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For those of you still rocking a DC in the glorious year of 2017, there is an HDMI box coming out soon. There's no upscaling so it will still output games at 480p, but it's a great option if you have a TV that doesn't have VGA built in, and still want the sharpest video quality.
https://www.beharbros.com/akura
"Jump over barrels" - Sword of Sodan
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Looks cool, hopefully its not more then $20
This Space For Rent.
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sounds pricey.
why do people love scanlines so much? i love the sharp look of older games on modern TVs. I prefer it on a crt with the highest quality input/output, but anything is better than a blurfest. idk where i'm going. this product seems cool, but like it'll be $50+
Warning: Sometimes biased
http://i.imgur.com/V0x5fw8.jpg http://i.imgur.com/IOovUge.gif http://i.imgur.com/zw7bqPH.jpg |
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este914 posted...
Looks cool, hopefully its not more then $20 of course it is. |
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bultje112 posted...
este914 posted...Looks cool, hopefully its not more then $20 Then it's not worth it. I still need to find a good VGA box or something decent that upscales.
This Space For Rent.
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bultje112 posted...
a vga box doesn't upscale. you need an upscaler. Recommend me one that is not expensive (again) :)
This Space For Rent.
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este914 posted...
bultje112 posted...a vga box doesn't upscale. you need an upscaler. if you want a good one then they are going to be expensive. it really depends on how much focus you put on graphics. for me it's very important to get the best possible image out of a system, even if that means spending hundreds of dollars, but I guess I'm a graphics whore. just makes me happy to see my beloved systems perform well I will say though you don't really need an upscaler if you have a good tv that upscales itself. |
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pedro45 posted...
sounds pricey. i dont understand the appeal for scanlines either. on my old tvs with AV inputs, i had crystal clear image. and when i had to use an rf cable, i was very annoyed by them.
Professional 3d erotica maker, proud videogame collector, extremely functional sociopath. Also a girl
full sig is too short to list all game systems i own. |
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dr_zomberg posted...
pedro45 posted...sounds pricey. It's more of a throwback for fond memories playing low-res 240p consoles on an old tube tv - kind of an odd addition when the DC was known for having a crisp progressive display when you hooked it up to a computer monitor through the VGA box back in the day.
"Jump over barrels" - Sword of Sodan
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bultje112 posted...
este914 posted...bultje112 posted...a vga box doesn't upscale. you need an upscaler. Doesnt have to be top of the line. Something that does a decent job for a reasonable price. I dont care.
This Space For Rent.
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dr_zomberg posted...
pedro45 posted...sounds pricey. what? rf has nothing to do with scanlines |
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It might still be worth it tho considering how difficult and expensive it can be to find VGA boxes... : P
Since this box can provide both HDMI and VGA output, the $50 investment now would pay off to ensure future compatibility with most newer monitors/TVs.
GET SOME REST!!!
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I might get one, but honestly I like how Dreamcast look on my HDTV. I play it on a 40 inch, I don't have any issues, it doesn't look perfect, but I like how it takes me back to 2000
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SjMP1 posted...
I might get one, but honestly I like how Dreamcast look on my HDTV. I play it on a 40 inch, I don't have any issues, it doesn't look perfect, but I like how it takes me back to 2000 you had a 40 inch hdtv back in 2000? |
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bultje112 posted...
SjMP1 posted...I might get one, but honestly I like how Dreamcast look on my HDTV. I play it on a 40 inch, I don't have any issues, it doesn't look perfect, but I like how it takes me back to 2000 No... I meant I like currently playing my Dreamcast on the 40 inch because it has that 90's/Early 2000 feel to it when you see how the games look. Same with the audio. |
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I actually like scanlines as my crt clearly has them. Modern scanline devices simply try to emulate that look. They don't look exactly like original scanlines, but they resemble them and they can also help improve image quality imo.
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I used to play Bangai-O with scanlines by getting its video resolution down to 240p (or the PAL equivalent) and using a RGB monitor with the appropriate connection. I don't see the point of using a scanlines filter on games with native 480p resolution. You want to hide the combing artefacts of 480i games on a HDTV though.
A dream was cast off for getting played too out of station.
A cube marked with an x won't let you game outside the box. |
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Depth_scroll posted...
