The best cables; Sega Saturn Console

[gamingmatrix]

What are the best cables to use to get the best image quality possible from a Sega Saturn console?

Thanks.

-Telly
Email Address: [email protected]

[Scooter]

Without modifying the system itself, a simple S-video cable can be used to get the best video quality if going to a standard North American television. This is assuming the television can received S-video. Older TVs may not have S-video inputs and some really new ones may not either.

[nateup2]

what is the best WITH modifications, by the way?

[lordofduct]

RGB is the best it outputs natively. It does this both in NTSC and PAL, but there aren't many NTSC televisions that support RGB (it is very different the VGA, the sync rates are much lower).

As for with a modification... well you can technically modify to support any analog format. It has the raw RGB signal there, that is the rawest analog signal you can have and can be converted to anything else quite easily.

[gamingmatrix]

Hi,

I personally have never seen a NTSC TV with a RGB SCART input.

Is it possible to modify a Saturn console to emit a signal via a Component Input? Would that even be worth it? Would it improve the picture quality?

If it is worth it, is there anyone out there that can do this sort of modification?

Thanks.

gamingmatrix

[Majors]

Might be cheaper to get old arcade monitor since it supports the old school RGB at 15hz. Gamesx.com will guide you, but the cool thing with the Saturn is that it has all the wires you need on the A/V-out without needing a boost(you might want to invest ina a SCART cable just to hack apart).

[gamingmatrix]

Hi,

There are RGB SCART to Component Adapter/Converter boxes available on eBay. Like the one in eBay Item#320279091178.

I know that RGB SCART provides the best signal from a Sega Saturn console. We don't have RGB SCART inputs on our TVs in North America.

Would it be worth it to purchase a RGB SCART cable for the Saturn, purchase one of these converters, and then plug it in to my TV via Component Cables? Would that produce a better image than a Saturn S-VIDEO cable?

There are even RGB SCART to HDMI converters. But they are pricey (eBay Item#220261927625). This converter states that it will upscale your standard definition SCART video signal to 720p HDMI. Is that possible? Would that improve the quality of Saturn games on my HDTV?

Hopefully someone out there will have some answers for me.

Thanks.

-Telly
gamingmatrix

[gradualmeltdown]

The RGB scart output would probably provide better color and slightly better sync. Those little boxes will determine the quality of the conversion of both RGB-Y-U-V colorspace and sync and that will define how much better the signal will be. The more you spend the more you stretch a tiny improvement. I think we really need to consider the content being displayed.

I don't think the Saturn can operate in progressive mode so the advantages are probably very minimal. The maximum resolution is 480i for NTSC systems and S-Vid does that just fine. Unless you are a videophile probably not worth the money. S-Vid is just fine for the nasty textues and flicker of old Saturn 3d

[NotBlaine]

RGB is always your best choice.

The saturn only offers an analog RGB (as opposed to a digital RGB that you'd find in HDMI). The problem, as mentioned, is that the analog RGB that consoles usually output is 15khz. Now VGA is analog RGB, but modern computer monitors don't support 15khz.

So your options are something like:

Get the 15khz signal to something a modern monitor/tv can use. These devices are either encoders or upscanners that start around $80 and go up into the thousands. What the encoder or upscanner outputs depends on how much you pay. Take nothing less than component video. Theorhetically the best you could ever hope for out of a Saturn would be VGA (you could get it encoded to HDMI, but you're just digitally encoding an analog signal, the analog signal is the weak link in the chain).

Get something that will display a 15khz signal. This one is tricky because it's so diverse. An old Amiga monitor that you could find for like $20 could work. A $15,000 Sony Pro Video Monitor would also work. You could split the difference and buy something like this:



This is a 29" multi-sync arcade monitor. It'll take most video signals from the Dreamcast (VGA) and earlier consoles. It runs about $450.
Your games will look awesome, but it costs more than a good Upscanner (an XRGB+) and it's not really forward compatible.

That said, those are your two options. Get the signal above 15khz or get something that will display 15khz.

[nateup2]

would the arcade monitor show expose all the pixelization on saturn or would it look similar to arcade versions of street fighter alpha?