Dreamcast:Video Output Notes

Note from Derf: This page can be broken up into pieces. Link products on Dreamcast landing page, have a page for RGB-capable games, another for 480p capable games, etc.

Retro Access
Retro Access has both SCART and BNC solutions that work in all resolutions and on all multi-format monitors.

Retro Access Dreamcast SCART Cable

Retro Access Dreamcast BNC Cable

Retro Gaming Cables
**Retro Gaming Cables SCART Cable** (compatible with all scalers and monitors _except_ D and A-series BVM's)

HDRetrovision

 * HDRetrovision** announced a component video solution, which supports all modes and outputs the correct sample rate to HDTV's: https://www.hdretrovision.com

Beharbros

 * Boxes made by Beharbros:** http://www.beharbros.com/ My current favorite solution from the Behar Bros is the Kuro Plus:  https://www.beharbros.com/kuroplus In my opinion, the Kuro Plus is the perfect solution for people who have two monitors:  An RGB monitor and a VGA monitor. It's very similar to the Toro, but without a scanline generator. For more info, check out the toro's review:  http://www.retrorgb.com/toro.html


 * VGA / SCART Cable By The Foo:** https://ebay.to/2OVIFL3 - These seem to be good quality and the sync combiner works well, however the SCART adapter is often out-of-stock.

Switchable Analog Cable with the OSSC
Using a switchable analog cable and the OSSC

480p Aspect Ratio / Sampling Line Issues
Another problem is that while the DC's signal technically is a 720x480p DTV signal, only the inner 640x480p area is actually used. Any A/D conversion will sample the pillarboxes to the left and right as part of the active image, so you always end up with those aspect ratio problems. The aspect ratio problem is even bigger with DTV sampling (1.18:1 without correction while VESA sampling gives you 1.25:1). You can try using a VGA to component converter to solve the sampling problem, as all component to HDMI converters use DTV sampling rates instead. I guess you could then even go from component video to HDMI and while this retain's the Dreamcast's picture quality, you'll still end up with the wrong aspect ratio.

You can use a OSSC to apply a DTV sampling AND reduce the active image area to 640 pixels, basically creating a VESA signal from the DTV signal. This solves both problem, but can bring compatibility issues, as not all TVs can accept a 858 px wide signal with just a 640 px wide active area. The advantage on the other hand by using a correctly sampled DTV signal without AR correction, is that you get a 1:2 pixel mapping on the horizontal on a Full HD screen. The DC will fill a 1280x1080 area in the middle of the screen, giving you a quite narrow AR, but certainly the best possible picture quality you can get from a DC. By altering the active image area to 640px instead, the signal gets scaled to 1440x1080 instead, so you no longer get an integer scale on the horizontal. Of course you can get proper 4:3 now, but at the expense of some PQ. Some TVs can show 1280x960 from a 640x480p signal, which combines the best PQ with the correct AR, but of course you have to deal with the underscan.

A huge thank you to Fudoh for helping with this, as I still find it massively confusing.

Progressive Scan (240p & 480p) compatible games
Not all Dreamcast games are compatible with VGA, but a very large amount are. I found a site that shows which games are compatible and even shows you how to force a VGA mode in most others!:

http://www.epforums.org/showthread.php?56169-Dreamcast-VGA-Compatability-list-amp-Guide

To access the 240p mode in Dreamcast games, a few games ask if you'd like to start the game in a "progressive" mode (Bangai-O) and some Capcom Dreamcast games (Third Strike) can be forced into a 240p mode by holding Start+L (or Start+Z on the Arcade Stick) when you turn the system on, before the Capcom logo appears. As far as I know, these are the only Dreamcast games that support native 240p:

Forcing Widescreen mode / Aspect Ratio
Some Dreamcast games have been hacked to run in widescreen mode. If you play these games on an HDTV, this is definitely worth checking out: https://segaretro.org/List\_of\_Dreamcast\_widescreen\_codes

Also, the aspect ratio of Dreamcast is a bit weird.

Check out Fudoh's great post about it and how it can be fixed with the OSSC: http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?p=1201520#p1201520

Some games aren't RGB-compatible
A few game discs will output composite and S-Video, but not RGB. Some games can be fixed with an ISO patch, however the very few games which are effected won't run in RGB from their original discs. Here's some games that are effected, as well as a forum link to fixes:

Effected Games (most): Giga Wing, Skies of Arcadia/Eternal Arcadia, Street Fighter Alpha/Zero 3, Super Street Fighter 2 X, Touken Retsuden 4, Vampire Chronicle for Matching Service, Pop 'n' Musci (all 4).

Links: http://www.bordersdown.net/threads/11538-What-NTSC-Dreamcast-games-are-non-RGB-compatible

Converting 480p to 240p for a "retro" look
If you run the 480p VGA signal through an [emotia.html Extron Emotia], you can force a 240p mode. I've tested this method and in my opinion (when using a display that doesn't support 480p), a "forced 240p mode" looks better than 480i. Check out [240p.html my 240p page] for more information.

Playing CDr's
If the original game is under 800MB and you use good quality (Tayo Uden) discs, you can safely play backups on VA0, VA1 and some VA2 Dreamcast consoles using a software patch. Using cheap media is very bad for your GDROM drive and will absolutely wear your drive much faster than with regular games! Also, games over 800MB (GDROMs can be over 1GB) will either have to be compressed or split to multiple discs. Overall, improper use of CDr's are not recommended and using an ODE is overall a better choice.

Hardware Tips and Tricks
Here's a video that shows all my favorite tricks for getting the best out of your Dreamcast:

https://youtu.be/eOP3ZDUX7Y8

Summary
\- If you'd like the best analog output from your Dreamcast, purchase a video output solution that supports both video modes. You'll be able to play your favorite games in a way that looks best on every display you use it on.

\- If you'd like digital audio, you can try this TOSLINK mod: https://assemblergames.com/threads/saturn-dreamcast-toslink.57670/

If you'd like info on mods for other systems, head to the [/systems.html Getting RGB From Each System page] or check out [index.html the main page] for more retro-awesomeness.