I used to play Bangai-O with scanlines by getting its video resolution down to 240p (or the PAL equivalent) and using a RGB monitor with the appropriate connection. I don't see the point of using a scanlines filter on games with native 480p resolution. You want to hide the combing artefacts of 480i games on a HDTV though. I have tried some light scanlines on wii games like Last Story, which normally looks kind of blurry. Of course I also upscale it from 480p to 1080p using xrgb mini, but the scanlines actually look pretty good imo. |
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I'm so happy my 1080p tv has a vga port :) I don't have to deal with any of this bulls*** and I still get the best picture possible out of $15 tomee cable...
My Shenmue Designs! http://www.redbubble.com/people/hoogafanter/shop
STEAM: (BANGS) BASS wubwub |
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BANGSBASS posted...
I'm so happy my 1080p tv has a vga port :) I don't have to deal with any of this bulls*** and I still get the best picture possible out of $15 tomee cable... that largely depends. what size is your tv and what brand? |
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bultje112 posted...
BANGSBASS posted...I'm so happy my 1080p tv has a vga port :) I don't have to deal with any of this bulls*** and I still get the best picture possible out of $15 tomee cable... 49" Vizio. Cant find the model cause it's old lol but it looks great. The TV does some great work scaling the picture on it's own. I'm sure on a newer TV with an Akura box going through a high quality upscaler it might look slightly better, but this picture is awesome and it certainly beats the hell out of budget vga to hdmi methods...
My Shenmue Designs! http://www.redbubble.com/people/hoogafanter/shop
STEAM: (BANGS) BASS wubwub |
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BANGSBASS posted...
bultje112 posted...BANGSBASS posted...I'm so happy my 1080p tv has a vga port :) I don't have to deal with any of this bulls*** and I still get the best picture possible out of $15 tomee cable... that's interesting considering it's quite a large tv and 640x480 p would normally seem stretched. do you have pictures? I understand if that's too much hassle though. always interested how tv's handle that. |
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BANGSBASS posted...
I'm so happy my 1080p tv has a vga port :) I don't have to deal with any of this bulls*** and I still get the best picture possible out of $15 tomee cable... I have one of those cables and it is kind of shakey. Had to keep reconnecting it to get a good centered image. Then I picked up a hanzo vga box. No issues with it plus it has scanlines. |
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blood_and_bones posted...
BANGSBASS posted...I'm so happy my 1080p tv has a vga port :) I don't have to deal with any of this bulls*** and I still get the best picture possible out of $15 tomee cable... I hear a lot of complaints about the tomee cables but mine have never been anything but a pleasure... bultje112 posted... BANGSBASS posted...bultje112 posted...BANGSBASS posted...I'm so happy my 1080p tv has a vga port :) I don't have to deal with any of this bulls*** and I still get the best picture possible out of $15 tomee cable... I wonder if my tv upscales the image itself because it looks great. I also sit kinda far from it so that helps...
My Shenmue Designs! http://www.redbubble.com/people/hoogafanter/shop
STEAM: (BANGS) BASS wubwub |
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BANGSBASS posted...
I wonder if my tv upscales the image itself because it looks great. I also sit kinda far from it so that helps... most TVs upscale. It's actually quite annoying when it doesn't cause it'll be in a tiny box. Think of a GBA game on a DS. There were some pixels that weren't used cause it wasn't upscaling. Dreamcast games look great imo still. It has such a clean picture, so i really don't think any game would look too terrible minus large polygons or something of that time.
Warning: Sometimes biased
http://i.imgur.com/V0x5fw8.jpg http://i.imgur.com/IOovUge.gif http://i.imgur.com/zw7bqPH.jpg |
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Stejpan posted...
For those of you still rocking a DC in the glorious year of 2017, there is an HDMI box coming out soon. There's no upscaling so it will still output games at 480p, but it's a great option if you have a TV that doesn't have VGA built in, and still want the sharpest video quality. If anyone gets one of these, let us know how it is. I may be interested in something like this.
Sega Saturn USB DataLink - www.GamingEnterprisesInc.com
155 Sega Saturn Videos - www.youtube.com/user/gameofyou1/videos |
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gameofyou posted...
