Difference between revisions of "XRGB-mini FRAMEMEISTER"

From Classic Console Upscaler wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
m (Recommended settings for 480p sources)
m (Recommended settings for 480p sources)
Line 75: Line 75:
 
The mini's scaling of 480p can be a little fiddly to get right, you basically have two choices. Use the Smart x2 mode which basically just doubles the resolution (which means the picture does not fill the screen without another scaler to zoom it in). If you want to try this, use the following scaler settings:-
 
The mini's scaling of 480p can be a little fiddly to get right, you basically have two choices. Use the Smart x2 mode which basically just doubles the resolution (which means the picture does not fill the screen without another scaler to zoom it in). If you want to try this, use the following scaler settings:-
  
# H_SCALER = 6 or 7  
+
*H_SCALER = 6 or 7
# V_SCALER = 6  
+
*V_SCALER = 6  
# SHARPNESS = 0 or 1
+
*SHARPNESS = 0 or 1
  
 
If you don't want to use Smart x2 mode, the other choice is to use a normal aspect ratio with the following settings:-
 
If you don't want to use Smart x2 mode, the other choice is to use a normal aspect ratio with the following settings:-
  
# H_SCALER = 7
+
*H_SCALER = 7  
# V_SCALER = 5
+
*V_SCALER = 5  
# SHARPNESS = 0 or 1 (0 recommended)
+
*SHARPNESS = 0 or 1 (0 recommended)  
  
 
See the Compatibility and Special Configuration section above for any console specific recommendations.
 
See the Compatibility and Special Configuration section above for any console specific recommendations.

Revision as of 09:36, 31 August 2012

The XRGB mini is the latest in the family of Micomsoft's XRGB upscalers and upscan converters for classic consoles. This wiki is a work in progress being fed by the community, so expect some annotations and placeholders within the artcile meanwhile.

Compatibility and Special Configuration

(I encourage the community to add sections under each system instead of having an enormous table here. That way we can have more detailed and specific information on a per system basis, and here links to all the systems tested so far.)

Home consoles / computers

Arcade Boards

Settings

Changing the Menu Language

  1. Press Menu
  2. Press down until you reach "special"
  3. Press "OK"
  4. Scroll down to the very bottom and select "Language"
  5. Press "OK"
  6. Choose desired language (with left and right)
  7. Press "OK"
  8. Power off XRGB mini (on the remote, don't need to unplug)
  9. Power XRGB mini back on.

Image Mode

Selecting IMAGE_MODE from the Framemeister's top menu presents the user with the choice of several processing modes. These modes affect deinterlacing and picture colour only, they don't change scaling.

  • Standard - Motion and pixel-adaptive deinterlacer suited for 480i and 1080i material.
  • Movie - As Standard, minor differences in colour.
  • Anime - As Standard, with saturation and contrast boosted.
  • Natural - As Standard, minor differences in colour.
  • Game1 - Uses a more simple (and faster) field-based deinterlacing mode, which comes with a bit of vertical screen shake (typical bobbing effect).
  • Game2 - As Game1 but with saturation and contrast boosted.
  • Master - As Game1 but with scanlines (obsolete since scanlines can now be used any time).
  • Picture - 2:2 deinterlacing mode for static images.

Auto Scaler

Sync Mode

Recommended settings for 480p sources

The mini's scaling of 480p can be a little fiddly to get right, you basically have two choices. Use the Smart x2 mode which basically just doubles the resolution (which means the picture does not fill the screen without another scaler to zoom it in). If you want to try this, use the following scaler settings:-

  • H_SCALER = 6 or 7
  • V_SCALER = 6
  • SHARPNESS = 0 or 1

If you don't want to use Smart x2 mode, the other choice is to use a normal aspect ratio with the following settings:-

  • H_SCALER = 7
  • V_SCALER = 5
  • SHARPNESS = 0 or 1 (0 recommended)

See the Compatibility and Special Configuration section above for any console specific recommendations.

Firmware versions

Firmware can be downloaded from Micomsoft directly using this link http://www.micomsoft.co.jp/xrgb-mini_download.htm

Preliminary PAL support is added in firmware 1.06, though the English language option is broken in this firmware. Firmware 1.07 fixes English language support, improves handling of systems with out of spec video clocks (e.g Neo Geo) and adds various zoom modes and special effects.

How to update the firmware?

  1. Download the desired firmware from the link above. You may downgrade or upgrade to any version.
  2. Unzip and put the XRGBMini FOLDER on the MicroSD card. You must put the FOLDER on the ROOT of your SD card, not the contents of the folder, the actual FOLDER.
  3. Unplug the Mini from the DC adapter.
  4. Insert SD Card into Mini.
  5. Plug DC adapter into the Mini.
  6. Green lights will flash alternately then pulse.
  7. The Process is complete when the red power light is the only light on, and pulses slowly on and off.
  8. Remove SD card and power the Mini back on.

Known problems with current firmware version 1.07

  • Slow switching between processing modes - On games that switch between interlace and progressive (e.g Resident Evil on N64, Pinball Illusions on Amiga) the mini is very slow to switch processing modes, leaving the player with a blank screen for too long and interrupting game play.
  • If the Mini is set to 480p or 456p output and the signal changes from 240p or 288p to 480i or 576i, the picture on the mini becomes unstable and will not return to normal until the user opens the VISUAL_SET menu and manually adjusts the H_POS setting.
  • Changing from a 575i to 240p screen mode can cause the Mini to blank the screen. To work around this you can change the input channel on the Mini and then change it back again.
  • Scanlines do not work correctly on 1080p output mode (because only 1 instead of 2 in every 4 lines are darkened, which doesn't look good).
  • Scanlines do not work correctly for 288p (PAL) material unless the Mini's output is set to 576p.
  • Over-saturated colours when using 480p output with scanlines - When set to 480p output and using scanlines, some sources have a strange over-saturated picture (see [1] for an example).
  • Adjusting H_WIDTH or V_WIDTH when the Mini is set to 480p or 576p output mode can cause it to display a blank picture, requiring a settings reset.
  • Adjusting H_WIDTH or V_WIDTH causes the screen to blank momentarily, making it fiddly to adjust. Other scalers can adjust picture width and height without blanking the screen at all.
  • Aspect ratio controls are reversed, selecting 4:3 aspect ratio actually enables 16:9 aspect and vice versa.

Fudoh's Full review

http://retrogaming.hazard-city.de/

Fudoh Preview

  • no D-Terminal breakout adapter included. Make sure to have one ready at home if you plan to use component video.
  • menu's completely in English. remote's completely in Japanese.
  • no continuously adjustable zoom or overscan, just rough presets
  • "classic" scanlines work for 240p, 480i and 480p input
  • scaling engine looks ok, but not great
  • 240p processing looks very nice
  • 480i deinterlacing looks solid for real 480i titles, but weird for "240p on 480i" modes
  • 480p processing looked good on a "240p on 480p title" but kinda soft on a real 480p title
  • 480p output looks very much like a Faroudja processor (= less sharp than the XRGB-3)
  • 720p is great, 1080p is good.
  • 480p output with scanlines looks like a Videon + SLG3000
  • 720p output with scanlines looks like the XRGB-3 in B1
  • 1080p + scanlines = fail (because only 1 instead of 2 in every 4 lines are darkened, which doesn't look good)

Official Site

http://www.micomsoft.co.jp/xrgb-mini.htm

Current Discussion

http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=33450&p=749427#p749427

Where to buy