AV:RetroTINK-5X Pro

The RetroTINK-5X Pro is an advanced video upscaler designed by Mike Chi. It is the latest offering from the RetroTink line of graphics upscalers and line-doublers.

How to Use the RetroTINK-5X Pro - A Beginner’s Guide
The RetroTINK-5X Pro is a product designed to solve the problem of using retro video game consoles with modern flat panel displays. If you’ve arrived at this guide, you’re probably aware of some problems when trying to play older video game systems on a newer TV's.

HDMI vs Analog
In many situations, the cables that came with your game system will not be compatible with the modern digital HDMI inputs on your TV. One of the main features of the RetroTINK-5X Pro is to convert these signals into an HDMI format your modern display can understand.

Correct Image Processing
In the cases that your display does have the correct hookups to connect your console, there’s still a good chance that the resulting output will be blurry, distorted and laggy. This is because most displays are designed with video content in mind, and the video processing used to handle video isn’t a good fit for retro consoles. Features like minimal and consistent latency, integer scaling and proper handling of 240p are almost always missing when using a flat panel’s included analog inputs.

Lag
The RetroTINK-5X Pro by design is an extremely low lag device, and includes advanced modes to operate even more quickly (with trade offs to other features, see Triple Buffer vs Frame Lock And Gen Lock and 1080p (Min-Lag) for more info).

Lag (aka latency) is the measurement of the time between a controller button input to when the action is shown on screen. Every electronic device takes a little bit of time to do its job. In the context of gaming, this includes the controller itself, the video game console, any upscalers or splitters in the signal chain, and the display. Having too much lag in a setup can make gameplay feel sluggish, unresponsive, and in extreme cases unplayable. This is why enthusiasts seek devices (controllers, displays, upscalers, etc.) that minimize latency. Devices that do their job as quickly as possible are often referred to as "low lag" or "virtually no lag".

When seeking products that are low latency, it's helpful to know that anything less than a frame in a 60 FPS signal is colloquially considered very low lag. Often milliseconds (ms) are used to measure lag. One frame of a standard 60 FPS signal is equal to approximately 16.7ms.

Just Play the Damn Game™
Thanks to Mike Chi’s research and engineering, the RetroTINK-5X Pro is one of the best products on the market specifically built to address the peculiarities of retro video game analog signals. While a complex engine of tweakability lies under the hood for enthusiasts, the RetroTINK-5X Pro prioritizes ease of use so anyone can get their console up in running.

Here are the basic steps anyone can take to get a great experience with their retro video game console:


 * 1) Connect the RetroTINK-5X Pro to your display using an HDMI cable.
 * 2) Connect your video game console’s video and audio to the RetroTINK-5X Pro using a supported cable.
 * 3) Power on the RetroTINK-5X Pro using the included micro USB cable - many TVs will have a USB hookup on the back or side that will work as a power source.
 * 4) Using the included remote, select the appropriate input from the "Input Source" menu (this choice depends on the cable you are using to connect your video game console to the RetroTINK-5X Pro, see the Supported Inputs section for more information).
 * 5) Using the included remote, select the appropriate output from the "Output Res." menu. For most TVs, 1080p (Fill) is a great “all around” choice.

And that’s it! You don’t have to be an A/V engineer to get remarkable results from the RetroTINK-5X Pro, all the hard work is done behind the scenes. Understanding jargon such as automatic phase detection, polyphase scaling or motion adaptive deinterlacing isn’t required for you to gain the benefits and enjoy your retro consoles on a flat panel with great results.

Supported Inputs
The TINK-5X supports nearly every major analog video format used by retro video game consoles. Please see the Inputs Source section for more information about supported resolutions and modes.

When selecting a cable, note that the original manufacturer's cables (Nintendo, Sega, Sony, etc.) are typically high quality options. When available, trusted third-party cables that meet or exceed the quality of OEM cables are noted in the following sections.

