[mikechi2]

Try updating to the latest FW (1.7)

(can’t link, forum flags as spam)

[mikechi2]

Thanks James, for your help!

@Thasios, very nice setup! No issue with leaving it on 24/7. A suggestion, you can also use a component video switcher to mix composite and component devices to the RT2X. For composite sources, just hook up the yellow RCA jack and leave the red and green video jacks disconnected.

[mikechi2]

Thanks to James-F – he modified the firmware so that the auto-gain control is re-enabled when the COMB flip is set to ‘Auto’. You can e-mail me at retrotink2@gmail.com for the HEX file.

Additionally to further clarify:

*Genesis encoders are awful. There is a chance it will not improve for Genesis/32X devices
*It is worth double checking, via good quality s-video or component cables, if you believe there is something wrong with your copy of the device.

[mikechi2]

Unfortunately, the SCART to RCA converter probably just feeds the composite signal straight through – so it’s not surprising it is identical. The best way to test if your RT2X is broken is to spot check with a S-video or component source.

As Matt and James-F mentioned, a big issue is that the Genesis and 32x have horrible composite encoder is probably the root cause of this effect. The automatic gain control on the RT2X’s decoder is turned off to emulate how a CRT would handle these signals.

[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.

[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

[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.

[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.

[mikechi2]

You’re welcome and no problem at all. I definitely hear you on the cable mess. I didn’t like the component box at first because it also needs a power cord (unlike the VGA one) but I find that the component box has been more reliable and produces a better picture due to the OSSC LPF.

I actually haven’t tried your setup. I’ll see if I can dig up the VGA converter and give it a shot. I guess I always plugged the audio directly into the OSSC or PC (for captures).

Yeah, I can see why you might think a lack of power button is a bit odd. Maybe I’m weird but I guess I never turn off my stuff…

[mikechi2]

Pass-thru on the OSSC is probably giving you the best image since it let’s your TV do a real de-interlace (at the expense of lag). Unfortunately, the 2X won’t be of any assistance there. Sorry.

[mikechi2]

It sounds like most of your audio problems is related to the HDMI->VGA converter. Here are the tools I used, which work well:

I would never recommend having the 2X digitize the audio, then having another adapter convert it back to an analog signal only to be digitized yet again for the OSSC.

Double check the microHDMI cable. I find that 8/10 cases where the picture stops without reason was due to a faulty cable/connector.

[mikechi2]

Matt – it occurs to me that a potential fix for the C64 is to copy the ADV7280 filters on a PCB

[mikechi2]

Not at all. Thank you for bringing this up to our attention and for doing some preliminary research! We’ve narrowed it down to firmware settings and are just trying to do final optimization. Thanks for your patience!

[mikechi2]

Matt has been testing and we’ve determined that the issue is due to the new settings.

As James-F mentioned, we set the S-video luminance filter for higher bandwidth, thus preserving more details for clean sources – which should be virtually all S-video sources using proper cabling.

Unfortunately, the C64 has an inherently noisy output. While the new firmware’s image is more “true” to the signal, it also means that all that noise is now being pass straight to the image.

Matt and I are figuring out the best solution. Right now, I have a test build that has another s-video mode that turns the luma LPF back on.

EDIT:

I sent Matt a copy of the firmware with an additional mode for S-Video (NOISY). And once again, a thank you to James-F for helping me decipher all these various registers.

[mikechi2]

Also if you can, try another input source (non-C64 related) that gives a similar solid color over s-video and let me know how that goes. That would be super helpful!

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