I have a moderate collection of current and retro videogame consoles that I have been using with various displays. I thought that using a CRT would be the best budget option for SD consoles so I got two CRT to test them out using RGB cables for the best image quality. I like the image and the feeling but I realized that most of the time we sit in front of the big HDTV so I started looking for upscaler and analog to digital converters. I know that the OSSC or the Framemeister would be the best solution but they are too expensive. Or so I've though.
My game consoles are as follows:
- Playstation 1 Fat (RGB or Composite)
- Playstation 2 Slim (Component)
- Playstation 3 SuperSlim (HDMI)
- Playstation 4 Slim (HDMI)
- Nintendo Wii (Component)
- Raspberry Pi 3 in a NES Classic case (HDMI)
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| Old retro gaming setup |
The devices I tried so far are cheap chinese gadgets:
- Wii2HDMI
- PS2 to HDMI
- Component to HDMI converter
- 8 in 1 to HDMI multi av adapter
- RGB Scart to HDMI upscaler
My main problem is that the Sony 4k tv only has a single analog input which is composite video which in itself is pretty bad but the tv also handles it poorly so this is not an option.
The first devices I tried were what probably most people find when they seach for xy console to hdmi adapter. These are the Wii2HDMI and PS2 to hdmi. Most of these devices use the same chipset and they are basically component to hdmi converters. In the case of the Wii the converter gets 5V from the Wii's multi av connector but the PS2 version uses USB cable for this. Neither of these devices support 240p (some variation might support it, but you can't tell the different versions apart) so Wii Virtual Console games have no picture in 240p mode and the PS2 has no picture when running most PS1 games. 480i, 576i, 480p work just fine. These modes are usable but the PS2 to HDMI is a bit too dark and has Purple hue.
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| Wii2HDMI without the plastic shell |
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| Wii 576i |
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| Wii 480p is much clearer |
A much better option is an external Component video to HDMI converter with a separate power supply. The main benefit is that the converter is more isolated, there is no crosstalk from the console's power cable and the converter doesn't use the console power (which might not be clean). The unit I got is a clone Portta converter. It supports 480i, 576i, 480p, 720p, 1080i but it doesn't support 240p at all. The signal led doesn't even light up. So still no Wii VC 240p games or PS1. For Wii and PS2 games this is a really good option though if your tv handles 480i, 576i well since the converter doesn't scale the image, it just digitizes it so the output resolution matches the input.
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| Component video to HDMI converter |
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| Component video to HDMI converter |
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| Component video to HDMI converter chipset |
An interesting device is the 8 in 1 HDMI multi av adapter which doesn't really have a fixed name. It is a generic device. I bought one that doesn't upscale, or at least I thought I did. It turns out that the output is scaled to 1080p wheter you want it or not. The OSD looks like you should be able to choose resolutions but neither the device nor the remote has buttons for it. The main problem is that hdmi sources get scaled too, even 1080p get scaled and processed. First it seemed like a great option to connect all my consoles to. It has 2 composite inputs, 2 component inputs, 1 vga and 3 hdmi and also it has automatic input switching. Great on paper right? Well auto switching can switch back and forth if the signal (sync?) is not clean. I couldn't get my Wii to work with this because the converter was always switching inputs, even if there was only one connected. It might just be my device. The output quality is not bad, I tried 240p only on composite because I didn't have the component cables at the time I had this unit for testing. Overall I would only recommend this to someone who wants an all in one solution and doesn't care about the picture quality.
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| 8 in 1 HDMI adapter with remote, power supply and IR receiver |
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| The insides |
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| LCD vs CRT, the monitor cannot change the aspect ratio of 1080p to 4:3 |
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| Composite to HDMI on LCD |
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| Composite on CRT |
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| HDMI directly to TV |
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| HDMI through the 8 in 1 (looks like some sharpening is applied) |
So far neither of these devices supported RGB video or 240p through component so PS1 games were composite only.
This is why I got a RGB Scart to HDMI upscaler. I got a König one but it is the same as the generic chinese ones. It handles composite and RGB through Scart connector and also has a HDMI input. On the output side you can choose from the following resolutions:
800x600
1024x768
1280x1024
1280x720 50Hz/60Hz
1920x1080 50Hz/60Hz
Now these are only the output resolutions. It looks like the internal scaling is done in a fixed resolution and that scaled image is stretched to the output. The same scaling artifacts are seen in every resolution. PAL/NTSC is detected by the unit but the output doesn't automatically match this, you have to select the output refresh rate manually. 240p works but it is handled as 480i so falsely deinterlaced. It looks fine on a static screen but flickers up and down when scrolling. The image is clean otherwise. Interlaced sources are deinterlaced, PS2 games look good. A fine device for RGB Scart sources if you just need to plug these into a hdmi tv.
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| Rayman PS1 @ 240p looks good while standing still, shaking when moving |
After all these cheap and not so cheap converters and scaler I got fed up with them. Every singe one of these has some shortcomings. I didn't want to buy an OSSC because of its high price compared to the retro consoles themselves but in the end that is exactly what I did.
I just connected the PS1, PS2 and Wii to the OSSC, set it up and now everything works. Of course the setup is trial and error and it takes a lot of time but the end result is awesome.
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| SNES composite straight to TV |
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SNES RGB through OSSC
(the checkerboarding is the Scart cable's fault, the scaler just makes it more visible) |
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