Megadrive


Sugar_Kane

Sugar_Kane

Could crush a grape
Joined
May 11, 2009
Messages
1,507
Age
45
Location
UK
Hello Fellas,


I'm a bit of a megadrive fancier. There's nothing I love more than the sight of a long, curvaceous, glistening black unit. I've got a modest collection of games and I modded my MD1 with a region switch so that the world is my Sega encrusted oyster. I recently acquired a Mega CD and some games via eBay which should be floating into my sweaty hands this week too.


I'm using a scart cable to play on my LCD tv in the bedroom but it looks like sick, and not the good kind of "sick" that the "kids" are all whipping about these "days", with their backwards jeans and their yoyos. I was considering doing the s-video mod to see if it would vastly increase the quality of the picture, but it'll be an horrendous ball-ache to do, and if the increase is negligible then it wouldn't be worth the effort. I know that there are various RGB boxes that you can use, and it's easier to use a CRT, but I don't have a CRT TV and I don't want to spend any money on specialist kit.


Do any of you guys use an original MD on an LCD TV? What setup are you using? How do you find the picture quality?


I'll be posting pics up of my collection later.
 
Sugar_Kane said:
There's nothing I love more than the sight of a long, curvaceous, glistening black unit.
Click to expand...
That's what she said :D


That said, I use a capture card to play my super nintendo (via multi out cable borrowed from my n64) via a capture card on my computer, can't complain about the image, really.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I wouldn't worry about doing the S-Video modification - for one thing, it's a step *below* RGB SCART in quality, and for another, your image-quallity problem is probably with the cable you're using. ;) If it's a composite-over-SCART cable, instead of RGB SCART, you'll get iffy picture quality with all that dot-crawling and suchlike. RGB SCART with an old console should look rather nice on an LCD TV.
 
Well I really don't have room for one either. I've just about got away with having the megadrive on display.


I can't remember where I bought my cable, it's possible that I got it from ebay which would explain inferior quality. I'm going to experiment later though, try it on another tv and then mess with the aspect ratio to see if it changes anything (I think I did already try all of this a while ago), but I'm pretty sure it's a duffer.


This one looks promising http://www.robwebb1.plus.com/megadrive/megadrive.htm (second down) as it corrects high contrast, which I think mine is suffering from.
 
If your Scart cable goes directly from the MD to the Scart plug (no RCA Phono connectors involved, just MD plug one end, Scart plug the other) chances are very high that it IS an RGB cable. It may also carry a composite or S-Video signal - 3rd party cables of this type exist. In ye olde CRT days, most name-brand TVs would automatically switch to a detected RGB signal, or you could cycle through the AV input options to find it.


Depending on the Scart abilities of your LCD TV, you may have to cycle through your AV options to see if RGB is enabled or being displayed.


TBH though, you're unlikely to get much improvement - the inability of modern TVs to do justice to analogue signals is well documented, only an expensive external scaler would give an image to compete with a CRT's. The region switch on your MD should just be a 50/60hz toggle? If so, try running games (regardless of region) in 50 or 60hz - the TV's scaler may be better at resolving one or the other signal type.


Other things to try, bizarre though they may seem, try using the bog standard RF input (yep, tune it in like days of yore - can deliver a more pleasing image on some sets) or if you have a HD/DVD recorder or similar that has RGB input - but connects to your LCD over HDMI - you could see if it's scaling abilities are better..
 
I just use basic RGB scart, I did have an S-Video cable with a S-video enabled scart block but I found the picture was worse.


I use the basic scart and it works for my MD1, 2, Genesis 3, Multi Mega and 32X (and of course the MCD)


I too am a bit of a MegaDrive fancier and until recently I had a ridiculous number of games, but I have sold most to lighten my move to the states.
 
Thanks for you input guys. I knew that I wouldn't get glorious results from an LCD without some horribly expensive upscaler, but I couldn't find any good references as to how good the picture could be, all of the examples I've seen online looked pretty good to me so I wondered if it was my cable. It does go directly from the MD to scart, I'll check to see if there is an option for RGB on my TV, thanks Asmo. Also yea it's a 50/60hz switch, but I have tried both already with the same results.


The biggest trouble seems to be vertical scan lines, which are slightly wavy. The picture would be fine apart from those, it really looks ugly when the screen moves. I've ordered this cable: http://www.retrogamingcables.co.uk/Sega-Mega-Drive-1-Sega-Genesis-1-stereo-RGB-AV-scart-cable-TV-Lead to see if it makes a difference, if not then at least I'll have stereo output.


5877808644_f9f91b1b03.jpg



5877248855_8a4bc39388.jpg



5877249883_73f810f6b0.jpg



5877812288_758c244731.jpg



I tried to show what the screen looks like, but these pictures have come out looking slightly better than they should; the lines should be more pronounced:

5877252955_e4c2bd893b_z.jpg


5877254433_025f32b85d_z.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Some great games there, but you're missing High Seas Havoc/Captain Lang! It's an awesome (and very difficult) platform game. :p Avoid the PAL version, though - Codemasters, who published it, renamed it to "Capt'n Havoc" for no reason whatsoever, and then removed the first level for no reason whatsoever as well.

Sugar_Kane said:
The biggest trouble seems to be vertical scan lines, which are slightly wavy. The picture would be fine apart from those, it really looks ugly when the screen moves. I've ordered this cable: http://www.retrogamingcables.co.uk/Sega-Mega-Drive-1-Sega-Genesis-1-stereo-RGB-AV-scart-cable-TV-Lead to see if it makes a difference, if not then at least I'll have stereo output.
Click to expand...
Now I see!


