RGB Newbie

[gia]

Hi, I just went to read the wiki and while I understand more I still feel lost. If anyone with the knowledge is kind to answer thanks a lot.

I have a US snes (don't use it because the cartridge connector fails a lot), US snes mini, US n64 (no idea the version I'll look it up, EDIT: it is NUS-0001), and two gamecubes, a japanese one without digital out and US one with that port.

I was looking to get the best quality possible recorded on my pc. I used to use ATI's All in wonder pro 128mb PCI card but it burned or something, it only captured at 30fps anyway. About cables I got like three official composite out, and was looking to buy the game cube's component, I was also thinking about the intensity pro capture card.

From the wiki it seems "RGB 15khz" is the same as emulated "pixel perfect", which sounds awesome, and reading the forums there are two cards that can record that type of video, sweetspot and holo3d.

So what Im thinking is have the console output rgb, then connect to the card and play with what the capture program displays on screen, or will the card need a 15khz monitor to display what it is recording?

About doubts, would recording component on the intensity pro be lower quality than recording an rgb modded ngc cable with the sweetspot/holo3d? or does this depend on the game, im confused there. I'd buy a japanese component cable to use on the US gamecube.

So, my old snes will end up better than the mini if I replace the cart connector? I know I can find technicians that know how to replace this, just have to find where they sell them new.
I will have to find an official scart out (which one us, pal, or jp?) and buy the scart connector that is sold here: http://www.pluggedin.tv/store/SweetSpot_Video_Processor.html (will this degrade quality? is it the only way to do this?)

I'd have to get a modded n64 for rgb, after the mod on the wiki is done, do I use the same cable used for the snes? I didn't get that part.

Finally, which is better if what I want is the raw video, sweetspot or holo3d. I read both will use an scaler, software or hardware, that sounds like modifying the original video.

[Fudoh]

or will the card need a 15khz monitor to display what it is recording?

you can play on your PC monitor while recording. It probably depends on the video recording software you plan to use, but the one I'm using (iuVCR) with my Sweetspot and Holo II has a feature for live display while recording. It's not perfect (window only) and there's no deinterlacing applied to the live input, but it works.

About doubts, would recording component on the intensity pro be lower quality than recording an rgb modded ngc cable with the sweetspot/holo3d?

no, the results are the same. All those cards have very high quality inputs. The Intensity Pro is much more expensive though and you need an additional RGB to component transcoder (for SNES) which might decrease the quality. In the end the question of quality is always determined by the video codec used and that's up to you.

The adaptation from Scart to 4x RCA does not decrease your quality (or only if you use a really poor cable).

You can use both, the Holo and the Sweetspot, to record the raw video. The sweetspot does not have any options for videoprocessing, it's a simple capture caard. The Holo has a processor on board which can do interpolation and other stuff, but you don't have to use it. When buying a Holo make sure it does accept RGBs (you need a Holo II or a Holo I rev. 7).

[gia]

thank you for your answers, I still have this doubts for anyone that knows

About doubts, would recording component on the intensity pro be lower quality than recording an rgb modded ngc cable with the sweetspot/holo3d?

no, the results are the same. All those cards have very high quality inputs. The Intensity Pro is much more expensive though and you need an additional RGB to component transcoder (for SNES) which might decrease the quality. In the end the question of quality is always determined by the video codec used and that's up to you.

I mean when recording game cube games, I read there are two types of games, those that output in low quality and those that output in a high quality. What I get was that the rgb mod allowed to get full quality on the low q games, but was not enough for the high quality ones, which were better with the component cable. Am I correct with this?

Which scart cable version do I have to buy to use with a US snes?, I read somewhere to use the Scart sold on play-asia.com, it is a third party cable, does it work on my US console? is it good quality?

Is this the cable to use on a US n64 rgb modded too? or do I need something else?

[Fudoh]

I mean when recording game cube games, I read there are two types of games, those that output in low quality and those that output in a high quality.

you're talking about the difference between 480i and 480p output. RGBs (Scart) only support SD signals up to 480i, while progressive supports ED (480p) and HD (720p, 1080i, 1080p) for systems which output this.

While there's is a $600 which can record ED (the Canopus HDRecs only available in Japan), you don't need it, because you can't properly save it. DVD is limited to 480i (or 480p30 if you like) and the majority of video codecs are limited to 30fps as well (which basically means 480i60). I could go into details, but simply believe me when I say: for recording purposes you don't need 480p.

