2x-Multi : Owner introductions & current issues.

[mrlb]

Greetings,

I find myself in a disappointing position where I own two 2x-Multi’s that do work as they are advertised and i am unable to use them for their intended purposes to the point I am considering returning them. I really do not want it to come to this though. I have either received two faulty units or the issues relate to firmware (which is my belief.) But if it relates to firmware you would think other people would have reported these issues or confirmed they have the same issues as me. This leads me to my next thought that perhaps not many people actually own a 2x-Multi.
I counted the number of posts for 2x-Multi since August 2020 and added up the users who responded. I have counted 9 users who likely own or use a 2x-Multi. Maybe there are a few more that don’t use the forums but you would assume any one that has experienced an issue would post here.

The issues I have posted about here seem to die without any acknowledgement or resolution.

The intension of this thread is to call out to everyone that owns a 2x-Multi and get an induction to see if there are more then 9 people 😉
We can use this thread as a place holder to list all the current issues with the current version of firmware.

e.g

1) where you’re from
2) what you’re using your 2x-Multi with e.g consoles and display formats
3) what issues you have (list firmware version and link to forum post of issue if applicable)

[mrlb]

I’ll go first 😉

1) I’m from Australia
2) N64 (PAL) with NTSC ROMs svideo. PS2 (PAL) with NTSC ROMs component cables
3) Issues
a) 480p pass-through doesn’t work (v1.5-1.8)
b) mClassic won’t upscale 480p pass-through or 240p upscaled. 480i (PS2) de-interlaced is OK (v1.1-1.8 NB: 480p pass-through can only be tested up to v1.4)
c) PAL 576i – On PS2 I have noticed PAL content vibrates. It’s like a flicker but the content is always on screen but it moves very fast. Very noticeable with text.

[hugox64]

Hi, thanks this is a useful thread to collect responses.

I agree it seems likely not that many have the 2xPro-M so there’s a smaller volume of people testing and finding any issues. Particularly when there are so many different ways to use it, consoles, cables or operating modes etc.

It would be good if people who have used the 2xPro-M in the same or similar set ups could comment regardless of whether they have had a problem or not. For instance with my post I don’t know if this problem is rare or widespread. It could be people out there are using it regularly as I described with no problem and that would be great to know. Then I could troubleshoot more and maybe find how many setup is different. Or if multiple people have the same problem then it adds more weight to there being some incompatibility with the TINK which hopefully could be improved with firmware. But at the moment it’s difficult to put a perspective on this.

1) I’m from the UK

2) Wii (PAL) with PAL ROMs/discs over component cables
a) get image loss playing 576i/50Hz games. get image loss irrespective of using the TINK in 2x or PassThru modes. the problems occur even after a reset.
similar issues encounted with 480i/60Hz but these are normally correctable through a reset.
https://videogameperfection.com/forums/topic/wii-and-retrotink-2xpro-multiformat-image-flicker-playing-interlaced-games/

cheeers,

[ryhigh98]

I got mine in February and have been having nagging issues with it ever since.

1) I’m from the U.S.

2) I only use the 2x-M with a NTSC PS2 mainly running 480i games and 2 games with a 480p mode using HD Retrovison component cables and through a mClassic.

3) I’ve been having the same issues with 480p content not displaying a signal at all when hooked straight into my Vizio M-Series. However, when I run the 480p signal through the mClassic I do get a signal but the bottom have of the picture is distorted. The light now turns blue instead of purple when detecting 480p too. Btw, I’m using v1.8 as that was the newest firmware when I got the 2x-M (and still is as of now).
I’ve also been having the issue with the image going in and out until it stops send a signal all together sometimes. Usually this can be fixed with restarting the unit from one up to several times. I’ve gotten to where now when I get it to work properly with 480i (I.e. not losing the image) that I just leave the unit powered on. I thought about sending an email to Mike detailing these things him but I figured with all the stuff going on with the 5x release right now that my email would be lost in the shuffle.

Issue: 2x Multi – 480p passthrough unstable/not working (firmware 1.5-1.8)

Wii and Retrotink 2xPro-Multiformat, image loss playing interlaced games

[mrlb]

2) I only use the 2x-M with a NTSC PS2 mainly running 480i games and 2 games with a 480p mode using HD Retrovison component cables and through a mClassic.

