Advice for splitting component to both OSSC and Framemeister

[NecrosTerminus]

I’m looking at getting a 4K TV in the next year, and it’s likely I’ll end up with an LG OLED C-series. Of course, these don’t come with component inputs, which has led me to research the OSSC as the best way to get my GameCube, PS2, and Xbox signals onto my new TV. What I’ve read about its 480p-to-HDMI handling has me thrilled and ready to purchase, but I’m less excited by the techniques used to deal with 480i. I’m not a fan of the bob deinterlacing in videos I’ve seen, and I’ve read warnings that the flicker might wear down TVs easier. The latter is a concern as this is the first OLED I’ve ever considered buying, and though the consensus seems to be that burn-in isn’t an issue through regular use, I worry that this deinterlacing technique could wear it out faster than normal. I might consider using the 480i passthrough, but (and please correct me if I’m wrong here) I don’t think HDMI can carry native 480i, and if it did, I can’t find any info on whether LG’s OLEDs will deinterlace it properly.

So I’m wondering if it’s possible to create a setup where a component signal is split: one going to the OSSC for 480p games, and one going to a Framemeister for 480i games. It sounds expensive and slightly convoluted, but everything seems to point to me likely being happy with the Framemeister’s 480i handling, and other 480i options like the DVDO Edge seem impossible to find on eBay when I’ve checked.

The signals would originate with GameCube/PS2/Xbox, go into my component switcher (nothing fancy, a mid-2000s Pelican-branded switcher), and the cable from that would be plugged into a component splitter (which I’m assuming would need some amplification built-in). Then the split signal would be sent to the OSSC and Framemeister, which would then go into an HDMI switcher (and for what it’s worth, that goes into the HDMI switcher in my soundbar’s subwoofer that connects to my TV).

Only one signal would ever be in use at the same time, I’d just have to remember which option to pick. On the OSSC, I wouldn’t mind using the bob deinterlacing for the boot-up if 480i passthrough isn’t an option, as it would be short. All my GameCube games either support 480p or can be forced to 480p with Swiss on my SD card loader. All my Xbox games support 480p except for one or two. So this dual setup would mainly be beneficial for the handful of Xbox games that don’t support 480p, as well as the vast majority of my PS2 games, which could then go through the Framemeister. 240p isn’t much of a consideration at this time, as I’ve been very satisfied by Analogue’s line of FPGA systems.

Is this possible to make this work, or am I missing something important or misunderstanding an option? Might I need to upgrade my component switcher before anything is split? And for that matter, am I overthinking this? I’m working with the assumption here that 480i passthrough over HDMI to an LG OLED C-series doesn’t play, but I also figure that even if I’m wrong, the Framemeister’s 480i deinterlacing is likely to be superior to letting a TV deinterlace with the 480i passthrough. Is it worth trying this setup now on my 2013 Vizio M-series? Any advice would be amazing!

[nmalinoski]

I might consider using the 480i passthrough, but (and please correct me if I’m wrong here) I don’t think HDMI can carry native 480i, and if it did, I can’t find any info on whether LG’s OLEDs will deinterlace it properly.

HDMI can carry pretty much anything; the real question is whether your display will accept it. Some TVs do, some don’t. Unfortunately, if this LG FAQ page is representative of LG’s TVs, they do not allow 480i over HDMI.

So I’m wondering if it’s possible to create a setup where a component signal is split: one going to the OSSC for 480p games, and one going to a Framemeister for 480i games.

It is absolutely possible to do that, but, considering the equipment you’re looking at, it’s really only beneficial to split the signal if you’re using multiple displays (which you’re not) or if you absolutely need the no-lag processing of the OSSC over the 1-frame processing lag of the Framemeister.

If you can deal with the Framemeister’s processing lag, I think the most economical approach would be to use solely the Framemeister. You’ll just need a passive component->D-Terminal adapter.

