I will try with the settings you provided previously and set the same resolution of 1280x1024x16c, 43Hz interlaced. Do you recall your screen flickering before you adjusted these settings, or were your adjustments primarily to get the shape and position of the picture more desirable?

EDIT:
Actually, 16 colours is not an option on my ARK1000VL card. Thus I will need to do 1024x768x256c interlaced, and try to match the settings you provided here: download/file.php?id=136595&mode=view

For those wondering, yes the OSSC would support this, but it can only "bob" deinterlace. You are better off using a TV or monitor's built in de-interlacer in that case.

Does anyone know which model LCD’s can do de-interlacing?

None wouldnt be a bad guess.

I played around more with the configuration settings on the Extron RGB-HDMI 300A. There aren't any settings which would properly display 1024x768x256c interlaced. The closest I could get, just to make the image stop flashing, caused loss of pixel data, shown here:

I don't know how maxtherabbit has his Extron working in 43 Hz interlaced mode, but with my ARK1000VL and the 300A model, I could not get 1024x768x256c to display properly at 43 Hz interlaced on a traditional 17" LCD monitor (NEC AccuSync LCD72VX). It works fine with 60 Hz, but that defeats the purpose of the exercise.

Maybe these units had different firmware's affecting interlaced mode? Or maybe the giant colour palette shown by max wasn't detailed enough to show the missing pixel data.

Any other ideas before I put the Extron away?

Any other ideas for another product which can convert 43 Hz interlaced?

I have a machine with a CL-GD5428 that should be able to output 1024x768 interlaced that I can test with the OSSC and various monitors I got laying around.

NJRoadfan wrote on 2023-11-04, 03:01:

I have a machine with a CL-GD5428 that should be able to output 1024x768 interlaced that I can test with the OSSC and various monitors I got laying around.

Thanks. Eagerly waiting...

OSSC cannot buffer up a field/frame, so it won't be able to defeat the flicker or combine the two fields into one frame. It can line double the interlaced input and possibly allow it to be displayed on the monitor of choice, but you'd still have interlacing. Using scanline effect will allow the interlacing to look more natural, without you have ABAB which dramatically reduces vertical definition rather than ABxx which pretty much looks like normal interlacing.

feipoa wrote on 2023-11-04, 02:29:

I played around more with the configuration settings on the Extron RGB-HDMI 300A. There aren't any settings which would properly […]
Show full quote

I played around more with the configuration settings on the Extron RGB-HDMI 300A. There aren't any settings which would properly display 1024x768x256c interlaced. The closest I could get, just to make the image stop flashing, caused loss of pixel data, shown here:

interlaced_missing_pixel_data_1.JPG
interlaced_missing_pixel_data_2.JPG

I don't know how maxtherabbit has his Extron working in 43 Hz interlaced mode, but with my ARK1000VL and the 300A model, I could not get 1024x768x256c to display properly at 43 Hz interlaced on a traditional 17" LCD monitor (NEC AccuSync LCD72VX). It works fine with 60 Hz, but that defeats the purpose of the exercise.

Maybe these units had different firmware's affecting interlaced mode? Or maybe the giant colour palette shown by max wasn't detailed enough to show the missing pixel data.

Any other ideas before I put the Extron away?

Any other ideas for another product which can convert 43 Hz interlaced?

I don't know if it will help or not but my unit is on the latest firmware. You can't download it directly from extron, I had to get someone on the shmups forum who has a vendor account with them to provide it. I should still have the file and the flashing tool somewhere. You have to update it using windows software over the RS-232 port.

I'll see if I can find them and DM to you, though I'm not sure if the firmware for the audio model you have will be the same as my non-audio one

maxtherabbit wrote on 2023-11-04, 13:52:

feipoa wrote on 2023-11-04, 02:29:

I played around more with the configuration settings on the Extron RGB-HDMI 300A. There aren't any settings which would properly […]
Show full quote

I played around more with the configuration settings on the Extron RGB-HDMI 300A. There aren't any settings which would properly display 1024x768x256c interlaced. The closest I could get, just to make the image stop flashing, caused loss of pixel data, shown here:

interlaced_missing_pixel_data_1.JPG
interlaced_missing_pixel_data_2.JPG

I don't know how maxtherabbit has his Extron working in 43 Hz interlaced mode, but with my ARK1000VL and the 300A model, I could not get 1024x768x256c to display properly at 43 Hz interlaced on a traditional 17" LCD monitor (NEC AccuSync LCD72VX). It works fine with 60 Hz, but that defeats the purpose of the exercise.

Maybe these units had different firmware's affecting interlaced mode? Or maybe the giant colour palette shown by max wasn't detailed enough to show the missing pixel data.

Any other ideas before I put the Extron away?

Any other ideas for another product which can convert 43 Hz interlaced?

I don't know if it will help or not but my unit is on the latest firmware. You can't download it directly from extron, I had to get someone on the shmups forum who has a vendor account with them to provide it. I should still have the file and the flashing tool somewhere. You have to update it using windows software over the RS-232 port.

I'll see if I can find them and DM to you, though I'm not sure if the firmware for the audio model you have will be the same as my non-audio one

From memory, the FW is shared accross several, maybe all variants. AFAICR, you a loader program to actually push the new firmware over the serial poort might be necessary (or maybe one can do it from an ordinary terminal ?). Also AFAICR, the serial port on this is a TRS or TRRS connector and requires a passive physical adapter to actual connect to a serial port.

