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The High Definition Retrogaming Thread (Including CRT/BVM/PVM Chatter)

ShakeWell

Slam Master
(he, etc.)
The Nintendo 64 is so weird. I mean, that's obvious, but even now, with an HDMI out mod installed and outputting to both my HDMI tv at 720p (I can't get 1080p with the N64 mod I have, which I'm not even sure they're selling anymore) and to my CRT with s-video, there isn't a solution that I prefer one or the other for every game. It depends on the game, it's super weird. Majora's Mask looks infinitely better on the CRT, whereas F-Zero X looks good on both, and I can't decide which I prefer for Harvest Moon 64 here at all.

UEJDum2.jpeg


It's hard to photograph, of course, and no matter how I futz around with the various settings in my HDMI mod (deblur on, deblur off, sharpness, scanline filters), I still cannot decide which I prefer.

I have the Borti RGB mod on mine, and yeah, it really depends on the game. I'm also feeding it through a RetroTINK that has smoothing options often good for PSX/N64-era 3D. Some games look best with the deblur turned on, but also with the smoothing on the TINK on. Some look better with deblur off and the TINK smoothing off. And honestly every variation. I change it based on game, and with a similar set-up to you, I sometimes defer to what looks better on my BVM than my OLED.
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
It's just a shame I can't hook it up to one tv and be satisfied. At least I can hook it up to two, I suppose. I do prefer PSX and Saturn on my CRT via s-video, but N64 kind of always has me thinking "this could look better."
 

Sarge

hardcore retro gamin'
Yeah, I gotta play around with settings when I start diving into N64 stuff. I got that enhanced S-Video adapter for my N64 to run through the RT4K, and was really impressed by the output, but I can also see some games looking a lot better on CRT than on HDTV. I have yet to put a ton of time into the 4K, though, and I want to, but I just have too much vying for my time right now. 😅
 

ShakeWell

Slam Master
(he, etc.)
It's just a shame I can't hook it up to one tv and be satisfied. At least I can hook it up to two, I suppose. I do prefer PSX and Saturn on my CRT via s-video, but N64 kind of always has me thinking "this could look better."

My lowkey favorite feature of the gscartsw is that it has two outputs that work simultaneously, so I can hook all my vintage systems up to my BVM and my OLED.
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
I bought a Scalable Video Switch and set it up instead of working today (lol) and it works. Everything just works. I turn a system on, and it displays on my CRT. No getting up to change switches from this:

before.jpg


Now I have everything hooked up to this (pic showing what it looks like with nothing hooked up and my current setup, which is temporary since I'm going to mount it to the wall when my wife gets home out of sight):

swtch.jpg


after.jpg


It even knows when to display the 32X output, even though the Genesis is also putting video out, because I have the 32X output higher up the "chain," as it were. So when I disconnect my 32X to play Sega CD games off my Mega Everdrive Pro on the base Genesis, that works just fine since the 32X is no longer putting out video. So, so happy with this, despite the very high cost.
 

Sarge

hardcore retro gamin'
Wow, that's slick. I've been tempted to swap some things out in my current chain for that... but I'm also lazy. I've got an auto-component switcher from like 20 years ago that still works, then I have a three-way mechanical switch box for my S-Video/composite systems.
 
I got a switch, but it was all of $20 and permits a noticeable amount of increased noise as compared to direct connection.

How- Do you notice the noise?
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
Yeah I mean, my old switches were pretty cheap (I want to say about $20 apiece - so with three of them, I probably paid about $60), but even with those I didn't notice much in the way of noise. At the very least, I couldn't tell the difference even with several daisy chained together. The signal seems fine for each console as far as I can tell, and looks sharp since it's s-video.

The main thing I wanted these for was being able to just turn a system on and play, rather than have to mechanically switch literally three different switches depending on the system I want to play. Also the device is now mounted behind the tv, so my setup looks a lot cleaner. Even my wife was satisfied with it, which I didn't expect lol
 

Sarge

hardcore retro gamin'
I've not evaluated mine heavily, but it's a little hard to tell on this old S-Video switcher how much is the switch itself and how much is my iffy cables. I admit that I don't have top-tier stuff for a lot of my systems. It doesn't look too bad, honestly, but it could probably look better.

The component switcher seems fine to me, but it's an old Philips brand. It probably adds some noise (longer cabling), but still looks good to me either through an RT4K or on my Trinitron.

I'm guessing the SVS that @Kazin got will be significantly better than anything I'm running.

One thing to make sure of is that your extra run of cables is pretty decent - a bad set will definitely diminish that video quality quickly. Probably want to keep it as short as possible, too.
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
I'm probably less able to notice the noise than others - I grew up with a CRT with mostly RF connections at least until late highschool and college, so this s-video stuff looks amazing to my eyes for stuff like Genesis which was, sadly, all RF for me as a kid lol. The problem with testing stuff is it's pretty tight back there, and the stupid TV just has one s-video input, so switcher(s) are going to be necessary for the nine goddamn retro systems I have hooked up to it.
 

Sarge

hardcore retro gamin'
Haha, yep. The CRT definitely does some masking, though - I see noise more readily through scalers on flat-panels. As you say, I'm pretty used to it, so as long as it's a relatively clean picture, a few imperfections isn't going to bother me all that much.

Genesis through SCART and SNES using component looks incredible, though. Darn near emulator quality, if it weren't for the jail bars on Genesis.
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
@Sarge What would good s-video cables even be? Google tells me Pearstone but I can't find them in stock anywhere. I know for the systems with proprietary connectors I'm limited (N64, SNES, etc) but my modded Genesis, 32X, and PC Engine and iirc my Saturn (?) all use regular male to male s-video cables, and they're pretty much all just whatever my local audio video shop had in a bin for $2 lol
 

Sarge

hardcore retro gamin'
I haven't bought any in years, and the ones I'm using for several of my systems is a multi-system Mad Catz thing. They're not bad, but they do apparently inject a little composite noise into the signal that I can see with SNES games if I look close - enough to mess with the RT4K and auto-resolution switching/enhanced S-Video. That's part of why I got some HDRetrovision cables. I never actually noticed it until I got the 'TINK, haha. I think I have a few direct cables from Radio Shack that seem to work fine. Really, as long as they're not the absolute cheapest and have some shielding to them, they should be fine.
 
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