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Author Topic: Groovymame & Emudriver to CRT - Hardware Advice  (Read 3702 times)

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RVZ

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Groovymame & Emudriver to CRT - Hardware Advice
« on: October 09, 2019, 09:20:39 am »
Hi all

Apologies if this has been answered before, I scanned through the forum, but not getting a definite answer. 

I want to use Groovymame and the CRT Emudriver with one of the compatible Radeon cards to connect to my Samsung CRT TV.  The inputs on the TV are either composite, component and s-video, so planning on using component.  Is it as simple as using an VGA / DVI / HDMI to Component converter?  If so, are there any specific ones recommended to use? 

If it's not just the converter that I need, what else do I need to buy?

Thanks for the advice, just want to make sure I'm getting the right equipment before buying it.

 :)

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Re: Groovymame & Emudriver to CRT - Hardware Advice
« Reply #1 on: October 09, 2019, 10:09:31 am »
Just out of curiosity : no SCART ?

RVZ

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Re: Groovymame & Emudriver to CRT - Hardware Advice
« Reply #2 on: October 09, 2019, 10:43:53 am »
Nope, unfortunately no scart.

Arroyo

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Re: Groovymame & Emudriver to CRT - Hardware Advice
« Reply #3 on: October 09, 2019, 12:17:19 pm »
I believe that answer to all of your questions can be found here:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,161170.0.html

RVZ

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Re: Groovymame & Emudriver to CRT - Hardware Advice
« Reply #4 on: October 09, 2019, 02:48:45 pm »
Thank you. So to confirm, I can use that converter to convert hdmi to component from a Radeon card?

Recapnation

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Re: Groovymame & Emudriver to CRT - Hardware Advice
« Reply #5 on: October 09, 2019, 03:51:36 pm »
Your card outputs RGB; your TV supports YPP through RCA ("component") inputs. YPP and RGB differ in the color space, so you need a transcoder. Make sure anything you buy does that and you'll be fine.

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Re: Groovymame & Emudriver to CRT - Hardware Advice
« Reply #6 on: October 09, 2019, 07:10:03 pm »
Thank you. So to confirm, I can use that converter to convert hdmi to component from a Radeon card?


What card do you plan on using?  Easier would be analog out via a D-Sub (VGA) or DVI-I, but yes you can use newer cards using HDMI out and get an HDMI to VGA DAC (Digital to Analog converter). As Recapnation mentioned you will still need to convert the color space unless you are willing to modify the TV for RGB input (as mentioned in the thread I linked to).  The color space converter is a Transcoder.  Again it was discussed with links in the thread I referenced.


It will either cost you time or money.  But to answer your question, no, you don’t want to buy a converter card as it will most likely give a fixed resolution output and refresh rate which defeats the whole point of doing GroovyMame which is to output the games native resolution and refresh rate.

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Re: Groovymame & Emudriver to CRT - Hardware Advice
« Reply #7 on: October 10, 2019, 02:20:05 am »
Your card outputs RGB; your TV supports YPP through RCA ("component") inputs. YPP and RGB differ in the color space, so you need a transcoder. Make sure anything you buy does that and you'll be fine.

Someone suggested this one in another thread, any idea if it should work?

https://www.amazon.com/Portta-Component-Converter-Scaler-support/dp/B00JVNUAEI/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=DVI+to+YPBPR&qid=1569608559&s=electronics&sr=1-3


What card do you plan on using?  Easier would be analog out via a D-Sub (VGA) or DVI-I, but yes you can use newer cards using HDMI out and get an HDMI to VGA DAC (Digital to Analog converter). As Recapnation mentioned you will still need to convert the color space unless you are willing to modify the TV for RGB input (as mentioned in the thread I linked to).  The color space converter is a Transcoder.  Again it was discussed with links in the thread I referenced.

It will either cost you time or money.  But to answer your question, no, you don’t want to buy a converter card as it will most likely give a fixed resolution output and refresh rate which defeats the whole point of doing GroovyMame which is to output the games native resolution and refresh rate.

I'm planning on using something like an HD4350.  The only reason why I'm looking at HDMI instead of VGA or DVI, is because the guy mentioned in the other thread that he had issues with those, but got it working with HDMI. 

The more I look into this, the more confused I'm getting.  I don't have a problem on either the time or money issue, but I'm not sure about doing the TV modifications, as I don't have enough knowledge on that.  So I'd rather spend the money then on getting a proper solution.  So I assume the converter mentioned above won't work for getting the custom lower resolutions to work?  If not, do you have an example of a transcoder that should work?