I'm sorry to tell you that there is no way to avoid this. If I'd have known that this was the issue earlier, I wouldn't have suggested that the cable was at fault. That's just how the Mega Drive displays images (different consoles do this in different ways - the Mega Drive does this, whilst the output of, say, the NES has a "sparkly" look to it when things move) - it's just that it was less apparent on CRTs. Now that you know about it and have seen it, I guarantee that you'll notice it on those, too. :p


Also, while I'm here, I think I should share a recent acquisition...


Rockman_Mega_World.png



grin.gif



I finally added Rockman Mega World (the marginally more common and slightly less expensive Japanese version of Mega Man: The Wily Wars) to my collection, thus giving my SuperKey (DIP-switched import cartridge, which is required for this game since it's properly region-locked) a work-out, since I'm pretty sure that Multi-Megas can't be region-modded.


Sure, I've said around here a bunch of times that it's a poor (and somewhat buggy) reprogramming job that doesn't do justice to the original three games that it contains (and that the unlockable game at the end, the Journey to the West-based "Wily Tower", is the only worthwhile part of it), and that is certainly true, especially considering the ridiculous sums of money it fetches. However, I was lucky to get this for a lot less than what people pay even for bootlegs and reproductions, never mind the real thing, for this on eBay and the like. Given that I didn't pay a ludicrous price, I'm very happy indeed with it, and having a lot of fun aiming to unlock Wily Tower.
 
I find the pixels a bit crisper on an lcd and i dont suffer from the lines you mention, on any of the consoles.


I mostly use the multimega with the 32x in as it saves a lot of room and power supplies (2 instead of 3), i'll see if i can get a decent picture to post up, I can put any MD, MS or 32X game on thanks to the Everdrive cart.
 
OOh you've got an everdrive AND a multi mega AND a 32X? *Jealous*


I think that the multi mega outputs a better signal than the Chunky MD1 though, so you may well get a better picture than me. I'm going to wait for this new cable to arrive and then give that a try, and also try my main tv downstairs (I've got a Samsung upstairs and they apparently aren't fond of retro console signals, which is apparent when you switch to 60hz and it occasional blinks on and off), if there's no difference then I'll just have to find myself a little 14" crt.


I'll look into high sea havoc, thanks for the suggestion. I always feel slightly dirty when I buy a Genesis cart though, like I'm betraying my British Megadrive.


My Mega CD arrived this morning, unfortunately it arrived at 7am while I was dribbling into my pillow, and as we don't have a doorbell (I highly recommend not having a doorbell)I missed it.
 
A CRT telly would be a good investment until the inevitable happens and quality scaler tech filters down to reasonable prices - CRT manufacturing is on the way out thanks to an EU ruling. Get a good one & keep it well.


The patterns you're seeing would be smoothed over by a CRT's phosphor so they'd be invisible.


On the LCD, can you change it's resolution settings? Many let you show a PAL/NTSC input at native resolution (so it'll only occupy a fraction of a HD set's screen) rather than scaled up.


It won't get rid of all the problems, but it might look more 'right'?
 
GiraffeeDreams said:
I mostly use the multimega with the 32x in as it saves a lot of room and power supplies (2 instead of 3), i'll see if i can get a decent picture to post up, I can put any MD, MS or 32X game on thanks to the Everdrive cart.
Click to expand...
I feed my MegaDrive+MegaCD+32x setup with a single custom supply, IIRC all units take 9-10V, so I just bought more powerful 9V supply and soldered the plugs.
 
might just look into sorting out a custom supply then, i wasnt aware you could do that. i used to have a samsung lcd until it literally exploded and flames blackened my walls, i use a 28 inch hannspree and i find that the multimega has better sound, but picture wise the md1 and multimega are quite hard to tell apart (may just be my tv quality)


Either way, 16 bit graphics still look good to me :)
 
I tried it on my much better 37" Panasonic last night, the lines are still visible so it's not just the Samsung. The new cable should arrive today or tomorrow so I'll give that a shot, but I'm not expecting miracles. I don't doubt your diagnosis Promethius, I'm just clinging on to a shred of hope!


I collected my Mega CD yesterday afternoon and unpackaged it. The guy hadn't cleaned it! I had to give it a wipe down to get all the crud off it. I don't know why people do that, when I sell things on eBay I have to make sure that everything is clean before I ship them off. Anyway, it's all working fine and I got my first ever taste of true Mega CD gaming! Well it would have been more enjoyable if the games that came with it were any good; Wolfchild - Meh, s'alright I guess. Road avenger - I suppose it's ok, sort of. Tomcat alley - What the hell just happened?! It's like watching channel 5 through sick covered sunglasses
 
Nads, the new cable made no improvements. Ah well, time to look for a crt!


Anyone else have pictures of their collections? Any more good game suggestions?
 
Desert Storm


Toejam & Earl


john madden 94


alex kid


wonderboy


sf2


Had some really good shooters too bit I can't think the names of them
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

V
Help With Megadrive
Replies
1
Views
1K
Twimfy
T
ste_167
The Xbox 360 With An Hd Display
Replies
5
Views
1K
Mark1970
Mark1970
Magic Sam
Tv Set Versus Computer Screen
2
Replies
22
Views
2K
b1ueskycomp1ex
b1ueskycomp1ex
G
Backing Up Megadrive Games?
Replies
9
Views
2K
gary.mckeown
G
O
Xbox Questions
Replies
14
Views
2K
DaveC
D
Back
Top