Suggestions on BNC RGB Cables for consoles?

Dochartaigh

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Geekman1222

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Cue in label maker and black sharpie lol - I totally label everything on either end to keep it all organized - and with a 500 qt. assortment of zip ties and velcro tiebacks, mine doesn't look *too* messy (ok, it's still messy as shit, but manageable at least - I'm using a friggin server rack for mine it's that many wires - and I only run 7 systems!). The hardest part is actually fitting your hands in to twist the BNC's on/off when there's others to the left, right, top, and bottom of it. Kills my hands every time.

...and my dumbass just ordered a 16x16 larger Extron Crosspoint (I was running out of outputs when I'm running all these transcoders back into the Crosspoint).

Oh you can run the transcoders back into the unit intresting
 

Dochartaigh

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Oh you can run the transcoders back into the unit intresting

That's the only way to get that original Xbox's 480p signal I converted into 480i with the Extron VSC 700, to run to whichever Standard Definition monitor I want it to go to (along with the original signal going to my High Definition 20L5 and D20F1U)

I can also use this same method to transcode whichever RGBS signal I want to YPbPr with the ShinyBow SB-2840, then run that signal back into the Crosspoint so I can fling it out to whichever consumer TV (with YPbPr/component inputs) I want to. etc. etc. etc. SUPER helpful to be able to do this when you have enough inputs/outputs.
 
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Geekman1222

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That's the only way to get that original Xbox's 480p signal I converted into 480i with the Extron VSC 700, to run to whichever Standard Definition monitor I want it to go to (along with the original signal going to my High Definition 20L5 and D20F1U)

I can also use this same method to transcode whichever YPbPr signal I want to RGBS with the ShinyBow SB-2840, then run that signal back into the Crosspoint so I can fling it out to whichever consumer TV (with component inputs) I want to. etc. etc. etc. SUPER helpful to be able to do this when you have enough inputs/outputs.

I acutally considered doing that with my setup using a shinybow like you mentioned just never heard of anyone doing it my self, neat!
 

Dochartaigh

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I acutally considered doing that with my setup using a shinybow like you mentioned just never heard of anyone doing it my self, neat!

Oops, on the Shinybow I switched it - meant to say it converts RGBS to YPbPr (I don't know if it goes the opposite way like I said - editing my previous post now).
 

haightc

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I know SCART is the 'in' thing at the moment, but IMO it's a silly and a poor choice for a RGB connector for many reasons. Professional media switches often are cheaper and more versatile. Extron media and cross point switches are usually cheaper a single SCART to BNC adapter. Both major RGB cable manufactures provide most cables in a BNC and SCART options. Unfortunately not a lot use VGA (15) or RGB (9) standard connectors which are more compact and generally more accessible.

While RetroRGB does have some good information and I watch his podcast, there is definitely a significant amount of misinformation and conjecture. Like most things in life, check your resources before you accept things as fact.
 
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Dochartaigh

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I know SCART is the 'in' thing at the moment, but IMO it's a silly and a poor choice for a RGB connector for many reasons. Professional media switches often are cheaper and more versatile. Extron media and cross point switches are usually cheaper a single SCART to BNC adapter. Both major RGB cable manufactures provide most cables in a BNC and SCART options. Unfortunately not a lot use VGA (15) or RGB (9) standard connectors which are more compact and generally more accessible.

SCART has been the 'in' thing, the industry standard, for systems which output RGB natively in many parts of the world you know! We're not talking about a short lived product either - talking about decades here. It's a time-proven reliable and cheap connector. Just because we didn't have RGB in the USA in consumer CRT's doesn't discount SCART as a valid connector type.

For us in the retro gaming world, where everybody and their mother has a modded system, it also makes it EXTREMELY convenient and easy to do things like add a resistor(s), or add something like a sync stripper chip hidden inside the easily accessible and roomy SCART head (had to do that for my PS1 and PS2). I've had to add resistors to 3x devices because my Extron Crosspoint outputs 5 Vp-p sync and certain devices like the Shinybow RGB to YPbPr converter, OSSC, and XRGB-mini Framemeister can only take ~1 Vp-p safely - SUPER easy to do in a SCART head. That roomy and easily-solderable SCART head also let me easily switch the connector type from male to female when I used a SCART to BNC breakout cable normally used on the input side, on the output side for the aforementioned devices. NONE of this would have been 1/10th as easy to do on a super-small VGA or DIN-style connector (and there's no way I could have modded those style connectors without liberal and messy use of electrical tape either - I'm simply a layman with all this and the SCART is great for my beginner skills). Great for people who need to go to RCA or Phoenix connectors for audio as well.

For cost, Retro-Access site is down now (they're on a cruise), but their regular SCART cables are usually what, $22? Whereas the BNC type are usually around $60 if my memory serves due to the much more intricate building process (I'm assuming - to do things like hide those resistors in-line somewhere). Retrogamingcables.co.uk (unless I'm going to the wrong part of their site), doesn't make straight to BNC cables, only console to SCART cables (then sells the SCART to BNC breakout cables).

