Dreamcast on an HDTV

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Dreamcast on an HDTV

Post by HomerCIDAL »

If I have a HDTV with component inputs, what would be the best means of connecting my Dreamcast to it so I can play games using the progressive scan...(if this is even possible)? Or is the VGA signal only available using a VGA box?
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Post by Vchat20 »

you could use a vga box and then a vga to component adapter to get what you want.
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Post by HomerCIDAL »

So, my next question would be...would these two items work together to allow me to play my Dreamcast games in VGA mode on my HDTV?

VGA to Component cables

VGA Box

The reason I ask this is because the seller in the first item states that there are some issues with the conversion of VGA signals that might make it incompatible with some systems. I just needed some advice on this. Thanks to everyone who can help me out.
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Post by Vchat20 »

Yeah. that is one problem you may run into. although considering that the dreamcast already outputs signals needed to display on a television, I would assume any problems going this route would be minimal. cant really say one way or another as I have yet to try and attempt this myself.

On a lighter note, I highly recommend ordering from monoprice and you would probably find cheaper prices by ordering direct from monoprice.com . Ive ordered from them a number of times before and ive always had the same great experience. insanely cheap prices, good products, and fast shipping (often received the product(s) in 2 days USPS despite the fact that they are based out of Cali and i live in ohio).
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Post by HomerCIDAL »

OMG! I entered "VGA to Component" in the search and the very first cable it pulled up was the one in the first link from my previous post. $7.23 is the total after the shipping is included which is about $2.00 less than the ebay price after shipping is included. Thanks for the heads up on that site. It looks like my online shopping habits have found a new home :D
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Post by Quzar »

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Post by HomerCIDAL »

I added to that thread, but my situation is a little different. I was hoping to figure out whether a converted input would even be readable by my television. I also have a DVI input, but the television manual says it cannot accept an input that is put out by a computer. I don't know exactly what that means for the Dreamcast, but I am trying not to spend money on cables I will have no use for.
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Post by Serial~Thrilla »

Just to add to this, I recently hooked up my Dreamcast to my Projector via the VGA box, and I must say it looks AMAZING ! Soul Calibur has NEVER looked that good.

I'll also add a second recommendation for Monoprice.
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Post by Captain Skyhawk »

This is very interesting. I'm very curious if this works and if it does what kind of HD resolution the Dreamcast outputs (480i/p,720p/i,1080i/p?). I think the reason that manuals of TV's with component inputs warns you of not being able to display PC signals is because of the various resolutions and refresh rates. The Dreamcast should output an VGA signal "understandable" for HDTV's.
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Post by HomerCIDAL »

I guess there is only one way to find out!

**orders both cables and hopes for the best**
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Post by dj898 »

DC hooked with VGA box puts out RGBVH which is same signal as your PC puts out for the PC monitor. As it happens most of HDTV do support RGBVH signal but it's not strictly HDTV/EDTV signal as used in broadcasting... (though it's be same as 480p@60Hz)

if your HDTV has DVI input and it accepts the analog signal thru with no VGA input you should be able to use provided you have the adaptor.
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Post by HomerCIDAL »

You mean the DVI adapter? Then that also raises the question of what type of DVI signal can be used. I think there are 3.

DVI-D: True digital video
DVI-A: High-Res Analog
DVI-I: Both DVI-D and DVI-A formats

Now let's figure that one out :P
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Post by B-RAD »

I was amazed the first time I played my dc on a pc monitor with a vga cable
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Post by dj898 »

HomerCIDAL wrote:You mean the DVI adapter? Then that also raises the question of what type of DVI signal can be used. I think there are 3.

DVI-D: True digital video
DVI-A: High-Res Analog
DVI-I: Both DVI-D and DVI-A formats

Now let's figure that one out :P
provided you have correct dongle DVI-D or DVI-I should work find...
not so sure about DVI-A. Maybe someone else can chip in with information.
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Post by Mr. Jones »

When a friend of mine tried to hook up to his samsung via the VGA, it looks and plays great - except that there are black bars on the left and right. The DC displays in 480p, but only displays 640x480, instead of 720x480.
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Post by Quzar »

Arent there some games for the DC that do widescreen somehow?
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Post by dj898 »

according to HDTVArcade.com the below titles do have 16:9 support.

Donald Duck's Quack Attack
F355 Challenge
Metropolis Street Racer(16:9 is an unlockable feature)
NASCAR Thunder
Rayman 2
Star Lancer
Test Drive V-Rally
Tokyo Highway Challenge 2
Toy Commander
Toy Racer
Trickstyle
Wacky Races

I assume these are NTSC-U/J versions...
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Post by HomerCIDAL »

Mr. Jones wrote:When a friend of mine tried to hook up to his samsung via the VGA, it looks and plays great - except that there are black bars on the left and right. The DC displays in 480p, but only displays 640x480, instead of 720x480.
I also have a Samsung. Could you ask your friend what cables he used so I can replicate that setup on my television? I would really appreciate that!
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Post by az_bont »

Quzar wrote:Arent there some games for the DC that do widescreen somehow?
They squish the image inwards, so it still occupies a space of 640x480 pixels (for NTSC games), but is stretched back out again when you play on a Widescreen television. This is the same way DVDs are encoded.

You can add Worms: Armageddon to that list, and presumably its sequel, Worms World Party.
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Post by Quzar »

Damn. Too bad I don't have any of those games. They would probably be fun on that 73incher.
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