Help getting best picture from Multiple consoles to CRT

[HotJuicyBurgers]

I recently picked up the monstrosity of a CRT that is the Sony Trinitron KV-36XBR400 (http://www.crutchfield.com/S-cBn90VojBY ... BR400.html) at a local garage sale for the price of, "please take this 240 pound beast out of my life."

Now i've been trying to do as much research as possible on the subject, but I can't seem to get all the answers I need. As for the connections it has on it, it has composite, component YPbPr, and S-video. I hooked up my ps2 to the component port and threw rayman in there, (which looks much better than I remember), to see if it would take 240p signals and it seems to do a really good job with that.

Now that I've established that the component can take 240p signals, how do I go about getting the best picture quality out of my Snes, Nes, Genesis (model 2 with cd) and N64?

I know I can get RGB out of the Snes, and from what I understand I can use a box like this one...
( to turn the RGB signal from a scart connector to the standard component connector. I have so many questions so I'll try and be concise...

1.) What is the difference between these 3 cables?
(http://www.ebay.com/itm/Super-Nintendo- ... 2edd7b9a0a)
(http://www.ebay.com/itm/Super-Nintendo- ... 259e47955c)
(http://www.ebay.com/itm/Super-Nintendo- ... 259d05bfb4) and which one do I need?
2.)How do I get sound out of that box mentioned above? Scart goes in but only video seems to come out...
3.) Is the best video option for Nes composite? For N64 is it s-video?
4.) And what difficulties will I have with having both the model 2 and and the cd working in tandem?

Thank you so much in advance.

[Ziggy]

My advice, from my own personal experience, do NOT bother with that RGB to component transcoder. It's just not worth it. YPbPr has basically no advantage over S-Video for 240p consoles. Save you time and money, and the headache and heartache you'll surely get from chasing the best video quality (you will NEVER catch it).

how do I go about getting the best picture quality out of my Snes, Nes, Genesis (model 2 with cd) and N64?

NES - You'll only get composite output from a stock toaster. I've found that composite from my NES looks surprisingly well on my Sony Wega CRT (much better than any other CRT I've ever played a NES on). I'd say if this looks good enough for you, then leave well enough alone. It is possible to mod the console for S-Video and RGB. Best mod right now is NESRGB. It's about $100 for the hardware, plus what you have to pay some one to install it if you can't do it yourself. http://etim.net.au/nesrgb/

SNES/N64 - Use the stock S-Video output.

If you have a SNES mini, it'll have to be modified for S-Video (same goes for RGB) although it's simple to do. The N64 will output S-Video stock, but not RGB. Modifying the N64 for RGB output isn't simple.

Genesis - Modify the console to output S-Video, which will look amazing! The modification is simple.

First, make sure your model 2 Genesis isn't one of the shitty ones: http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread ... m-bad-ones

1.) What is the difference between these 3 cables?
(http://www.ebay.com/itm/Super-Nintendo- ... 2edd7b9a0a)
(http://www.ebay.com/itm/Super-Nintendo- ... 259e47955c)
(http://www.ebay.com/itm/Super-Nintendo- ... 259d05bfb4) and which one do I need?

Check out this video that explains RGB and sync decently:

2.)How do I get sound out of that box mentioned above? Scart goes in but only video seems to come out...

Yes, SCART goes in... but only video comes out! You either need a "break out" cable, where the audio breaks out into its own cable, or you need to modify the adapter to output audio.

Hopefully by now you're starting to find at least a little credence in what I'm saying. You'll spend the money on that RGB-YPbPr adapter, more money on the SCART cables for each console, but that's not enough. You're still gonna need to modify stuff, get specialty adapters or have to make your own when you can't find them, etc. At the end of the day, you wont be satisfied and you'll regret having spent all that money.

3.) Is the best video option for Nes composite? For N64 is it s-video?
4.) And what difficulties will I have with having both the model 2 and and the cd working in tandem?

3) Answered above.

4) No difficulties. Use the video output from the model 2 and the audio from either, though I'd recommend using the audio from the Sega CD.

The difficulties that you get with the Sega CD are from using a model 1 Genesis.

[HotJuicyBurgers]

Thank you for the very in depth look at all the questions I asked!

As for all the mods, jeez. Talk about an investment lol.
I think I'll stick to s-video for the N64 for now.

How difficult is the s-video mod for genesis? I've read that the composite video out is quite bad in comparison so it might be worth it.

Also, I was trying to see what revision genesis I have, but almost all the pictures are broken in that link you sent me

[Ziggy]

How difficult is the s-video mod for genesis? I've read that the composite video out is quite bad in comparison so it might be worth it.

Composite from the Genesis is atrocious. If you've been using RF or composite and step it up to S-Video, you're gonna be blown away by how much better it looks. And I'm not embellishing at all, I mean just this exactly. Atrocious, and blown away.

How hard it is to add S-Video output depends on your skill level with a soldering iron. It's actually quite simple. There's an IC that you have to tap two pins from (the Y and C for S-Video, if you watched that YouTube video I linked). A couple resistors, capacitors, and S-Video jack and some wire. It's not so bad. The hardest part about the model 2 is that the video encoder is a surface mounted IC, which isn't something you want to attempt to solder to if you're a novice. If you can't do it yourself, maybe you have a buddy that can help. Either that or the usual: Send your console out to be modified for you, buy a pre-modified console. And in this case, it is possible to built an external S-Video adapter. So another option would be to find some one that could make one for you, and that would be a plug in solution for you.