YPbPr / Component
{| class="wikitable" ! colspan="2" |
 * YPbPr.png
 * YPbPr or "Component" video is a high quality analog standard that uses three RCA cables to carry separate parts of the video signal (brightness+sync and two color difference signals). Component video was featured on consoles such as PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox, Wii, and Gamecube (model # DOL-001 only).
 * YPbPr or "Component" video is a high quality analog standard that uses three RCA cables to carry separate parts of the video signal (brightness+sync and two color difference signals). Component video was featured on consoles such as PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox, Wii, and Gamecube (model # DOL-001 only).

To use YPbPr with the TINK-5X, insert the Y RCA plug (typically colored green) into the Tink 5x’s “Y” input, insert the Pb RCA plug (typically colored blue) into the Tink 5x’s “Pb” input, and insert the "Pr" RCA plug (typically colored red) into the Tink 5x’s “Pr” input. For audio, insert your left and right audio into the “L” and “R” inputs respectively.

Then, select YPbPr or YPbPr (SDP) for from the Tink 5x’s Input Source menu.

Review the Input Source section of the guide for more information concerning differences between YPbPr and YPbPr (SDP) modes.

Recommended YPbPr / Component Cables
HD Retrovision
 * }

SCART-RGB
{| class="wikitable" ! colspan="2" |
 * SCART.png
 * The TINK-5x supports RGB input through the SCART connector input. SCART was not widely used in the United States but was common in Europe, and video game consoles often featured RGB video and audio connections over SCART. To find out if your console supports RGB over SCART, go back to the check out the Main Page, choose your console, and see if there are any RGB mods listed OR check RetroRGB's website.
 * The TINK-5x supports RGB input through the SCART connector input. SCART was not widely used in the United States but was common in Europe, and video game consoles often featured RGB video and audio connections over SCART. To find out if your console supports RGB over SCART, go back to the check out the Main Page, choose your console, and see if there are any RGB mods listed OR check RetroRGB's website.

Compatibility
The TINK-5x is designed to accept RGB over SCART in the "EuroSCART" variant and NOT JP21. Though JP21 uses the same style connector, it is not compatible with the TINK-5x and may damage your hardware.

Sync
The TINK-5x accepts sync on luma, sync on composite and c-sync RGB over SCART configurations. Check with your SCART cable manufacturer to ensure compatibility with the RetroTINK-5x Pro.

Note that TTL sync is not supported by the TINK-5x and may damage your hardware. Note that RGsB (such as the PlayStation 2's RGB output) is not supported.

31 kHz Signals
The TINK-5x can accept 31 kHz RGB signals with the use of a compatible sync combiner device. This allows for "VGA" input from compatible sources and resolutions. Sync combiner products include the HD15-2-SCART and VGA2SCART. A common implementation of this option is accepting Dreamcast "VGA" output using a compatible VGA cable. Other options include building a sync combiner directly into the SCART cable, such as the Retro Access Dreamcast 15khz/31khz SCART cable.

Recommended SCART-RGB Cables
Retro Access Cables

Retro Gaming Cables

Insurrection Industries


 * }

Video Modes
An important element to unlocking the advanced features of the RetroTINK-5X Pro is knowing the specific video mode your console is outputting. This isn't always easy - video modes can change depending on your cable type, game selection, console menu options or even settings within the game. In some cases, video modes will change in-game, often between in-game menus and gameplay (see Triple Buffer vs Frame Lock And Gen Lock for more information on the 'Chrono Cross' problem). Thankfully, the RetroTINK-5X Pro handles the hard work and adjusts seamlessly behind the scenes to process nearly anything your video game console can throw at it. However, understanding your console's video modes can open up advanced tuning options to dial in your console and video preferences.

A Video Mode, simplified, is the number of vertical picture lines a console is generating, followed by either a p or an i, or Progressive and Interlaced respectively - e.g., 480p. For this section, the differences between Interlaced and Progressive will be the focus. (For a complete list of compatible input video modes, see the Input Source section of the wiki.)

