AV:RetroTINK-4K: Difference between revisions

From ConsoleMods Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
(Added the Defeating Dithering section)
Line 1,930: Line 1,930:
* Go to Advanced Settings > Processing / Effects, then set Hori. Kernel and Vert. Kernel to "Bilinear Soft" as needed. This blurs the edges of the pixels to disguise the dithering.
* Go to Advanced Settings > Processing / Effects, then set Hori. Kernel and Vert. Kernel to "Bilinear Soft" as needed. This blurs the edges of the pixels to disguise the dithering.


The cost of applying this effect is that the image will of course be rather blurry. Adding some scanlines (also in the Processing / Effects menu) can help alleviate this somewhat (HDR will help brighten the image back up). If the dithering is only vertical stripes (like the water in ''Kirby's Dream Land 3''), you could alternately use a sharper setting like Bilinear Std for a slightly sharper appearance.
The cost of applying this effect is that the image will of course be rather blurry. Adding some scanlines (also in the Processing / Effects menu) can help alleviate this somewhat (HDR will help brighten the image back up). If the dithering is only vertical stripes (like the waterfalls in ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' or the water in ''Kirby's Dream Land 3''), you could alternately use a sharper setting like Bilinear Std. for a slightly sharper appearance.
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|+Dithering Gallery
|+Dithering Gallery
|[[File:Sonic the Hedgehog - Bilinear Sharp.png|thumb|Sonic the Hedgehog - Bilinear Sharp]]
|[[File:Sonic the Hedgehog - Bilinear Sharp.png|thumb|Sonic the Hedgehog - Bilinear Sharp Vert. and Hori.]]
|[[File:Sonic the Hedgehog - Bilinear Soft.png|thumb|Sonic the Hedgehog - Bilinear Soft]]
|[[File:Sonic the Hedgehog - Bilinear Soft.png|thumb|Sonic the Hedgehog - Bilinear Soft Vert. and Hori.]]
|[[File:Sonic the Hedgehog - Bilinear Soft w. Scanlines.png|thumb|Sonic the Hedgehog - Bilinear Soft w. Scanlines]]
|[[File:Sonic the Hedgehog - Bilinear Soft w. Scanlines.png|thumb|Sonic the Hedgehog - Bilinear Soft on Vert. only w. Scanlines]]
|}
|}



Revision as of 07:07, 26 November 2023

sharplThe RetroTINK-4K is an advanced video scaler from RetroTINK LLC. Building on the functionality of the RetroTINK-2X and RetroTINK-5X, the RetroTINK-4K offers high-end video scaling and processing at resolutions up to 4K60.

It is commonly abbreviated as "TINK-4K" or "RT4K".

The RetroTINK-4K, alongside the included remote and SD card.

Overview

The RetroTINK-4K is the latest evolution of the RetroTINK line of video line doublers and upscalers. Below is a list of some standout features:

Output

  • Digital Video up to 4K60
    • Flexible output modes including 480p, 1080p, 1440p at various refresh rates
    • Custom modelines on the SD card
  • Fully buffered video (drop-free on input changes), Gen Locked and Frame Locked sync modes
  • HDR10 output with full color correction to Rec. 2020
  • High frame rate output modes: 1440p120, 1080p240
  • Optional deep color output (10 bits at 4K60 may not be compatible with all displays)
  • Up to 8-ch LPCM audio

Inputs

  • Supports for virtually all analog formats:
    • HD15/VGA: RGBHV, RGBS, RGsB, YPbPr, S-video and Composite
    • SCART: RGBS, RGsB, YPbPr, S-video and Composite
    • Rear RCA: RGsB, YPbPr and Composite
    • Front Composite
    • Front S-Video
  • Digital Video Input supporting up to 1080p60/1200p (CVT-rb)
  • Analog audio input sampled at up to 96kHz/24-bit with full gain control
  • Optical TOSLINK audio input supporting 2-Ch LPCM or compressed surround
  • Digital Video audio supports up to 8-ch LPCM

Analog Video

  • Automatic gain calibration
  • Automatic phase calibration
  • Automatic input cropping to trim borders
  • Full control of gain, offset and sample rate
  • Console specific automatic sample rate detection (experimental feature)
  • Support for a wide variety of off-spec arcade and PC boards (may require custom profiles to properly trim and center the image)
  • Max input resolution of 1920x1080p60 or 1920x1200p60 CVT-rb
  • Robust composite/S-video decoder with multi-region support (NTSC, PAL, PAL-60, SECAM)

