atarilux Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 Has anyone tried this adaptor which was originally designed for the BBC Micro RGB Port? I actually saw this hacked again into being used in an Amiga, and the quality was very high. There are many screenshots on the wiki page, but none for the A8. Home · hoglet67/RGBtoHDMI Wiki · GitHub For those who dare to speak of the other side The video of the Amiga version is below: (58) Amiga RGBtoHDMI (with a Pi) Updates - YouTube (Jan Beta) My current Composite video to HDMI adaptor is far from perfect, hence the interest, 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimo Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 The A8 doesn't output RGB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 This could be useful for people that use VBXE however. Currently I think the only convertor I've known people to use is the GBS-8220 which does RGB to VGA. A huge complaint of the VBXE is the lack of an easily usable output format and this could be a huge help in that respect. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunstar Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 (edited) I have used an RGB-to-VGA converter/scaler for 15 years with the RGB output on A Sega Genesis, Atari Jaguar, and XBOX original. I currently have my Jaguar and Xbox connected this way to my projector. I plan on doing the same when I install a VBXE in my 1200XL. But I have yet to try an RGB to HDMI converter. One thing I'd make sure of with RGBtoHDMI is that you can still choose 4:3 screen ratio with it or with the TV/monitor you use. I have a cheap S-video/composite-to-HDMI adapter, and the picture is great actually, considering it's a $20 Chinese box, but I don't like to use it because I'm stuck with 16:9 wide screen that stretches everything horizontally with the LCD TV's I own that don't have an option for 4:3 screen either (in HDMI mode, with VGA, Component or video I have the choice of screen ratio). So it sat for a year until I recently hooked up my projector, which does allow me to choose a 4:3 screen. Just make sure the converter or the TV/monitor you use has the ability to select between these screen ratios if you want your vintage stuff to have the right screen proportions. Edited May 13, 2021 by Gunstar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atarilux Posted May 13, 2021 Author Share Posted May 13, 2021 Thanks to everyone for your replies. True about RGB output, i sort of fired this post off once i saw there is a mod for the C64 and some screenshots. Which I think means in theory it may work on the Atari. Assuming that is C64 has composite and all other things are equal. Although I read that the A8 composite output sucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 18 minutes ago, atarilux said: Although I read that the A8 composite output sucks. Depends on the machine. The 800's is quite good, the 1200XL's is terrible, and the 800XL and 130XE are okay, but a lot will depend on your particular display. The 800 and 130XE offer S-video, which is much better than composite. The 1200XL and NTSC 800XL's don't have Chroma on the video output but you can add it yourself to get S-video on those machines. Better than their stock composite but only just. A UAV will improve their ouputs - composite and S-video both - dramatically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 1 hour ago, atarilux said: Has anyone tried this adaptor which was originally designed for the BBC Micro RGB Port? I actually saw this hacked again into being used in an Amiga, and the quality was very high. There are many screenshots on the wiki page, but none for the A8. Home · hoglet67/RGBtoHDMI Wiki · GitHub 1 hour ago, Stephen said: This could be useful for people that use VBXE however. Currently I think the only convertor I've known people to use is the GBS-8220 which does RGB to VGA. A huge complaint of the VBXE is the lack of an easily usable output format and this could be a huge help in that respect. Well, I checked the Github link and it says its for digital RGB, which is *not* the same as analog RGB as output by the VBXE. There's an analog add-on board but it says it's only for machines with "a few analog levels" of RGB. Too bad. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugarland Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 26 minutes ago, DrVenkman said: the 1200XL's is terrible I have one with excellent composite output. It seems to vary from machine to machine..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 3 minutes ago, Sugarland said: I have one with excellent composite output. It seems to vary from machine to machine..? It's an absolute roll of the dice concerning the machine and display device. The chances of guessing a nicely working combo are about the same as throwing chicken bones to divine your health! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atarilux Posted May 14, 2021 Author Share Posted May 14, 2021 10 hours ago, Stephen said: It's an absolute roll of the dice concerning the machine and display device. The chances of guessing a nicely working combo are about the same as throwing chicken bones to divine your health! Lol, I suspect you are right. My composite to HDMI varies between being ok (strangely with River Raid) and being terrible (with most other things). I think it is down to the colours, brightness and nature of what is being displayed plus it generally being crap anyway. Text Mode 0 for example, while readable is just full of horizontal lines. Also the more advanced 256 colour demos often result in ghosting on the side of the screen. As for the mod I mentioned earlier, in the text it does point to monochrome composite support and later on there are screenshots of a C64. I have a few PI zeros which are currently almost on holiday so it would be good to put them to use - but only if there is a reasonable chance it will actually work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manterola Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 We discussed a bit about this: It is interesting reading Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MackJsy Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 (edited) Here's a clip taken from my 65XE using a home made Composite ->Scart cable connected to a HDMI upscaler, and then a splitter to the PC & TV, which I recorded on OBS, whilst I was playing on the TV 2021-05-13 21-39-00.mkv I've actually got some of the hoglet boards, and use them for other machines (Such as the Aquarius) Edited May 15, 2021 by MackJsy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geister Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 I'd really like to see something like the Pi-Storm for the Atari. I don't have a clue what it would take, but a real 80 column (or more) mode in high color would be my dream for the Atari. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hasanc Posted May 19, 2021 Share Posted May 19, 2021 On 5/13/2021 at 1:18 PM, atarilux said: Has anyone tried this adaptor which was originally designed for the BBC Micro RGB Port? I actually saw this hacked again into being used in an Amiga, and the quality was very high. There are many screenshots on the wiki page, but none for the A8. Home · hoglet67/RGBtoHDMI Wiki · GitHub For those who dare to speak of the other side The video of the Amiga version is below: (58) Amiga RGBtoHDMI (with a Pi) Updates - YouTube (Jan Beta) My current Composite video to HDMI adaptor is far from perfect, hence the interest, I think you can use it together with c0pperdragon’s A-VideoBoard to have HDMI output on Atari 8-bit computers: https://github.com/c0pperdragon/A-VideoBoard It generates YPbPr video signal that you can convert to HDMI using hoglet67’s RGBtoHDMI board. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfollowell Posted May 19, 2021 Share Posted May 19, 2021 2 hours ago, hasanc said: I think you can use it together with c0pperdragon’s A-VideoBoard to have HDMI output on Atari 8-bit computers: https://github.com/c0pperdragon/A-VideoBoard It generates YPbPr video signal that you can convert to HDMI using hoglet67’s RGBtoHDMI board. Even if all this is true, what is the benefit, or the appeal, of buying/building these two boards and using them in conjunction, only to get the same output that you can already get today using @Simius's excellent, with proven track record, Sophia DVI or Sophia 2? Is it just the appeal of making assembling something yourself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manterola Posted May 19, 2021 Share Posted May 19, 2021 (edited) Also, unless you do something like Sophia (reading the raw data and actually replacing the GTIA), all these solutions end up digitalizing analog signals, which can be done externally by your monitor, or other device (like a retrotink). ps:Is there an easy, cheap and precise way to measure the phase of the color signal? Edited May 19, 2021 by manterola Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hasanc Posted May 20, 2021 Share Posted May 20, 2021 14 hours ago, bfollowell said: Even if all this is true, what is the benefit, or the appeal, of buying/building these two boards and using them in conjunction, only to get the same output that you can already get today using @Simius's excellent, with proven track record, Sophia DVI or Sophia 2? Is it just the appeal of making assembling something yourself? I just wanted to mention, for anyone interested, that it’s possible to use RGBtoHDMI on Atari 8 bit computers with this additional board. I think it’s mentioned in their documentation. 13 hours ago, manterola said: Also, unless you do something like Sophia (reading the raw data and actually replacing the GTIA), all these solutions end up digitalizing analog signals, which can be done externally by your monitor, or other device (like a retrotink). ps:Is there an easy, cheap and precise way to measure the phase of the color signal? A-VideoBoard documentation says that it uses an FPGA to recreate parts of the GTIA, enough of it to be able to generate an analog YPbPr video signal, so it isn’t a full GTIA replacement like Sophia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atarilux Posted May 20, 2021 Author Share Posted May 20, 2021 14 hours ago, bfollowell said: Even if all this is true, what is the benefit, or the appeal, of buying/building these two boards and using them in conjunction, only to get the same output that you can already get today using @Simius's excellent, with proven track record, Sophia DVI or Sophia 2? Is it just the appeal of making assembling something yourself? The Sophia solutions look very good, but if I am correct they all require some internal modifications and perhaps also the casing. I would prefer (if possible) solutions which don't do that. However, if there are no realistic alternatives then it is also a way to go. A secondary issue is the fun of building something. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfollowell Posted May 20, 2021 Share Posted May 20, 2021 2 hours ago, atarilux said: The Sophia solutions look very good, but if I am correct they all require some internal modifications and perhaps also the casing. I would prefer (if possible) solutions which don't do that. However, if there are no realistic alternatives then it is also a way to go. A secondary issue is the fun of building something. Actually, no, no permanent alterations are needed in any way. All you do is pull the GTIA out and plug the board in. It couldn't be simpler. I think, in most cases, it should fit just fine under the RF shield. Even if it doesn't, the shield isn't required. You could just leaves the to top shield off rather than modify it. Even the DVI port doesn't require a case mod. I saw a video where someone had made an excellent 3D printed case that fits onto the back of the XLs PBI port and you run the cable out through there. I think there was a similar case for the XE machines. I guess that may not be true of the 400/800, but all the others should be a completely no mod upgrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+orpheuswaking Posted May 20, 2021 Share Posted May 20, 2021 24 minutes ago, bfollowell said: I saw a video where someone had made an excellent 3D printed case that fits onto the back of the XLs PBI port and you run the cable out through there. Do you have a link to this? I'd be interested in getting something like that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hasanc Posted May 20, 2021 Share Posted May 20, 2021 5 hours ago, orpheuswaking said: Do you have a link to this? I'd be interested in getting something like that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+orpheuswaking Posted May 20, 2021 Share Posted May 20, 2021 Thanks @hasanc I had seen it on FB but couldn't remember what group it was in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdivancic Posted May 21, 2021 Share Posted May 21, 2021 (edited) Here’s the link to the STL File. Sophia DVI PBI Cover Any idea where to get a longer cable? Edited May 21, 2021 by mdivancic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+orpheuswaking Posted May 21, 2021 Share Posted May 21, 2021 I grabbed the file, now I just need someone to print it I am guessing making a cable would be the best option. [edit] 150mm - https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/te-connectivity-amp-connectors/2205109-2/5761907 200mm - https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/te-connectivity-amp-connectors/2205066-3/5423520 250mm - https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/te-connectivity-amp-connectors/1483356-3/6042600 Found this in the SOPHIA 2 thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdivancic Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 On 5/21/2021 at 1:23 PM, orpheuswaking said: I grabbed the file, now I just need someone to print it I am guessing making a cable would be the best option. [edit] 150mm - https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/te-connectivity-amp-connectors/2205109-2/5761907 200mm - https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/te-connectivity-amp-connectors/2205066-3/5423520 250mm - https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/te-connectivity-amp-connectors/1483356-3/6042600 Found this in the SOPHIA 2 thread I can print you one (or a couple). Let me what you need? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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