I'd get an original Nintendo Scart cable. Not too expensive and top quality. It should work on the modded N64 as well, but this eventually depends on the mod and the color booster used.

[Endymion]

I thought the NTSC GameCubes could not output RGB?

Saying that, it seems like the VGA mod for the component cable would do this, if you did not hold the B button at boot time to bring up progressive scan.

[gia]

Thanks again, I still have this doubt:

If I mod the gamecube cable with the VGA mod, this cable will output 15khz RGB with games on 480i mode, and will output 31khz RGB in 480p mode. Is this true?
However by doing so you dont gain anything quality-wise over an unmodded DTerminal cable (or component) on 480p mode, including widescreen games. true?
But recording the 15khz RGB signal will be better (quality-wise) while running a 480i game than any of the official options. true?

[NFG]

If I mod the gamecube cable with the VGA mod, this cable will output 15khz RGB with games on 480i mode, and will output 31khz RGB in 480p mode. Is this true?
However by doing so you dont gain anything quality-wise over an unmodded DTerminal cable (or component) on 480p mode, including widescreen games. true?
But recording the 15khz RGB signal will be better (quality-wise) while running a 480i game than any of the official options. true?

1. True
2. RGB is better than component, but the difference may not be noticable to all people on all hardware.  On my TV the difference between component and RGB is shocking: component SUCKS.
3. RGB is better than * in the analogue world, but I've had a shitty RGB capture card that wasn't as sharp as a $50 s-video unit.

There are a lot of pieces to this puzzle.

[gia]

Terminology aside, I didn't know component/dterminal were analogue, cool. Considering the pieces however, RGB 15khz capture cards are affordable while 31khz I assume are not. 480p analogue cards are affordable and the video will be better than 15khz provided the card doesn't suck and the disks are fast enough. Of course its a bit of investment for 480p only.

[Fudoh]

What do you want to do with a 480p input card ? Which codec do you want to use to archive the videos ? DVD does not support 480p60, nor does any video upload site. Of course you can sit on your master quality videos, but from my point in view, there's no sense in archiving in 480p. Also note that many, if not all, commonly available HD capture cards with accept 480i, 720p and 1080i, but not 480p. Getting a pv3/4 or a HDRecs from Japan might work, but what for ?

[gia]

If you wanted to preach being practical then only posting once about it was necessary. Could make a page long rant  but it is summarized as: What is your problem with this man if he just wants to capture 480p, cmon...

"what for?" people here open and solder their perfectly fine consoles man, I mean, why ask that.

Anyway, first you optimize the source, then the transport, receptor and later your storage. So I came here first, the primary reason was to answer my doubts about console video output and modifications, of course I asked about cards but that's not the primary reason.

To answer your doubts, I want a 480p input card to record 480p games in 480p, duh. You get me on the codec as I thought all the ones labelled as lossless would be lossless, huffyuv for recording and lagarith for storage, meh, I was going to learn more about huffyuv and "learn" lagarith anyway. If my integrated raid allows I will most likely record raw and reencode in lossless if any, if not, buy one of those dedicated cards later, they are sorta expensive but get the job done. For physical storage 1TB hard drives. I do not use/have dvd and dont care what quality online people get.

Don't need HD, I was talking about gamecube, SNES and N64. PV3/4 arent lossless although very good. HDRecs as far as I researched can be gotten as Pegasus, and aren't lossless. I have contacted a person in Japan that will ship me a MonsterX card which along the D terminal cable would let me capture 480p analog, for not too much money, which is fine so far. Later I can find out how 31khz vga is recorded if the possible card is under 600$ by then. For 480i the sweetspot with rgb mods.

Since I posted what I currently think would work, sure, feel free to comment any possible issues or improvements.

[Fudoh]

If you wanted to preach being practical then only posting once about it was necessary

wasn't my intention after all. I just get regular requests from people who "think" they need this and that, but in the end it's something completely different they really need. If you want 480p capture and know what to make of it, it's absolutely fine with me

You're right about the HDRecs, it's sold under Pegasus in the western world. Do have a link for the MonsterX card on hand ? I couldn't find it via google (didn't try to hard though).