Scaling

  • Fully flexible, custom cropping and zooming in the horizontal and vertical space independent of other settings
  • Automatic aspect ratio correction to 4:3 or 16:9
  • Motion adaptive deinterlacing including film modes for 3:2 and 2:2 inverse telecine (experimental feature)
  • RoTATE 90 deg CW or CCW (for 240p, 288p and 360p inputs)

CRT Simulation

  • Multiple CRT beam profiles
  • Fully configurable CRT beam strength and intensity modulation
  • Adjustable CRT masks and strength
  • Interlaced video simulation with offset scanlines
  • LCD simulation patterns that automatically adapt to scaling, including non-integer factors

Image Processing

  • End to end RGB pipeline with internal 12-bit precision
  • Conventional gamma and approximated modes to minimize quantization error
  • Advanced and fully configurable gamma and perceptual quantizer (HDR)
  • Advanced color gamut transforms to simulate different display technologies
  • Black frame insertion engine with customizable pattern and intensity
  • Linear light processing

User Interface

  • Advanced OSD menu based system
  • SD Card for saving profiles, custom modelines and firmware updates
  • Support for over 100,000 profiles
  • Custom premium remote control

Getting Started

Insert SD card with RT4K firmware, HDMI™ output, USB-C power and whatever inputs you wish to use.

The RetroTINK-4K is designed to be powerful, yet easy to use and quick to set up. Here are some steps to get started Using the RetroTINK-4K:

  1. SD Card - A card is included with every RetroTINK-4K that includes the launch firmware and profiles. Please make sure this card is inserted in the device, as it is required for proper operation. If you lose the card, any FAT32 SD card 32 GB or less may be substituted.
  2. USB-C Power - Connect a USB-C cable supplying at least 5V/2A to the USB-C power input on the 4K.
  3. Video Output - Connect an HDMI™ cable (2.0 or higher / 18Gbps+) from the RetroTINK-4K output to your display.
  4. Video Input - Connect your device's signal to any of the RetroTINK-4K's inputs. More information on supported connections can be found in the Inputs section.
  5. Confirm Video Output - By default, the RetroTINK-4K outputs 4K60. If you don't see any picture, confirm that your display supports 4K60, or press the button on the remote that matches the resolution of your display (1080p, 1440p, or 480p). See the Remote and Output sections for more information.
  6. Select Your Input Source - Press the "Input" button at the top of the remote, then choose the port and signal your device is using.
  7. Enjoy - Once your video source is visible, that is it! Enjoy the high quality, low latency scaling of the RetroTINK-4K. Time to play the game!

Basic Analog Calibration

With your game up and running, you may want to consider two more steps if you're using an analog video source (note that HDMI™ video sources do not require calibration):

Tink4k - Auto-Gain Side by Side Example.png
Auto Calibrate the Gain: The RetroTINK-4K has a function to automatically calibrate the gain, which works well so long as there's a patch of pure white somewhere on the screen. Gain should be applied on a per-console basis.
  • To quickly use Auto Gain, press the "Gain" button on the remote.


Advanced users may want to use the manual gain controls under Advanced Settings > RGB/Component ADC, in tandem with the 240p Test Suite.

Tink4k - Auto Crop Example (no crop).png

Tink4k - Auto Crop Example.png
Crop The Picture: Cropping the picture is how the RetroTINK-4K scales images to the edges of a screen and centers them, and should be applied on a per-game basis. For best results, use a screen that has no black or dark edges.
  • There are three ways to automatically crop the picture, which can be accessed via the AUX buttons at the bottom of the remote:
    • AUX1 - "Vertical Only", cropping only the top and bottom edges.
    • AUX2 - "Full Crop to 4:3", cropping all four edges.
    • AUX3 - "Full Crop to 16:9", cropping all four edges and setting the Aspect Correction to 16:9.


You can also manually crop and resize the picture if you wish by going to Advanced Controls > Scaling/Cropping. Head to that section to learn more.

Tweaks, Filters and Beyond

Of course, there is a lot more you can do with the RetroTINK-4K. Here are some more advanced options to explore:

Firmware Updates

The RetroTINK-4K can be updated to any firmware, with new firmware releases adding more new features as they are made.

