic about Saturn and HDTV.

segasaturngroup.proboards81.com/index.cgi?board=gensat&action=display&thread=1179537347&page=3

Maybe your TV's softness is too high?

[Radiant Saturn]

I found that the high-resolution titles, like Virtua Fighter 2 looked fantastic and crisp, whereas the lower-resolution games, especially the ones that were totally 2-D sprite-based, looked jagged and blurred easily while in motion. I was using s-video at the time.

[Dr Greenrinse]

Sorry to ressurect such an old thread.
I currently use an RGB Scart connection on my HDTV which I find to be adequate. However i happend to be glancing through the Saturn manual and it mentions an EDTV cable...
EDTV usually a reference to the 480p resolution, so this is likely to be a component video cable which would be much more suitable for an HDTV. Does such a thing exist? Or was it something that was planned and never released?

[chizzles]

the EDTV feature wasn't used by any games as far as I'm aware... :/ so it is redundant.

480i was a push for programmers on Saturn, that's why a lot of games run in 240p mode

However the blurring on RGB is caused by your TVs upscaling and deinterlacing circuit.

the only *real* way to get around it is to buy an external upscaler with self calibratory options.

[RealBlue]

I use a standard RGB scart to connect to mine & the picture quality is outstanding!!!

[EverestX]

Too bad there is no way to hook that RGB cable up on US TV .

[chizzles]

If your TV has component input, it is possible to buy an RGB to Component converter as it is nothing other than a simple colour space conversion

[tomor64]

Ive got an HDTV, and the problems I find are twofold.

On the one hand, there is amplification of pixelation. Maybe this is what you mean by the blurring? Everything look pretty blocky. Especially if it a lower resolution game. Compare Virtua Fighter/VF2 or Panzer Dragoon/PD2, and the standards are literally miles apart.

On the other hand. The alignment of the screen is off. Not only does the space the picture appears in sit to the left on the TV screen. There is also a slight slip of the picture off the space, to the left too. This is not too bad. Life bars can be hidden on the left though.

I can see you can buy these scaler things. Like the SCART to HDMI scaler box. Does anyone know anything of these? Do they solve any of the problems above? They are expensive (expansive too by the looks of em). If they can solve these problems Id spend £100+ on the beasts though. I want to see all my Saturn's pixels at their best. ;D

[tomor64]

Well people. I have just made a very brave (at least IMO) purchase. A product known as the CentaurPro 6-way AV/HD Control. It feels good even though the price is quite vast. Not too vast though as it looks like I got a good deal. I hope this thing can sort out my laptop to HDTV resolution problems, as well as the resolution problems I get with the SCART on the Saturn. Check it out.

First... here is a nice webpage that shows the best example of the item. Here it costs a tidy sum of £399.99.

www.avstorm.co.uk/prod.asp?product_idx=1745&imgstate=0

Second... here is the site I got it from. Here it cost a mere (in comparison) £149.95 + £12.95 P+P.

www.satellitesuperstore.com/avhub.htm

and the homepage

www.satellitesuperstore.com/cat.htm


It actually looks pretty cool. Its actally the only one I could find. Im sure there are others. There is one on the Maplin site. Their sale lowers the price to £329.99. This is the main reason I took the plunge here really. Its basically £200 off with the people I got it off. They are the Satellite Superstore.

There is a SCART to HDMI on the eBay for a single input and output setup. It looks like dat might go for anything from £50 to £100 though, and the extra capabilities of this CentaurPro won it for me. Its got a control an all. If it solves the problems I list above I will be back to recommend it. If not, Ill recommend it anyway and sell you mine. Hahaha. Joke. Anyway, Ill keep a double cross of fingers on both my hands until if find out for sure.



