SNES Model 1 vs. Model 2

[theclaw]

Aren't standalone comb filters so rare/expensive to find ready made, it'd be more cost effective to get one of those later model 1's?

[Ziggy]

Not really, you can find them on eBay. Best part is, they're usually old news so you can get a more professional one for not so much money. As I was typing my last post in this thread, I actually looked them up on eBay. I was actually referencing the features of one that I found...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ocean-Matrix-OM ... 27c6528544

Not a bad price. Description says, "The OCEAN MATRIX OMX-6005 Composite-YC Comb Filter/Transcoder was designed to interface between the two popular video formats: Composite Video and YC (Super-Video). The decoding from composite to Y/C is done digitally using an adaptive comb filter and DSP techniques to minimize dot-crawl and cross-color. A built-in vertical enhancer circuit reduces noise and dot-crawl on the Y signal. In addition, the OMX-6005 provides an independent Y/C to Composite route, for simultaneous bi-directional operation."

Of course, most if not all Wega TVs have a comb filter built in, so having a great TV would be another option. You can find a Wega in a thrift store or Craigslist easily, not so much the case for a comb filter.

[theclaw]

That's over $70 shipped. I'll sell you a bridge if you find a Wega in Freeland WA.

[Ziggy]

Are you saying that it's hard to find a Wega in your area? There's other TV models that are better than most, it's just that Wega is the one every one knows about. Though I admit, I don't know what they are off the top of my head, but I know they exist. Point is, some times we don't have a better option than composite. And if your TV isn't very good to begin with, and you can't upgrade for whatever reason, then a comb filter is an option. Maybe it's not cost effective for just a SNES, but you may want one for other things as well.

Jamisonia was just telling me that some DVD recorders can have good comb filters, and Pioneer DVD recorders have especially good comb filters. I know these can get expensive too, but surely used ones can be found for cheap in the usual places.

[theclaw]

I'm not sure. It'd be a waste of time to look into it much further, severe lack of space.

If I bought a CRT for this room I'd have to remove the HDTV in here.
I'll buy an XRGB before I settle for playing PS3 and 360 in SD to get decent screen size.

[Zing]

Moreover, composite from the mini has the potential to look better than S-Video from the original (with two PPUs) given the right TV and/or setup. If using a great TV, like a Trinitron Wega, the mini via composite will probably look better. Or on a "normal" TV with some devices to clean up the signal, like a comb filter, the mini might look better. I've seen comb filters that input composite, clean it up, and output it as S-Video. So it makes the composite better, then outputs it as S-Video so it stays better.

I have what is likely the highest quality consumer Sony Trintron, and the composite output on the mini is clearly worse than s-video on my original Super NES. My original is the original, heavy four-footer with the separate sound circuitry. I really wanted the composite mini to look better, but you can instantly tell it is worse.

[Ziggy]

I'm not sure. It'd be a waste of time to look into it much further, severe lack of space.

If I bought a CRT for this room I'd have to remove the HDTV in here.
I'll buy an XRGB before I settle for playing PS3 and 360 in SD to get decent screen size.

Ah, well, I wasn't making suggestions to YOU on what YOU should do. I'm just pointing out things. What was this thread about again? SNES?

I have what is likely the highest quality consumer Sony Trintron, and the composite output on the mini is clearly worse than s-video on my original Super NES. My original is the original, heavy four-footer with the separate sound circuitry. I really wanted the composite mini to look better, but you can instantly tell it is worse.

Do you have your TV calibrated properly? Composite vs S-Video on my Wega is only a slight difference. You really have to look for it. The average person wouldn't notice a difference at all, even if you told them what to look for. Also, I'm not sure if ALL Wegas have a comb filter. I know mine does because I looked it up. There might be other circuitry that cleans up the image as well, I don't know.

edit: Ah, I just reread and saw you said "what is likely the highest quality consumer Sony Trintron." Hmm, I don't know then. I was planning on doing a lot of comparison some time soon. I'm just waiting to finish up with this SNES YPbPr mod, then I have to mod my PAL SNES into an NTSC SNES (it has the 1chip design). After that, I plan to compare all things SNES video.

[theclaw]

That's normal. CRTs often gloss over finer artifacts. The potential benefit of using component, RGB, or similar is more significant to an HDTV.