Interlaced Signals
Interlaced video is a video standard that dates back to the dawn of broadcast television, and was mainly a technology used on standard definition CRT displays. With interlaced video, the image is drawn on the screen from top to bottom in two consecutive passes. The first pass draws the image in the even spaces, and the second pass fills the image in the odd spaces. This process happens quickly to create a smooth persistence of motion. This "tik-tok" method of filling in the screen allowed early engineers to get more out of the limited bandwidth of TV broadcast signals.

While interlaced video is still used in certain situations, modern display technology doesn't process video in the same way, and interlaced video has to be converted into a progressive image before it can be drawn. The process of turning an interlaced video signal into a progressive one is known as deinterlacing. While Motion Adaptive Deinterlacing is the most sophisticated and is the default deinterlacer on the RetroTINK-5X Pro, there are situations where other deinterlacing methods can create desirable effects, such as Bob and the corrisponding Bob Scanline Modes. More about the The RetroTINK-5X Pro's deinterlacing options and examples are outlined in the Interpolation/De-interlacing section of the wiki.

Progressive Signals
Unlike interlaced video, progressive video modes are drawn to the screen in one pass, and thus do not require deinterlacing to be drawn on modern displays. Common progressive modes found in retro consoles include 240p, 480p, and 720p. Because they do not require additional processing, they are typically seen as a higher quality signal (often described as sharper or cleaner) and in most cases are preferred over interlaced options. Progressive video modes can also be processed using the RetroTINK-5X Pro's Pre-Scaling functions for additional resolution-dividing and scanline effects.

NTSC and PAL
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Determining Video Modes
Below is a table of common consoles and their supported video modes. Note that some consoles can be modified or use software to support video modes beyond what is shown here. However, this should serve as a good "rule of thumb" for what video modes and cables are required to get a good experience using them with the RetroTINK-5X Pro. More information for specific consoles can be found in the Console Specific Configurations section.

Triple Buffer vs Frame Lock And Gen Lock
Older video game consoles didn't always have perfect video timings. CRTs typically had no problems working with these variances, but these "imprecise" consoles can sometimes have trouble working with modern TVs and capture devices that conform to a more rigid standard. Some games, such as Silent Hill or Chrono Cross on the PlayStation 1, will alternate between 240p or 480i video modes if you are in-game or in the items/pause menu respectively. On many displays, upscalers and capture devices, this can often create a long delay and a "no input detected" screen while the device reorients to the new video mode. The issue of a device taking a gameplay-harming amount of time to change between video modes has been colloquially called the "Chrono Cross" problem.

Triple Buffer The RetroTINK-5X Pro uses "Triple Buffer" mode to effectively eliminate the "Chrono Cross" problem and create very high compatibility with displays and capture devices even for consoles with "imprecise" video. However, Triple Buffer mode comes at the expense of increased lag and occasional and minor judder. The lag varies between approximately 0.25 to 1.25 frames in this mode.

Frame Lock For those looking for the lowest possible lag, the RetroTINK-5X Pro offers a "Frame Lock" mode. With Frame Lock enabled, the RetroTINK-5X Pro uses the console's video input as its base clock and offers a fixed lag of approx. 0.25 frames. The lowered lag comes at the cost of possibly lower compatibility with some TVs and capture cards, and not protecting devices from the "Chrono Cross" problem.

The RetroTINK-5X Pro defaults to Triple Buffer mode to ensure the highest compatibility for users. To toggle between Triple Buffer and Frame Lock, navigate to the HDMI settings and toggle the V. Sync (Vertical Sync) option.