Stejpan posted...For those of you still rocking a DC in the glorious year of 2017, there is an HDMI box coming out soon. There's no upscaling so it will still output games at 480p, but it's a great option if you have a TV that doesn't have VGA built in, and still want the sharpest video quality. Adam koralik already did a YouTube review go check it out
My Shenmue Designs! http://www.redbubble.com/people/hoogafanter/shop
STEAM: (BANGS) BASS wubwub |
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gameofyou posted...
Stejpan posted...For those of you still rocking a DC in the glorious year of 2017, there is an HDMI box coming out soon. There's no upscaling so it will still output games at 480p, but it's a great option if you have a TV that doesn't have VGA built in, and still want the sharpest video quality. I bought in on the pre-order lot, but the shipment has been delayed due to a component issue. I'll make a post on the results when the box finally turns up.
"Jump over barrels" - Sword of Sodan
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Pre-Ordered in February...still waiting...
The only people that can say what matters to gaming are those that buy and play them.-Ollie Barder, Forbes Contributor
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Last I checked they weren't taking any more orders probably due to that parts issue mentioned.
Sounds like a cool product though. It would be nice if they made more of these hdmi with scanline boxes for more retro systems, such as saturn, n64, neo geo, etc. There are other options like frameister but having dedicated devices for each system is cool in its own way. |
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Looks like they started shipping preorders as of yesterday and will be emailing people soon. Haven't received an email yet but I expect it will be forthcoming.
The only people that can say what matters to gaming are those that buy and play them.-Ollie Barder, Forbes Contributor
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There's no option to purchase from that first link? Where can I buy one - how much would it cost me?
This Space For Rent.
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They stopped accepting orders due to a parts delay. Those of us who preordered in February still haven't received ours so it might take a while before you can order one.
The only people that can say what matters to gaming are those that buy and play them.-Ollie Barder, Forbes Contributor
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este914 posted...
There's no option to purchase from that first link? Where can I buy one - how much would it cost me? Probably 80-100 US dollars. I'm serious too.
"lets be honest.. Vin has kind of made The Rock the star he is. Rock was pretty much a nobody in hollywood until the fast and furious"- JamesOwnzMaz
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It was $85 shipped for me. Mine just shipped last Friday. I'll let you all know how it compares with a Retrobit VGA solution.
The only people that can say what matters to gaming are those that buy and play them.-Ollie Barder, Forbes Contributor
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Sounds good. ; )
GET SOME REST!!!
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I'm curious how the lag is rather than the color quality....
-=PakoPako=- (Proud member of board 917023!)
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@D_E_E_G_S posted...
It was $85 shipped for me. Mine just shipped last Friday. I'll let you all know how it compares with a Retrobit VGA solution. Thanks
This Space For Rent.
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Still waiting on mine. USPS tried to deliver it today but I wasn't home so I'll pick it up tomorrow for the weekend. I'll post impressions when possible.
The only people that can say what matters to gaming are those that buy and play them.-Ollie Barder, Forbes Contributor
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Finally got mine Akura box in. First and foremost, if you've watched Adam Koralik's video on it I'm basically going to echo it. It's good but expensive. It might be right for you or it might not:
 That out of the way, here's what I came from. It isn't clean, it isn't elegant. It is a mess of cables and a bonus power adaptor. Yes it does 1080p upscaling but I really don't like upscaling especially here.  Here's the Akura Box. As you can see, much cleaner and oh look I now have space for something else to plug in! If space or outlets are an issue this thing is a must.   As far as actual functionality goes I think it looks great. The image is super clean albeit maybe a bit scrunched on the vertical but it is now pursue 480p rather than ugly upscaled 1080p. I modified my TV for a forced 4:3 through HDMI though so my experience should not be taken as law here. I've been using the scan liner a lot and really like it as well (yes that is an Agetec Stick if you're wondering). I don't have any games to test it with but it does have "Non-Compatible VGA Game" switch as well to force a game into VGA if it doesn't natively support it. Games that won't work with this method still won't work here so be aware. Adam's video has a list on what games would be impacted.     So I guess final thoughts? I'm very happy I bought it. The space/outlet saving is worth it alone but I feel the image is significantly cleaner that what I had running. Really the only negative I can think up is the scrunched image but again that's probably more on me fiddling with my TV's service settings than the Akura Box itself. If you're running VGA straight to a computer monitor or have space/outlets to spare this might not be worth it to you. Again, $85 shipped is a lot to buck up here but really happy with the quality of the product.