  1. Power off your RetroTINK-4K and remove the SD card.
  2. Insert the SD card used for your RT4K into the SD card slot on your computer.
  3. Download the latest firmware .zip file from the RetroTINK website.
  4. Extract the contents of the .zip file to the SD card's root directory.
  5. Remove the SD card and insert it into the SD card slot on the RetroTINK-4K.
  6. There are two methods for initiating the installation of a new firmware. If you have multiple firmware files on the SD card, the RT4K will always pick the most recent one.
    • Option 1: Power on the RetroTINK-4K, then go to Advanced Settings > OSD/Firmware. In the Firmware update section, select "Check SD Card" to scan for the firmware file, then confirm that you want to install it.
    • Option 2: Hold down the blue Reset button on the back of the RetroTINK-4K, then power it on. The firmware installation will begin automatically.
    • If the LED blinks red, an install error has occurred. Check the files on the SD card and try again.
  7. The RT4K will reboot for about 40 seconds, with the front LED flashing pink and then blue. Once done, it will power on again as normal with a green LED. You're done!

All custom profiles, CSC files, banner images, input modes, mask overlays and modelines will be kept, as those are stored on the SD card instead of on the RT4K itself.

Remote

RetroTINK-4K Remote Diagram
RetroTINK-4K Remote.png
Button Description Button Description Button Description
Power Powers on / off the TINK-4K 11 Profile 11 4K Switches to 3840x2160p 60Hz
INPUT Input source selection menu 12 Profile 12 1080p Switches to 1920x1080p 60Hz
OUT Digital Video Output menu MENU RetroTINK-4K Main Menu 1440p Switches to 2560x1440p 60Hz
SCL Scaling/Cropping menu BACK Back out to previous menu 480p Switches to 720x480p 60Hz
SFX Processing/Effects menu Up RES1 Custom Output Resolution 1
ADC HDMI™ Receiver menu if Digital In is currently displayed

RGB/Component ADC menu if an analog input is currently displayed

Left RES2 Custom Output Resolution 2
PROF Profiles menu ENTER Enter RES3 Custom Output Resolution 3
1 Profile 1 Right RES4 Custom Output Resolution 4
2 Profile 2 Down AUX1 "Vertical Only" Auto Crop
3 Profile 3 DIAG Diagnostic Console screen AUX2 "Full Crop to 4:3" Auto Crop
4 Profile 4 STAT Status screen AUX3 "Full Crop to 16:9" Auto Crop
5 Profile 5 AUTO-GAIN Auto Calibrate Gain AUX4
6 Profile 6 AUTO-PHASE Auto Calibrate Phase AUX5
7 Profile 7 PLAY/PAUSE Pause current screen AUX6
8 Profile 8 SAFE Safe Mode AUX7
9 Profile 9 SYNC-GEN Sync Lock - Gen Lock AUX8
10 Profile 10 SYNC-BUF Sync Lock - Triple Buffer -

Pause Button

The Remote features one function that cannot be accessed anywhere else: the Pause function. Pressing this will pause the on the current frame and mute the audio. This frame will even be remembered if you switch to a different input source and back.

  • Perhaps the most useful application of the Pause Button is the Deinterlacer/Film menu. Here you'll be able to adjust the deinterlacing settings and see their effects more easily in a scene in motion, letting you tweak them to your liking more easily.

There are a few situations where using the Pause function will have undesirable results, such as loading a different profile or engaging 3:2 Inverse Telecine. Other functions, such as Black Frame Insertion, won't be visible at all because they require new video frames in order to work. In these cases, simply unpause to resume normal operation.

Safe Mode

Safe Mode is an option accessible by pressing the blue Reset button on the back of the unit, or by holding down the "SAFE" button on the remote for two seconds. This causes the following:

  • Loads the Default profile.
  • Sets the input to Digital In.
  • Sets the output to 480p at 59.94 Hz.

Safe Mode is intended for use in troubleshooting, as any display that supports HDMI should be required to support 480p60. It's also handy as a fall-back in case you need to return the RetroTINK-4K to a default state for any reason.

LED Light

The RetroTINK-4K has a front LED light that changes color and behavior to convey information about its operation to the user. Below is a chart for LED light behavior and what they mean.

Color Description
No light The RT4K has no power. No electrons, no business.
Slow Red pulse The RT4K is sleeping, and must be turned on for use.
White The RT4K is booting up, but is not yet ready for use.
Green The RT4K is on and ready for operation.
Yellow flash System files not found on SD card during boot. Check to see if the SD card is correctly inserted, that it has the .rbf system file, and that the rt4k.bin file matches it.
Purple-Purple flash The RT4K is updating the firmware.
Blue-Blue flash Firmware update is successful.
Red flash Firmware update error. Check the files on the SD card and try again (the unit is NOT bricked).

Inputs

The RetroTINK-4K features inputs for a wide variety of signals and connector types, which can be selected in the Input Source Selection menu. These options can be accessed by pressing the Input button at the top of the remote, or by pressing the Menu button and choosing "Input Selection".