If you have a D2-enabled D-Teriminal input (480p) you can use a VGA to Component transcoder to capture VGA. Should work flawlessly and they are not this expensive.

I'll set up a new workstation next week and I intend to put a Blackmagic Decklink HD Extreme into it...

[gia]

Im sorry. MonsterX-i was suggested among others on doom9's forums. It's japanese:

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sknet-web.co.jp%2Fproduct%2Fmhvxi.html&sl=ja&tl=en&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

http://www.sknet-web.co.jp/product/mhvxi.html

They also have an external solution. MonsterX-e. I emailed them and they won't ship overseas, supposedly they accept international credit cards though, just no shipping. I got a contact that will charge me just 23$ on top of the cost of buying and shipping it to me which is way cheaper than middleman services, although of course it's a matter of trust.

The bundled software will capture MPEG2 but you can use virtualdub if I read the forum correctly: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=120785

The idea of capturing transcoded VGA I dont think works since with the Dterminal cable you can get 480p analogue already (Gamecube D like Wii is D1/D2, and MonsterX must be D5 or D4? to capture 1080i).

That blackmagic sounds cool for 1080, other cards cant capture the full 1080p frame (according to that forum topic at least).

[Fudoh]

Thanks for the link ! The Monster-X looks like an upgraded version of the PV3/PV4 cards. And they're essentially the only 480p cards I know, so you should be good to go !

The bundled software will capture MPEG2 but you can use virtualdub if I read the forum correctly

MPEG2 (as a standard) does not support 480p60 recording, so you would need to use some kind of MJPEG codec. It's also possible that an altered MPEG2 codec is included, but then the compatibility to other video programs remains questionable.

What I meant when I talked about transcoding VGA to component, was capturing from a native VGA source like a Dreamcast. Should work fine with the above card.

That blackmagic sounds cool for 1080, other cards cant capture the full 1080p frame (according to that forum topic at least).

There's no card which can capture 1080p60 and there's no codec which would be able to support it outside of a PC. The Blackmagic is limited to 540p60 (1080i60), 720p60 or 1080pfs24 (which is 1080i48). Unfortunately - like most others - the Blackmagic can't capture 480p.

[gia]

So I bought both Sweetspot and MonsterX and they arrived some days ago.

MonsterX works perfectly and I can record in uncompressed frames to my computer at 60 fps (720*480) dropping I dont know, like 38 frames for a whole hour thanks to my disks setup (what I wanted to do, not sure if its posted up there since it's so old )
About quality, I don't like it THAT much, colors are off and there's noise, but it is not even digital capture so I guess it's as good as it gets. I only notice if I look up close. The card supposedly captures lossless so I guess the noise comes from my room, all these electrical devices generate magnetic fields which can corrupt my signal right? If so they are all close together and can't fix that for now.

From checking the info MonsterX-i will not record copy protected streams, so I bought an original MonsterX. Can't tell if the -i "rumor" is true or not but they say its on the chip which means MxCapture (unofficial driver) wouldn't help.

Sweetspot however doesn't work If someone here perhaps have used this card successfully with their snes and would like to help me out just tell me what info you need and I'll do what I can to get it (electrical info will be hard because I have not much knowledge and no tools for that, but I can do my best). Right now I am using an USA/CANADA SNS-001 with an rgb cable I bought from playasia, I also bought the "official" rgb cable for sweetspot and the sweetspot itself. I used the manual to decide where to put the jumper on the card. Once I plug everything I load Dscaler 4.17p with the "correct" video modes and get a very bad image (its like I don't know a fastforward effect, the screen is all long and moving at high speed).

[gia]

Hi, I took pictures of the cables, maybe someone can help with that.



This is the Sweetspot SCART cable, It has some plastic thing covering the cables so it can't be seen easily where everything goes. It is very expensive so I didn't destroy it. But I think it goes like this:

Blue cable splits in two and goes to SCART pin 5 and 7.
Green cable splits in two and goes to pin 9 and 11.
Red cable splits in two and goes to pin 13 and 15.
Yellow cable splits in two and goes to pin 17 and 19.
Black cable goes nowhere (it is behind those cables in the photo, no idea why it is there then...)

I'm positive any of the even pins are used because they have a hole in the middle and I could see through all of them. The odd pins that are used you can't see through them because they have that solder metal covering the hole.



