RGB/Scart CRT-TVs for people in the US

Dude, use a RGB to video component converter. They cost $50 at ebay.

Mine will arrive this week (I hope), I'll be able to plug it on my sony wegas trinitron 38". You know size matters.
According to several sites and game enthusiasts there's absolute no difference if the converter is a good one.

 

I don't think that's the case. I notice just on my PVM that compared to component, RGB seems to have better contrast and colors, and is sharper (if it's a good signal to begin with).

 

I never knew the PVM had component input.
Which model you have that has that?

Which converter are you using?

 

It's easier to test with a PS2. It can be configured to output RGB or Component.

 

I did this test using my PS2 with s-video and component. I can see the colors look much better but I can't say for RGB.

 

Don't talk about "the PVM" as if they're all the same. There are dozens of models - some don't even have RGB. Be specific if you want to talk about a certain feature, to avoid disappointment

Maybe one day, I'll write a quick guide to the various models, if I get some time!

 

That's why I asked the model

 

There are several PVMs with component inputs. Some even accept HD signals. Mine is a PVM-20M2MDU. It has composite (NTSC/PAL), S-video, RGB, and component inputs. It actually has 2 RGB inputs, and they can be switched (via the on-screen menu) to either RGB or component. I'm not using a converter.

On a side-note, I've noticed that the quality of RGB signals varies a lot depending on the system. Some look as good or better than a computer signal, and some look barely better than S-video. For example, my MVS board is so sharp it almost looks like an emulator. My Super Famicom, on the other hand, looks quite blurry. Component varies a bit, too. It's generally very sharp, but it seems to lack that "glow" that RGB sources have.

 

At least for playstation 2 (and i assume for most consoles that have component output), video is converted from RGB to YPbPr, even though the loss is minor, this process is lossy.

The best video output from PS2 would be to use the official linux VGA cable with a Sync-on-Green capable monitor and use a 3rd party product "HDTV XPLODER" or a homebrew "GSM" to force VGA progressive modes on games. And that is with varying compatibility.

Alternatively you can use the official component cable plus a component-to-vga cable (which is just plug, no converter etc. inside). Again you would need a Sync-on-Green capable monitor.

Or you can just tap RGB output from the mainboard if you are capable and that would the best-of-the-best picture possible for a playstation 2.

 

Isn't there an official PlayStation SCART cable? Or does that only work with a PS1?

 

PS1/2/3 scart cables are all the same.

 

Do they work with NTSC systems, or only PAL systems? I remember hearing somewhere that PSX over RGB looks very good.

 

Works with NTSC systems.

 

Yup RGB looks OK enough to me on a US PS2. Haven't tried PS1 yet.

I still suspect that Naki PS1 RGB cable I mentioned earlier was sold in the US. US company address, American English spelling, no mention of "SCART"...

 

Yeah RGB Scart looks good on both PS1 and PS2. As component cables don't work on PS1, it is your best choice.

But if you want to use progressive scan on supported games on ps2, you have to use component. Component cable is much better than composite cables on 480i but i don't know if it is better than RGB scart on 480i. I would compare it myself but my component cable is official and RGB Scart is 3rd party so it wouldn't be fair.

 

It's the PSX DVR who lacks the multi-AV. I haven't heard of an RGB mod. Not much point in Japan with a standard D terminal jack

 

He might mean PS1 by PSX....

It can get quite confusing, as the PS1 was commonly called the PSX. Then sony released the PSX...

 

Component from a PS2 is hardly lossy, you could say the same about its RGB output when playing DVDs.

IMO PVMs just aren't worth it, I'm long out of the church of the PVM. You either suffer searching out and picking up locally, paying too much to buy/ship one online, or even if you're given one you still have to look at it. You're into the style? Well they're often terribly beat up and have more hours on them than preschoolers have been alive. Oh and their specs are quite below the average arcade monitor. I hope to go the enclosed monitor w/ custom chassis route someday.. but until then I'll continue to play via mainstream inputs.

 

Yeah, I meant PS1. I think I'm probably going to get a PS1 (or PSX) SCART cable, and I'll report what I find. Very few PS2 games supported progressive-scan, so I'm not too concerned about that. My component cables are official too, so it might not be a proper comparison, but if the third party cables are still better then it won't matter. I have 3 PS1s and 2 PS2s (but not 3 PS3s), so I might as well try to make the most of them.

I don't know all the technical details, but I've seen a lot of arcade monitors, and I've never seen one with as sharp an image as my PVM. Arcade monitors look rather blurry by comparison. Those other things are all valid concerns, but as far as image quality, you can't do much better in a CRT. It also depends on the model. I have a 13" model made in 1984, and a 20" model made in 2001 - and the 20" model is vastly superior. As retro said, you shouldn't lump them all together - there are a lot of differences. Also, as far as PVMs being beat up and having many hours on them? That's probably true, but PVMs are built to take a lot of abuse. As I said, one of my PVMs is from 1984, and it's still kicking - albeit not in perfect shape. But then what do you expect for $30? I'd still love to own an arcade monitor (or even a full cab), but those are also very expensive and require a lot of work to get up and running (and not shock you).

If you do that, maybe you could also include some information on the GVM line, since there doesn't seem to be much information available on them.

 

If by sharpness you're talking about that edge-looking pixels you have this has nothing to do with source input differences. RGB/Component over s-video over composite will give you less color blend and that would cause the lost in sharpness but there isn't more data coming from a source than other. It's collateral effect.
Most modern TVs, including high-end CRT, work this around, by the way.

RGB, as far as I understand, is a input that goes around most of the problems caused by the others, like conversions and blending, that would make the image cleaner but not sharper.