The Worst Scaler In Retro Gaming 

A polite reminder: Every measurement taken can be verified by anyone who feels the need, simply by following the same procedures. Using the 240p Test Suite's MANUAL lag test is NOT a measurement though - That's basically a test of your reflexes. Also, listing a bunch of claims without measurements is just spreading misinformation; This video is a culmination of RESEARCH and the opinions I state are based off hard measurements, not guesses.

If there is anything to get mad about in this video, it's learning that eBay sellers are destroying retro consoles and stuffing them with garbage.

I've always been a "why buy crap before getting the good thing? I'm just making my overall purchase more expensive" kind of guy. If I can't afford what I actually need then I wait instead of wasting money on crap.

It's fascinating that Pound and Hyperkin are using the same generic devices as the no-names. Really tarnishes the brand...

In some of the Facebook groups about retro gaming I frequent, people are always recommending those crappy "SCART to HDMI"-boxes. I always try and tell them to not waste their money, but they seldom listen.

As a question, When using an HDTV, how do we know when it's the cable that's causing the lag, rather than the television itself?

I know you don't get as much viewership as you should, but figured i'd add that i've learned a lot from both your site and this channel in the many years I've collected. Almost all my console mods, equipment and such that now hooks up about 40 devices at once came from learning on your site and it's much appreciated!

This is the best explanation of display lag I have ever seen. I love the high speed camera footage that shows the frames being drawn, excellent job Bob!

Who could be angered by a good faith effort to inform consumers? I mean, except people who profit from misinformation and people who prefer to believe lies...

This is a great video, dude. Hopefully it helps educate people.

Came for the scaler video info, immediately got distracted by the Rust in Peace guitar in the background. It's a beauty.

Another fantastic video, packed with great info for both those new to the community but also those that have been around for awhile. Nice work!

Hey Bob. You are putting out some really good and helpful videos lately. Thank You from the bottom of my heart.

Great work Bob. Scientific process and evidence always beat opinion. Videos like this should be the gold standard for equipment reviews.

Just saw this. My dude fired shots from the get go

The lag on this HD Video Converter is insane. I bought it 5 years ago. It drives me nuts.

god bless Bob doing so much legwork on these things. RetroRGB feels like the only place that takes lag as seriously as I do.

Informative video, as always. I love that you took the time to point out a few scenarios where the cheapo scaler might be a good fit.

Wow, not only a fantastic breakdown with side-by-side comparisons but also a great message at the end about treating each other in the retro game communities. You, my man, have received my permanent sub (for whatever that’s worth!)

Got to be honest, I've just recently got into the retro gaming scene and have become a PS2 collector. I fell for all this, started off buying these cheap, crappy scalers before finally realising I would have been better off investing that money elsewhere. If only I had come across your videos prior to that, would have saved me a few quid :) Great video, thanks

Thank you for posting this! Very informative and needed, especially for folks just starting out.

I am really grateful to you, Bob, for making these sorts of videos. They are very informative, and I genuinely look forward to watching each and every one of them. They seriously brighten up my day. It’s amazing to have someone who knows their tech making videos to aid those of us who don’t have a proper grasp of it. Keep up the good work, man!

Just got back into n64 gaming and trying to weed out the junk before taking the plunge on a proper scaler. Thanks for the tips!

This is great information. Thank you for presenting it.

Haven't played it yet but I do want to say the teaser image scaling immediately made me smile

Well I like many others learn this the hard way with crappy scalars and poor performance before buying an ossc. Thank you for taking the reigns and showing us how its done and WHY its done. Much appreciated.

I got 2 frames of lag trying to watch this video.

Great video mate. Hopefully it’ll help educate people!

Ouch, I was wondering why I was doing so crappy in the older games. I have that $30 upscaler. So in the end I will still have to buy a OSSC. Thanks for the video, helped clarify the issues I was having with my converter.

Nice info! I learned a lot from your videos, especially the 240p Not Supported problem and input lag.

Agreed! Thanks for the help!

Before I got my Framemeister I had one of those "off brand" upscalers. It had automatic stretched 720P video and the colours, especially the greens were super off. I never even tried to see how much lag it actually produced because the first two were already too off putting for my own standards. Glad you made a video warning people about these pieces of crap.

As a teddy cameo in this video once said "What a shit load of fuck!".

totally agree with you was also behind it, I am sensitive to lag, I have sent back a lot of purchases. I made one for the xbox classic myself. not prefect but none was finally someone on my side who can substantiate it.

