I'm SCARTing!
Posted: October 11th, 2018, 4:12 am
Not too long ago, I came across a video on YouTube about how to make your consoles look their absolute best on your TV. I had heard about SCART here and there, but never really paid much attention. Sounded like you needed a mod, and I didn't want to deal with it. So I suffered with composite for the longest time.
Then that video changed everything. You mean that all I needed was an RGB port? Oh, and the Framemeister happens to have one? No kidding! They mentioned how in many cases, it could actually look even better on an original console. So I asked my wife to order an SNES SCART off of EBay. I was quite disappointed when it didn't work, but after doing some research, I needed to use the European SCART adapter, instead of the Japanese one that came with the Framemeister. I had to order it and have it shipped from England, but it finally came today!
Now I have SCART. I'm a SCART guy! Would I say I was absolutely floored? Well, no. But I can honestly say I see quite a huge difference. The graphics look more well-defined, and the colors definitely pop more. It's still a 240p signal, but that's not any sort of problem for the Framemeister! Here, see for yourself:
Mario via composite without scanlines. Notice the muddled picture and the dreary colors:
Mario via RGB SCART without scanlines. Looks MUCH better, more defined, better colors:
Mario via composite with scanlines:
Mario via RGB SCART with scanlines:
Even though the difference diminishes a little with scanlines, there's still a clear difference. Now I'm trying to see which other consoles can pull off RGB SCART, because now I'm hooked. The SNES cables were cheap since I just wanted try it out, and so they have a buzz in the audio. I hear better ones can fix that, so now I might spring for it.
How much I missed out all this time! By the way, a telemarketer called and distracted me, and I ended up walking into a pit shortly after I took those photos. If anyone is wondering. And no, I didn't buy anything from the telemarketer!
Then that video changed everything. You mean that all I needed was an RGB port? Oh, and the Framemeister happens to have one? No kidding! They mentioned how in many cases, it could actually look even better on an original console. So I asked my wife to order an SNES SCART off of EBay. I was quite disappointed when it didn't work, but after doing some research, I needed to use the European SCART adapter, instead of the Japanese one that came with the Framemeister. I had to order it and have it shipped from England, but it finally came today!
Now I have SCART. I'm a SCART guy! Would I say I was absolutely floored? Well, no. But I can honestly say I see quite a huge difference. The graphics look more well-defined, and the colors definitely pop more. It's still a 240p signal, but that's not any sort of problem for the Framemeister! Here, see for yourself:
Mario via composite without scanlines. Notice the muddled picture and the dreary colors:
Mario via RGB SCART without scanlines. Looks MUCH better, more defined, better colors:
Mario via composite with scanlines:
Mario via RGB SCART with scanlines:
Even though the difference diminishes a little with scanlines, there's still a clear difference. Now I'm trying to see which other consoles can pull off RGB SCART, because now I'm hooked. The SNES cables were cheap since I just wanted try it out, and so they have a buzz in the audio. I hear better ones can fix that, so now I might spring for it.
How much I missed out all this time! By the way, a telemarketer called and distracted me, and I ended up walking into a pit shortly after I took those photos. If anyone is wondering. And no, I didn't buy anything from the telemarketer!