Also, I was trying to see what revision genesis I have, but almost all the pictures are broken in that link you sent me

Yeah, that kind of sucks, that was my go-to guide to link. No matter, at least the text is still there. The revision is printed on the console's main board, all you need is a #2 phillipsheads screwdriver.

But with the model 2, basically what you wanna check for is if it has the two-thirds board or not. Look at the vent holes on the bottom of the console. You can see the metal shielding through the vents. Does the metal shielding take up the entire inside of the console, or does it looks like it only takes up about two-thirds? Full size boards are the earlier revisions with the bastard audio. The two-thirds boards are the later revisions, and the audio is just fine with them.

[theclaw]

Save modding for the PC Engine. We're grossly underestimating the sheer number of RGB ready systems.

I'd try a generic box to extract audio from SCART, It'll look more or less like this.
http://www.elektronica-shop.nl/contents ... cart60.jpg

[HotJuicyBurgers]

You are saying there is an external solution to getting s-video from a genesis? Is this just a custom cable that people have created? Is there any place I could buy such a cable? Unfortunately, I'm going to be honest with you and say that my skills do not sound on par with what you described above.

As for the revision of my genesis, it seems I have the full board as when I look in the bottom vents all I can see is the metal shielding. How badly does this affect my audio, and is there anything I can do?

[theclaw]

Doable, yes. But fewer reasonable price off-the-shelf options than component.

[Ziggy]

As for the revision of my genesis, it seems I have the full board as when I look in the bottom vents all I can see is the metal shielding. How badly does this affect my audio, and is there anything I can do?

OK, I forget exactly. Best bet is to just open the console up and see which revision it is. It'll be printed right on the board. I think VA2 and up have the better audio, but VA2 still has the full size board. Revisions after the VA2 have the 2/3 size board. So if this is true, if you have a full size board you might not have a model with the horrible audio.

If you do have a model with the bad audio, you have two options. Do the crystal clear audio mod (harder than the S-Video mod) or replace the console with another revision.

If you do have a model with the bad audio, I highly recommend getting a different console (unless you know some one that can hook you up with the crystal clear audio mod). I'm sure you can find some comparison videos on YouTube. The late revision model 1 and early revision model 2's have HORRIBLE audio. It's very distorted sounding and there's a constant hiss all the time. It's just plain terrible.

You are saying there is an external solution to getting s-video from a genesis? Is this just a custom cable that people have created? Is there any place I could buy such a cable? Unfortunately, I'm going to be honest with you and say that my skills do not sound on par with what you described above.

Yes, there is an external solution to get S-Video on the Genesis. It's a little more than just a cable. Basically, you take the RGB output from the Genesis and build a circuit to turn it into S-Video. It's the SAME process (you can even use the same circuit) that goes on inside the Genesis. In parts, it's not expensive. Maybe $20-30.

But theclaw is right, if you need some one to build it for you it might end up costing you more than the component option. Although, maybe you can find some one to build it for you for less than the component option. Figure it's about $60 for that SCART-to-YPbPr box, about $20 for the Genesis SCART cable, and whatever else for an audio breakout solution, I could see the external S-Video being a cheaper option still.

[dogman91]

In case you want to go the RGB route (for getting the best picture possible):

I use a Kramer FC-14 for RGB to component and it works awesomely.
http://www.kramerelectronics.com/produc ... name=fc-14
I use this cable with it:
http://www.retrogamingcables.com/female ... ipper.html

The FC-15 is apparently good too (with more features), but harder to find in my experience. I had one of those RGB to component transcoders from eBay before and it's simply not as good (colors are off).

I get my RGB cables from retro_consoles_accessories on eBay, which have the best built console-specific cables AFAIK.

I imagine this would be better than s-video (haven't compared), but it's definitely a lot more money than simply grabbing a S-video cable for your console to hook up directly to the TV.

If you have a way to use RGB for the Genesis, you won't have to mod it as it natively supports it, unlike s-video which requires a mod.

I had bad experience with poorly shielded/cheap third party cables, so be careful with every cable/connector you get; make sure that they're high quality. An example of this I had was with this SCART audio breakout box (http://www.ebay.com/itm/SCART-audio-bre ... 25a0d89f74) (they make great cables otherwise). It caused unwanted noise in the video. I would suggest using a single *fully-shielded* cable that has RCA audio attached with it along with the necessary video connectors.

In terms of the best Genesis, get a model 1 Genesis with "High definition graphics" printing on top of the console (check pictures). This has the best sound. I wouldn't recommend the crystal clear audio mod if you have one of these (the mod sounds thin and reveals a lot of quantization noise and such), but that's personal preference.

There's some places where you can buy "pre-modded for RGB" systems too, for those that need a mod, like N64 (http://www.consolepassion.co.uk/product ... 4/consoles). doujindance (sp) on eBay occasionally sells RGB-modded PC Engine Duos.

[ApolloBoy]

My advice, from my own personal experience, do NOT bother with that RGB to component transcoder. It's just not worth it. YPbPr has basically no advantage over S-Video for 240p consoles. Save you time and money, and the headache and heartache you'll surely get from chasing the best video quality (you will NEVER catch it).

*bangs head on desk*

Stop. Just stop. Any component to RGB converter is always going to be better than S-video, and this is also coming with someone with extensive personal experience with them. I only stopped using it because I moved up to a pure RGB setup with a PVM. Once you go RGB, you'll never want to go back to S-video or anything else.