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Re: Groovymame & Emudriver to CRT - Hardware Advice
« Reply #8 on: October 10, 2019, 08:08:28 am »
Your basic fork in the road when it comes to graphics cards is to go Analog or Digital.  Every new card is digital only.  The last Analog card was the AMD R9.

Analog is simpler but obviously not as powerful as the newer cards (not really an issue for almost all arcade games if you are using a CRT).  The newer digital only cards will require a digital to analog converter like the one you linked above.

If it were me starting out, unless there was a real reason to do so I would buy a card with Analog out.  It’s simpler, and cheaper.  Analog out comes with any VGA connection (don’t be confused with the newer AMD computers that offer VGA from the motherboard, they won’t work), and any DVI-I connection, not DVI-D.

From there you will need either a DVI-I to component, or VGA to component cable to plug into a Transcoder you will need to buy since you indicated you aren’t interested in modifying the TV.

Once you do all that you just need to setup all the software.

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Re: Groovymame & Emudriver to CRT - Hardware Advice
« Reply #9 on: October 10, 2019, 08:18:10 am »
Your basic fork in the road when it comes to graphics cards is to go Analog or Digital.  Every new card is digital only.  The last Analog card was the AMD R9.

Analog is simpler but obviously not as powerful as the newer cards (not really an issue for almost all arcade games if you are using a CRT).  The newer digital only cards will require a digital to analog converter like the one you linked above.

If it were me starting out, unless there was a real reason to do so I would buy a card with Analog out.  It’s simpler, and cheaper.  Analog out comes with any VGA connection (don’t be confused with the newer AMD computers that offer VGA from the motherboard, they won’t work), and any DVI-I connection, not DVI-D.

From there you will need either a DVI-I to component, or VGA to component cable to plug into a Transcoder you will need to buy since you indicated you aren’t interested in modifying the TV.

Once you do all that you just need to setup all the software.

Thanks for the ongoing advice.  Ok, so the graphics card and cable shouldn't be an issue.  Do you have an example of a transcoder that will work?

To also maybe go a different route, will it work going from either hdmi, dvi or vga, to a scart connection, and then use a scart converter to component?  Something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/Shinybow-SCART-RGB-Component-Converter-Transcoder/dp/B003YTBGQG

Not sure if it's maybe easier doing the connection like that, or maybe I'm just over complicating the whole setup?   ???

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Re: Groovymame & Emudriver to CRT - Hardware Advice
« Reply #10 on: October 10, 2019, 08:22:26 am »
Yes over complicating it.  Don’t confuse a digital to Analog converter like the one you linked vs a Transcoder. 

Either way (digital or analog) you will need a Transcoder.  Going digital adds the additional complication and cost of a digital to analog converter.  As I said I would keep it simple by using an Analog output of an AMD card that is capable of it.

As far as Transcoders go, they seem to come and go.  If you read up on that thread I linked I talked about what I bought (no longer available) and what appears would work with a current offering.

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Re: Groovymame & Emudriver to CRT - Hardware Advice
« Reply #11 on: October 10, 2019, 12:09:41 pm »

https://www.amazon.com/Shinybow-SCART-RGB-Component-Converter-Transcoder/dp/B003YTBGQG

Not sure if it's maybe easier doing the connection like that, or maybe I'm just over complicating the whole setup?   ???

I don't have first-hand experience (though the few Shinybow devices I've used had pretty decent quality) and you should confirm it further, but I actually think that that's most likely the best solution if it really transcodes passively (what you need to confirm).

As mentioned, forget about using digital-only cards and worry about analog outputs, but read -- don't install a HD-4000 series card in 2019. HD-5000 and newer unless you need WIN XP for some reason and the card is in your hands. The SCART input the Shinybow transcoder uses may seem a downside at first, but it'll allow for an easier usage of RGB consoles on your TV set, if that's a thing one day. You just need a good D-sub-to-SCART RGB cable/solution, which aren't particularly cheap but are easy to find these days. Ask what syncronism modes the Shinybow expects, since you're outputting RGBHV from the graphic card unless you do some advanced configuration and the transcoder may only like sync-on-composite-video or RGBS (in that case, the D-sub-to-SCART RGB cable/solution will have to be an RGBHV-to-RGBS one as well).

DVI-to-D-sub adapter if the card doesn't have the latter (peanuts) and RCA-to-RCA YPP cable for the Shinybow-to-TV end (almost peanuts, but spend a little more for a good one). Done.
« Last Edit: October 10, 2019, 12:29:45 pm by Recapnation »