Great video. I do use one of these things for testing and image capture occasionally on my channel but I quickly realised they were terrible for PLAYING games. They also can overheat pretty badly, I had to heat sink the chip in mine. Keep fighting the good fight! 👍

I agree. These cheap scart to HDMI scalers are horrible for gaming. I have two of them and never understood why someone would recommend them for gaming.

Wonder what is best for upscaling PS2 to HDMI. I use component cables, but aren't compatible with all my games for streaming. Pound HDMI cable for rest. Any tips?

Great video Bob. Best channel on youtube for retro stuff !!! Cheers

My grandfather taught me "buy once, cry once." Meaning, spend the big money the first time to buy the product that will last.

Thank you for having higher standards. Having originally started on a decent CRT original hardware it's been difficult for me to enjoy old consoles on modern TV's. Definitely interested in getting my Model 1 Genesis to output the best sound and video possible.

Thank you, Bob. We've needed an authoritative video on this for a long time. As it was, people wouldn't even believe me when I tell them that the cables and the boxes were the exact same things with the exact same problems. Way too many people thought the Hyperkin, Pound, LevelHike, Xtreme, etc cables were some kind of solution, even excitedly modding them to support other consoles (obviously thinking they were getting something better than the [analog]2HDMI boxes). The defensive arguments have been truly ridiculous. There's even a local who is supposed to come see me in person expecting to prove me wrong about his modded Hyperkin cables. :) About the only thing I would change about this video is the part where it says these scalers were made for VCRs and stuff as opposed to videogames. They were actually made to be the support electronics inside a TV which digitize analog sources and connect to the LCD panel. That's why some have a HUD showing the input signal, an aspect ratio switch, etc. It's also why they have all the same problems with 240p as any other generic HDTV with analog inputs (proper 240p processing seems to be reserved for the scalers manufacturers use in their own sets instead of shopping around to other manufacturers... Sony, Samsung, etc won't share). These generic scalers literally just took the digitized output of a TV's internal scaler, intended to go to a panel, and routed it through an HDMI transmitter instead. It's decidedly worse than getting a digital TV with analog inputs because at least there's a chance it will support 240p and even if it doesn't the external scaler will double the latency. Boo!

U just saved me money for exactly this scaler, many thanks!

Great content man, keep up the good work!

A great video, dude! Thank you! Helped a lot!

This is a great video, I personally went through ALLOT of ways to record/process old video game signals. I started playing around with it like...9 years ago and what I regret the most is wasting money on these cheap chinese scaler recommendations. They are all trash, no exception, I always got MUCH better results even from direct input into my TV or deinterlacing filters in video converter software or video editors. I wasn't ready to spend almost 300 euro on a big boy scaler like what I have now (DVDO VP30 with an upgrade) but looking back at it now I may have spent more cumulatively on these various awful scart/component to HDMI solutions

You sir, are awesome! Since buying my CRT, I've been taking in all your knowledge. Great to watch, very informative, and nothing but facts!

I'm using one kinda cheap upscaler and while the image can be better (and for recording I have to use OBS or equivalents to have the resolution image I want because is streched), I haven't feel any lag, BUT still even with that, I REALLY want to get a better upscaler once I save enough money, but if you can suggest me a cheap one for recording (and playing) games on a flat screen, what good scalers should I get for my retro consoles (NES, SNES, Genesis model 2, N64, Wii, PS2... also suggest me a good cable for the PS2 with the composite method, or the best quality image with a proper upscaler as well), excluding the expensive ones like the XRGB Mini?

Hey thanks for this honest video. I had no idea about those cheaper converters out there affecting gameplay. This is a big heads up for some people who are playing fighting games competitively that want to play on a HDTV screen upscaled or casuals that just simply want the best experience. So in the end, better off getting the higher quality converters that are made for video gaming.

This was my first upscaler and I decided to try it out again recently only to find that the poor thing had died lol. It still powers up and even sends a signal to my HDMI splitter, but it just can't process any signals, not even the HDMI passthru. Rip crummy baby's first upscaler, you will be used a donor board going forward.

Awesome video. I tend to stay away from those converter/upscalers and just stick to using my consoles native cables. I do use a performance VGA box for my dreamcast though but otherwise it is mostly SVideo where applicable.

I actually have the SCART to HDMI adapter. So far the only game I've had lag issues with on the PlayStation and Saturn was Pandemonium - but I didn't realize there was that much lag. My Neo CD is running through it (all of them are, I use the scaler for screen capping and video recording), which makes me wonder if the lag is affecting all the 2D Games. Really nice video.

I have also seen the videos praising those scart-2-hdmi devices and at one time I was close to fork out the money for one but Luckily never did, I did however buy an OSSC and am very happy about that, it gives an almost unbelievable sharp image with no noise, worth every penny.

