Dreamcast VGA box & Scanline generator

I bought a Hanzo a few months ago, and I love it! Any plans to build a HDMI version? Its something I'd be willing to spend good money on to avoid having to use a separate VGA to HDMI Adapter...

 

A couple members and myself were talking on the GCVideo thread in the modding section about getting true digital HDMI out of the Dreamcast. It is possible and once some other work is done, they said they would look into it.

Of course this means modding your Dreamcast and installing either a custom connector to keep the necessary parts/components external, or installing the parts/components internally.

It would give the best image quality possible out of the Dreamcast. It should be better than using VGA to HDMI converters as the mod would output a true digital signal from the start instead of the analog VGA signals converted to digital HDMI.

 

Honestly I'd pay for just a simple VGA to HDMI Converter embedded in the Hanzo Device, just to give a cleaner look to my cable setup, I prefer easy stealth mods that are drop in replacements when possible due to my limited electronics skills.

 

Have I missed the boat with the Hanzo boxes, it would seem everything is sold out and eBay is either awful tat or £145 0_o

Of course if a hdmi solution would be perfect a vga to keep things stock would be best for the collection.

 

I bought one a month ago and received it. Try to contact him at his website http://www.beharbros.com/#!hanzo/c1gph

 

I'm also using this with it and works great http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EV6AARC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

What differences will the new version of the Hanzo have? Sorry if this has been discussed, I read back a few pages and didn't see any specs.

 

We did some improvements on the cable design, now a little longer, better build quality. Scanline thickness switch added again.

 

Just out of curiosity, is something like the Toro possible for the PS2? I know for 480i and lower resolutions SCART is the best choice, though for 480p you need to use component cables. Since 480p is possible over SCART with Toro, I'd certainly be interested in a single cable for PS2 that does everything.

 

There is any release date for the updated hanzo ?

 

You can still use RGB cables with the PS2 for 480p+ modes, however, there is a catch. The PS2 supports 3 types of RGB: RGBS (used in SCART/JP-21), RGBHV (VGA; requires mod), and RGsB (Sync-on-Green). When you have RGB mode enabled on the PS2 and then swap to progressive mode in a compatible game, the PS2 disables RGBS and enables RGsB. So 480i/576i and lower uses RGBS and anything higher uses RGsB. If the monitor/upscaler is not designed for RGsB, the image will have a green tint to it or not appear. The official PS2 VGA cable for the Linux kit uses RGsB. True VGA mode (RGBHV) requires both a softmod and a hardware mod.

I'm not sure if something like the Toro could work on the PS2. The DC Toro uses a Sync Combiner, which combines the H-Sync and V-Sync signals into a single Composite Sync (C-Sync; not the same as Composite Video) signal. You would need to convert RGsB to RGBS. Even if you do that, the image may have an extreme green tint to it. If you want RGB on your PS2 in progressive mode, you will need a monitor/upscaler that supports RGsB. I hear the Sony HDTVs with VGA ports support it. The upcoming universal HDMI mod is also another option.

 

We have them in stock now, however it can take upto 3 weeks to ship an order.

 

Interesting. Thanks for the detailed explanation! Being that the SCART cables I've seen for PS2 use Sync-on-Luma, it makes sense that the swap to a different sync source is an issue. It sounds like two cables will always be needed at that point unless something drastically changes.

I'm guessing the XRGB mini has trouble with RGsB sources as well.

I'm not familiar with the Universal HDMI mod. Mind linking me to it to read up?

 

I'm not sure but I think the XRGB mini supports RGsB via the VGA port on the back of it. I'm not too familiar with the Framemeister since I don't own one. If you get tired of Sync-on-Luma, you could always replace the composite video line on the AV Out with the true C-Sync signal and use a SCART cable wired for Composite Video. C-Sync will give a slightly better image. You can find the C-Sync pin on the DAC. I also mentioned that the PS2 supports RGBHV (VGA). I forgot to say that there is a problem with it. Without softmods, only a handful of games support it.

The HDMI mod basically bypasses the console's internal DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) chip, which converts the console's native digital audio and video signals to analog audio/video. By tapping into the digital signals before they hit the DAC, you can convert the signals to HDMI. Since the signal is kept digital, there is no loss in quality like with those cheap PS2 to HDMI converters. With something like those things, the signal goes from Digital to Analog inside the PS2 and then back to Digital in the external HDMI converter, creating lag and quality loss. This mod will give you the best picture possible out of the PS2.

Many PS2 games and all PS1 games are either 240p or 480i so the mod board can upscale these to higher resolutions if your HDTV doesn't like 240p and/or 480i over HDMI. I think there is a scanline option too.

I plan on doing this mod to some of my systems and maybe even an old VGA-only PC Video card if it is possible. Imagine MS-DOS running through HDMI without an emulator like DOSBOX. I'll have to get another PS2 for it though since mine is my childhood system. I rather not open that.

This is the main thread: http://assemblergames.com/l/threads/hdmi-and-rgb-mods-for-different-consoles.56044/ and this is OzOnE's YT channel where he shows it working on the N64, GameCube, and the Dreamcast: https://www.youtube.com/user/electronash. The Dreamcast videos are quite impressive and some of them are 60FPS.

 

Sadly the XRGB Mini doesn't have a VGA port.

I'm definitely going to keep that thread in the back of my mind. Seems like a fun project

 

I thought it did have one...

Hopefully the mod won't be too hard to install. If you have multiple systems you want to use it with, I recommend making it external. Simply wire the necessary lines to a fully-wired DVI-I connector on both the mod board and the console using your own custom pinout and you should be good to go. Make a custom case for it too.

 

I plan on buying a Hanzo but i have a question. My TV doesn't have the RCA jacks on it for VGA. My only option is the small headphone style jack. What do you recommend?

 

Get an RCA (male) to 3.5mm (male) adapter.

Should look like this:


It's fairly cheap, you can get them for a dollar at a thrift store. Otherwise you can get them pretty much anywhere where they have a little bit of audio accessories going on.

 

Hi all ,

I just got my hanzo box and i'm having a few issues. Some games are ok (Dead or Alive, Guilty Gear - they look amazing) but i'm getting no picture beyond the boot screen for others (Crazy Taxy, capcom vs SNK). I can hear the game running, just no picture. Any thoughts as to what could be happening?

I'm using http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produc...F&cm_re=vga_to_hdmi-_-15-158-397CVF-_-Product this to convert the signal to HDMI.

 

Does it do this with a standard RF, Composite, S-Video, or RGB SCART/JP-21 cable? If so, your DC may need repairs. If not, something might be wrong with the game or the Hanzo. Are these burned copies or real GD-ROMs?