[Openchrome-users] VGA to RGB Scart

[Paul Gardiner]

Marcus Priesch wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> On Tue, 2008-09-16 at 15:25 +0100, Paul Gardiner wrote:
> [...]
>> a 525P source is connected to the component video
>> input. So it must handle progressive via component,
>> but I guess it may not accept it via the Scart
>> sockets.
> 
> so i assume you can only support it with progressive input via the
> component inputs - which you wont find on any epia board so far as i
> know ....

The EX10000G has component out, but it's based on the CX700M2, so
no driver support for MPEG2 decoding. There just doesn't seem
to be a working combination for component out.

> i think scart wont work - i know no device which is capable
> of providing (or consuming) progressive scan via scart ...

I wondered that. Oh well, that's not worth trying then.

> regarding interlace:
> 
>  - internally you have 50 fps progressive (what is put out on VGA out)
>  - your mplayer (or what ever decodes your dvb-t) deinterlaces the 
>    interlaced content and puts it into the 50fps progressive field - 
>    removing any time-related information the interlacing provides
>  - the TV-out encoder takes the whole 50fps deinterlaced image, scales 
>    it and softens it, so that no disgusting interlace flicker occurs
>    any more and outputs interlaced video on svideo out with minimal 
>    interlacing ... thats why it looks so ugly :)

In that case it's surprisingly good. Provided I avoid any scaling the
picture I get is very sharp. I don't think it's any softer than I get
from my DVRs (maybe it softens moving objects a little). The thing
I'm noticing is the colours not being as bright, and I only really
notice that if I swap back and forward between the two.

> the only solution i know of how you can get interlaced content onto
> interlaced TV is via the matrox driver, which is capable of producing
> interlaced RGB out with the correct PAL timing - and mplayer using the
> matrox video out driver - which selectively copies the correct
> (half-frames) in the corresponding video region .... 
> 
> then you get brilliant picture, nice interlace flickering at the cost of
> a seperate vga card ... not capable of doing any hardware accelerated
> mpeg decoding ... :)

I don't quite understand. So is with a Matrox graphics card? And can you
not still use the CN700 for MPEG2 decoding?

I also wondered about using an nVidia MX4000. Those claim RGB out.
Another problem with that though, is I have the mobo in a really neat
little box, which I'd like to keep, and although there's some room
around the PCI slot, there's not enough for any graphics card I've
ever seen.

> if i am wrong in some point, prove me right ;)
> 
> any other suggestions very welcome !!!
> 
> however, the need for image quality got lost over the years ... :(

I guess I should just put up with it. As I said before, it's only
when I swap back and forth between the new system and my old DVRs
that I see the slight difference. The pictures still very good for
SD.

Cheeers,
	Paul.