Color video from SE/30 for cheap?

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Interesting notion, nick. VGA to Composite Video is a cheap cable adapter, I use one on the bedroom bench from 6500 kluge to 42" panel. "Flicker free" Classic Mac Video freqs to the 60Hz VGA adapter could be a big problem. but it's something I can easily test for you. You'd be limited by the resolution of Composite to 640x480 or less IIRC.

Composite-to-HDMI is a simple box that I have on hand as well for the large VHS movie collection. Tying the two together will be easy and I'm off today and tomorrow. []



Can't find a pic of mine, which was more expensive a couple or three years ago, but it's likely no better than this one for $18.49.

Now all I need is an inexpensive box to do VidCap from an HDMI input to post a Video Classic Mac Gameplay on my 42" panel for close examination of the resolution achieved. Haven't searched yet, suggestions?

edit: looks like the pic is mislabeled:  the USB power input says AV Input. My box uses a lump-onna-rope adapter.

@ants you beat me to it! Mac Video frequency is almost certainly the Achilles' heel of the project. ISTR there being really expensive converters to do it, but could easily be wrong about that. I've asked about VidCard under/overclocking to shift those blasted "flicker free" output freqs to 60Hz, but never got an answer IIRC. Was hoping a crystal can swap on the RCPII/IIsi VidCard could be a solution? :huh:

 

[nickpunt]

What's the benefit of composite video in all this? Is it to grab the signal from the video card / AB? 

@Trash80toHP_Mini the raspberry pi hat I linked to can do HDMI in if you need to capture signal for recording. That's what the guy in the video was doing (tho he was then piping that vid stream to twitch).

Yeah bummer about the RasterOps 264, I also have one but lack a monitor that handles 66hz. Didn't realize the Radius Color Pivot IIsi also couldn't do 60hz, that was my backup solution! :/

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

What's the benefit of composite video in all this? Is it to grab the signal from the video card / AB?

Yep, and converting to Composite takes Pi out of the equation:

What's the cheapest way to get color video out of an SE/30? Even 256 colors at 512x384 would be perfectly fine. I find that my interests in this computer are more often limited by lack of color than lack of hardware on this.

Composite has close to enough bandwidth to handle 640x480. It shouldn't even break a sweat for that 512x384 @8-bit requirement. Gaming on the SE/30 letterboxed in color on my 42" HDMI panel would be oh so very cool. Doing it with a couple of adapters on the cable sans Pi could be the Economy Class ticket. Oddball flicker free freqs from 030 PDS VidCards converted to 60Hz VGA would be a First Class ticket.

Converting legacy Mac freqs to Composite in the Analog realm or to HDMI in the (hopefully simplified process) Digital world dovetails closely for the former and perfectly for the latter with current displays.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

From the (nearly eight years old!  8-o ) IIsiColorPivotII_PDS_Card_HackProject™ thread:

Same cable with ENHANCE Liberty Dial DA-19 -> DA-19 Adapter Results:

_"J"___640 x 480 x 66 Hz @ 8 Bit - 13"/14" RGB (Fixed Res Mac Monitor Standard)

_"F"___832 x 624 x 75 Hz @ 8 Bit - 16" Color (Fixed Res Mac Monitor Standard)

I'm wondering if some analog or digital equivalent of Three-two_pull_down might be applied to 13"/14" a/o 16" Mac resolutions to achieve 60Hz output? Only 640x480 is pertinent to the IP, especially over Composite. But consideration of Max Resolution output conversion of the RCPII/IIsi (RCP SE/30 and others as well) to HDMI would go hand in hand with discussing the requirement in the IP.

Roundoff error rears its ugly head for the xx.xxxxxx crystals involved in that equation when looking at the numbers, but may just match up?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Took a look around and found a great solution for HDMI capture, conveniently converting the family VHS tapes to DVD and even recording the makings for a blooper reel from several tapes onto a single thumb drive using its remote control. Taking the computer out of the setup requirements for VidCap is brilliant and for $71 itsounds almost too good to be true. Gamer toys present significant economies of scale. []

https://www.ebay.com/itm/HDMI-Ypbpr-AV-Video-Game-Capture-Card-1080p-HD-Recorder-Save-to-USB-Flash-Drive/163441477489

 

[Paralel]

I have a very similar capture device. It works beautifully. Will NOT work on HDCP protected sources, but that is easy enough to fix these days...

Three things to keep in mind, it is limited to 1080p30. It chops everything into 2 GB files, regardless of the size of the media you are using. So, you have to join the video files together after you are done recording to get a complete video. It's not a big deal, but I just like to warn people in advance so they aren't too surprised when they see a bunch of files all 2GB when they were expecting just one video file. Your audio output along the HDMI cable must be pure 2.0 stereo, anything else, the device will record nothing but static in the audio channel.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

I have a very similar capture device. It works beautifully.

Cool, thanks much!

Will NOT work on HDCP protected sources, but that is easy enough to fix these days... 

Another box had an evil suggestion, use the Component/RCA inputs for just that workaround. The snapshot button on the remote made me think of doing a reel showing every Mac in my extensive VHS/DVD movie collection.

< swerves back on topic >

Interesting finding:

Initial Test Results/First Draft of IIsi Color Pivot II Report:

<snip>

First round of tests done on expendable 21" MAG Innovision MX21F using Mac DA-19 Input

<snip>

Out of Sync/Horizontally Banded partial Image:
_"N"___512 x 384 x_?_Hz - 12" Color (Fixed Res Mac Monitor Standard)

That MAG Innovision Display has an LCD readout that lists every other Mac Res/Frequency combo. So I wonder if something hinky is going on there (a possible opportunity?) or if 512x384 was simply considered superfluous and not supported in the readout table of a 1600x1200 capable TPD?

< /swerves back on topic >

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Should test with a 512x384 compatible NuBus VidCard and both on the Radius IntelliColor 2150? That could rule out the hinkiness/opportunity theory. :-/

 

[Paralel]

...Another box had an evil suggestion, use the Component/RCA inputs for just that workaround. The snapshot button on the remote made me think of doing a reel showing every Mac in my extensive VHS/DVD movie collection...

Actually, better than that. get an HDMI "splitter" from Amazon for something like $14, strips the HDCP right out of it, then the box has no trouble recording any source.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

:lol: Copy protection always winds up being a joke.

Doing it your way retains the digital audio track instead of re-digitizing analog RCA I/O The box I linked doesn't have a digital sound jack to go with Component input.