Bob doing the Lord's work.

You are SPOT ON. Still wanting a good output for my original xbox to 4K TV

That RGB scalar was a good idea like lead in paint

I found an old CRT HDTV with an HDMI. It also has build in VCR and DVD. Best of all worlds, except light gun games. The HDMI has overscan, so I use component for gaming. I do have it hooked up to my 55 inch too. I also added a capture card for streaming. CRT is still the way I like to go for retro. I'm not a snobby retro guy. I don't have the funds. I don't care about up scaling. But, I did have most of my RF consoles modded to composite. That is where the money is well spent! Great video.

Great video and emphasis on a good message. Totally agree on all your points, I also don't try to be elitist about set ups. I personally saw some of the youtube reviews for the pound cables and got swept up in the hype. I received 2 in a row that were terrible with different problems! That's what made me learn about VGA, S-Video and RGB FTW.

Great and informative video! I almost bought a Pound HDMI cable, glad I didn't do it :D

10:27 You gotta feel for Adam Koralik. Whenever this scaler is brought up, he’s always shit upon for praising it back when there were no other decent HDMI solutions (Even though now he doesn’t like it, and has moved to a RetroTink 5x Pro). It’s good to see Bob keeping the video’s context in mind without without blaming him for something he couldn’t have known.

Great video! Very informative

I appreciate your doing the right thing. I purchased that scaler and good rgb to scart cables for my Genesis and in five minutes realized the scaler was blurring the image while scrolling in Phantasy Star 2. I then discontinued use. Then I RGB modded my N64 based on info on your site and the scaler works OK with 3D. I dont mind spending money to learn and appreciate the problems and challenges. I will buy the cheap new scaler you recommended can't remember its name.

Hugged my CRT after watching

Hi Rob, You know in my setup I use Splitters at the output of my Switchers, so I can use old cables directly connected to my CRT tv (as Scart, S-Video or Component) and at the same time connectto my DVD recorder outputting in HDMI FULL HD from there. Then I connect that HDMI output to my capture card, led and proyector (thanks to a splitter again). But I have a problem, My second DVD recorder , the one can convert Component to HDMI,upscale only to a max of 480p , so I was looking for a way to upscale HDMI 480p to 1080p but whitout having to pay excesive prices of 100 dollars for it. SO, do you know any device beside this chinese upscaler? since is the only option I founded until now.

pure education. well done!

Great work, cheers from portugal.

Great video! I was hoping you'd talk about in detail about the incorrect color processing, color bleeding and contrast issues of the cheap scart to hdmi adapter. This was especially a problem with the pound/hyperkin cables.

Amazing! Thank you! The more we vote with our money the better products will be, even emulation wise. Your work is very important. I always look forward to your videos.

That's a perfect point, poor scaling is an altered experience! It's not just about image quality here, variable lag makes the game play unpredictable/uneven and you simply cannot adjust to it.

Adam Koralik, "would have noticed" if it had lag.

sorry for irrelevant question but retroRGB has no forums , when i connect my ntsc sega genesis 1 and 2 to my 20 inch sony pvm it seems it shifts horizontally to right and in the left side of tv i always have a black bar that sometimes sega compensates that void with relevant colors of games like in soccer games it becomes green , first i thought it may be a deflection adjustment problem but my pvm works fine with RGB DVD players , i have pure csync instead of composite sync and that doesnt matter because even in composite video or s-video modes i have same problem ! i have same problem of not getting a real full screen 100% in my ps2 and ps1 too but they are not as annoying as sega genesis , originally my sega genesis was PAL and i removed the 4 pins oscilator and replaced it with an NTSC one alongside with modding the pins for 60hz or 50hz i changed it to get 60 hz and my pvm recognises it when i connect it through composite or svideo it says NTSC! so if you have same experience like me guide me please !

Good video! I went from the exact model of cheap SCART to HDMI adaptor you have in this video to an OSSC and the difference really is night and day. I can thoroughly recommend the OSSC to those who can afford it. The only thing I would mention though, that you didn't touch on in this video (unless I missed it) is that the OSSC only accepts RGB inputs, so any console that only does composite and doesn't output RGB - like the Amiga CD32, or (PAL?) N64 you can't use with an OSSC at all.

I'm glad I skipped the cheap SCART to HDMI box and went directly to the Framemeister. While it does introduce a tiny bit of lag, it is not something I personally notice. Well, I play mostly turn-based RPGs, so even if there was a ton of lag I wouldn't notice lol. But the image looks super sharp and beautiful, especially when paired with HD Retrovision cables.