Now this is the playasia SNES cable, this was hell to open, but since it was cheap and it probably doesn't work I literally destroyed it. The plug wouldn't open so I had to use scissors and then found out the inside was a solid block of a white plastic. After hours hurting my hands I got to take it all out so I could see where each cable was connected... I cut four cables trying to take out the plastic but I had written where each went as I uncovered them.



The SCART side of the cable was easier, it has these cilinders things that say ChengX 100uF 10V -40+105ºCo, also one cable has a black cover with something inside but I can't read what it says on the plastic...E203850 C, 8 might be 9


The connections would go something like that, the connectors are like if we are watching the back of the connectors where the cables are soldered.

To put it clear, the Yellow cable goes to SCART pin 4, but then there's another cable that starts at that pin and jumps to pin 18.
The Purple cable goes to SCART pin 16 but there's a black thing with a hard part (E203850 C) that jump to pin 8, I put a $ symbol on the picture. The hard part is closer to the pin 16.

[viletim]

gia,
The SNES cable has a male SCART, the Sweetspot cable also has a male SCART, how do you join the two?

[gia]

Ah I bought a forgot its name, I'll call it bridge. Its a very little and simple box-looking conector, you plug both males to it. It was advertised as having all pins connected but I'm truly not opening it because I already tried and I can't really see a way to open it without smashing it with a hammer for a whole day, and I would break the floor anyway first.

[viletim]

Ah I bought a forgot its name, I'll call it bridge. Its a very little and simple box-looking conector, you plug both males to it. It was advertised as having all pins connected but I'm truly not opening it because I already tried and I can't really see a way to open it without smashing it with a hammer for a whole day, and I would break the floor anyway first.

Your Sweetspot RGB SCART cable is wired to plug into an output while the SNES SCART cable is wired to plug into an input. If you use a straight through adapter to connect the two, the composite video and audio signals will not pass through.

Look at the pinout, notice there are input and output pins:
http://utopia.knoware.nl/users/eprebel/SoundAndVision/Engineering/SCART.html

Check the wiring of your "bridge" thing. You can do this non-destructively with a multimeter. You may have to  swap wires from 1 & 2, 3 & 6, 19 & 20, just like a conventional SCART to SCART lead is wired.

[gia]

But I want rgb not composite, and as far as i understand the pinouts the snes cable isn't even outputting composite and the sweetspot doesn't even have audio in (and the card doesn't process audio, which will be a problem later, but first I should get the image). The only lines that end up going from one to the other are R, G and B, nothing more, nothing less, or does RGB do actually REQUIRE a composite "sync"? Because that's the only other pin the sweetspot's cable can accept and the snes cable doesn't provide, is composite sync the composite the snes provides anyway? or is it something different.

Sweetspot has two videomodes RGB and RGBs or something like that, but it said to use plain RGB, so I disregarded that yellow plug that is called "composite sync" (it comes from the scart cable) thinking it was the s in RGBs.

I don't have a multimeter and the box wasn't a pass through, in the diagram the lines were crossed which told me it does what it should

Before I go on a quest for a multimeter am I correct on what I said or did I read the pinouts wrong, or I didn't but that composite is not required?

[gia]

ok, I got a multimeter, and you are correct it is a passthrough I will post a pic later but it also looks cheap using thin cables.

R G and B with a passthrough work because they don't move but 18 and 20 from the SNES AV wouldn't go to 17 and 19 of sweetspot if sweetspot is an "inpout" and snes an "output". Personally I would think its the other way but that's the only way to have their pins make sense.

So if it was like that one of the steps to fix this is moving the cables on the scart bridge so it doesn't just work as an extension. would someone please tell me if the way the SNES A/V cable is setup, is everything correct there? or should something be moved/changed?

[gia]

It took me a lot of frustation and burns but I borrowed a solder iron and rewired the  "bridge" and soldered the snes A/V again (I had cut it to pieces). It doesn't look pretty but I can't see the cables making contact with each other so I hope this should suffice for testing and doesn't affect the video synching.

Now that the composite video line reaches the sweetspot the rgb image starts to synch, now it doesn't fly all over the screen. However it still isn't centered, the image jumps every frame up and down, usually something like one pixel but sometimes quite a few, like twenty.