The only people that can say what matters to gaming are those that buy and play them.-Ollie Barder, Forbes Contributor
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Pako Pako posted...
I'm curious how the lag is rather than the color quality.... I actually asked the same question over at Online Consoles, Lordnikon replied, There is display lag at different touchpoints of the video display process. The TV itself will have its own display lag, that cannot be improved. Lag can be made worse by what I refer to as "lag stacking", where you are either introducing more lag by not using optimized video processing techniques, or are forcing your console through multiple scalers which also adds lag. Additional lag can be introduced by feeding an "interlaced" signal to your TV, which has to be deinterlaced first before rendering. A 480i signal, coming from most Dreamcast games over composite/s-video would output an interlaced signal (240p games being the exception). The HDMI box will eliminate the additional lag from the TV/Monitor having to de-interlace the signal into progressive scan. However this is not unique to the HDMI box. You would get the same result from using VGA output from the Dreamcast, or Progressive Scan 480p output from say a Gamecube or PS2. The HDMI box is only unique in that it creates a "digital" DVI signal from the Dreamcast, instead of an "analogue" VGA signal. The picture quality is slightly improved. Using an HDMI interface does not eliminate lag. In-fact, Xbox 360's and PS3's lag on modern TV's even at their native resolution of 1080p. They lag less, but still lag. Most external scalers (XRGB-3, XRGB Mini Framemeister, etc) including the native scaler inside your TV add additional lag to scale the image. The Akura does not scale the image up to 720p or even 1080p. Own a 4K display? This complicates things even further. If old game consoles struggle on 1080p displays, on 4K it is an unsolvable nightmare. The biggest advantage to buying an Akura box, is that it gives you progressive output from your Dreamcast to a TV that does not have a VGA port. |
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So I got my Akura box in the mail this week, and it works pretty much how I expected. The picture quality is identical to a VGA cable with an eternal HDMI adapter (480p). Color dithering is quite noticeable when compared to regular composite, and it also make the scaling more noticeable in Street Fighter III Double Impact (pixel crawl from 384x224 being stretched into 640x480).
There is a toggle switch to select between VGA and 15khz RGB for the non-VGA games. I don't have any of those games to test yet, but I imagine you will get 480i or 240p output in that mode (Samsung TV's can do 240p over HDMI, but some other brands might not).
"Jump over barrels" - Sword of Sodan
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@D_E_E_G_S Thanks for the detailed post! I really like this thing but it's too expensive for my blood :(
This Space For Rent.
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amcdc79 posted...
Pako Pako posted...I'm curious how the lag is rather than the color quality.... Xrgb mini is another good option for those few dreamcast games that do not support vga or even rgb. S-video to hdmi upscaled to 720p or 1080p still looks pretty good with xrgb mini and right settings. As I upgrade my gaming tv later, I might have to look into this akura hdmi product. |
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My main concern was that this product was a scam, glad that it's not.
Yes it is expensive, but the $85USD price tag does include shipping Worldwide. Since only~50 out of over 700 Dreamcast games are not VGA compatible, this item could come in handy. |
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why on earth would you think this would be a scam? the guy has been doing stuff for dreamcast for nearly a decade and is very easy to contact.
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bultje112 posted...
why on earth would you think this would be a scam? the guy has been doing stuff for dreamcast for nearly a decade and is very easy to contact. Doing stuff for Dreamcast? Please expand, thanks. |
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He means they have been building and selling hardware /accessories for dreamcast for years now. Plus they have been reviewed.
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amcdc79 posted...
bultje112 posted...why on earth would you think this would be a scam? the guy has been doing stuff for dreamcast for nearly a decade and is very easy to contact. the guy who is called yossi behar has been doing vga boxes and other hardware for many years. anyone in the dreamcast scene knows the guy. he's obviously trustworthy. |
Chronicling and saving 'of the time' commentary persisting to claims of varying degrees surrounding console and PC gaming, culture and finance.
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