Upscalling Classic Consoles?

Post by **grittykitty** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 6:43 pm

if i'm not mistaken, i've read a few good reviews on micomsoft's xrgb upscan converter. the previous model, the xrb-2 seems to run about $200 though, but if you're hardcore about getting a great picture without resorting to emulation it may be your best bet.

if you're crazy, it looks like the xrgb-3 is also crazy. with current exchange rates, the retail price is about $350usd. ouch!
http://www.micomsoft.co.jp/xrgb-3.htm

Post by **racketboy** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 7:18 pm

ott0bot wrote:Well SNES and N64 systems have this option. But I've never tried it. Anyone?

The only thing those things are good for is for playing it on a VGA monitor -- it's not gonna enhance the image at all.

Post by **geist** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 8:13 pm

Just commenting on the guy who said the image was grainy and pixilated; on my TV, Genesis games look pretty good except, of course, everything is very low resolution, it looks washed out and a tad blurry. The Saturn actually looks pretty good just with S-Video. I played some Radiant Silvergun recently and I thought it looked pretty great, actually. I don't have room for another TV and I wouldn't really want another one anyway, so I'm interested in getting the best picture out of the one I have... it's become kind of a mini quest for me.

Post by **Dave Auto** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 1:14 am

I emulate my old consoles on my soft-modded Xbox at 480p, and playing them on my 32" LCD TV, the image is fantastic. Super Mario Bros., running without any graphical-enhancement filters, is particularly breathtaking.

Post by **opethfan** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 2:38 am

I'd have to say emulation. Upscaling will usually cause lag and because most classic consoles only have low resolution, interlaced outputs that are susceptible to interference, eventually a PC or next gen console running an emulator in your display's native resolution, with no interlacing, higher quality sound and a digital video connection for a complete lack of fuzz. I know it may not strike the same warm sense of nostalgia into people, but it definitely looks and plays better, with no slowdown, lag, crackle or anything like that.

Post by **D.D.D.** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 8:52 am

Since we're talking CRTs for old systems, I've seen plenty of projectors that say they support 480i/p, 720p, 1080i/p... Does anyone know if projectors like that would have lag for 480i-only systems (nes,snes, etc)?

Post by **droorz77** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 3:59 pm

I recently bought a Harman Kardon AV receiver that does video upscaling with the hopes of upscaling my older consoles. Unfortunately it didn't work to well. I am still not positive why but newer consoles (Dreamcast, PS1, PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, etc) worked fine, the receiver upscaled the image to 1080i. But the older consoles (N64, SNES, Saturn, Genesis, NES) the image would roll on the screen.

I contacted HK and they didn't really know what the deal is. I kind of gave up on it but I am still curious as to what made that happen. My only guess was the older consoles output some different resolution that newer consoles but I am not sure. I am sure the guru's here could help.

I know it isn't much help but that is my foray into upscaling. Maybe it will help someone out.

Post by **Majors** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 6:28 pm

Talking about the xrgb boxes, from what I've been told, these devices have a mode in which it takes the low res signal, upscans it and inserts black scan lines then outputs 480i/p to the LCD/Plasma and looks great. Since your paying $300+ for the box, you bet lag is a minimum if noticeable at all. You still have to disable zoom and wide, and may get letterbox all arround, but it will be good.

So the solution is not what brand or type of HD TV, but getting a good signal convertor box.

Racket -> Your hypothetical CRT armageddon is gonna give me nightmares. Let hope we can get Bruce Willis to gather the worlds best anti energy-pulse experts to prevent it!

Post by **ott0bot** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 8:42 pm

racketboy wrote:
ott0bot wrote:Well SNES and N64 systems have this option. But I've never tried it. Anyone?
The only thing those things are good for is for playing it on a VGA monitor -- it's not gonna enhance the image at all.

So it allows you to play it on a VGA, but it still looks like crap. Whats the point?

I'm considering an upgrade soon, so I may have to invest another $300 into a box. That kinda sucks. Too bad there wasn't a sweet tv that could emulate a CRT or have a built in converter. These companies should know there are people that use older consoles, so why not support them?

Post by **RadarScope1** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 7:27 pm

I'll be struggling with this same dilemma eventually. I can always keep my old tv, but I'd almost rather have one with some component and s-vid inputs -- something more versatile and more sharp.

Even with a good CRT, I don't really see myself putting two tvs right next to each other and I also don't much like the idea of splitting up my hardware between two rooms. I want an all encompassing game room.