Digital Video

Digital Video Input
HDMI In.png
The RetroTINK-4K supports many resolutions digitally, up to 1920x1080p60 or 1920x1200p60 CVT-rb. It does NOT support higher resolution input, including 1440p and 4K input.

Unlike standard consumer equipment, the RetroTINK-4K can tolerate and adapt to arbitrary and off-spec resolutions.

Front

The RetroTINK-4K offers S-Video (over Mini-DIN) and Composite (over RCA) inputs in the front (which can be concealed / revealed by moving the sliding panel). The red and white RCA jacks are stereo audio inputs. Red/White front audio inputs are active when either the Front Composite or S-Video input is selected (assuming audio input override is not used).

Front Inputs
Front connectors.png Composite To use composite video, use the yellow RCA jack for video (CVBS/Composite) and the Red/White RCA jacks for right and left audio input, respectively.
S-Video To use composite video, use the Mini-Din for video (Y/C S-Video) and the Red/White RCA jacks for right and left audio input, respectively.

Rear RCA

The rear RCA jacks support YPbPr (Component), RGsB, and CVBS (Composite) inputs.

Rear RCA Input
Rear RCA.png
YPbPr The Rear RCA input supports YPbPr (Component video). The maximum resolution supported is 1920x1080p at 60fps, or 148.5Mhz.
  • To use YPbPr, connect the Red, Green and Blue YPbPr video cables to their corresponding colored RCA connectors, noting that the Red/White pair to the left is for stereo audio input.
RGsB The Rear RCA input also supports RGsB (aka RGB Sync on Green), a flavor of RGB that sends the sync alongside the Green signal. The maximum resolution supported is 1920x1080p 60fps, or 148.5Mhz
  • To use RGsB, connect the Red, Green and Blue RGsB signals to their corresponding colored RCA connectors, noting that the Red/White pair to the left is for stereo audio input.
CVBS on Green Composite video (CVBS) can be used with the Rear RCA inputs. The maximum supported resolution is 480i.
  • To use CVBS on Green, connect the yellow composite signal connector to the Green RCA jack, then setting the input to "CVBS on Green" option in the Input Selection menu. The Red/White pair of jacks furthest left is for stereo audio input.

SCART

The SCART port is the large rectangular input on the right-hand side of the device. SCART has many different options for video input using the same connector design, as it was designed to carry a wide array of them using a single cable.

  • Two M4x0.7 thread screw-holes sit on either side of the SCART port, 70.4mm apart from each other relative to their centers. These allow for a user-made solution to give a more secure fit for the SCART cable (similar to the HD-15 port's screw-holes).
SCART Input
Scart Input.png
RGBS (75 ohm) RGBS is a form of RGB where sync is sent through a discrete line. The RetroTINK-4K accepts the following RGBS signal formats via SCART: Composite Sync (attenuated), Sync-on-Luma, and Sync-on-composite. They all work by sending information down the Red, Green, Blue, and "Sync" lines. The maximum resolution supported is 1920x1080p 60fps, or 148.5 MHz
RGsB RGsB sends sync down the green input, using only 3 cables. This RGB format is notably used by the PS2 when in 480p mode via SCART. The maximum resolution supported is 1920x1080p 60fps, or 148.5 MHz
YPbPr YPbPr is sent through the Green, Blue, and Red pins, respectively. The maximum resolution supported is 1920x1080p 60fps, or 148.5 MHz
CVBS on Pin 20 Composite video sent through Pin 20, usually through a composite to SCART adapter or if your cable uses sync-on-composite video and you wish to use composite instead of RGB. As with all composite signals, only 240p/480i/288p/576p signals are supported.
CBVS on Green Composite video can be sent through the Green pin. This would be useful if you use a component (YPbPr) to SCART adapter, just plug composite (yellow) into the Y RCA jack (Green). As with all composite signals, only 240p/480i/288p/576p signals are supported.
Y/C on Pin 20/Red S-Video (Y/C) can be sent down Pin 20 (sync) and the Red pins. You will need a S-Video to SCART adapter. As with all S-video signals, only 240p/480i/288p/576p signals are supported.
SCART Jack Pinout
SCART Connector (female) Numbered.png
Pin # RGBS (75 Ohm) RGsB YPbPr CVBS on Pin 20 CBVS on Green Y/C on Pin 20/Red
1 Unused
2 Audio In - Right
3 Unused
4 Ground
5 Ground
6 Audio In - Left
7 Blue Blue Pb
8 Unused
9 Ground
10 Unused
11 Green Green+Sync Y CVBS
12 Unused
13 Ground
14 Unused
15 Red Red Pr Chroma (C)
16 Unused
17 Ground
18 Ground
19 Unused
20 Sync CVBS Luma (Y)

HD-15

The HD-15 connector (or VGA connector) is commonly associated with PCs, however it's also famously available for the SEGA Dreamcast.