For switchers, when talking about high-end units like the gscartsw_lite and Extron Crosspoint, with all the adapters needed for both, they're within about $30-40 of each other for a 8x2 setup - although I will agree with you that the Crosspoint FAR exceeds what the gscart can do without a doubt functionality-wise (and I would love affordable straight-to-BNC console cables...but deal with having to use adapters which means having to settle for SCART with all it's pros and cons).
 
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wyo

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I know SCART is the 'in' thing at the moment, but IMO it's a silly and a poor choice for a RGB connector for many reasons. Professional media switches often are cheaper and more versatile. Extron media and cross point switches are usually cheaper a single SCART to BNC adapter. Both major RGB cable manufactures provide most cables in a BNC and SCART options. Unfortunately not a lot use VGA (15) or RGB (9) standard connectors which are more compact and generally more accessible.

While RetroRGB does have some good information and I watch his podcast, there is definitely a significant amount of misinformation and conjecture. Like most things in life, check your resources before you accept things as fact.

LOL @ "the 'in' thing at the moment"... Many of us were using SCART in the 80s, likely before you had a clue about any of this shit.

It's much more versatile than the other connector types you mention because there is room in the connector housing for caps and resistors that are REQUIRED to properly output analog signals from numerous consoles, along with sync strippers, amps, and other small circuits/chips.
 

Geekman1222

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I know SCART is the 'in' thing at the moment, but IMO it's a silly and a poor choice for a RGB connector for many reasons. Professional media switches often are cheaper and more versatile. Extron media and cross point switches are usually cheaper a single SCART to BNC adapter. Both major RGB cable manufactures provide most cables in a BNC and SCART options. Unfortunately not a lot use VGA (15) or RGB (9) standard connectors which are more compact and generally more accessible.

While RetroRGB does have some good information and I watch his podcast, there is definitely a significant amount of misinformation and conjecture. Like most things in life, check your resources before you accept things as fact.

Its the "in thing" for a reason as a few others mentioned. BNC is great and all but not everything is made to use BNC. People follow the leader so SCART is that leader most things in this hobby use scart. Its also alot more simple to work on and wrap your head around for the average folks because its just one thing you plug in and go. But its mostly used because its very easy to hide mod work inside the housing.
 

Geekman1222

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I mean I get it, it looks really nice, but in a pinch, composite can always be plugged up. Genesis/MD/SMS composite is kinda ugly though.

Speaking of Composite. Composite on my PVM blew me away i wont lie. I was like THIS IS COMPOSITE!???
 

Dochartaigh

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Speaking of Composite. Composite on my PVM blew me away i wont lie. I was like THIS IS COMPOSITE!???

That's probably because of the professional level comb filter + all the other nicer, well, pretty much everything (electronics-wise) the PVM has over a consumer TV.
 

haightc

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arguing that SCART is a long term worldwide standard is extremely debate-able. Actually for me RGB, including in 80s and 90's, this was not a popular connector type. I would actually say DB9 was more popular for actual RGB video formats. I don't like SCART personally for the fallowing reasons.

1) similar connector to JP21
2) variations in formats common enough that switches can be easily be destroyed.
3) Big connectors with 60% of the connectors being unused
4) Actual wiring and quality is all over the place.
5) Format makes for expensive switches
6) everyone assume everything that has a SCART plug is RGB

We have become spoiled to a point that if we have to think about for something for 5 seconds it must be broken. That being said, to each their own.
 

Geekman1222

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arguing that SCART is a long term worldwide standard is extremely debate-able. Actually for me RGB, including in 80s and 90's, this was not a popular connector type. I would actually say DB9 was more popular for actual RGB video formats. I don't like SCART personally for the fallowing reasons.

1) similar connector to JP21
2) variations in formats common enough that switches can be easily be destroyed.
3) Big connectors with 60% of the connectors being unused
4) Actual wiring and quality is all over the place.
5) Format makes for expensive switches
6) everyone assume everything that has a SCART plug is RGB

We have become spoiled to a point that if we have to think about for something for 5 seconds it must be broken. That being said, to each their own.

You make some valid points there
 

Dochartaigh

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arguing that SCART is a long term worldwide standard is extremely debate-able. Actually for me RGB, including in 80s and 90's, this was not a popular connector type. I would actually say DB9 was more popular for actual RGB video formats. I don't like SCART personally for the fallowing reasons.

1) similar connector to JP21
2) variations in formats common enough that switches can be easily be destroyed.
3) Big connectors with 60% of the connectors being unused
4) Actual wiring and quality is all over the place.
5) Format makes for expensive switches
6) everyone assume everything that has a SCART plug is RGB

We have become spoiled to a point that if we have to think about for something for 5 seconds it must be broken. That being said, to each their own.

