cga2vga Scaler + SLG3000 + SyncStrike - Test and Calibration Help [IMAGE HEAVY]

[sj33]

I've spent much of this weekend giving this popular DIY scaler kit a whirl. I bought this a couple of years ago, but only recently gotten around to actually using it. This setup consists of the cga2vga scaler (Component and 30Hz VGA to VGA, also known as the GBS 8220) and required power supply, SLG3000 scanline generator and SyncStrike (RGB Scart to 30Hz VGA, power supply optional but should be able to derive power from the Scart) devices, which can be purchased individually or as a set in most places. Arcadeforge.de now also sell these components combined as one device.

This setup is really quite excellent - great for people who need a device with similar functionality to the XRGB devices but don't fancy spending more on a scaler than their console and TV. As long as VGA will suffice, that is,

However, one small annoyance is that the scanline generation seems to darken the image (and this increases with the scanline intensity). This is not surprising, but does make striking a balance a bit more difficult, and means that you have to configure the scaler to compensate. I figured I'd throw up some examples. These are all take on a Wii connected straight into the scaler using Component.

Apologies for the poor quality of the images - they were all taken on an iPhone 4S. THESE ARE THUMBNAILS! PLEASE CLICK THE IMAGES!

Sonic Colours






Skies of Arcadia Legends









Resident Evil 3: Nemesis







Project Zero 4: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse





Sonic Adventure 2: Battle





F-Zero GX






By my eye, most of these look pretty good. I really don't like overdone scanlines like you see in many emulators, but I feel I've struck a decent balance. However, is it me or is Skies of Arcadia Legends very dark? I've not played the Gamecube version very extensively so it might be that the Dreamcast version is different. Why would only this game be dark?
The black levels appear to be correct, they match the boarders on the sides, though Resident Evil 3: Nemesis appears to be lacking details in the blacks, This may be rose-tinted specs, however.

The scaler itself can be calibrated. It appears to have pretty decent levels out of the box, but the added darkness caused by the scanlines may require a bit of tweaking.



Does anybody know where to get some calibration test images that can be used on a Wii? This will help ensure the scaler is calibrated correctly!

[Lyris]

Don't have time to read 100% of this yet, but:

>> Does anybody know where to get some calibration test images that can be used on a Wii?

Google for the AVSHD 709 disc. It's available in BD format but there are also MP4 versions. Perhaps you could play those on the Wii?

[gIzzE]

Looks like the gamma is all wrong on the lower ire ranges, so when there is a screen shot with lots of birght info it looks fine, but when there is dark info it is far too dark.

The scanlines will always darken an image, you have replaced between 25-50% off the image with black.

I would try upping the contrast first as you may just need to drive it harder when adding scanlines.

[bash]

Im thinking of getting one of these or maybe the SLG HD for my original Xbox to use component but dont know what to output the Xbox. 480i, 480p or 720p for emus?

[sj33]

Cheers for the tips guys. There's definitely not enough detail within the blacks - this is evident when playing Resident Evil 3, I've played that game more than enough times to notice the lacking detail, Clearly this is a calibration issue. I'll up the contrast a tad, give the calibration video a go and see how it goes! If anybody else has any tips, they'd be appreciated! It's really a nice scaler setup for people on a budget, though clearly requires a bit more user input than something like the Framemeister.

The calibration in the images were done by eye. I think I'm quite good at getting decent levels by eye, though it's quite difficult to find a setting that looks decent for all games. Some games seem to need more careful calibration than others (Sonic Colours and F-Zero GX seem to look very nice over a wide range of settings, both being very colourful games).

Im thinking of getting one of these or maybe the SLG HD for my original Xbox to use component but dont know what to output the Xbox. 480i, 480p or 720p for emus?

The SLG3000 creator recommends 640x480 for 'correct' scanlines, Saying that though, setting the scaler to my TV's native 1360x768 (or 1024x768) looks far nicer to me, even if the scanlines might not strictly be 'correct'. I'd say use whichever looks best to you, as that's the most important thing.