  • Unlike SCART, the HD-15 port does not accept audio. When using HD-15, audio should be input using the RT4K's 3.5mm TRS input (associated with the HD-15 port by default) or the TOSLINK "optical" input.
HD-15 Input
HD-15 (VGA) Input.png
RGBHV RGBHV is a form of RGB where information is sent through 5 lines: Red, Green, Blue, Horizontal Sync, and Vertical Sync. The maximum resolution supported is 1920x1080p 60fps, or 148.5 MHz. This is most common for PC sources.
RGBS RGsB sends sync down the green input, using only 3 cables. This RGB format is notably used by the PS2 when in 480p mode via SCART. The maximum resolution supported is 1920x1080p 60fps, or 148.5 MHz
RGsB RGsB sends sync down the green input, using only 3 cables. This RGB format is notably used by the PS2 when in 480p mode via SCART. The maximum resolution supported is 1920x1080p 60fps, or 148.5 MHz
YPbPr YPbPr is sent through the Green, Blue, and Red pins, respectively. The maximum resolution supported is 1920x1080p 60fps, or 148.5 MHz
CBVS on Hsync Composite video sent through the horizontal sync line. As with all composite signals, only 240p/480i/288p/576p signals are supported.
CBVS on Green Composite video can be sent through the Green line. As with all composite signals, only 240p/480i/288p/576p signals are supported.
Y/C on Green/Red S-Video (Y/C) can be send down Green (Y) and the Red (C) pins. As with all S-video signals, only 240p/480i/288p/576p signals are supported.
HD-15 Jack Pinout
HD-15 Jack (pins numbered).png
Pin # RGBHV RGBS RGsB YPbPr CBVS on Hsync CBVS on Green Y/C on Green/Red Data
1 Red Red Red Pr Chroma(C)
2 Green Green Green+Sync Y CVBS Luma(Y)
3 Blue Blue Blue Pb
4 Unused
5 Ground
6 Ground
7 Ground
8 Ground
9 Unused
10 Ground
11 Unused
12 External Transmit (EXT TX)
13 Horizontal Sync Sync CVBS
14 Vertical Sync
15 External Receive (EXT RX)

3.5mm TRS Audio

3.5mm TRS Audio
Audio in Analog.png
The RetroTINK-4K allows for audio through a 3.5mm TRS input. This accepts stereo analog audio. By default, this is associated with the HD-15 port, as that port does not accept audio signals.

Optical Audio

Optical Audio
TOSLINK Optical Port on the Tink 4K.png
The RetroTINK-4K offers a discrete optical audio TOSLINK input. This input can accept 2-channel LPCM and compressed surround sound.

Alternate Audio Inputs

The RetroTINK-4K allows you to reassign audio inputs from their default video source. Go to Advanced Settings, and select "Audio Input" under the "Acquisition" section. The "Input Override" option under "Source" allows the audio for the current input video input to be taken from a different audio source. The only exception is that it is not possible to assign HDMI (TM) audio to a non-HDMI (TM) video source. The reverse, however, is possible.

  • This menu also has the Input Swap option, letting you swap the audio input channels (handy for some third-party Saturn cables), or derive mono audio using the left or right channels (useful for single-channel systems like the NES).
Audio Input Override Sources
Picture Name Description
Audio Input (RCA).png
RCA (Rear) The leftmost two RCA inputs in the rear. White and Red,
Audio in Analog.png
HD15 The 3.5mm TRS input in the rear.
SCART Connector (female) Numbered.png
SCART The SCART input on the side. Audio is fed in through pins 2 and 6.
Audio Input (RCA).png
Front The red and white RCA inputs in the front of the unit.
TOSLINK Optical Port on the Tink 4K.png
SPDIF Optical audio fed through a Toslink input.

HDMI™ Output

The RetroTINK-4K only outputs via the Digital Video output port. Note that The RetroTINK-4K can not output through any of its analog ports.

The HDMI™ Output menu allows you to set your output resolution, enable black frame insertion, change your colorspace output (colorimetry), and more. Here is a breakdown of some key functions:

Output Resolutions

The following outputs are readily supported by the RetroTINK-4K. Also noted are resolutions available by pushing their respective button on the remote. If you are unsure which resolution to use, use the buttons on the remote.