The DirectShow driver doesn't work (shows a black screen), so I had to use the default dscaler support for the sweetspot. I turned off JudderTerminator and set it to 2:2 pulldown flip on even (whatever that is) along with Square Pixels (seems to show offscreen data which I read about is for TVs, not sure if applies to RGB though). Without those settings the image jumps all over the place, when using any of the pulldown settings the image jumps less though but the 3:2 ones make the framerate look choppy.  I took three frames and "deinterlaced" them side by side with VirtualDub to show how the image jumps.

The jumps repeat like this, first two fields:


Then both fields jump, one a lot more than the other:


Then they return to their original "offsets":


The fourth frame would jump like the second.

I thought of reducing the capture size to 320*240 (right now seems to capture 720 horizontal) but there's no options I can find, the DShow driver did have options, but it refuses to show video now so...


Only thing wrong that is left is that on the pinouts villetim linked to the composite synch ground is pin 6 while I got pin 5 which is labeled as ground too. Also the sweetspot has R G and B ground cables but my SNES A/V doesn't feed those. Are those alright?

Also on playasia http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-24-49-en-70-64.html a buyer stated the cable that has the resistor connected to another pin is soldered wrong, and that they should switch places, would that be true?

And then if I understand correctly the cylinders are 110uF capacitors while the snes a/v to scart pinout I saw has 220uF listed, would that make the jumps appear?

[Fudoh]

Unfortunately I can't help you with adjusting the SNES's RGB signal, but once you're done on the hardware-side, rethink the software side. DScaler is crap for capturing 240p material, one reason is that it cannot properly capture the 59,94Hz you need. Go to http://www.iulabs.com/ and download a trial version of iuVCR (not iuVCS). Adjust the capture framerate to 59,94Hz and make sure to capture in full 480i (720x480 interlaced). Capture in something non-destructive, HuffYUV or Newtek maybe.

Then go and download this: http://pms.hazard-city.de/Timm_240p_Package.zip

It includes an AviSynth script (adjust the filename) which does the the frameservering, decoding and splits the fields (480@29,97fps -> 240@59,94fps). It also includes the FieldShift Filter for Virtual Dub which you need to get rid of the field offset (since you recorded as 480i). Install the filter and load the included VCF file (VDub processing settings) for an example. Additonal filtering is done by a double-resize. Your result will be a perfect 720x480p59,94 video which captures every single step of motion beautifully. You can add more filters if you want to resize, e.g. to 320x240 or crop the borders. Just remember to choose the correct output codec. MPEG2 for example cannot handle 480p59,94.

You can download a processed sample clip here: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PUS6M9WP
(Note that the video has some hickups which are caused by capturing in 60Hz instead of 59,94Hz. Wasn't my source though.)

[gia]

Whoa my head exploded, but thanks! Do you mean you have used these programs with the sweetspot card? Because if I don't use DScaler I am not sure how it would connect to the sweetspot (there are no "drivers", there are "DirectShow drivers" but they seem to be as buggy as the DScaler connection), I suppose I can try though, I will this weekend.

_____

This is what news I had:

I had only been testing with one game (Metal Warriors) because the SNES I am using for this is my older one that I didn't use because it had trouble detecting the cartridges, I had conditioned it to work with one game and that was it. Since the image jumps I recalled reading the image jumps due to some stuff having to do with the game itself, these don't output standard video. So now I started testing as many carts as possible, all of them jump, I can't have that many games with non standard video modes or would the snes be like that?

I then tried my N64, RGB didn't work (that's fine because it isn't moded yet because I am not sure what mod to do because there's this and that but this is actually doing it wrong, or this will slowly fry your n64, etc), but my modded cable also carries the composite video, the composite video didn't jump and looked quite good.

Then went back to the snes games, and the composite looked like the same crap, even worse than RGB, not only it jumped the image itself had grainy artifacts. Thinking it could be the cable I switched it with the official composite cable, unmodded, but same results, so the image is really jumping and it wouldn't be my modded cable.

To record I use Dscaler, on a custom version that works with the sweetspot. I set it to NTSC and only leave Fallback to Video on Bad Pulldown, Simple Weave and Square Pixels on, the rest is off. Other deinterlacers but simple weave look much much worse. This version of DScaler can't record full height interlaced video, I got another that can, but rather get it working on this one first because it is the recommended version, the effects are about the same though, the image jumps a bit more or less.

