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RGB Output in consoles from the 80s and 90s

Posted: August 8th, 2014, 6:35 pm
by ptdebate1
@videogamecritic

I look forward to seeing it! It can get pretty hairy juggling all that hardware. I'd be curious to see how you handle the power consumption.




RGB Output in consoles from the 80s and 90s

Posted: August 11th, 2014, 7:10 pm
by Wallyworld1

Here is how and what I have hooked up. Not all are optimal but most are pretty good.

NES: composite also hooked up VGA with Dreamcast NES emulator
SMS: composite
Colecovison: composite (via mod)
Atari 2600: composite (via modded colecovision with expansion module)
SNES: SVIDEO
Genny and CD: Svideo (via mod)
32X: composite (haven't modded it)

Atari XEGS: composite
TI 99/4a: composite
Dreamcast: VGA (looks amazing even better than component for some reason)
Playstation: HDMI played through ps3 or played on PSone with built in LCD screen.
PS2: Component
Xbox: Component (HDMI for games compatible with 360.)
N64: Svideo
Gamecube: component via Wii
Wii: HDMI played through Wii U.
Jaguar: Svideo

Notice I don't have anything hooked up via RF. If I can't get it at least it in composite I don't want it. My apartment has a ton of interference for some reason when I try to hook it up RF. Maybe its because of all the game systems I have hooked up at one time but I'm not sure.






RGB Output in consoles from the 80s and 90s

Posted: August 15th, 2014, 1:32 pm
by Dogtanian1

My set up is pretty similar to Wallyworld. Everything that is 6th generation or before is hooked up to a CRT with RGB scart if available, composite if not. I can't imagine using RF now. Newer consoles are on an HD TV.

Composite:
Turbografx 16
TurboDuo
Famicom AV

RGB scart:
SMS
Megadrive 1
Megadrive 2 with 32x & CD
Jap Saturn
PAL Saturn
SNES
N64
Gamecube
Dreamcast
PS2

Wii: scart
Wii U and X360: HDMI


RGB Output in consoles from the 80s and 90s

Posted: August 15th, 2014, 3:13 pm
by ptdebate1
Thanks for posting! What kind of tv do you use, Dogtanian?

RGB Output in consoles from the 80s and 90s

Posted: August 15th, 2014, 9:17 pm
by Weekend_Warrior1
Would RGB still be better than running your SNES & Genesis carts on the new Retron 5 which has HDMI output and a ton of video filter options?

RGB Output in consoles from the 80s and 90s

Posted: August 16th, 2014, 9:43 am
by ptdebate1
[QUOTE=Weekend_Warrior]Would RGB still be better than running your SNES & Genesis carts on the new Retron 5 which has HDMI output and a ton of video filter options? [/QUOTE]

It depends. I haven't seen the Retron 5 in action to know how accurate the emulation is, but many of us would prefer the original hardware because it feels more authentic. Clone consoles suffer from the theoretical conundrum of being faced with the task of imitating entire systems in all their complexity and with all their unique flaws--it's a lot harder than it sounds. Virtual Console titles require a unique emulator for every single game because each game tales advantage of the hardware in different ways. Many NES and SNES games are super tricky to emulate properly because they have coprocessors built right into the cart.

RGB Output in consoles from the 80s and 90s

Posted: August 17th, 2014, 9:08 pm
by rift1
[QUOTE=Weekend_Warrior]Would RGB still be better than running your SNES & Genesis carts on the new Retron 5 which has HDMI output and a ton of video filter options? [/QUOTE]
Yes, because a snes/genesis is going to look horrible on a flatscreen regardless. 

RGB Output in consoles from the 80s and 90s

Posted: August 18th, 2014, 6:37 am
by Dogtanian1
Weekend_Warrior: I agree with what ptdebate has said. The Retron5 is still emulation, so no matter how good it may or may not be, it will not exactly match the video or audio output of these systems. I haven't seen the Retron5 in action, but I have seen videos on Youtube that show clear differences.

From what I have seen/heard, the contrast can sometimes be off and the scanlines aren't that authentic looking. I am not a fan of video filters but they may be preferable to some. This article is worth looking at, plus Game Sack did a thorough review of it a few months back. RGB output from original hardware on CRT is still the ultimate. Second would be using original hardware on a HDTV with an XRGB-mini Framemeister or suchlike. Third would be emulation.

ptdebate: Can't be sure of the exact model without checking, but I have a Sony Trinitron widescreen. Approx 27" I think. It has two scart inputs plus one separate composite/s-video input, so with a couple of Bandridge 5 way scart switching boxes plus a composite switch box everything is available without having to untangle cables! I have switchable extension leads as well to cut down on power consumption.