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[dolabla]

I was leaning toward the OSSC, but decided to go with the Framemeister since the OSSC seems to have an issue with my TV for the SNES (according what I read) and it doesn't deinterlace 480i content. But damn does it look it awesome. I'll get an OSSC somewhere down the line when the issues are ironed out.

But anyways, man I'm super excited! (And my wallet hurts !) I'll be hooking a Genesis, SNES, Dreamcast (via Toro), PS2/PS1, GameCube (I did not realize how outrageous component cables are for this thing) and my Master System. I'll try my other consoles like my Jaguar, Saturn, etc, but those ones I listed above will be my main ones for right now .

For fellow Gaffers who own one, how do games via S-Video look on it? I think will only be using S-Video on two consoles. The GameCube and the N64 (when I get another one). Will it be okay to hook those two up to an S-Video switch and run it to the Framemeister?

The rest will be Scart. I won't be able to hook all those consoles up at one time, but I bought two of these Scart switches and thought about daisy chaining it. Will I lose any quality of the image? These are the switches https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006JAUZ/?tag=neogaf0e-20

I ordered them from Amazon Italy for cheaper ($60 with shipping) for two. Any of you have any experience with these switches? I saw RetroRGB had them listed on his site as being quality switches for a cheap price.

Also, I wanted to ask about the power supply. I live in the US. Should I be good about hooking the power supply straight up to a US outlet? Or do I need a voltage converter?

 

[DynamiteCop!]

I've thought about going this route with my setups but for me honestly it's not worth the hassle or extra money especially since SCART is a completely foreign input setup to the US and if I was going to even consider all of this it would have to be coupled with a PVM which is an even larger ridiculous cost.

I've been running S-Video with a multitude of CRT's for basically everything and from what I've seen SCART while an improvement starts to get into diminishing returns territory with a large amount of convolution and disproportionate cost attached to it.

 

[dolabla]

I've thought about going this route with my setups but for me honestly it's not worth the hassle or extra money especially since SCART is a completely foreign input setup to the US and if I was going to even consider all of this it would have to be coupled with a PVM which is an even larger ridiculous cost.

I've been running S-Video with a multitude of CRT's for basically everything and from what I've seen SCART while an improvement starts to get into diminishing returns territory with a large amount of convolution and disproportionate cost attached to it.

Yeah, I fully understand that. I was pretty much in the same boat about if I wanted to spend this much. I always wanted one, but it is really expensive to get there. Plus they've discontinued the Framemeister and they're only selling what stock they have left so I figured I better make my mind up if I want one or not cause prices will probably sky rocket when they're officially gone.

I'm having to buy the Scart cables (which I'm only buying the for PS2/PS1 and Genesis right now), bought the Scart switches and I just bought the Toro for the Dreamcast. That's a lot of money. I'll have to hold off for a little while before I can buy some more Scart cables. But those are the 4 consoles I'm really interested in playing right now so they get first priority .

I also looked at the PVM/BVM route. I've been gaming on my Sony 20" FV300 Trinitron CRT and it does a great job, but I really wanted to be able to play these games on the big screen. I've been watching quite a bit of videos on it to see what its pros/cons are. I'm very excited to see it in action.

 

[Neff]

I don't know about that SCART box particularly, but Hama stuff is really good in my experience. I've got 2 of their HDMI splitters for the 5-console Nintendo/Sony/Microsoft party sitting under my TV, no lag whatsoever.

I've also used a lot of SCART splitter boxes in the past and by and large so long as they're wired properly you won't get any loss in PQ.

 

[dolabla]

I don't know about that SCART box particularly, but Hama stuff is really good in my experience. I've got 2 of their HDMI splitters for the 5-console Nintendo/Sony/Microsoft party sitting under my TV, no lag whatsoever.

I've also used a lot of SCART splitter boxes in the past and by and large so long as they're wired properly you won't get any loss in PQ.

Well that's good to hear. RetroRGB had them on his site as a cheaper option. It only has 3 inputs though. That's why I bought two. You don't think I will get any PQ loss if I daisy chain them? I'm gonna be running an 8 foot cable as the output to the Framemeister. I'm gonna be buying the cables from retro-access.com. That and the retrogamingcables.co.uk seem to be place I read that's the most recommended.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

As someone who has gone through this rigmarole before and ended up returning to just using CRTs...

Congrats on the XRGB Mini! It's a great piece of kit. Make sure to do your homework and get the correct firmware, understand the menus, tune it to your TV based on the system, etc.

This is a bit of an uncommon opinion, but I would strongly recommend not using splitters and multi-switches. The WHOLE POINT of using SCART cables and converters like the XRGB Mini is to preserve signal quality from the original hardware while sacrificing as little response time (resulting in input lag) as possible. It is why there are dozens upon dozens of forum posts about the XRGB Mini for every videogame system imaginable. If you're already spending the money on decent-quality cables, then all the more reason to skip the multi-switches. Yeah yeah, you won't be able to make your living room look like the typical YouTuber "every system hooked up at once" nonsense, but that is really poor treatment of your systems for the long-term. Plug the system into the XRGB Mini, play it, then either leave it hooked up until you switch to another system or store it again.

