Harsh white column of pixels at left of screen

[Lantrozous]

I seem to get this issue on every NES game I play, and it doesn’t show up from a regular A/V output: a thin column of white pixels is plainly visible running down the left side of the screen. Is my RetroTink acting weird, or is this some side effect of the deinterlacing? My TV is a TCL 55S405 55-Inch 4K Ultra HD TV, by the way.

[James-F]

You failed to mention what console,, all consoles? What’s “every game I play”?
We do not know if it’s deinterlaced because you did not mention what console.
If it is NES then it’s completely normal, that’s how the NES ‘GPU’ outputs video and on a TV this column is masked (not visible).

* Your images links do not work.
* How harsh is the white line, very harsh or mildly harsh?

[Lantrozous]

Gah, sorry, I’ve updated the image links, which implicitly answer your console question. They’re NES games I’m having trouble with, and they ONLY show up when I use the RetroTink, not A/V (or even RF).

[Lantrozous]

Is there really no one else who’s getting this? Seems like a pretty glaring issue for people to ignore if it’s standard.

[mikechi2]

Hi, this is normal. The NES outputs a bright pixel at the start of each line. In some video capture devices, this is cropped out.

[Lantrozous]

Are you sure this is universal? It seems like a glaring flaw that undermines the device’s purpose of signal preservation. Moreover, I’ve seen old-fashioned recordings of screens using the RetroTink 2X without this issue. Here’s an example (5:15 on the video timeline):

[James-F]

Why the use of words like “harsh” and “glaring flaw”? Very poetic…
As already said, this is what all NES/Famicom consoles output and TVs usually mask/crop the edges of the image (called overscan area),, nothing to do with the RetroTInk2x.
Exactly the opposite from what you said about “signal preservation”, the RT2x preserves the original signal and does not crop it.
Also, captured video is edited and cropped so the content creator will remove this overscan area and readjust the aspect ratio.

[mikechi2]

Hi! Respectfully, this is indeed the exact image that the NES is outputting. Here’s a full frame example captured by another device: https://atariage.com/forums/topic/262587-analogue-nt-mini-color-pallete-question/
(scroll to the middle of the page).

Like I mentioned, the NES starts each scan line with a white pixel. You don’t see this on a CRT as well as many digital displays because the TV is crops the outer edges of the image (overscan).

If it bothers you, you can always crop it out manually. But to crop it out right at the capture would be undermine the goal of signal preservation, imo.

PS – the NES isn’t the only system that does this. For example a C64 also outputs a bright line: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p3UG3peXOMw/VH2U7a0vZZI/AAAAAAAABQk/iOW3WvSphOU/s1600/C%3D64%2BS-Video%2Bscreenshot.jpg
(again independently captured by another device, not the 2X)

Not sure why this is. Perhaps for calibration purposes.

[Lantrozous]

Thanks for the clarification, mikechi2. I may just keep the RetroTink if this indeed a direct byproduct of the internal NES rendering.

As for the choice of “poetic” words, James-F, I use the terms “harsh” and “glaring” in the most literal sense. It’s a clear white line, clashing against a myriad of background colors, which puts it squarely into the definition of both. I suppose the perceived air of frustration comes from the fact that this website’s own review of the RetroTink failed to make any mention of it, which did put me off a bit. Considering it doesn’t show up from any other inputs, I think it’s a fair expectation that it be brought up when talking about the tech’s pros and cons.

[mikechi2]

No problem.

Not to beat the horse to death, but why would this site (or any review) be obligated to discuss this when the signal is part of the NES and has nothing to do with the 2X?

Yet another example of a direct composite capture (using a DVD recorder, you can see the sync bend at the top of the screen): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcVxCwtD3ps

[Lantrozous]

Because it seems like good sense when newcomers like me show up looking for a mid-end converter like the RetroTink 2X, having never heard of this NES byproduct. Seems like an important thing to address when the device’s function, at the end of the day, is about a quality picture. Of course, that’s not just on VideoGamePerfection. I’m shocked that nowhere in my research on the console’s output did the mention of such a visually outstanding artifact come up.

[mikechi2]

(This is written in a completely serious and non-sarcastic tone): My guess is that most people either don’t care or are aware that it’s part of the NES standard output signal.

[Michalt]

It is the same for Atari for example. Is there any way to implement a software feature to disable it on demand?

[Author]

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