Gen Lock ''Note that 'Gen Lock' feature is only available with Firmware 2.73 or higher, and with units sold after July 2021. This variance is due to a part that was substituted on account of supply shortages.'' Similar but unique to Frame Lock Mode, Gen Lock allows the RetroTINK-5X Pro to match the input frame rate with a regenerated clock, resulting in a signal which is more stable than Frame Lock Mode. Mainly useful for 1440p+ resolutions with SDP sources (Composite/S-Video) that previously could not sync in Frame Lock. Other benefits include removing judder and composite artifacts that show up in triple buffering, as well as dejittering the SNES for displays that may otherwise not work in Frame Lock Mode.

Horizontal Sampling Modes
The TINK-5X uses a combination of its flexible video ADC plus polyphase scaler to produce various horizontal sampling options. The Generic 4:3 and 16:9 modes interpolate the horizontal directions to produce the correct aspect ratio at the select output resolution.

The optimal modes, listed for the various consoles, sample the horizontal direction at the same rate as the original console. Here are the currently included "Optimal Timing" presets:

Post Processing Filters
The RetroTINK-5X Pro features customizable post processing filters designed to simulate the look of certain CRT and LCD displays. Below is a list of the current featured presets, as well as examples captured from the same video source for comparison and reference. To view the post-processing effects example images with the best clarity, click once to view the images enlarged, and click the enlarged image again to view them in your browser without scaling.

Pre-Scaling
The RetroTINK-5X Pro includes the ability to "Pre-Scale" progressive video content, or discard scanline intervals, at one-half or one-third increments of the source input. This discards vertical lines resulting in a loss of resolution and visual information, and isn't always a desirable effect. However, this loss in resolution is useful in some circumstances, such as more accurate scanline rendering for 240p visual content output from consoles that run at higher resolutions (such as the Dreamcast or Wii). The following example is from Street Fighter 3: Third Strike for the Dreamcast. The Dreamcast is outputting 480p, but the assets of the game are 240p graphics being doubled in software. The RetroTINK-5X Pro can throw away half the redundant visual data before applying post-processing effects, resulting in a more "arcade CRT authentic" scanline size and effect.

More information can be found at the Post-Processing Filters, Post-Processing, and Interpolation/Deinterlacing sections.

Bob Scanline Modes
Much like pre-scaling for progressive content, Bob Scanline Modes gives you additional control for how scanlines are applied with 480i interlaced content. To use the various Bob Scanline options, the Deinterlacer must be set to "Bob" in the Interpolation / Deinterlacing menu, and scanlines should be enabled in the Post-Processing menu (any preferred combination of "+Scanline Beam" and "+Scanline Str." settings).

The "Post-Deint." or Post Deinterlace option applies scanlines after the 480i source has been deinterlaced to 480p. This gives the appearance of thinner scanlines.

"Pre-Deint. or "Pre-Deinterlace" treats the 480i source as 240p, so the applied scanlines are thicker. This is especially appropriate for situations where a 240p graphical asset game is being displayed in a 480i video mode.

The "CRT Simulate" setting functions similarly to Pre-Deinterlace, but shifts the odd and even scanlines every frame to reproduce how a CRT display would draw the image. For more context on how deinterlacing works, please see a section that has not been written yet serving as a quick primer on interlacing and deinterlacing.

Below are some examples from Mega Man Anniversary Collection on the PlayStation 2. It is an example of a game that renders 240p assets through 480i video output. This is not typically a desirable combination for the best video quality, but using Bob Scanline modes and scanline Post Processing filters can help improve the visual experience of the game.

Saving and Loading Profiles
The RetroTINK-5X Pro includes 10 slots to save your custom settings. To save your settings, navigate to the [Save Profile] section from the Main Menu. Selecting one of the Save Profile slots (1-10) will save any current changes made to the RetroTINK-5X Pro system into the chosen slot. The values can then be loaded from the Load Profile menu, or a slot be set to load on boot from the On-Screen Display/Startup Profile selection.

