Framemeister production drawing to a close.

[Hank Rearden]

 

retro gamers aren't the most patient bunch.

I haven't been able to find anything else about the release. There was talk on here about the Frameister being gone for good but the website says otherwise. I thought I was missing something.

 

I really want to get an RGB modded unit. Is the Framesiter the best options for utilizing the RGB output. Meaning if I modded my Atari with RGB, what is the best way to use it. I recently did my own Composite mod and that absolutely sucks and isn't as good as RF or at least no better than. I think that was a completely wasted effort other than I learned some soldering and desoldering skills.

[BillLoguidice]

I haven't been able to find anything else about the release. There was talk on here about the Frameister being gone for good but the website says otherwise. I thought I was missing something.

 

I really want to get an RGB modded unit. Is the Framesiter the best options for utilizing the RGB output. Meaning if I modded my Atari with RGB, what is the best way to use it. I recently did my own Composite mod and that absolutely sucks and isn't as good as RF or at least no better than. I think that was a completely wasted effort other than I learned some soldering and desoldering skills.

 

RGB output to the XRGB-mini is awesome. As with anything, the XRGB-mini included, the catch is always getting the right cable to the right input. The advantage with the XRGB-mini is that it's a relatively common known quantity, so it's relatively easy to purchase the necessary cables and/or adapters. As just one example, I bought an RGB cable for my Sony HB-F1XD computer, which I would have had no ability to use properly without the XRGB-mini because of the types of cables that are easily available for it (example).

 

Again, the XRGB-mini is pricey, but it's the most versatile possible solution for those of us with many multiple systems. If you have only a small handful of vintage systems and won't be expanding beyond that, you're arguably better off working with one-off solutions.

[Hank Rearden]

 

RGB output to the XRGB-mini is awesome. As with anything, the XRGB-mini included, the catch is always getting the right cable to the right input. The advantage with the XRGB-mini is that it's a relatively common known quantity, so it's relatively easy to purchase the necessary cables and/or adapters. As just one example, I bought an RGB cable for my Sony HB-F1XD computer, which I would have had no ability to use properly without the XRGB-mini because of the types of cables that are easily available for it (example).

 

Again, the XRGB-mini is pricey, but it's the most versatile possible solution for those of us with many multiple systems. If you have only a small handful of vintage systems and won't be expanding beyond that, you're arguably better off working with one-off solutions.

What would be my best 'one off' solution if I was only concerned with my 2600? Aside from an outright emulator what would be the best way to get the best picture? I appreciate the feedback.

[+Gemintronic]

Price was a huge issue for me with this product. Also, sounded like a lot of custom tweaking that could get confusing fast. Once the excitement of discontinuation is over and the prices go to discontinued product levels I might bite though. Thanks for the heads up!

[BillLoguidice]

Price was a huge issue for me with this product. Also, sounded like a lot of custom tweaking that could get confusing fast. Once the excitement of discontinuation is over and the prices go to discontinued product levels I might bite though. Thanks for the heads up!

 

Other than changing the language to English (easy) and updating the BIOS once or twice, there really wasn't much custom tweaking. I know some people like to endlessly tweak the various settings (similar to a TV set), but I found the defaults worked perfectly for me nearly 100% of the time. The only time you really want to tweak (at least for me) is when dealing with a low quality composite signal (and even then, I usually don't bother), or if you want to optimize for a PAL vs. NTSC signal (which is really just one setting). It's really only as complicated as you want to make it. The menus are intuitive and most of the core functions are properly labeled buttons on the box or the remote (make sure you buy an English sticker overlay).

[ubersaurus]

Something as boutique as this, I would not expect the price to come down once it's discontinued - probably just the opposite. If you want one, I'd preorder from Solaris now while they're still getting shipments.

 

Annoyingly, their February shipment was apparently below the number of orders they had for that month, so mine got delayed until the March shipment

[BillLoguidice]

What would be my best 'one off' solution if I was only concerned with my 2600? Aside from an outright emulator what would be the best way to get the best picture? I appreciate the feedback.

 

Unfortunately, there's no one answer there. It all depends on how you want to mod your 2600 (or what modded 2600 or 7800 you want to buy) and what type of display you can/want to use it on. I'm pretty sure just about every possible display mod is available, save for SCART and VGA.

[ubersaurus]

If you've got a tv that can do S-video, that's a good option. If you're using an upscaler like the Framemeister or a broadcast monitor with RGB ports, then the RGB mod is worth a look.

[keepdreamin]

If you've got a tv that can do S-video, that's a good option. If you're using an upscaler like the Framemeister or a broadcast monitor with RGB ports, then the RGB mod is worth a look.

An HDTV with svideo is probably at least going to be 7 years old at this point. Framemeister scaler is better anyway

[ubersaurus]

If you're specifying HD, then absolutely you'll want an upscaler. And hey, Framemeister takes S-video input too, and it looks solid on an HD display.

[Keatah]

What would be my best 'one off' solution if I was only concerned with my 2600? Aside from an outright emulator what would be the best way to get the best picture? I appreciate the feedback.

 

After rejecting emulators, next comes an FPGA-based console, then mods to your existing console.

[Yakumo1975]

Price was a huge issue for me with this product. Also, sounded like a lot of custom tweaking that could get confusing fast. Once the excitement of discontinuation is over and the prices go to discontinued product levels I might bite though. Thanks for the heads up!

The price will never drop that much if at all. I've been selling Micomsoft products for years including the Framemeister (sold over 200 units) and I can honestly say that prices go up or stay around the same area. Even the XRGB 3 which is about 5 years old now still keeps its value. Even the Selecty 21, a 21 pin RGB switch box can sell for retail price used on Yahoo Auctions and that thing is getting on in years now.

[+phoenixdownita]

 

Unfortunately, there's no one answer there. It all depends on how you want to mod your 2600 (or what modded 2600 or 7800 you want to buy) and what type of display you can/want to use it on. I'm pretty sure just about every possible display mod is available, save for SCART and VGA.

http://etim.net.au/2600rgb/

 

2600 RGB is really Scart in disguise as all you need is R, G, B, composite (to be used as sync) + 5V for autoswitching (or nothing if you are OK to switch the TV manually) and the audio pair (or only one for mono)