You have a similar setup (PS2, RT2X-M, mClassic) to me except I have PAL PS2 though I am running NSTC 470i/480p ROM from OPL. I also have HD RetroVision cables in the mail to replace my ebay cables.

3) I’ve been having the same issues with 480p content not displaying a signal at all when hooked straight into my Vizio M-Series. However, when I run the 480p signal through the mClassic I do get a signal but the bottom have of the picture is distorted.

1. Please try downgrading your firmware to less than 1.5 and test if the 480p signal is stable. If it is than you may have the same issue I was having. I was told my issue was due to cheap component cable and that using good quality cables would resolve it. I had a hard time believing this but ordered better quality cables to confirm.
If you maintain 480p stability with firmware less than 1.5 and you have good quality cables than we can definitely say that the firmware is the issue and we can get Mike Chi to look at it.
Let us know both results plugged into Vizio M-series and into mClassic.

I’ve also been having the issue with the image going in and out until it stops send a signal all together sometimes. Usually this can be fixed with restarting the unit from one up to several times. I’ve gotten to where now when I get it to work properly with 480i (I.e. not losing the image) that I just leave the unit powered on.

2. This sounds like a different issue but may also could be firmware related. Try the earlier version, test and let us know.

[mrlb]

I agree it seems likely not that many have the 2xPro-M so there’s a smaller volume of people testing and finding any issues. Particularly when there are so many different ways to use it, consoles, cables or operating modes etc.

I suspect a low volume was made and sold.

It would be good if people who have used the 2xPro-M in the same or similar set ups could comment regardless of whether they have had a problem or not. For instance with my post I don’t know if this problem is rare or widespread. It could be people out there are using it regularly as I described with no problem and that would be great to know. Then I could troubleshoot more and maybe find how many setup is different. Or if multiple people have the same problem then it adds more weight to there being some incompatibility with the TINK which hopefully could be improved with firmware. But at the moment it’s difficult to put a perspective on this.

I couldn’t agree with you more. I also have not been able to tell if the issues are isolated to my setup and other people are potentially not having the same issues with the similar setup. I think most people that come to this forum or redit have an issue and are desperate to fix it. People that don’t have issues do visit either of these sites and therefore aren’t able to share their thoughts.
It’s shame there is no official forum hosted from retrotink site. As there is a large community of enthusiasts and supporters. At the very least it would be good if there was an official support forum endorsed but retrotink with instructions on the retrotink site and in the box to make a site like videogameperfection.com the official forum.
Even videogameperfection.com only has one category for all retrotink products which makes it harder for people work out which models people are referring to in the posts.

2) Wii (PAL) with PAL ROMs/discs over component cables
a) get image loss playing 576i/50Hz games. get image loss irrespective of using the TINK in 2x or PassThru modes. the problems occur even after a reset.
similar issues encounted with 480i/60Hz but these are normally correctable through a reset.

How did you go trying older firmware?

[ryhigh98]

Ok so I just did the testing and got mixed results. 1st I downgraded to v1.4 and tested with the mClassic in use (full processing mode with the green light). 480i signal was normal and was being upscaled to 1080p. Then I switched the game to 480p mode with the mClassic and the picture had a lot of fuzzy noise in it and the audio was going in and out. So then I took the mClassic out and hooked the 2x-M straight to my tv and did the same tests with good results. 480p was stable and worked just as it should. After that I reintroduced the mClassic and the picture started to go in and out like I and others have mentioned. So I restarted the 2x-M and now the picture was staying and I put it through it’s paces again. This time everything worked perfectly except the mClassic was not upscaling 480p to 1080p like I’ve seen in another post on here and it was not stretching the image to 16:9. Then I switched the mClassic through all its modes. Retro mode (blue light) had no issues with 480i or 480p minus not upscaling to 1080p. However sometimes when switching back to full processing mode (green light) would introduce the picture noise and audio problem that I first had and sometimes it worked fine.

I’m now convinced that our 480p issues are all firmware related so hopefully a future update can fix it once the dust settles from the 5x. The problems with 480p don’t bother me as much as the picture going in and out for like 10 seconds or so though. I really hope this is firmware related too and not just that we got a bad batch of units because this problem happened with both v1.4 and v1.8.

[BuckoA51]

Thank you for reporting your issues, you were curious how many 2X Pro Multi’s we’d sold well it’s around 150 units so far, plus of course whatever Mike’s sold through his own store and other resellers.

Obviously we can’t guarantee compatibility with other scalers/devices like the mClassic.

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