I am uploaded videos of all the games I could test, you dont have to download them, I put a description of what shows on each:

SNES Cybernator using RGB mode: http://rapidshare.com/files/308630714/cyber_rgb.rar.html, image looks great, but slightly jumps.
SNES Tiny Toons using RGB mode: http://rapidshare.com/files/308814915/tt_rgb.rar.html, image looks great, but jumps more.
SNES Metal Warriors using RGB mode, recorded in current DScaler version in full height: http://rapidshare.com/files/308826945/mw_fullheight.rar.html, image looks great, and sometimes jumps like crazy, others jumps slightly.
SNES Zombies Ate My Neighbors using RGB mode: http://rapidshare.com/files/308814918/zamn_rgb.rar.html, image looks great, but slightly jumps.
SNES Street Fighter II using RGB mode: http://rapidshare.com/files/308669964/sfii_rgb.rar.html, image looks great, but slightly jumps.
SNES Street Fighter II using Official Composite: http://rapidshare.com/files/308669962/sfii_compo.rar.html, image has grain artifacts, and slightly jumps.
N64 Pokemon Snap using modded cable but Composite mode: http://rapidshare.com/files/308669961/snap_rgbcompo.rar.html, image looks very good, it shows some grainy artifacts but not as much as sfii, and doesn't jump.

Now, on my TV the image doesn't jump using the official composite cable, but I can't test the rgb cable because I don't have a tv with scart input, and finding one on this side of the world isn't likely.

[Fudoh]

Do you mean you have used these programs with the sweetspot card?

yes, I did. For a few years without any problems. First I used the WDM driver 1.0, later on (2007+) I used the WDM driver 2.0 which you can download here: http://www.pixelmagicforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2249

The 1.0 version can be downloaded here: http://www.pluggedin.tv/sweetspot/support/downloads/sweetspot_wdm_driver.exe
It's fine as well, or at least I never had a problem with it. Rock solid from day 1.

I only used Dscaler a very short time. But it's just not a recording app. The record feature was experimental all the way.

[gia]

Ah, did you use an SNES with it? the game you linked I read is for dreamcast. I ask because maybe its something to do with the snes (or maybe my console?)  itself and here i am breaking my head for nothing. So I tried the programs you linked and they feel safer than dscaler (only one crash and didn't take down the program), however the jumping is still there. The fieldshift filter looks like it doubles the image size besides the field shifting (which means: change fields based on how they jump I guess?), is that correct? or should it not double anything.

The other thing that could maybe do this is that while recording I never see 29.97fps, the average fps is always fluctuating below that number (going as low as 28fps sometimes) the usual is like 29.2fps. The final video however is 29.970fps. The card is capped at 30fps when recording NTSC_M.  Composite official, modded or RGB all of them have the jumping, but my tv doesn't have the jumping with the official composite (cant test the modded cable).

Since my n64 did have a solid image with the composite cable and this card maybe I should mod my N64 to check if that works, do you guys know which of the many mods is the correct one (which is different than "this is not correct, but easier") for a USA NUS-001 CPU 3? Im really confused about what is the n64 mod.

[Fudoh]

Ah, did you use an SNES with it?

possibly, but I can't remember. I downloaded the Tiny Toons Video of yours and the problem is not capture related, it's sync related. Had a similar error on another system once, where I was able to fix it with a different combination of resistors and capacitors in the R/G/B/S lines.

The fieldshift filter looks like it doubles the image size besides the field shifting (which means: change fields based on how they jump I guess?), is that correct? or should it not double anything.

the AVISynth script doubles the framerate. The Fildshift filter just corrects the jumping (1 line in every 2nd picture), but you have to fix the "big jumps" first.

The other thing that could maybe do this is that while recording I never see 29.97fps, the average fps is always fluctuating below that number (going as low as 28fps sometimes) the usual is like 29.2fps.

don't pay attention to the stats, the video will be real 29.97 all the time.

[gia]

I got a multimeter or whatever it is called, have to return it so I am posting before I forget the numbers, I am not sure I am using it correctly, but the resistor seems to be 75 ohm (74.8-9 actually) (I put the multimeter on the respective scart pins, when the cable was not connected to anything). I couldnt get any reading from the capacitors, I guess I dont know how to but I rather not blow anything up. They claim to be 100uF.