I'm confused about several of these points:

1.) Why would it matter if it's the same connector as JP21 besides the pinout? That just shows how popular of a connector it is/was. If you run JP consoles in the USA I can see that being a minor inconvenience, but at least it uses the same plug everything else RGB does and just needs to be re-wired (instead of having to figure out another solution for a totally different plug).

2.) Where are you getting cables which have destroyed switches? Sorry that happened to you, but with a little research most people learn very quickly that cables from Retro-Access and RetroGamingCables are the go-to companies to use. Even the 4 or 5 cheap knock-off Chinese-made cables I've tried (again, a little research goes a long way) have all been wired correctly.

3.) Your first post talks about an Extron Crosspoint as an example of a good professional switch...using that as a size example, 4x BNC's + 2x RCA's (or Phoenix) is easily the same size as a SCART connector (and 4x more connectors to plug in...). And again, multiple people have said that this "large" size is good for adding resistors and/or chips inside. Where would you easily fit those in a smaller plug type like you've mentioned?

4.) Just like #2, where are you getting cables which are bad quality, and/or miswired? Have you not tried the companies which are recommended on nearly every retro gaming forum/group out there?

5.) Taking the ~$60 console-direct-to-BNC cables for EVERY SINGLE system as an example (again, the Retro-Access site is down to get exact prices), getting a $30 Extron Crosspoint you picked up used off eBay is STILL way more expensive than something like the Creme de la creme Gscartsw_lite SCART-dedicated switcher (and certainly WAY more expensive than the very nice Bandridge SCART switcher which is about $50 - and is what many of us start off with on the cheap).
 
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Yodd

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arguing that SCART is a long term worldwide standard is extremely debate-able. Actually for me RGB, including in 80s and 90's, this was not a popular connector type. I would actually say DB9 was more popular for actual RGB video formats.


If you grew up in the US/Canada, sure. However that only works if you are talking connecting this stuff to Commodore RGB monitors.

Because once we leave that, all the professional monitors (bar a few early Sonys) use BNC.

At that point we have to make a connector decision...





I don't like SCART personally for the fallowing reasons.

1) similar connector to JP21
2) variations in formats common enough that switches can be easily be destroyed.
3) Big connectors with 60% of the connectors being unused
4) Actual wiring and quality is all over the place.
5) Format makes for expensive switches
6) everyone assume everything that has a SCART plug is RGB

We have become spoiled to a point that if we have to think about for something for 5 seconds it must be broken. That being said, to each their own.



All of that is 100% true.

And not a bit of it matters because Scart is very entrenched and has became the defacto RGB retro gaming standard. People have plenty of cheap and expensive cable options, switch options and they are very easy to source nowadays. 10 years ago, sure, you could have argued for a different connector because almost no one in the US was using Scart cabling.

But nowadays you can even buy Scart to component and HDMI boxes for gamers wanting to use modern displays without an expensive up scan converter. Not to mention things like the OSSC and all the JP21 Micomsoft scalers.




With that said, I agree with you regarding the scart connector. It's a junk connector that's easily damaged and, unless you buy quality ones, cheaply made. I built Scart and Scart to BNC cables for years ( and I am partially the reason why Scart became such a common thing in the US).

But until gamers can easily and CHEAPLY source different cables, Scart is not going to be unseated from the throne it sits on.
 

wyo

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arguing that SCART is a long term worldwide standard is extremely debate-able. Actually for me RGB, including in 80s and 90's, this was not a popular connector type. I would actually say DB9 was more popular for actual RGB video formats. I don't like SCART personally for the fallowing reasons.

1) similar connector to JP21
2) variations in formats common enough that switches can be easily be destroyed.
3) Big connectors with 60% of the connectors being unused
4) Actual wiring and quality is all over the place.
5) Format makes for expensive switches
6) everyone assume everything that has a SCART plug is RGB

We have become spoiled to a point that if we have to think about for something for 5 seconds it must be broken. That being said, to each their own.

1. It's the same connector, different pinout. So what?
2. Wrong, unless you are incompetent.
3. The connectors are big enough to house caps, resistors, sync strippers, etc. This is a positive.
4. So are all cables.
5. Wrong again, you can buy a perfectly serviceable SCART switch for $30-50.
6. Sorry this is too complicated for you.

Honestly this is one of the dumbest fucking posts I have ever read on here.
 

Geekman1222

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1. It's the same connector, different pinout. So what?
2. Wrong, unless you are incompetent.
3. The connectors are big enough to house caps, resistors, sync strippers, etc. This is a positive.
4. So are all cables.
5. Wrong again, you can buy a perfectly serviceable SCART switch for $30-50.
6. Sorry this is too complicated for you.

Honestly this is one of the dumbest fucking posts I have ever read on here.

:snack:
 
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