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RetroTINK 5x. Is it worth it?

guitarmas

By guitarmas
in Gaming General Discussion

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Steven Pendleton Quadrunner

Steven Pendleton

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Posted (edited)
24 minutes ago, Tempest said:

I couldn't find a decent SCART RGB cable for my DC (I'm using a SCART composite one), so I ended up just using my VGA box on a monitor.  For some reason real RGB SCART cables for the DC are uber expensive.

VGA is the way to go for Dreamcast analog output for the games that support it anyway. I couldn't believe how incredible the Dreamcast looked when I saw the quality of the VGA output for the first time. The dithering on the VGA output is a shame, though, and you do have to consider the DTV signal as well. I do have the S-video cable just in case I might need it, but also because S-video is the best solution for connecting it to my CRT. S-video still looks pretty nice on my PC monitor through the Framemeister or RT5X, though, and I'd have no problem using it that way if I didn't have the OSSC for VGA.

Edited by Steven Pendleton
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youxia River Patroller

youxia

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I'm just about to receive a ~6$ RGB - SCART Dreamcast cable from Ali. It might turn out it's a dud but I doubt it because stuff from this shop has good reviews. And if it's properly wired I'm pretty sure it'll be as good as the much more expensive cables from "reputable" sellers.

 

I could've gone for a VGA solution but I don't like this look at all. It's all jaggy and makes the flaws of early 3D gfx much more visible than on a consumer CRT via RGB.

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Tempest Quadrunner

Tempest

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33 minutes ago, youxia said:

I'm just about to receive a ~6$ RGB - SCART Dreamcast cable from Ali. It might turn out it's a dud but I doubt it because stuff from this shop has good reviews. And if it's properly wired I'm pretty sure it'll be as good as the much more expensive cables from "reputable" sellers.

Actually the more I think about it, my Dreamcast cable must be RGB since my PVM wouldn't accept composite into the RGB input.  I also got it from either Ali or Ebay many many years ago.  Seems to work ok.  I thought maybe it was composite since some of the pins are missing, but I read that all the pins aren't used anyway so that's not an issue.

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remowilliams Quadrunner

+remowilliams

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The 5x is simply amazing and has supplanted both my xrgb-mini and my OSSC at this point - and that is saying a lot.

 

The 5x was a bit too limited in config/options on launch but is quite robust now with excellent scanline/filter options and other settings.  Certainly not a 'cheap' option but worth every penny.

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phoenixdownita River Patroller

phoenixdownita

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11 hours ago, Steven Pendleton said:

....

You can get the HD Retrovision Genesis cable + adaptors for all of those except the Jaguar for less than $150 USD total + shipping.

which is more expensive than the RGB2Comp + 5 RCA adapters and scart cables  (at least it was when I did it, and why I did it).

Obviously with the 5x you get both Scart and YPbPr inputs from the get go (and can still use the RGB2Comp at the back as it also still lines up perfectly ... you know if you really need a second Scart or something).

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-^CrossBow^- Quadrunner

+-^CrossBow^-

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I would be on board with getting the 5x now with the new features is has, but it is missing one input that I need since the largest part of my AV setup relies on it. Pretty much most of my older consoles with AV upgrades go through my Extron 7SC. It outputs everything as a VGA signal. That is the main reason I went with an OSSC a few years back was for the fact it had a VGA input on it. 

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Tempest Quadrunner

Tempest

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39 minutes ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

I would be on board with getting the 5x now with the new features is has, but it is missing one input that I need since the largest part of my AV setup relies on it. Pretty much most of my older consoles with AV upgrades go through my Extron 7SC. It outputs everything as a VGA signal. That is the main reason I went with an OSSC a few years back was for the fact it had a VGA input on it. 

I think he sells an adapter for VGA.  I seem to recall that being an option when buying it.

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-^CrossBow^- Quadrunner

+-^CrossBow^-

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51 minutes ago, Tempest said:

I think he sells an adapter for VGA.  I seem to recall that being an option when buying it.

Can you point me where? I just checked and the only option I see on the Tink5x Pro when ordering is the SCART to composite converter. BTW I would still need the SCART input in the case of my RGB setup consoles as well.

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Tempest Quadrunner

Tempest

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9 hours ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

Can you point me where? I just checked and the only option I see on the Tink5x Pro when ordering is the SCART to composite converter. BTW I would still need the SCART input in the case of my RGB setup consoles as well.

I must have been thinking of something else, because I can't find it.  You could always email Mike, he's very responsive.  He also has a Discord channel now for tech questions I believe, just check his twitter page for details.

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SegaSnatcher Stargunner

SegaSnatcher

Posted
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On 4/9/2022 at 2:45 PM, guitarmas said:

I'm looking at the RetroTINK 5x. It's priced at $300. Is this a good deal? I've heard the it's the best alternative to the Framemeister since they're not being made anymore.

 

Has anyone had any experience with this?

It's an amazing scaler.  The OSSC is great too, but it's deinterlacer is lacking, so PS2 games don't perform as well on the OSSC as they do on the Retrotink 5x with its adaptive deinterlacer. 

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Tempest Quadrunner

Tempest

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I still wonder how well my component systems (PS2, GC, XBox, PSP) look on the 5X vs the regular component inputs on my TV.  I should do some side by side pictures or something and see.  They look nice through the 5X but I never thought they looked bad through just the TV.  I think I heard that Mike added something to make the PSP aspect ratio correct on the TV or something like that tough.

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SegaSnatcher Stargunner

SegaSnatcher

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Posted (edited)
11 minutes ago, Tempest said:

I still wonder how well my component systems (PS2, GC, XBox, PSP) look on the 5X vs the regular component inputs on my TV.  I should do some side by side pictures or something and see.  They look nice through the 5X but I never thought they looked bad through just the TV.  I think I heard that Mike added something to make the PSP aspect ratio correct on the TV or something like that tough.

Your TV's built in scaler will not look or perform as well as a dedicated scaler designed for gaming.   The latency will increase a good amount because of your TV having to convert analog to digital.  I'm assuming we are talking about a flat panel here.   

From a gaming perspective there is no benefit using the component inputs on your HDTV, stay away from them lol.   

Edited by SegaSnatcher
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Tempest Quadrunner

Tempest

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47 minutes ago, SegaSnatcher said:

Your TV's built in scaler will not look or perform as well as a dedicated scaler designed for gaming.   The latency will increase a good amount because of your TV having to convert analog to digital.  I'm assuming we are talking about a flat panel here.   

From a gaming perspective there is no benefit using the component inputs on your HDTV, stay away from them lol.   

Yes, good point.  It's not even a high end TV, it's a cheaper VIZIO that I got 4 or 5 years ago.  That's why it has trouble with the refresh rate when older games scroll on it when I use the 5X.

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SegaSnatcher Stargunner

SegaSnatcher

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Posted (edited)
4 minutes ago, guitarmas said:

I wish. I've been checking every so often. They're always out of stock.

 

https://store.analogue.co/#mega-sg

Says add to cart for JPN and EU editions.    Unless you really need the NA color scheme just go for one of the colors in stock.   The functionality is identical across all versions, just different colors. 

 

MSG.JPG

Edited by SegaSnatcher
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SegaSnatcher Stargunner

SegaSnatcher

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3 minutes ago, guitarmas said:

So no language issues? If this is the case then I wonder why these haven't sold out too. I'm somewhat confused.?

They added more stock last week.   There is no language issues, literally just the power and reset buttons have different colors to mimic original MegaDrive/Genesis region colors. 

The JPN and EU editions probably sell the best, so they made more of those. 

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