Also the voltage on the SCART out are 2.2 (multimeter set on "20V~") and on the SNES AV out (before getting appliedthe resistors etc) are 1.8 on R, 1.1 on B, 1.3 on G, 1.2 on the rest.  I just put the black on the scart shield "pin" and the red on the respective pins.

Also if instead of putting the black on the shield I put it on the black cable from the AV out or scart pin 2, I got different readings, on the multimeter "200m" setting the voltages for all pins were moving erratically, between 30 and 100 most of them. But when not connected to anything the multimeter was oscillating around 140-150 so im not sure if I fried this thing... I am not sure if I "fried" anything even if for an instant, reducing its life or so.

[Jeroi]

RGB analog component video

The various RGB (red, green, blue) analog component video standards (e.g., RGBS, RGBHV, RG&SB) use no compression and impose no real limit on color depth or resolution, but require large bandwidth to carry the signal and contain much redundant data since each channel typically includes the same black and white image. Most modern computers offer this signal via the VGA port. Many televisions, especially in Europe, utilize RGB via the SCART connector. All arcade games, excepting early vector and black and white games, use RGB monitors.

Analog RGB is slowly falling out of favor as computers obtain better clarity using digital video (DVI) and home theater moves towards HDMI. Analog RGB has been largely ignored, despite its quality and suitability, as it cannot easily be made to support digital rights management. RGB was never popular in North America for consumer electronics as S-Video was considered sufficient for consumer use, although RGB was used extensively in commercial, professional and high-end installations.

RGB requires an additional signal for synchronizing the video display. Several methods are used:

   * composite sync, where the horizontal and vertical signals are mixed together on a separate wire (the S in RGBS)
   * separate sync, where the horizontal and vertical are each on their own wire (the H and V in RGBHV)
   * sync on green, where a composite sync signal is overlaid on the green wire (SoG or RGsB).

Composite sync is common in the European SCART connection scheme (using pin 17 [gnd] and 19 [out] or 20 [in]). Sometimes a full composite video signal may also serve as the sync signal, though often computer monitors will be unable to handle the extra video data. A full composite sync video signal requires four wires – red, green, blue, sync. If separate cables are used, the sync cable is usually colored white (or yellow, as is the standard for composite video).

Separate sync is most common with VGA, used worldwide for analog computer monitors. This is sometimes known as RGBHV, as the horizontal and vertical synchronization pulses are sent in separate channels. This mode requires five conductors. If separate cables are used, the sync lines are usually yellow (H) and white (V),[2] or yellow (H) and black (V), or gray (H) and black (V).[3]

Sync on Green (SoG) is the least common, and while some VGA monitors support it, most do not. Sony is a big proponent of SoG, and most of their monitors (and their PlayStation 2 video game console) use it. Like devices that use composite video or S-video, SoG devices require additional circuitry to remove the sync signal from the green line. A monitor that is not equipped to handle SoG will display an image with an extreme green tint, if any image at all, when given a SoG input.

Indeed, you need to solder composite output pin on scart to green pin, and composite gnd pin to green gnd pin. Then setup SweetSpot jumper to RGsB and enjoy your rgb recordings!


I had same problems with megadrive than you, but I used scart swtich box, and from output I bought cheap scart-"rgb" cable. But I did find that it only connected rgb to their pins, no sync connected at all, so it was basically scart2YUV cable if device supports YUV over scart output. Then from that wiki I understanded that composite sync can be overlayed to green. I then tried attaching comp pin to green and gnd to green gnd and voila SweeSpot started to capture very nice rgb image! I am recording with Virtualdub tought, Dscaler does break whole vista is some settings are changed, I mean whole Vista freeses. I cant recomment Dscaler to anyone.

[gia]

thanks a lot! ok, from what I understood then I'd need to remove the pin 2 from the snes (Green) I am using and connect the pin 9 from the snes (Composite video) to the pin 11 of the scart cable (Green) instead, and everything would be solved?

Composite video would have RGB and sync all in that pin, so the card will extract the sync and the green data.

I say so because as alternative there is a pin 3 on the snes (Composite Sync), which sounds like what the card would be missing, but I assume composite sync does not have green data and as such the video would be missing a color.