Max, the 'last modified' dates in the file you provided, Extron DSC 301 HD - HDMI-RGB 300A.zip, are 29 Nov 2018, however I see on the Extron website that there is a DSC 301 HD firmware with date 1 Sept 2022, and revision 1.28.0001. Your firmware revision is 1.25.0001. Thus, it looks like they are still releasing firmwares for this unit.

https://www.extron.com/download/software.aspx … aterial=44&id=D

Is there a way to check the firmware from the on screen display menus?

Sounds like I need to solder together an RS-232 cable and connect it to the rear serial port on the Extron? Is that what you did? There's only 3 screw terminals for RS-232, so shouldn't be too difficult. I'll try running the firmware loader on a Windows XP system. Hopefully it doesn't require Win7 or newer. I never got past XP for Windows, then went to Linux.

The 301 HD is a different beast, you want the one for the 300. The guy just included both in the archive.

Yeah just solder 3 wires to a DE-9, easy peasy

maxtherabbit wrote on 2023-11-05, 06:53:

The 301 HD is a different beast, you want the one for the 300. The guy just included both in the archive.

Yeah just solder 3 wires to a DE-9, easy peasy

That was confusing; I'd have tried to flash the wrong firmware. I thought maybe the device had a different product number and model number, or even thought one identifier may have been purposed for internal use only. I'll be deleting the DSC_301_HD file from the archive.

Mind if I ask why you were looking for a firmware upgrade? Was there some feature not working well enough?

I have successfully updated the firmware on my Extron RGB-HDMI 300A on Windows XP. It requires Microsoft.NET 4.0, which I installed. My Extron had firmware 1.15 and I have updated to 1.16. Unfortunately, there has been no change in the ability of my unit to properly translate, or de-interlace, 1024x768x256c at i43 Hz. The output is a flickering mess, no matter what settings I adjust it to.

Maxtherabbit, would you be able to run 1024x768x256c at i43Hz on your setup, and share an image of Windows Explorer on a standard 4:3 LCD computer monitor?

Anyone have any other ideas as to which other external device may be able to perform this de-interlacing operation for display on a 17" LCD at 60 Hz?

feipoa wrote on 2023-11-05, 12:17:

Maxtherabbit, would you be able to run 1024x768x256c at i43Hz on your setup, and share an image of Windows Explorer on a standard 4:3 LCD computer monitor?

No, I wasn't able to do it before because I don't have a PC which can generate that mode that runs windows. That hasn't changed

Testing this now. So far I can't get the OSSC to work with interlaced 1024x768 as I'm getting no output on any LCDs even in passthru mode. My Epiphan DVI2PCIe card does work fine however. I can give you some of the mode settings for the Extron.

Refresh Rate: 42.841Hz (Interlaced)
Horizontal Active area: 1024
Horizontal Front Porch: 24
Horizontal Sync Time: 158
Horizontal Back Porch: 58
Hsync polarity: Negative
Vertical Active area: 768
Vertical Front Porch: 8
Vertical Sync Time: 8
Vertical Back Porch: 16
Vsync polarity: Positive

Also, the picture on the Extron might improve if you play with the horizontal and vertical position settings. Also check if there is a "swap fields" option for interlaced sources, although I don't have much hope for that device as the manual makes no mention of interlaced VGA sources at all. I was able to reproduce those horrible artifacts by playing around with settings on this card.

This is unfortunate. I don't recall seeing a swap fields option, nor a setting to specify "Refresh Rate: 42.841 Hz (interlaced)". Did I miss this?

I played around with the horizontal and vertical position settings, along with a few other settings, for over two hours. Do you have an Extron device?

That image from the Epiphan DVI2PCIe capture card looks nice. So ideally, we'd want to find a capture card like this, but inside an external black box?

That's the thing, the Epiphan capture card uses a bog standard video ADC (Intersil ISL98001). The TI TVP7002 in the OSSC should support this, but the firmware would need to add support for it, specifically bob de-interlacing this particular video mode. It can do that for 480i/576i RGB signals, but nothing higher. Right now the best I can do is basically convert the 1024x768@43Hz interlaced video into DVI, which monitors STILL don't support correctly.

feipoa wrote on 2023-11-05, 12:17:

I have successfully updated the firmware on my Extron RGB-HDMI 300A on Windows XP. It requires Microsoft.NET 4.0, which I installed. My Extron had firmware 1.15 and I have updated to 1.16. Unfortunately, there has been no change in the ability of my unit to properly translate, or de-interlace, 1024x768x256c at i43 Hz. The output is a flickering mess, no matter what settings I adjust it to.

Maxtherabbit, would you be able to run 1024x768x256c at i43Hz on your setup, and share an image of Windows Explorer on a standard 4:3 LCD computer monitor?

Anyone have any other ideas as to which other external device may be able to perform this de-interlacing operation for display on a 17" LCD at 60 Hz?

I was able to cobble together a test system for you and the results are not good. Running 1024x768i43 through the Extron gives horrible flicker making it basically unusable in a high resolution GUI environment with small fonts.

Using an off brand S3 virge and WfW 3.11 to test. The same settings I dialed in on page 1 of this thread were still saved in the scaler.

Thank you for double checking this. It is good to know that our results were consistent, even if the outcome is undesirable. At least I did not pay much for the Extron ($28, and no additional shipping cost).