RetroTINK 2X Audio Issue (Please Help)

[carport888]

I have an original Xbox with a High Definition AV Pack (with component output) running into the RetroTINK 2X. Of the three processing modes, only two will give me usable sound:

Mode 1 (Transcoding Only, 0 lights): Looks the best, as it is higher resolution, but OBS records very choppy audio, and my amp won’t play anything (I presume since the signal keeps cutting out).
Mode 2 (Line Doubling, 1 light): Cuts the resolution then doubles the lines, resulting in a blocky image, but the audio sounds great. This looks the worst.
Mode 3 (Line Doubling + Smoothing, 2 lights): Cuts the resolution, doubles the lines, then smooths some of the blockiness, while audio sounds great. Looks a bit off, but is a bit better than Mode 2.

My questions: Why does the audio stutter in Mode 1, but not 2 or 3? Is there any way I can get clean audio in mode 1, since it looks the best? Does this maybe have to do with sampling rate somehow, and if so, how do I fix? Is there audio processing happening in modes 2 and 3 that doesn’t happen in mode 1? If so, is there a way to enable just the audio processing, but keep the video transcoding the same?

I am running the RetroTINK signal into an Elgato HD60S, recording with OBS Studio. Any help is much appreciated.

[nmalinoski]

What do you mean by “cuts the resolution” for modes 2 and 3? This would be the first I’ve heard of the RT2X manipulating the resolution before line-doubling.

As for Mode 1, I’m wondering if the RT2X isn’t setting HDMI flags correctly; the OSSC had a problem with 480i/576i passthrough until recently, where an unset or improperly set metadata flag was causing weird behavior with at least some AVRs (wavy or scrambled images, or no sync at all). I don’t have an RT2X, so I can’t test it with my known-affected setup; someone who has one and experienced that issue with the OSSC should give it a try, or perhaps Mike Chi has some insight into what the RT2X is doing in passthrough mode.

RT2X problems aside, knowing that you have an Xbox and the HD AV pack, why did you decide to go with an RT2X over an OSSC? The OSSC would let you enable 480p, 720p, and 1080i on your Xbox, which would result in far better capture quality.

[carport888]

Thanks for the reply! I went with RetroTINK 2X for my Genesis and SNES. Having the capacity to output component through the Xbox was just a bonus, since composite looks so bad and is what I had to do before. I’ll make a video showing what I mean about the resolution in modes 1, 2 and 3.

[carport888]

Here is the video outlining the issue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDmUTavFlto

[nmalinoski]

Yeah, modes 2 and 3 are using bob deinterlacing, which, in my opinion, never looks good; it’s always going to have that ugly vertical shimmering (is that what you meant by “cut the resolution”?). Mode 1 probably looks better because you’re feeding 480i directly to your capture device, and either your capture device or your recording software knows how to deinterlace decently.

Regarding your other consoles, unless you have an unmodified SNES Jr. or a Genesis 3, those consoles should be capable of RGB output, and would be compatible with the OSSC via SCART cables or HD Retrovision component cables.

[carport888]

When I said “cut the resolution”, I just meant that that’s what looked like was happening, since it became blocky-looking. It may very well be from the unnecessary deinterlacing. With that said, Mode 1 definitely looks the best, and I can’t figure out why the audio is so choppy on only that mode. Is there a reason that the audio signal would be processed differently in Mode 1 from how it is in Mode 2 and 3?

I’m also concerned that I’m going to have the same results with my Playstation 2 (Which I also bought HD Retrovision cables for). I was just hoping that I could double down on the RetroTINK 2X, using it for my bit more modern consoles as well. I may get a better solution in the future for those, but would rather be able to use Mode 1 with clean audio.

Also, I’m pretty satisfied with the output from my SNES and Genesis 1, both using HD Retrovision cables to convert to component. That’s my main use and I’ve got no complaints there.

[nmalinoski]

I would say Modes 2 and 3 look blocky because of the way bob deinterlacing works. This type of deinterlacing (or filling in the missing field with black lines) is absolutely necessary to produce a 480p signal without adding any perceivable lag and providing compatibility for TVs that don’t accept 480i over HDMI.

Where Mode 1 is concerned, it’s just digitizing the 480i signal and passing it along, and it seems like your capture device or capture software is doing some form of deinterlacing. (If you haven’t already, you’ll probably want to verify the encoding settings so that it’s deinterlacing to 60fps and not 30fps.) Like I said, the RT2X in this instance might not be properly setting some metadata flags, which would be something out of your control. You should get in touch with Mike Chi; he might be able to help diagnose the problem and potentially provide a solution.

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