Great video. Basically it makes the games play in 30fps instead of 60. Quick question, have you tried any of the cheap vga to hdmi converters? A scart to vga converter can be made fairly easily.

Great video and very informative

I had the black HD box when I first dipped my toes into scart. Then I got a Retrotink scart to component and the results are eye opening.

Thanks for this video. Sounds perfectly fair and I found it useful!

Thank you for doing this video it kept me from almost waisting $30. I recently purchased a super famicom and while I have a crt I can play it on I don’t really have a lot of room to set my crt up to use it. I have used the regular av cables on my flatscreen and it’s not completely horrible but I was wanting something better. I was considering the level hike cable but after watching this I am glad I didn’t and will instead wait for the rad2x to become available again.

Thanks for the info. :) I bought a retrotink for my old consoles, because it's cost-effective (and I am not a hardcore retro-gamer). :)

Interesting video, is there a good option for SCART to HDMI or component for under 50€ you would recommend?

Been using one of the cheap SCART to HDMI box for a while now. Done the job but it's a pain to use. My Elgato HD60S sometimes doesn't recognize it until I restart, or create a new scene from scratch in OBS. I have an OSSC on the way ( fingers crossed some time this week ). Since I capture from both console and retro PC's, I'm hoping the OSSC can do the trick. It cant be any worse then the Scart to HDMI box.

0:28 *immediately looks over to the exact same scaler i have on my desk that i've been using with my Mega Drive for years with a shocked pikachu face*

I love this. There are SO many gaming enthusiasts that are big on youtube and are selfproclaimed experts on gaming that dont have the skills to recognize all the flaws of these terribad devices. The shit reviews Ive seen that dont challenge or even notice some of the flaws is just ridiculous. Thanks for this vid!

I accidentally plugged my Genesis power cable into my mine last year and it blew up. It was a sign to upgrade to the OSSC! It's definitely the best way to go for hmdi retro gaming, totally worth the money.

Great video. Thanks a lot!

I got one of those Scart to HDMI converters last year. Thought it was okay at first, but I quickly noticed how it blurs moving pixels, and my unit even randomly interlaced some frames every few seconds. Completely unusable and needless to say it got shelved.

Could you recommend the best converter/upscaler to digitize great picture and sound from an old s-video VCR (home movies) to 1080p HDMI/mp4? Thanks!

Save the pixels, Bob for president. Chi for vice. Bob Chi 2020

I felt I was the only one that hated that shitty ass scart to hdmi adapter. Everywhere they sell them they’re filled with 5 star reviews, they have *BRUTAL* lag.

just curious, have you ever tested this thing with 960p? my capture card has issues with OSSC's 2x480p mode (for gamecube,DC,PS2 etc), I wonder if running it thru one of these would produce a decent enough image upscaling the 960p to 1080.. or maybe at least somehow standardizing the signal for capture

I think about the only good thing about the Pound/Hyperkin/LevelHike adapter is they would make for an easy way to hook up to a capture card to get decent enough game play footage.

Good video Bob! I agree with everything you said in this and this video will hopefully guide some people what to stay away from. I can't say how many people would actually stay away from these crappy solutions for gaming on it, but it would definitely make a some difference. All that said there is one tiny nit pick in this video I want to talk about. At 3:31 you got the text that says which input each CRT has the other way around. Very minor complaint, but still worth mentioning. Keep it up, Bob. ;-)

Well done, Bob.

Hello, I have a RetroTink and wondered if hooking up my PS1 console via S Video to it would give a much better result than the Pound cable? I'm going to get an official Sony cable to try. Thanks for all you do.

Ignorance is not welcome here. Ps. Last paragraph made me happy.

Are the labels at 3:34 reversed? Direct s-video isnt somehow more laggy and also hooked up to the 16:9 CRT for some reason, is it?

As someone just getting back into my old computers in 2023, this was very informative, THANK you! Currently the "good" solutions are hard to find due to chip shortages, and prices are just getting silly. Rad2x looks awesome for lag, but pure unobtanium. Retrotink 2x doesn't do what I need and costs too much. It shouldn't be this difficult. GBS-8200 looks good for the price and RGBA. I'm going in...

hey are line doublers any decent? like those of retrotink or Kaicolabs?

So right now, which is the upscaler I should get if I want to stream NES, SNES and N64 games? Should I get RetroTink 2 Pro? Because I saw RAD2X is not compatible with NES

Awesome video and agree with almost everything except one thing...how is the ossc better than the framemeister?

Fully support you....my channel is 100% using the OSSC.... awesome solution!!!