RetroTINK-4K Output Resolutions
Resolution Description Remote Button?
4K60 Default resolution and framerate for 4k displays, aka 3840x2160p.

Default Resolution for the RT4K

Yes
4K50 Intended for PAL games and 24Hz content. No
1080p60 Default resolution for 1080p displays. Yes
1080p50 Intended for PAL games. and 24Hz content No
1440p60 Default resolution and framerate for 1440p monitors, aka 2560x1440p. Yes
1440p50 Intended for PAL games and 24Hz content No
1080p100 Intended for PAL games and 24Hz content with BFI No
1440p100 Intended for PAL games and 24Hz content with BFI No
1080p120 Intended for NTSC content with BFI No
1440p120 Intended for NTSC content with BFI No
480p60 Minimum suggested output resolution for modern displays, aka 720x480p.

Pressing the Reset button on the back of the unit activates this resolution.

Yes
2880x2160p70.00 Intended for off spec content from retro computers No
1920x2160p60.00 No
800x600p60.00 Output for retro computers. No
1920x1200p60 5x output for consoles intended for 8:5 (16:10) displays. No

HDR

HDR is a way for the RetroTINK-4K to output a much more luminous picture for TVs that support it. HDR is intended for use with either Black Frame Insertion or Scanlines and Masks, as it helps compensate for the darkened image.

  • Currently, the only option available is "HDR10 [8-bit]".

The table below shows two photos of an LG-CX displaying the RT4K using the "PVM 600 TVL" profile, under the HDR CRT Simulation folder. It's impossible to communicate the luminance of HDR in SDR, so here the camera had its exposure set for the HDR photo first, demonstrating the luminance gain compared to the SDR photo.

HDR Comparisons - Off-screen Photos
PVM 600 TVL scanlines - SDR.
PVM 600 TVL scanlines - HDR.

Colorimetry

HDMI Output Colorimetry specifies the colorspace of the HDMI output. By default, the Auto setting will select Rec. 709, and toggle to Rec. 2100 when HDR is enabled. You may wish to manually set output to Rec. 2020 (without HDR enabled), Adobe RGB or DCI-P3 if your display supports a wider color gamut. This may improve the image quality/accuracy when using the settings in the Color Correction menu.

Sync 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 will create a long delay and a "no input detected" screen for several seconds 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.

Sync Lock controls how the RetroTINK-4K synchronizes the output frame rate with the input frame rate and handles these input changes.

  • Triple Buffer operates the output independently from the input which results in a stable output signal even if the input signal glitches or changes. However, this comes at the cost of a variable lag, usually between a fraction of a frame to a fraction of a frame plus one whole frame. On occasion, you will see judder when frames needed to be dropped or repeated.
  • Gen Lock is the recommended mode as long as your display is compatible with the source's refresh rate. Gen Lock loosely couples the output frame rate with the input frame rate. After a few seconds, the output frame rate will lock with the input frame rate and achieve minimum lag without screen judder.
  • Frame Lock tightly couples the input and output frame rates. Any change in the input frame rate will cause a disruption in the output signal and a hard resynchronization.

Variable Refresh Rate (VRR)

The RetroTINK-4K can flag the output as VRR. While the RetroTINK-4K itself never outputs variable frame rates, settings this flag may be useful to force the display to accept a broader range of refresh rates. It is also useful on some displays to prevent re-buffering and other frame rate changes which will interfere with the RetroTINK-4K's BFI generator.

Deep Color

Explain Deep Color here.

BFI Control

Gives you quick access to the Strobe and Blur functions of Black Frame Insertion. For more BFI controls, head to the "Black Frame Insertion" (BFI) section.

Profiles

The Profiles section handles all of the profiles provided on the SD card, as well as any you've put there yourself. Profiles allow you to save your settings to load later. This is where you'll find CRT presets, since they're just saved profiles.

  • For a list of Profiles provided on the SD card by default, head to the Profile Repository section.
  • For a collection of Profiles made by the community not provided on the SD card by default, head to the Community Profiles section.

Load Profile

  • Load From File - Selecting this will bring up a menu where you can navigate through the "profiles" folder on the SD card to load up a specific profile.
  • Load Default - Loads the Default Profile. The Default Profile can never be deleted or overwritten.

The arrangement of profiles in the Load From File menu matches the internal file structure of the "profiles" folder on the SD card. This means that you can alter the folder structure to your liking if you don't prefer how they're laid out by default.

