Kordanor wrote on 2021-04-24, 16:25:

maxtherabbit wrote on 2021-04-24, 15:37:

There is a transcoder called the koryuu that converts composite and Y/C to component that's designed for use with the OSSC

Hrm, but you can also use the SVideo from the C64 directly via scart and then use it as composite in the OSSC, but this has worse picture than SVGA. I doubt that the koryuu composite exit will have a better picture than if you used the connector from the C64 directly as composite or does it?

Since it directly converts Svideo or Composite (CVBS) to Component (YPbPr), the resulting picture should be as clear as Svideo.

Thanks, yeah, just checked a video and it looks great compared to the RetroTink. Now I need to check other comparisons. ^^
On the con side: That thing is also expensive (107.69€ incl shipping) and doesnt even has HDMI output, meaning you definitely need an ossc which starts at 75€ (ali express). So while being a nice "converter" to make it usable in OSSC that converter in itself is super expensive. I mean if it's offering the best picture so be it. Will need to check the other 2 options I mentioned.

But as mentioned it would be awesome to have something which converts it to dvi or vga which could then be captured by the datapath instead. That way, you would completely circumvent the ossc...and with circumventing the OSSC you also circumvent buying a hdmi capture card. For example you could get some converters for as cheap as under 5€ like this: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000115175143.html
But I got no idea if this a good device, it will break because of the frequency (seems like it only supports 60Hz for some reason) and if the idea in general is maybe absurd as I don't have a technical understanding about what a SVIDEO->VGA Conversion implies.

Kordanor wrote on 2021-04-24, 14:31:

I got a somewhat related question: I just bought a C64 with an S-Video Out. And this opens another world of pain as OSSCs can't capture Svideo and just composite. For SVideo there seem to be three recommendations to Do SVideo->HDMI: Startech Converter for 175,68€+11,30€ shipping, RetroTink for 80-130$ + 20$ shipping from US + customs, and RetroScaler 2X for 50-60€ from China, free shipping. All of them would then require another HDMI capture device ofc.

I'd look into a used Elgato Game Capture HD. It captures composite, S-video, component and HDMI, and outputs via USB for actual capture. It used to be kind of the standard high-end capture (and streaming) device until they released newer models, but the newer models no longer support the legacy analog formats. It's a single device that should work for your purpose. Disclaimer: I am not sure if the C64 is 100% standard S-video or if it does anything a little different. I know that the cable itself is different, but you can probably just get a C64 to standard S-video cable and I think it should work.

Just make sure that if you buy one, it comes with all the dongles it originally would have. I'll bet a lot of people threw away or lost the dongle you would need, which it did originally come with. (IIRC, it came with two dongles split between composite, s-video and component, but I don't remember which one s-video is on right now and don't have it with me.)

I got one refurbished from Elgato themselves for like $130 several years ago. At this point, you probably would need to go the Ebay route, and I'm not sure if it'd cost more or less. But it is a great device for capturing a bunch of different stuff. It'll capture *pretty much* anything before the current generation of computers or game consoles that's outputting other than VGA. (If you end up trying to capture RF from a *really* early system, you just need an RF demodulator in between, such as in a VCR.) Like a lot of devices, it doesn't like non-standard refresh rates. But I think it should work for capturing a C64's S-video output. S-video, if it's real S-video, is pretty standardized.

Guys i started testing video capturing on my win95 pc, surprisingly 70hz is accepted without much fuss but apparently resolutions below 800x600 produce a weird diagonal pattern noise, i thought it was related to 70hz but i even used vga240 to change the refresh rate in DOS and the noise is still there, it vanishes at 800x600 and up; any idea ?

https://streamable.com/kx46ku

iraito wrote on 2021-05-10, 10:08:

Guys i started testing video capturing on my win95 pc, surprisingly 70hz is accepted without much fuss but apparently resolutions below 800x600 produce a weird diagonal pattern noise, i thought it was related to 70hz but i even used vga240 to change the refresh rate in DOS and the noise is still there, it vanishes at 800x600 and up; any idea ?

https://streamable.com/kx46ku

What capture device and capture software do you use?

Kordanor wrote on 2021-05-10, 10:13:

iraito wrote on 2021-05-10, 10:08:

Guys i started testing video capturing on my win95 pc, surprisingly 70hz is accepted without much fuss but apparently resolutions below 800x600 produce a weird diagonal pattern noise, i thought it was related to 70hz but i even used vga240 to change the refresh rate in DOS and the noise is still there, it vanishes at 800x600 and up; any idea ?

https://streamable.com/kx46ku

What capture device and capture software do you use?

I'm using a generic hdmi to usb 3.0 capture card, then a vga to hdmi converter and OBS.

Let me add that i also tested upscaling with gbs control, it eliminates the noise but i get a dark horizontal line that makes the fix not worthy, it's also a bit unstable.

My guess is that it's the 70 Hz being compressed to 60 which is causing these artifacts.
Can you go back to windows and put it to the resolution which causes these issues, and then go to the settings of the graphics card (the Advanced button below the resolution) and change the Hz between 60 and 70 and see if it occurs on both settings?

Kordanor wrote on 2021-05-10, 10:45:

My guess is that it's the 70 Hz being compressed to 60 which is causing these artifacts.
Can you go back to windows and put it to the resolution which causes these issues, and then go to the settings of the graphics card (the Advanced button below the resolution) and change the Hz between 60 and 70 and see if it occurs on both settings?

I can't choose a refresh rate that goes over 60hz with the matrox millennium 2 and this monitor somehow, the weird thing is that it happens at 60hz and low resolutions.

Ok apparently choosing MGA monitor instead of win95 monitor plug and play gave me a clean result but now my screen is cut off in the capture card.

Ok it's getting weird, at 75hz i get no noise at 640x480 in windows both in desktop and a win game like diablo, if i go into DOS though i get the noise.

https://streamable.com/ldujvv

Yeah, I think it's more or less a coincidence on where it shows up and where it doesnt, depending on how much it takes to convert a frame and amount of frames. It might very well be, that higher resolutions decrease the actual converted framerate output which then does not show the diagonal lines. It might also be that if its exactly the right number it "evens out" and isn't visible anymore, or its just a stable "broken" line somewhere, similar to when you try to record a CRT with a camera which records a different framerate. Just that the weird output is coming from the converter or capture card and not the monitor.
Someone with more knowledge about the internals can probably say more about it, but I am pretty sure, it's issues with conversion of the too high refresh rate converted into a "broken" framerate.

It definitely makes sense, to be honest even if the fix comes from a broken behavior i don't mind, if anything i would like to fix the issue in dos too, any idea ?