Wobbling Pixel's Recommended Settings
YouTuber Wobbling Pixels creates excellent video guides to dial in optimal settings for various retro gaming consoles and situations. Here is a list of the console-specific guides they have created (so far):

Link to Wobbling Pixel's YouTube Channel

8:7 Aspect Ratio Mode
In 1440p resolution mode set Horizontal Sampling to Gen/Sat 320, ADC Samp./Line to 2046 (multiple of 341) and lower H (Interp) Size to 2046. Center horizontally with H Position +268. This is ideal for the Super Game Boy, as it's closer to the Game Boy's 1:1 aspect ratio.

Anti-Aliasing
The Nintendo 64 uses an anti-aliasing (AA) effect to smooth the picture and reduce the appearance of hard polygonal edges. Users that prefer a sharper look have the option to disable the N64's AA with GameShark codes or by patching the game ROM. More information regarding methods to disable AA can be found here. The RetroTINK-5X Pro's optimal Nintendo 64 sampling can greatly increase the sharpness of the image, but for the sharpest possible picture the optimal sampling mode and disable-AA can be used in conjunction.

The following example from Mario Kart 64, using S-Video cables in the Peach example and RGB cables in the Track example. The images show the RetroTINK-5X Pro's generic and N64 optimal sampling modes, as well as with and without disable-AA patches applied.

3DO
The 3DO renders video to a 320x240@15bpp frame buffer, then through a "corner weight color averaging interpolation" algorithm that up-converts the video to 640x480@24bpp. The algorithm can be set between the "corner weight color averaging" or a simple "nearest neighbor" upscale depending on the 3DO software.

When deciding how to best handle 3DO games through the RetroTINK-5X Pro, it would be beneficial to compare the game's appearance of Motion Adaptive deinterlacing against Bob with Bob Scanline set to Pre-Deint (a process converting 480i to 240p). Games that do not use the "corner weight color averaging interpolation" feature will look almost identical between "240p" and "Motion Adaptive" modes, whereas games that do use the color interpolation effect may have a beneficial sharpened look in "240p" processing mode.

More info concerning the "corner weight color averaging interpolation" algorithm can be found at 3dodev.com

Upgrading Firmware
To access the latest bugfixes and upgrades with the RetroTINK-5X Pro, it is necessary to upgrade the device's firmware. Upgraded firmware files can be found from the official RetroTINK website, or by joining the Discord community to gain access to the latest experimental firmware versions.

Bob from RetroRGB has created a video tutorial giving step-by-step details on how to perform a firmware upgrade on the RetroTINK line of products.

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RetroTINK-5X Pro Firmware Notes
The current public firmware version is 2.73. For older firmware version notes, please see the RetroTINK-5X Pro firmware version history wiki page.

Version 2.73
Notice: Firmware Update 2.73 can be flashed to all RetroTINK-5X Pro units, however the additional 'Gen Lock' feature will not appear under the V-Sync menu for units with the early hardware revision (units sold before July 2021). This variance is due to a a part being swapped early in manufacturing due to supply shortages.

Originally released July 11th, 2022

Notice: Firmware updates erase saved profiles and reset the device to default settings.

Added 'Gen Lock' in addition to Triple Buffer and Frame Lock. This allows the RT5X to match the input frame rate with a regenerated clock which is more stable than Frame Lock. Mainly useful for 1440p+ resolutions with SDP sources (composite/S-video) that previously could not sync in Frame Lock.

Compatible with all units sold after July 2021 (the majority of 5X's in the field).

Output Resolution (Advanced Res)
The following outputs are disabled by default and can be enabled by setting “Advanced Res” to “On” in the [OSD] (On-Screen Display) menu.

Horizontal Sampling
Note for further explanation - The H. Interp takes the horizontal resolution produced by the ADC sample rate and the further interpolates it to the final display resolution.

About:
The about page will display the following information as of the current firmware update:

RETROTINK-5X Pro © 2021-2-22 RetroTINK LLC All Rights Reserved Need Help? Join the RetroTINK Discord!

=Official User's Manual v1=

A Wiki version of the official RetroTINK-5X Pro user's manual can be found here.