The RetroTink 2X is 50$ less and can connect old consoles to newer displays while fixing the most common problem (wrongfully deinterlacing 240p). It lacks a lot of nice features the OSSC has though.

You won't be able to get the same performance with any PC based setup. Even getting close is probably also going to cost you close to the 100$ the RetroTink 2x costs.

ZellSF wrote:

The RetroTink 2X is 50$ less and can connect old consoles to newer displays while fixing the most common problem (wrongfully deinterlacing 240p). It lacks a lot of nice features the OSSC has though.

You won't be able to get the same performance with any PC based setup. Even getting close is probably also going to cost you close to the 100$ the RetroTink 2x costs.

I am reading about it, thank you. And a pc config to do the same task, which component and software would theorically use? Like a specific high end card? Cause I was thinking to use old hardware to make this only task.

EDIT: I read that it will not support RGB so I could use only composite or component. First is not good, second need an expensive cable for the Megadrive.

Every capture card I've ever used had massive lag, way more than the worst flat panel with all filters and "enhancements" enabled. This isn't a problem for what they're designed for.

If you want to spend ~$50 on a decent lag free experience, try to score a small Sony PVM monitor.

BushLin wrote:

Every capture card I've ever used had massive lag, way more than the worst flat panel with all filters and "enhancements" enabled. This isn't a problem for what they're designed for.

If you want to spend ~$50 on a decent lag free experience, try to score a small Sony PVM monitor.

I've seen some capture card having the usual cheap chip but also with the serial connector that seems for the frame buffer of the video card like many 90's add-in cards had. I imagine this would improve latency shouldn't it?

Hard to say, the port could be for a number of purposes. I remember that until they started using what are essentially camcorder ASICs to do the encoding directly to H.264, consumer cards generally had garbage analogue quality.

We're probably past the point that TV studios have junked all their analogue equipment, there are some old professional dedicated upscalers with low latency but most aren't and you won't be the only person on the hunt for one that is.

EDIT: this site has reviewed probably every upscaler there's been if you're patient for a bargain http://retrogaming.hazard-city.de/

Upscaling at a decent to good quality, is kind of expensive territory. That said, then the Retrotink2X, Framemeister MINI or OSSC are the best choices for the price. And they are not all capeable to handle every vintage gear avaliable. Some have problems with the Amiga, some have problems with the C64 and some have problems with different consoles. Yet those three I mentioned, are the three best on the market. I need to look further into the option that Serdashop is offering, and by the looks of it, then it is for PC's mostly.

BushLin wrote:

If you want to spend ~$50 on a decent lag free experience, try to score a small Sony PVM monitor.

Oof. Or ten times that in my case. (But shipping is responsible for half of it.)

I've had some PC capture cards that would do... okay... analog input. But, nothing I've ever seen does as well as these purpose-built retro gaming scalers. Granted, I've never had the pleasure of using an expensive professional scaler, although most of those are designed to be really good at deinterlacing video content, and don't have any particular regard for 240p. My Black Magic capture card doesn't even know how to sync to 240p.

Nice thought, but it's a fool's errand to try and cobble together a better solution than the Retrotink or OSSC. I have both. I use the OSSC for VGA and RGB sources, and the Retrotink for composite and S-Video sources.

The OSSC was designed from the ground up for what it does, and when I saw the difference between my SNES plugged into my TV using composite, and through the OSSC using RGB, I was instantly convinced the investment was worth it. I've spent a fair amount of cash on Retro Gaming Cables SCART cables for my consoles, but... I can play on real hardware while it looks like an emulator.

I haven't used the Retrotink much yet -- just haven't spent any significant time with consoles that use composite since I got it. From what I understand, the guy did some research to find a video encoder IC that performed well with console sources. You're not going to do better than that by luck, on a budget, taking what you can get from capture cards.

These are curated devices purpose-built and, IMHO, priced very fairly. They aren't cheap, but I've bought enough cheap devices to know it isn't a bargain, and you don't come out ahead.

386SX wrote:

Hi,

lately I was reading about the OSSC scaler converter, what it seems to be one of the best way to connect an old game console to a modern vga/dvi/hdmi monitor but its price

its ~$50 if you DIY

386SX wrote:

make me think if it would be possible to build a pc to act as a RGB/Composite input video analog passed to the video card analog VGA or digital HDMI output without introducing any latency

no

386SX wrote:

ZellSF wrote:

The RetroTink 2X is 50$ less and can connect old consoles to newer displays while fixing the most common problem (wrongfully deinterlacing 240p). It lacks a lot of nice features the OSSC has though.

You won't be able to get the same performance with any PC based setup. Even getting close is probably also going to cost you close to the 100$ the RetroTink 2x costs.

I am reading about it, thank you. And a pc config to do the same task, which component and software would theorically use? Like a specific high end card? Cause I was thinking to use old hardware to make this only task.

EDIT: I read that it will not support RGB so I could use only composite or component. First is not good, second need an expensive cable for the Megadrive.

Um, I'm fairly sure basically no PC capture cards will support RGB SCART either, so at minimum you need a (passive) converter and you'll probably need a sync splitter.

That's just one item on your long, long list of problems using a capture card for old video game consoles though.

ZellSF wrote:

386SX wrote:

ZellSF wrote:

The RetroTink 2X is 50$ less and can connect old consoles to newer displays while fixing the most common problem (wrongfully deinterlacing 240p). It lacks a lot of nice features the OSSC has though.

You won't be able to get the same performance with any PC based setup. Even getting close is probably also going to cost you close to the 100$ the RetroTink 2x costs.

I am reading about it, thank you. And a pc config to do the same task, which component and software would theorically use? Like a specific high end card? Cause I was thinking to use old hardware to make this only task.

EDIT: I read that it will not support RGB so I could use only composite or component. First is not good, second need an expensive cable for the Megadrive.

Um, I'm fairly sure basically no PC capture cards will support RGB SCART either, so at minimum you need a (passive) converter and you'll probably need a sync splitter.

That's just one item on your long, long list of problems using a capture card for old video game consoles though.

At first I was thinking that using an old pc would have been simpler but I abandon the project and consider other solutions. Modern LCD tv seems to have different problems with RGB scart anyway, one I have put the video input to 16:9 and doesn't accept modify the aspect ratio, another tv seems to go "out of sync" for some frame every 5-10 seconds using the same Megadrive 2 (v1.8 ) with the same good quality rgb cable (capacitors and resistors on scart, shielded wires..) and it happens also with the video composite only cable and only with this specific console (that never showed this problem on other tv) .. it seems like the Retrotink-2x or the OSSC are still to be considered.

rasz_pl wrote:

386SX wrote:

Hi,

lately I was reading about the OSSC scaler converter, what it seems to be one of the best way to connect an old game console to a modern vga/dvi/hdmi monitor but its price

its ~$50 if you DIY

Everywhere I've seen seems the OSSC costs more than 50$ (?).

386SX wrote:

rasz_pl wrote:

386SX wrote:

Hi,

lately I was reading about the OSSC scaler converter, what it seems to be one of the best way to connect an old game console to a modern vga/dvi/hdmi monitor but its price

its ~$50 if you DIY

Everywhere I've seen seems the OSSC costs more than 50$ (?).

DIY

DIY

Sorry I don't know what it means. 😵

386SX wrote:

DIY

Sorry I don't know what it means. 😵

Do it yourself.

Meaning you buy the PCB, components and solder them together yourself.