DAMN IT!!!!!! Centaur Pro was not available at the discount price was on the Satellite Superstore's site. Apparantly they just sold their last one a few days ago apparantly. I did some more searches and the same thing is actually quite widely available. Its available at Amazon, and eBay (shops). There appears to be one without the two HDMI inputs too. This is £200, rather than £400. I really want those 2 extra ports though. Hmmm


IT DAMN well better work. Just got one for £300!!!

Here is the site.

www.hdmi.co.uk/centaur_pro.php


Her is another site.

www.converters.tv/products/vga_to_hdtv/560.html

Luckily their £250 product does not include the £30-£60 delivery fees from the land of Oz. The cheaper option is a 3 week service so the £20 overall difference is worth the extra for a speedy UK delivery, really. Their site offers the fullest specs I can find though. It looks like it should be good for conversion of computer resolution to HD. My confidence in this Centaur Pro grows. Apparantly it handles PAL/NTSC inputs, for HD non-region output too, as well as conversions between the 50Hz and 60Hz frame rates.

[tomor64]

I am happy to report there is a definiteimprovement on the picture quality, as well as screen centricness of the Saturn through the Centaur Pro SM-393 into my Panasonic 32" HDTV.

I am unhappy to report this pretty perfect picture suffers from the lack of sound. Oh my freakin god!!!!!!! I really dont know much about these things. I think it may be something to do with the scaler's acceptance of only digital audio or something (only a factor if the Saturn is analogue audio). It doesnt specifically mention this in the manual, I just saw it on a webpage. It says it supports RGB SCART, as well as composite, with auto reckognition. Litteraly nothing to do with the type of audio. Can anyone advise here?

A PDF of the manual is on the site below. It is the best web-page description of the device too.

www.converters.tv/products/vga_to_hdtv/560.html


If it is that the Saturn's audio is analogue rather than digital, are there any simple adaptors to handle this sort of thing? There are also S Video and Component Video conversion capabilities in the C Pro. If I cant sort the SCART thing I must look for one without SCART to HDMI... probably a bit cheaper. It also doesnt fit the laptop to the screen so I can probably get one to convert S Video and DVI-HDMI PC signals. I am looking for these now. Still, if anyone can tell me this thing can be put right I will probably rather keep it, because other (as far as I can see atm) converters seems to be too complex. Also I tried my laptop in the S-Video (conversion port on the C Pro) and the picture quality was attrocious.

[chizzles]

Tomor, all you need to do is take a pair of RCA audio cables, and chop the plugs off of one end, then take the wire from the middle pins and solder it to the audio pins inside the scart, then solder the wires from the shielding to the ground pin

[tomor64]

Ok cheers Chizzles. These RCA cables would then plug into the audio on the tele? Do you mean though, solder on the pins themselves, or the internal, side, or inside, even (haha...couple of beers here). If they are on the outside surely this means they would be in the way of the insertion of the SCART plug into the SCART socket... no?

It is something Im thinking, to be able to plug the audio in separately. This seems to be the only option; for there are no other options on the device nore on the tele, nor the Saturn. These would need into the TV's audio ports, if it is the case the ports for RCAs are inputs rather than outputs (it looks like they are). Luckily I want to velcro the box onto the back of the box anyway, right next to the portation. Do you mean though, create a SCART plug with RCA plugs on the side? Can you not buy these in shops (Im not sure)?

I cant solder myself unless I go to my parents. Its probably best if this is the only option to ask some computer store people. I think you must mean solder on the inside. I see the SCART actually miraculously pulls apart with space even for wires to be fed out of the housing. Pretty cool. If I can get it done. Do they sell anything like this though? I really think its better if I can just buy one ready made. I suppose its not really a problem fit enough for an indutrial sollution though.

[Nick1984]

Can you post us any comparison shots of RGB vs Centaur?

[tomor64]

Dude I just got rid of da Centaur finally on the eBay! It really set me back. Not worth the hassle at all. It didnt work. RGB thing never tested unfortunately.

With da extra money I bought my self a new tele though (brother bought old one off me). It was da model up from da old one. My Saturn actually works now. ;D