GameCube - Much difference between prog scan or Components?

C

CraigKORE

Guest
Bought myself a PAL GC a few days back to catch up with some games I missed after selling my original one ages ago.

Anyhoo, looking to get the best quality picture that I can for use with my new Sharp LCD that arrives next week. Done some digging and made sure that my machine has the digital out - which it does. So earlier today I ordered a set of component cables from Lik-Sang, which will hopefully give a slightly better picture than the Nintendo RGB.

Have been reading up on getting the PAL Cube to output prog scan it seems like the only way to do that is using Freeloader and an NTSC game.

What I want to know is would I be missing that much in picture quality compared to what the prog scan would look like. Basically, is it worth the hassle of sourcing Freeloader and going for NTSC games to get the prog scan working?

Any advice appreciated... :thumbsup:
 
Generally I would say yes in that progressive ntsc images look best but really it depends on the display device and games in question. Some projectors have excellent de-interlacers (mine is only ok to good). Its also possible that some pal games might have increased detail or resolution over the ntsc version however I've never actually had two versions of the same game to compare, i.e. one ntsc and one pal but as a generalisation the ntsc games look better in progressive mode than pal games in interlace mode.
 
I would agree, its not a massive differance on my Sharp LCD but I would say Progressive is better.

However on my Xbox, Progressive scan is much much better than normal PAL RGB scart.
 
jerkyboy said:
I would agree, its not a massive differance on my Sharp LCD but I would say Progressive is better.

However on my Xbox, Progressive scan is much much better than normal PAL RGB scart.

Cheers guys.. :)

Think I will just use the components then for the Cube and that will have to be good enough. The console is getting on a bit now in its life anyway so cant see it being worth the bother.

Looking forward to seeing what prog scan on the X Box looks like though when I get my new screen. :smashin:
 
Hi, Having gone down the porg scan route with all 3 consoles, I've a couple of observations. 480p NTSC games on my Pal GC are very marginally better than 480i PAL games, I'd even say I was very dissapointed having gone to some lengths to acquire component leads/freeloader and NTSC software.

480p on my NTSC PS2 is a good improvement over 480i mode but the lack of 480p titles is a big negative for PS2 prog scan.

I've also got a modded Xbox and when I hooked up the necessary kit to enable prog scan, all i have to say is WOW !! 480p mode is vastly superior to 480i on the Xbox with nearly every title having at least 480p.I don't know why the xbox looks so much better than the other two consoles in prog scan mode, I think it's because an xbox 480i image even when running through RGB seems very soft and blurry compared to the GC and PS2 which look sharper in 480i.

So you will not be dissapointed when you hook your Xbox up in prog scan but be warned: only purchase the official MS High Def pack and the 3rd party efforts are vastly inferior.
 
You could of just edited your post instead of reposting. but as your new we'll let you off :)
 
My xbox using a official microsoft component adaptor doesn't give particularly good results with my xbox however I think its my xbox giving a lowish contrast image. The ps2 only creates a 640x200 image and interpolates to 640x400 for most games. It also produces 60 or 50 unique half frames rather than creating 25 or 30 unique full frames and splitting them into fields. The result is that the ps2 generally looks rubbish over component but actual progressive titles are an improvement but you still suffer from poor resolution. On my setup using a Panasonic AE100 projector I get the following results;

1. Dreamcast (by far the best image as it does 640x480 has antialiasing on the less ambitious games and can connect via a full progressive VGA connection) which is mapped on a 1:1 pixel basis with my projector.

2. Gamecube using ntsc progressive games. Lots of contrast and fluid movement.

3. Xbox (probably because my xbox doesn't produce a lot of contrast possibly compared to other xboxes).

4. PS2 (to be honest I rarely connect it to the projector as it looks pretty rubbish its best viewed with a standard tv). The poor detail, lack of textures and other weaknesses of the ps2 like low resolution are instantly highlighted when connected to the projector).

My projector gives a 7ft diagonal image (something like 5.9ftx4.3ft) and has a pixel resolution of 858x484.
 
The X-Box's RGB is appauling so the Component hi def connections look loads better.

PS2 RGB is superb and Component connection (whilst a bit better) is not a huge advancement.

Not dabbled with GC although RGB output is superb so I doubt i'll bother.
 
Good luck, component cables dont work on UK gamecubes, the digital port is disabled. I have a JAP, US and UK GC a freeloader and lots of american games, including RESI 4
 
Not True.

Nintendo removed the digital port on the very latest Gamecubes.

If you have a Gamecube with a Digital port then it works.

I have a UK Gamecube, a Japanese Component lead, Freedloader and NTSC games. I get 480 progressive scan on most games.
 
jerkyboy said:
Not True.

Nintendo removed the digital port on the very latest Gamecubes.

If you have a Gamecube with a Digital port then it works.

I have a UK Gamecube, a Japanese Component lead, Freedloader and NTSC games. I get 480 progressive scan on most games.

yup i stand corrected, i just checked it on my pal cube just now, it does work afterall, odd that it never worked before :S :suicide:
 
Component is not a digital connection anyway - it's analogue with all 3 R G B colours split into their "component" parts via 3 separate wires. DVI & HDMI are digital connection methods.
 
gthom3 said:
Component is not a digital connection anyway - it's analogue with all 3 R G B colours split into their "component" parts via 3 separate wires. DVI & HDMI are digital connection methods.

While component is an analogue connection (but not separated into R, G and B though - the leads are coloured for convenience rather than purpose), the GC component lead does connect to the digital AV port on the back of the Cube which is a bit of a PITA really - using the official component lead and the official pack-in AV lead, you have to run the component lead from the digital out to your display/amp and the AV lead for L/R stereo too - it's not the worst thing in the world but why they couldn't just have built one lead to do it all...

Like others have said above, I can't say I've noticed a huge difference between my GC's output on RGB and component - they're both great - but for the sheer convenience of switching it all through my amp, I certainly have no complaints.

Cheers,

Colin
 
True - the RGB is obtained from the Y/Pr/Pb wires - the red & blue wires do contain the red & blue (both minus luminance) where as the Y contains luminance.

Not sure why they insist on connecting component to a digital out though. Also like you say you need an extra audio out connection when using Y/Pr/Pb so it's hardly worth it for the performance gain.
 

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