XRGB Mini Framemeister

[swisstoni]

Thinking of buying an XRGB Mini Framemeister, has anyone one tried one to see if they work with the X68000?

[BlueBMW]

I havent tried the Framemeister... but I know the XPC-4 works fantastic with the x68000

[Neshek]

XRGB mini, if i remember correctly has a D-terminal connector (Japanese connector. "D In" on the unit, component signal) up to 1080p, but not sure if you can do something out of it.
Haven't tried to hack x68k to D-Terminal as my XRGB2+ input is limited to interlaced, so no chance it would work and not sure component would love res like 384x256 (my personal nightmare).
RGB21 input is limited to 15khz.
FrameMeister also has HDMI inputs, so VGA to HDMI adapter could be a solution? I don't know how HDMI would handle x68000 screen resolutions.

So not sure about x68000 as it outputs 31khz natively, i guess most people plug it to the monitor directly...
Anyway, cheap solution would be great. My lame TV does not want to display odd resolutions in 31khz.. -.- (Blind menu search is getting on my nerves ^^' if i make a mistake, have to reset and reload >.<)

XRGB units are great. For older and modern consoles. But for computers..
Maybe better to find a good multi sync monitor? Or maybe opt for a XPC-4, looks perfect for old pasokon. Sold with cable for PC98, probably same pinout as x68000. If i remember correctly it doesn't emulate scan lines though.

[BlueBMW]

Xpc does not emulate scanlines.  It will accept all the wierd resolutions / scan rates the x68000 outputs and will convert it to selectable 640x480 up to 1920x1080 output via dvi.  It will also allow you to output via svideo and composite at a quality loss of course.   You could use one of those external scan line generators with it.

[slk486]

Can't ignore that input lag on the Mini, though :/

If you're on a VGA input anyway, you'll be better off with a pure linedoubler.

[Neshek]

Can't ignore that input lag on the Mini, though :/

Knew about XRGB3 lag in B0 mode (20ms against 2ms in B1 mode) but thought framemeister didn't have lag issues :/
So better go for XRGB3 instead of Framemeister i guess.


Fuck LCDs.. By know, we'd all have full HD CRTs, maybe weighting a ton, but at least lag free and resolution free.

[BlueBMW]

Alternately if you can find an NEC XM29 pvm it will do the 15k/31k stuff great.  I dont think it can do the 24k stuff which is quite limited anyways.

[slk486]

Knew about XRGB3 lag in B0 mode (20ms against 2ms in B1 mode) but thought framemeister didn't have lag issues :/
So better go for XRGB3 instead of Framemeister i guess.

Yeah, the mini has about 2-and-a-bit frames of lag. The XRGB3 is great in B1 for 31khz games, but I can't get it to accept the 15khz signal via vga. Annoying.

[wildo2ne]

Can't ignore that input lag on the Mini, though :/

Knew about XRGB3 lag in B0 mode (20ms against 2ms in B1 mode) but thought framemeister didn't have lag issues :/
So better go for XRGB3 instead of Framemeister i guess.


Fuck LCDs.. By know, we'd all have full HD CRTs, maybe weighting a ton, but at least lag free and resolution free.

Actually almost 15 years ago I had a full hd crt. It was a SGI workstation monitor that did 2056 res but weighed over 100 pounds.

[Neshek]

Actually almost 15 years ago I had a full hd crt. It was a SGI workstation monitor that did 2056 res but weighed over 100 pounds.

Sony had 720p (more?) trinitron CRTs back then... Wonder where that technology would be now.
Manufacturing price kills profit. CRT had to die. Or maybe a technology in a dead-end that would never reach bigger resolutions and screen sizes?
Last off-topic message

[SuperDeadite]

I would not recommend buying a Framemister for X86K use.  It will work, but the Framemeister is very slow when switching between 15 and 31khz.  It basically restarts and does the HDMI handshake all over again.  The XPC-4 is incredibly fast and does not have this issue.  So games that switch between 15khz and 31khz quite often like Galseed II, will be much more enjoyable on the XPC.  I have heard that Micomsoft has started to plan the XPC-5, but it hasn't even been officially announced yet, so it will be a few more years at least....

[slk486]

But the XPC-4 has the same input lag and no line doubling mode, right?

[parodius]

"The XPC-4 lags with slightly more than one frame. That's half a frame faster than the XRGB-Mini, but slower than the older XRGB units (in linedoubling mode)."

http://retrogaming.hazard-city.de/

[slk486]

That's what I thought. Useless

[BlueBMW]

I never noticed the lag with the xpc-4 but maybe some people are more sensitive to it.  Ive switched over to using an XM-29 pvm which cant do 24k but does everything else marvelously.

[eidis]

XM-29 looks fantastic !

Specs:
http://isurplus.com.au/manuals/NEC%20XM29%20Plus%20Monitor%20Manual.pdf

My most favorite part about it is its weight: 53.5 kg / 118.0 lbs. Massive.

Eidis

[BlueBMW]

It is quite heavy but its sturdy and has some nice hand holds on it for easier lifting.  I can move it by myself though I prefer not to...

[Teddy KGB]

Hey, new guy here, but I'm around... other places/forums.  I'm pals with Rob and Beemer has been gracious enough to answer a plethora of x68k questions that I've had over email in the last week or so too. So thanks... to the both of you, for getting me sucked into this madness.

That being said, I'll be getting an XVI in the next week or so and I already have a Mini XRGB for some of my other consoles. I'll also have access to an XPC-4 so I don't mind doing a side by side comparison once I get everything up and running.

[Teddy KGB]

Quick update to this. After some testing with the mini XRGB vs. the XPC-4, there really is no choice here. As most would've guessed, the XPC-4 wins pretty favorably. As Tobias points out at retrogaming.hazard-city.de, the Mini should handle all 3 resolutions (15khz, 24khz and 31khz). However, the real problem arrises when these changes happen mid game such as with Galseed 2. The Mini literally takes about 5 seconds for the screen to appear after a res change in order to complete the digital "handshake".

However, in my testing I couldn't even get the Mini to pick up 15khz games, not to mention the general scaling was a bit on the soft side, lacking detail, and the scanline generator didn't work correctly.

If you can spare the funds, and you want the best scaler + scanlines, I'd definitely go with the XPC-4 with the Mini SLG from here http://craftymech.com/mini-slg/. Other's such as Opethian have this same config and it's great for those of us that want to run a flat panel.

PS - don't waist your time on this cable as well. http://retrocables.es/tienda/index.php?id_product=97&controller=product&id_lang=4. Although it does technically work, just stick with the regular VGA vs. trying to make it work via RGB Scart.