Is there really that big of a difference between S-Video and RGB on SNES?

[Drixxel]

yes, that is the setup. the one issue is the scart > component adapter does not have audio, so i found a switchbox with an additional av port to use for audio. the switch box isnt too expensive, i believe it was around 12 dollars.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/scart-multiw...h-switch-43158

i have the 5-way (one port is an AV in) version with the additional a/v output

chrisbid, do you notice any loss of picture quality by using that switch box versus connecting a console directly to your component video converter? I encountered a discussion of SCART switch boxes on Segasaturn.co.uk and there was some concern that push button switchers don't do as good a job at isolating the individual SCART sockets, potentially resulting in noise when multiple devices are connected. The audio out jacks on the switcher you linked to make it pretty appealing, hopefully there's no such signal muckery going on with it.

[chrisbid]

i havent noticed, but i havent extensively tested it either

i would imagine the degradation would be the same as using a component, s-video, or composite switchbox. ive noticed a far bigger degradation by using crappy cables, than i have with a switchbox. im sure there are videophiles out there that can scientifically measure how good a signal is and show how much degradation a switchbox produces. but the leap in quality especially for the genesis and neo geo far outpaces any loss a switchbox is responsible for.

funny story on auto switches, my friend had an automatic scart convertor, and it would strangely power up other consoles attached to it, and then it would get a weird mixed signal. it couldve been a faulty box, but "signal muckery" (awesome term, btw) was the norm with the auto switchbox.

[Drixxel]

but the leap in quality especially for the genesis and neo geo far outpaces any loss a switchbox is responsible for.

That's an excellent point - it's fairly pointless sweating over a loss of picture quality that would be largely imperceptible when you're experiencing that jump from composite to converted RGB, but at the same time, it's nice to know that the switcher itself is doing a good job. When I decide to take the RGB plunge, I'll keep those switch boxes from Maplin in mind, they do seem pretty classy.

There was unanimous support for a MadCatz SCART switch box in that thread I linked to in my last post. The main distinction with the MadCatz swticher is that, rather than push button selectors, it features a sliding switch which is, apparently, the superior mechanism for the noble act of signal preservation.

http://www.consolesandgadgets.com/ca...or-p-1954.html

No convenient audio out on that one, though.

[Pedro Lambrini]

This may sound obvious but the biggest boost to old console pictures won't be seen without a good CRT. I have most of my consoles running on RGB and the difference isn't that great on a cheap Mitsubishi TV I have in the bedroom and the picture looks terrible on my LCD telly.

On the other hand, when I run any of my consoles in RGB on my Panasonic CRT the improvement is astounding. Sharp, crisp and vibrant, all my consoles look much, much nicer.

I can't stress enough the importance of CRT for old consoles. Afterall, they were designed around this technology and some systems/games even rely on things like raster scanning etc for smoothing, extra colours and special effects.

In short, buy a good quality RGB telly or monitor (I recommend Panasonic or Sony) and decent RGB cables.

[chrisbid]

This may sound obvious but the biggest boost to old console pictures won't be seen without a good CRT. I have most of my consoles running on RGB and the difference isn't that great on a cheap Mitsubishi TV I have in the bedroom and the picture looks terrible on my LCD telly.

On the other hand, when I run any of my consoles in RGB on my Panasonic CRT the improvement is astounding. Sharp, crisp and vibrant, all my consoles look much, much nicer.

I can't stress enough the importance of CRT for old consoles. Afterall, they were designed around this technology and some systems/games even rely on things like raster scanning etc for smoothing, extra colours and special effects.

In short, buy a good quality RGB telly or monitor (I recommend Panasonic or Sony) and decent RGB cables.

excellent point. NOW is the time to be on the lookout for a good quality CRT monitor/tv. thrift stores have plenty of them and they are as cheap as they ever will be. in a few years, they will be much harder to come by.

[chrisbid]

That's an excellent point - it's fairly pointless sweating over a loss of picture quality that would be largely imperceptible when you're experiencing that jump from composite to converted RGB, but at the same time, it's nice to know that the switcher itself is doing a good job. When I decide to take the RGB plunge, I'll keep those switch boxes from Maplin in mind, they do seem pretty classy.

There was unanimous support for a MadCatz SCART switch box in that thread I linked to in my last post. The main distinction with the MadCatz swticher is that, rather than push button selectors, it features a sliding switch which is, apparently, the superior mechanism for the noble act of signal preservation.

http://www.consolesandgadgets.com/ca...or-p-1954.html

No convenient audio out on that one, though.

besides audio out, another feature of the switch is each of the switch buttons is independent of one another. its not a device where you push one button in, and the other button pops back out. that may help avoid "signal leakage" between the various connections.