Hooking a Jag to newer TVs

[Clay]

You may not have to hold onto that old TV to play your Jag anymore.

 

I am planning on buying a new bigger HDTV later this year or early next year and have been trying to figure out how to hook up my Jag since there are few if any new TVs being made with these old standard definition connections.

 

I think I have found a solution, a composite or S-VHS to HDMI converter made by Monoprice. Here is the link: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=109&cp_id=10909&cs_id=1090901&p_id=9994&seq=1&format=2&cl=res&utm_source=february_newsletter_9&utm_medium=email&utm_content=9994&utm_campaign=new_q1_2013

 

Looks like there is a switch to allowing going from composite, S-VHS and HDMI.

 

Do not really need this yet because my 32 inch HDTV has both composit e and S-VHS on it. $50 seems reasonable to me but wanted to see what you all thought about this. New product so there are no reviews on it yet.

[adolobe]

those adapters are ok not the greatest. I used one similar for a few systems but its had washed out colors and banding.

 

Your best option for under $50 is to buy a GBS-8200 about $30 then mod a female scart to is and run the Jaguar rgb through it to vga. for a couple more bucks you can even add a scan line generator to return those awesome scan lines.

 

Here is a link to the modifications

http://www.soldierx....erter-Upgrayedd

 

I did it for my video game set up my total cost for all parts came just under $47 and took less than an hour to do. Now I have a couple 5 way scart switches with most my consoles hooked up to (Jag, Genesis/32x, PSX, Saturn, N64, Snes, Turboduo, Neogeo CD) Even have my Nuon, PS2, Xbox, and Wii feed through the component inputs on the GBS-8200.

Edited February 21, 2013 by adolobe

[kid_vidiot]

it will still look like crap...keep the crt

Edited February 22, 2013 by kid_vidiot

[sonicworld]

I purchased a Jag Scart cable then puchased a scart to component converter. easy peasy and keeps everthing in the analogue domain, so no digital artifacts that can be generated by a analogue to hdmi converter. Good luck!

Edited February 23, 2013 by sonicworld

[adolobe]

I purchased a Jag Scart cable then puchased a scart to component converter. easy peasy and keeps everthing in the analogue domain, so no digital artifacts that can be generated by a analogue to hdmi converter. Good luck!

 

Only issue with that option is not all modern tv's support the lower resolution on component input. Newer model tv manufacturers are cutting cost and corners. My 2012 Samsung wont display an image when using a scart to component, yet my 2010 vizio will

 

My advice if you go the route of a scart to component order it from Amazon.com its just as cheap usually as on ebay and if it doesnt work for your tv Amazon will gladly take it back and pay for return shipping.

[Gunstar]

Are the newest TV's dropping the composite RCA video input? I use my Jag via RGB>VGA, but I have a 3DO and PSX and 360 all hooked up via composite to my HDTV's, and after the progressive upscaling and 3D noise reduction (done by the TV's electronics) the picture looks identical to if I hook it up via S-video (on 3DO). Otherwise, like was mentioned, either RGB>VGA, RGB>Component or RGB>HDMI converters are the best possible picture for the Jag and other older systems that can do RGB out.

Edited February 23, 2013 by Gunstar

[kgenthe]

If money is no object, an xRGB Mini is the way to go:

 

http://www.solarisjapan.com/xrgb-mini-framemeister-compact-up-scaler-unit/?setCurrencyId=1

[sh3-rg]

If money is no object, an xRGB Mini is the way to go

 

I agree, it's great :-)

[sh3-rg]

Here's a test I made, it's an NTSC Jaguar connected to xrgb mini via Jaguar scart and grabbed with Elgato gchd:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGEIktrOctI&feature=youtu.be&t=4m27s

 

For best results view at 480P or 720P. Even with a capture, 30fps youtube and lossy compression, you can get an idea of the quality the mini provides.

 

Unimportant stuff not related to this thread:

 

The mini is set to zoom a little (something I was testing in this video) so it's stretched horizontally (but not 16:9 stretched - yuck!). There's also an earlier video I made testing out how the added scanlines appear on yt, but that setting is best left for actual playing as even though it looks amazing, doesn't do a yt video any favours. Why upload at 720P and not 480P? It seems (to me at least, from the tests I made) that when you upload at 480P, yt thinks you don't care about quality and re-encodes to something horribly lossy, this doesn't happen the same when I offer 720P. The resulting 480P version looks miles better now. If it's possible to go with 480P I'll be much happier as there's no need for tripled-lines 720P (if there was great support for high bitrate 240P that would be even better, I can have the mini output the 240P screen in the middle of a 480P output and crop, but more time for experimenting in future.

 

[adolobe]

If money is no object, an xRGB Mini is the way to go:

 

http://www.solarisja...setCurrencyId=1

 

If your a member on Aseembler there is a member there based in Japan who sells the Xrgb Mini for $400 us much cheaper than if you buy from ebay or amazon.jp

[kid_vidiot]

friends don't let friends classic game on flatscreens...

[+Stephen]

Here's a test I made, it's an NTSC Jaguar connected to xrgb mini via Jaguar scart and grabbed with Elgato gchd:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGEIktrOctI&feature=youtu.be&t=4m27s

 

For best results view at 480P or 720P. Even with a capture, 30fps youtube and lossy compression, you can get an idea of the quality the mini provides.

Looks great - when can we expect some 1080p videos

[Gunstar]

It looks almost as good as my Ambery RGB>VGA progressive scan converter : http://www.ambery.com/rgbcgatovgac.html

Of course this one uses VGA, my HD TV's have VGA input, I don't know if the latest models still support VGA input.