Save Profile

  • Save Current - Overwrites the currently-loaded profile with the current settings. If selected while using the Default Profile, this will work like "Save As New" instead.
  • Save As New - Saves the current profile as a new file named "New Profile X", where X is an ascending number. This will be located in the root "profiles" folder on the SD card, and can be renamed using a PC.

Assign Profile

This section of the menu allows you to assign one of the number buttons at the top of the remote to a specific profile, using the same SD card navigation menu as the "Load From File" function.

Additionally, this is where you can assign a profile to be loaded up when the RetroTINK-4K is Powered Up. This is not the Default Profile, which can never be changed.

Profile Management

Profile Troubleshooting

Scaling and Cropping

The Scaling / Crop Setup menu is where you can crop and resize the image. Unlike the RetroTINK-5X, by default the RT4K sizes and positions the image based on the cropping, but this can be overridden.

Input Crop

The RetroTINK-4K has robust controls to adjust size, positioning and cropping:

  • "Top Trim" and "Bottom Trim" will effectively scale the image up and down in most Scaling Modes.
    • To more easily see the edges of the Top and Bottom Trims, set the Scaling Mode to "Auto Fill Integer".
  • "Left Trim" and "Right Trim" will adjust the centering of the image, as the RT4K automatically centers the image based on these settings.
    • To shift the image left and right, increase the Left or Right trim to push the image in the opposite direction.

Vertical Pre-Scale

The RetroTINK-4K features the ability to "Pre-Scale" video content, or discard scanlines, at a fractional increment of the source input. Discarding vertical lines results in a loss of vertical resolution. This loss can be useful under certain circumstances, such as creating more accurate scanline rendering for 240p visual content output from consoles that run at higher resolutions (such as the Dreamcast or Wii).

RoTATE

RoTATE (pronounced "roh-tah-tay") is a special feature within the RetroTINK-4K to rotate the image 90 degrees clockwise (right) or counterclockwise (left). This is especially useful for games that may only display their image horizontally, such as many arcade shooters.

RoTATE Example
Standard Output 90 Degrees Right 90 Degrees Left
Rotate example - uncorrected.png
Rotate example - 90 degrees right.png
Rotate example - 90 degrees left.png

The RoTATE mode will only work if the samples per line of your video source is lower than 1024 samples per line (visible in the RGB/Component ADC menu).

  • Because the video of Composite and S-Video is locked to 858 samples per line, no additional tweaking is required when using these input sources.
  • Further, RoTATE mode will only work with 240p, 288p or 360p resolutions. This is important for titles that mix them with 480i.

If you're using RGB or YPbPr input, visit the RGB/Component ADC (link) section of this page for information on ADC and decimation settings to meet the 1024 samples per line requirement. Similar limits apply when using HDMI™ sources: use the Input Decimation settings in the "HDMI™ Receiver" menu if the horizontal samples exceed 1024 (for example, MiSTer cores that use pixel repetition).

CP Auto Crop

The RetroTINK-4K can automatically crop and set aspect ratio for an input if it is fed a sufficient game screen (although this only works with RGB and Component sources).

Autocrop looks for the black edges of a game image and crops to them, so use a picture that clearly shows the edges of the video for best results. Screens that have any dark edges, as well as letterboxed, pillar-boxed, and window-boxed screens, are not recommended as they will fool the Auto Crop into thinking those are the edges of the image, resulting in an incorrect crop.

CP Auto Crop Settings
Name Remote Button Effect
Vertical Only AUX 1 Automatically adjusts "Top Trim" and "Bottom Trim" to the top and bottom of the game image. Does not adjust Left Trim or Right Trim, and does not change Aspect Correction.
Full Crop to 4:3 AUX 2 Automatically adjusts Left, Right, Top, and Bottom Trim to the image, and changes Aspect Correction to "4:3 (PAR)"
Full Crop to 16:9 AUX 3 Automatically adjusts Left, Right, Top, and Bottom Trim to the image, and changes Aspect Correction to "16:9 (PAR)"

Scaler

The Scaler section in the RetroTINK-4K allows you to manipulate the geometry of the image.

Aspect Correction

The Aspect Correction setting chooses the pixel aspect ratio, or "PAR", of the image. Options can be toggled between

  • 4:3 (PAR) - uses the common 4:3 pixel aspect,
  • 16:9 (PAR) - intended for games set to their widescreen or anamorphic display modes.
  • 1:1 (Sq. Pixel) - displays the pixels as perfect squares. This is helpful for systems like Super Game Boy and PSP.

Note that some inputs, such as modern HDMI™ sources, use square pixels by definition, so no PAR adjustments are possible. You will have to use the Scaler settings below instead.

