Retro Gaming on HDTV

ToyMachine78 · 10/08/2013, 10:21 AM

Now before I get started, I know Joe said retro gaming on an HD set is a no-no, but it really my only option. We donated all of our tube TVs to goodwill several years ago :-( and really don't have extra space for one.

My setup is this.... TG/CD and NES on RF, Genesis/Sega CD and SNES on Composite.

The weird thing is this.... all of the systems look/respond great on the HD set except the Genesis. The genesis looks like 3 day old sun baked dooky. Any ideas on why that would be?

DragonmasterDan · 10/08/2013, 10:30 AM

What type of HDTV do you have?

As far as the systems go, which model Genesis are you using?

Opethian · 10/08/2013, 10:34 AM

if you have a TV that accepts VGA/DVI (not dual link) that would be your best bet with an XRGB or some RGB scaler

ToyMachine78 · 10/08/2013, 10:34 AM

Model 1 Genny, TV is a 46" LG LED

DragonmasterDan · 10/08/2013, 10:46 AM

As far as the Genesis goes, the first thing to try might be replacing the AV cable. Is there significant input lag or is it just faded colors?

ToyMachine78 · 10/08/2013, 11:06 AM

No lag, just really ugly visuals.

Ji-L87 · 10/08/2013, 11:41 AM

Quote from: guest on 10/08/2013, 10:21 AMMy setup is this.... TG/CD and NES on RF, Genesis/Sega CD and SNES on Composite.

I agree with Dan. I think you'd do well upgrading your cables. O:)

RF is a big no-no unless everything else is impossible.
Even composite is better. The TG/CD and NES should work with composite without mods (depends on which NES model, I suppose) and SNES should use s-video at least. Some people are having problems with sub-par RGB cables (including me).

The Genesis/Mega Drive should really use RGB (different cable depending on the model) and if your TV doesn't have RGB inputs, you can buy a transcoder solution (like this one).

The order goes like this:
RGB/Component (best)
S-video (good/really good depending on hardware)
Composite (bad/passable depending on hardware)
RF (Nope.)

Arkhan Asylum · 10/08/2013, 12:18 PM

HDTV + Composite = lol what the fuck stop don't do it.

You need an upscaler of some variety. XRGB, for example. Otherwise it's almost always going to look like crap

Ji-L87 · 10/08/2013, 12:42 PM

Quote from: guest on 10/08/2013, 12:18 PMYou need an upscaler of some variety. XRGB, for example. Otherwise it's almost always going to look like crap

I would agree but that quickly leads to a tiresome and costly pursuit of perfection. If he's happy with the results he's getting - cables should be a first step : )

And he can still benefit from better cables when he decides to take the scaling route. One step at a time here

roflmao · 10/08/2013, 01:48 PM

I have a TG/CD and Model 1 Genesis hooked up to my HDTV, both using composite connections, and the TG/CD looks FAR better than the Genesis does. I'd recommend just getting one of those composite switch boxes and run all 4 through that via composite.

As previously mentioned, some TVs handle older systems better than others. I tried running everything through my receiver, then to the TV (because the receiver can upscale all inputs to 1080p) but it actually looked worse than going directly to the TV.

DragonmasterDan · 10/08/2013, 02:32 PM

Quote from: guest on 10/08/2013, 01:48 PMAs previously mentioned, some TVs handle older systems better than others. I tried running everything through my receiver, then to the TV (because the receiver can upscale all inputs to 1080p) but it actually looked worse than going directly to the TV.

Yep, I have a CRT HDTV (1080i) and it handles older systems exceptionally well. But that's because it's a CRT. I've seen bad latency on LCDs and LEDs whether HD or not.

futureman2000 · 10/08/2013, 03:43 PM

I've found genesis component to be poor also. Bitd, I preferred rf over it. S-video modding will look much better on an hdtv, though you may get some vertical bars.

Bloody Wolf · 10/08/2013, 05:10 PM

my brother uses a RGB to Component converter on his HD and it looks pretty good. He has a new Samsung that looks pretty decent. Of course his old tube in tha garage looks the best! Hahaha yeah!

ToyMachine78 · 10/08/2013, 07:26 PM

Quote from: Ji-L87 on 10/08/2013, 11:41 AMRF is a big no-no unless everything else is impossible.
Even composite is better. The TG/CD and NES should work with composite without mods (depends on which NES model, I suppose) and SNES should use s-video at least. Some people are having problems with sub-par RGB cables (including me).

You missed the part that the systems connected via RF look completely fine....

Ji-L87 · 10/09/2013, 02:25 AM

Quote from: guest on 10/08/2013, 07:26 PMYou missed the part that the systems connected via RF look completely fine....

Well, I'm certain they could look even better then

<-- the result of RGB directly to my HD TV. Pretty adequate*

As for the Genesis composite issue, after a quick googling around it seems like this might be a common issue. A user on the Assembler forums wrote this:

QuoteFrom what ive read in the past, iirc it is caused by the genesis having a slightly out of spec chroma signal. Just borderline out of standard frequency range or something. Most devices would have some tolerance for this but some others are more picky and do not "lock" on the signal properly. I dont know if that makes sense from a purely technical point but thats how i understood the problem.

One trick that worked for me was having the genesis and another console conected in a input selector switch. With both devices powered on, switching back and forth between the two allowed my TV to properly lock on the genesis signal and it displayed colors properly.

Can't say if that will work or not - but perhaps worth a try?

*_{using the RGB to component transcoder mentioned earlier, taken with my old crappy camera.}

geise · 10/09/2013, 05:51 AM

Just buy a genesis scart cable from retrogamingcables.com and buy a cheap scart to hdmi upscaler. There really is no need for a crazy expensive xrgb unless you want scanlines and a couple extra settings.