[sh3-rg]

It looks almost as good as my Ambery RGB>VGA progressive scan converter : http://www.ambery.co...bcgatovgac.html

Of course this one uses VGA, my HD TV's have VGA input, I don't know if the latest models still support VGA input.

 

Those CGA to VGA converters are decent for their price and what they are, but they're far from perfect (tearing etc.

[Guitari]

I do have an issue with my panasonic flat screen where Im using Jag to TV directly with an RBG scart (an offical atari Jag one). The issue is every few seconds the image will readjust itself - go blurry momentarily and display, each time, that it has dectected RGB. Don't know why it won't settle. Does this in all aspect ratios too. I think I suffer this problem with some of my other consoles too. Any ideas?

[sh3-rg]

I do have an issue with my panasonic flat screen where Im using Jag to TV directly with an RBG scart (an offical atari Jag one). The issue is every few seconds the image will readjust itself - go blurry momentarily and display, each time, that it has dectected RGB. Don't know why it won't settle. Does this in all aspect ratios too. I think I suffer this problem with some of my other consoles too. Any ideas?

 

No ideas, but one of my smaller TVs does a similar kind of thing, minus the blurriness and not as often.

[Guitari]

Hmm. signal must be getting interrupted somehow. Electro-magnetic radiation from all my console's power adapters perhaps!

[sh3-rg]

It might be your TV's scart-detection going astray or it could be issues with the sync. Look those up and see if anything makes sense.

[Guitari]

will do - thanks.

[PeterG]

I do have an issue with my panasonic flat screen where Im using Jag to TV directly with an RBG scart (an offical atari Jag one). The issue is every few seconds the image will readjust itself - go blurry momentarily and display, each time, that it has dectected RGB. Don't know why it won't settle. Does this in all aspect ratios too. I think I suffer this problem with some of my other consoles too. Any ideas?

 

I have the very same problem, think I also adressed it in one of the threads a few years ago. It's a bummer because the image looks very crisp before going blurry and reajusting itself. It is clearer than on my other scart port which is not labeled RGB. I always wanted to try out one of those Scart to Hdmi boxes but never came around to buy one and see if it does something good.

I do have this problem only with the Jag though.

[Gunstar]

Those CGA to VGA converters are decent for their price and what they are, but they're far from perfect (tearing etc.

 

 

Not this one, it works flawlessly.

[sh3-rg]

Not this one, it works flawlessly.

 

I read about them a bit back (maybe when you mentioned it before), they are the Cypress CM-397 which is for 480i sources not 240P, so they're not always happy with various older systems and are often mentioned as one to avoid (that and the lack of adjustment settings). I thought a device assuming a 480i input would do the same kinds of things my old LCD TV used to do - jerky movement and displaying a doubled image on sprites. If you say it works for your Jaguar though I can't argue . Another thing that put me off is VGA on many modern TVs being really poor compared with dedicated monitors (although that's usually at higher resolutions from what I've seen personally).

 

If anyone is interested in buying a device for playing old systems on new TVs etc., a great place to look that demystifies much of the terminology and covers many different options available is http://retrogaming.hazard-city.de/.

[Gunstar]

I read about them a bit back (maybe when you mentioned it before), they are the Cypress CM-397 which is for 480i sources not 240P, so they're not always happy with various older systems and are often mentioned as one to avoid (that and the lack of adjustment settings). I thought a device assuming a 480i input would do the same kinds of things my old LCD TV used to do - jerky movement and displaying a doubled image on sprites. If you say it works for your Jaguar though I can't argue . Another thing that put me off is VGA on many modern TVs being really poor compared with dedicated monitors (although that's usually at higher resolutions from what I've seen personally).

 

If anyone is interested in buying a device for playing old systems on new TVs etc., a great place to look that demystifies much of the terminology and covers many different options available is http://retrogaming.hazard-city.de/.

 

It works flawlessly for my jaguar, my Atari ST when I had it, my Sega/CD when I had it, my NUON DVD when I had it, This thing is made for any old device that has RGB or component out, from 240p-480i and it works flawlessly, adjustments are automatic. I don't know your experience, but this is the best picture possible, for the best price, it really does blow everything else away.

 

I'm happy with what I got, so I'm not going to read that article, I don't care, I know what I have and it is the best bar none, i don't care if you want to pay hundreds more for something that gives the same results, that's your parogative.

 

I've tried several other devices in the past that have some of the problems you have mentioned (of course those were all $50 jobs), but not the Ambery. Those others were the reason I decided to pay more than $100 for the Ambery device.

 

I have YEARS of hands-on experience with the Ambery device, it works with everything I've thrown at it, flawlessly, on any VGA compatible monitor or TV I've thrown at it (quite a few; LCD projector, 21" CRT, 17" CRT, 21" LCD flat monitor and my 53" 1080i rear-projection R/G/B lensed CRT TV). I can't force you to believe me. This is true wisdom from experience, take it or leave it. This Ambery is the best bar none, for any price. Period.

Edited February 27, 2013 by Gunstar

[sh3-rg]

This Ambery is the best bar none, for any price. Period.

 

Whoa, are you sponsored?

[im_reg]

If anyone is interested in buying a device for playing old systems on new TVs etc., a great place to look that demystifies much of the terminology and covers many different options available is http://retrogaming.hazard-city.de/.

This is an immense site, lots of info there. I'll have to book a week off to read it. lol

 

I've only become aware of these devices in the past month or so so this site will give me a good insight into what it's all about and if one will benefit my gaming desires.

 

Thank you for sharing.