S-Video is perfectly fine. The only people who poo-poo it are ultra-nerd picture quality chasers. I mean, S-Video is technically inferior to SCART (and Component), but it's such a huge leap ahead of RF and Composite that I don't split those hairs too finely e.g. I still play my Saturn hooked up via S-Video to a 27" Toshiba and it looks beautiful. When you're converting an S-Video signal through the XRGB Mini, just remember that you're not getting a "pure" RGB signal. Therefore, the color differentiation and quality will be better on SCART. You can choose to care about it or don't. I mean, you already bought the most expensive part of the setup (the XRGB Mini) so you might as well get the proper cables, too.

 

[dolabla]

As someone who has gone through this rigmarole before and ended up returning to just using CRTs...

Congrats on the XRGB Mini! It's a great piece of kit. Make sure to do your homework and get the correct firmware, understand the menus, tune it to your TV based on the system, etc.

This is a bit of an uncommon opinion, but I would strongly recommend not using splitters and multi-switches. The WHOLE POINT of using SCART cables and converters like the XRGB Mini is to preserve signal quality from the original hardware while sacrificing as little response time (resulting in input lag) as possible. It is why there are dozens upon dozens of forum posts about the XRGB Mini for every videogame system imaginable. If you're already spending the money on decent-quality cables, then all the more reason to skip the multi-switches. Yeah yeah, you won't be able to make your living room look like the typical YouTuber "every system hooked up at once" nonsense, but that is really poor treatment of your systems for the long-term. Plug the system into the XRGB Mini, play it, then either leave it hooked up until you switch to another system or store it again.

S-Video is perfectly fine. The only people who poo-poo it are ultra-nerd picture quality chasers. I mean, S-Video is technically inferior to SCART (and Component), but it's such a huge leap ahead of RF and Composite that I don't split those hairs too finely e.g. I still play my Saturn hooked up via S-Video to a 27" Toshiba and it looks beautiful. When you're converting an S-Video signal through the XRGB Mini, just remember that you're not getting a "pure" RGB signal. Therefore, the color differentiation and quality will be better on SCART. You can choose to care about it or don't. I mean, you already bought the most expensive part of the setup (the XRGB Mini) so you might as well get the proper cables, too.

Thanks! I'm ready to finally try it out.

Would plugging/unplugging have an effect on the Scart connector? As in wear the connectors down quicker? I'm interested in doing this but was afraid doing that it would wear the pin down quicker. That's actually the main reason I got the switches. The convenience was second. I don't mind switching cables out. That would be easy.

Awesome! The only 2 consoles I would use the S-Video are the GameCube and N64. There's no freaking way I'm paying $200 for the GameCube component cables. Can't believe those prices. I would use my Wii to play my GameCube games. I have some Monster component cables for the Wii, but I wouldn't be able to play Gameboy games which I want to do. N64 doesn't do RGB. So S-Video is gonna have to do with those consoles, though later I might get the N64 modded for RGB as it looks very affordable.

Am I good about using the included power supply on a US plug? No need for a converter or anything? It's going to be hooked up to a surge protector.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Thanks! I'm ready to finally try it out.

Would plugging/unplugging have an effect on the Scart connector? As in wear the connectors down quicker? I'm interested in doing this but was afraid doing that it would wear the pin down quicker. That's actually the main reason I got the switches. The convenience was second. I don't mind switching cables out. That would be easy.

Awesome! The only 2 consoles I would use the S-Video are the GameCube and N64. There's no freaking way I'm paying $200 for the GameCube component cables. Can't believe those prices. I would use my Wii to play my GameCube games. I have some Monster component cables for the Wii, but I wouldn't be able to play Gameboy games which I want to do. N64 doesn't do RGB. So S-Video is gonna have to do with those consoles, though later I might get the N64 modded for RGB as it looks very affordable.

Am I good about using the included power supply on a US plug? No need for a converter or anything? It's going to be hooked up to a surge protector.

SCART cables are really beefy and the delicate parts are housed inside of the plug itself. Low risk for the cables wearing out.

S-Video is good. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise. I mean, it's what they put on the XRGB Mini, correct? It can't be terrible if that's what the manufacturers built into the converter.

Don't worry about a step-down voltage transformer. The included power adapter is fine. 100-volts vs the US's 110-120 volts only makes a long-term difference if there is no internal adapter or converter e.g. if you're plugging in an imported Blast City that was designed to run 24/7 on Japanese 100v outlets. Even then, the step-down is only there as a precaution against long-term wear.

 

[Spukc]

i just bought one guys i am so stressed .
wish me luck to bad retrogaf is fing dead these day but i refuse to go to that other website

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

i just bought one guys i am so stressed .
wish me luck to bad retrogaf is fing dead these day but i refuse to go to that other website

Don't fret. The XRGB Mini is easily one of the most well-documented retro-gaming pieces of equipment out there. YouTube has numerous tutorial videos. Do your homework and learn about the thing, but you have nothing to worry about.

 

[Spukc]

Holy shit what is this witchcraft??

 

[Spukc]

just got my framemeister after a liltle tinkering wow blown away.
this thing is worth every single damn penny