If you can’t deal with the Framemeister’s 480p processing (Which I understand is not the best, but not as terrible as people have made it out to be), you could chain the OSSC into the Framemeister’s HDMI input, which should let you do line2x on 480p to 960p, passthrough on 480i, 720p, and 1080i on the OSSC, then have the Framemeister do deinterlacing and scaling to 1080p.

Another alternative would be to chain an OSSC into an Extron DSC 301 HD (This is what I currently do). It will take line3x 480i (not sure if the Framemeister will) and will be far cheaper than a Framemeister, although the deinterlacing supposedly won’t be as good as the Framemeister’s (looks fine to me, but those with far more experience in video processing, like Fudoh, say it’s not good).

[NecrosTerminus]

Unfortunately, if this LG FAQ page is representative of LG’s TVs, they do not allow 480i over HDMI.

That’s what I feared. How bizarre that 480i would be allowed through one signal but not another.

It is absolutely possible to do that, but, considering the equipment you’re looking at, it’s really only beneficial to split the signal if you’re using multiple displays (which you’re not) or if you absolutely need the no-lag processing of the OSSC over the 1-frame processing lag of the Framemeister.

If you can deal with the Framemeister’s processing lag, I think the most economical approach would be to use solely the Framemeister. You’ll just need a passive component->D-Terminal adapter.

If you can’t deal with the Framemeister’s 480p processing (Which I understand is not the best, but not as terrible as people have made it out to be), you could chain the OSSC into the Framemeister’s HDMI input, which should let you do line2x on 480p to 960p, passthrough on 480i, 720p, and 1080i on the OSSC, then have the Framemeister do deinterlacing and scaling to 1080p.

I don’t mind the one-frame of lag that much, though doing without is always great. You’re correct that it’s more about the 480p processing. What happens when you take the OSSC’s 480p signal and put it through the Framemeister? Wouldn’t it come out with the same flaws as any other 480p signal, plus added lag?

[nmalinoski]

That’s what I feared. How bizarre that 480i would be allowed through one signal but not another.

It’s really not all that weird or uncommon. Contemporary flat panel TVs often use different video processor ICs and processing pipelines for different types of inputs, so an HDMI input is most likely going to be processed by an entirely different chip with different support and capability than what would be processing a component and/or composite input.

What happens when you take the OSSC’s 480p signal and put it through the Framemeister? Wouldn’t it come out with the same flaws as any other 480p signal, plus added lag?

Well, yes. That’s why I suggested applying line2x to 480p, which would make 960p. My understanding is that the Framemeister has less of a problem scaling 960p to 1080p than it does 480p to 1080p.

[NecrosTerminus]

Well, yes. That’s why I suggested applying line2x to 480p, which would make 960p. My understanding is that the Framemeister has less of a problem scaling 960p to 1080p than it does 480p to 1080p.

I’ll confess to missing something here originally, because I was treating the 480p handling as an either/or situation between the two devices. 960p is such a strange resolution to me that I didn’t even consider that the Framemeister could handle that too. That certainly simplifies what I’m going for! You’re saying that taking the 480p signal through the OSSC’s line2x would bypass the Framemeister’s 480p scaling?

So if I understand the additional research I just did, I get the option on the Framemeister of either scaling 960p to 1080p + 1 frame of lag, or the option of letting the HDMI pass through the Framemeister (HDMI to HDMI) with no additional processing and no lag (pixel perfect) at the cost of horizontal borders. Either option sounds nice, especially with the 4K TV then taking the 960p or 1080p image and doubling it (I think). And then I could run my Analogue systems in 720p for further pixel perfect scaling, if losing the overscan areas ever bothered me in 1080p.

If I’m understanding this correctly, then it sounds like a combo of the OSSC and Framemeister is perfect for what I want, with no need to split the component signal. Thank you so much for clarifying for me, as well as explaining a bit more about why 480i over HDMI might not work.

[Author]

Posts