Scaling Mode

Scaling Mode allows you to select automatic scaling modes or change aspect ratio constraints on manual scaling:

  • Auto Fill - fills the screen based on the selected Aspect Correction aspect ratio.
  • Proportional - allows the Vertical Factor to be adjusted while automatically adjusting the Horizontal Factor to keep the aspect ratio selected in Aspect Correction.
  • Free-Form - untethers the Vertical Factor and Horizontal Factor to allow values outside of the Aspect Correction setting. This is the setting most like the RetroTINK-5X's resizing options.
  • Auto Fill Integer - scales the Vertical Factor and Horizontal Factor to the highest possible integer value without exceeding the screen boundaries while respecting the ratio selected in Aspect Correction.

The Horizontal Factor and Vertical Factor settings display the multiplier value, the input resolution, and output resolution respectively.

The function can be expressed as a simple formula: (Input Resolution) X (Multiplier) = (Output Resolution).

Horizontal and Vertical Factor Example
Axis Multiplier Input Res. Output Res.
Vert. Factor 9.000 240 2160
Hori. Factor 2.045 1440 2945

Buffer

The RetroTINK-4K allows users to set how much video to buffer before outputting to your screen. The buffer, in conjunction with the Sync Lock mode, are the main determining factors for overall latency.

  • Min. Lag sets the buffer to only store to bare minimum number of video lines. This option provides the lowest latency.
  • 1/2 Frame always buffers half a frame.
  • 1 Frame frame always buffers a full frame.

Min. Lag is typically compatible, but if you encounter an edge case with screen tearing, try forcing 1/2 or full frame.

Note that certain movie modes, such as Inverse Telecine, will automatically force the RetroTINK-4K to buffer a full frame.

Masking Color

The masking colour settings allow you to adjust the colour of the mask that displays in the Scaling/Crop menu. By default, the values a 0 Red, 0 Green and 31 Blue. You can also change whether the masking colour is displayed in the cropping menu only, or always.

Processing and Effects

The Processing / Effects Setup menu is where you can adjust the pixel interpolation, as well as add Scanlines and CRT Masks.

Where are the Scanline Presets?

If you're a regular user of the RetroTINK-5X, you may be surprised to enter this menu and find that there's no Presets available to choose from. This is because they are stored as Profiles on the SD card.

  • To load an included CRT Preset, head to the main menu, then go Profiles > Load from File > HDR CRT Simulation, then pick one you want to use.

The "bundling" of CRT Presets as Profiles may seem odd to users of the RetroTINK-5X (where CRT Presets could easily be applied to optimal sampling profiles), however this shouldn't have much impact on the final result. CRT displays are inherently a bit blurry as part of their aesthetic (even PVMs and BVMs), so generic sampling is perfectly acceptable to use for them. If you're using a digital source and decimating it (like Nintendo Switch Online or an HDMI modded system), you may want to simulate the blur using the Horizontal Interpolation Kernel, and / or the Horizontal Blur function.

The only exception to the above is when you're using the LCD scanlines, as the thin lines dividing each pixel won't appear correctly without optimal sampling.

Interpolation

Vertical and Horizontal Kernel

Interpolation in relation to video processing is a technique to create more visual information on the output that is given on the input. The RetroTINK-4K offers a handful of interpolation options that can be applied independently across the vertical and horizontal axis. Bilinear Sharp: The image is scaled up the maximum integer factor that is within the output size using Nearest Neighbor followed by a bilinear scale to the final output size. This option provides sharp pixels without shimmer at non-integer scaling factors. Bilinear Medium: The image is scaled up 2x using Nearest Neighbor followed by a bilinear scale to the final output size. This option is somewhat softer than Bilinear Sharp but still sharper than regular Bilinear Bilinear Std: This is conventional bilinear filtering. Bilinear Soft: This performs linear interpolation over 4 pixels instead of the standard 2 pixels resulting in a very soft image. This may be desirable to produce horizontal blur for CRT effects Cubic: Interpolation using the cubic kernel which outputs an image sharper than bilinear but softer than Lanczos. Lanczos2/3: Interpolation using the Lanczos family of windowed Sinc kernels. None: Image is scaled using Nearest Neighbor which results in completely sharp pixels but may shimmer at non integer factors "Bilinear Sharp", "Bilinear Med.", "Bilinear Std.", "Bilinear Soft", "Cubic", "Lanczos2", "Lanczos3", and "None"

Anti-Ringing

Linear Light

Scanlines

Most of the Scanlines options do not appear correctly unless you have applied a crop, especially for systems that render higher than 240p like the PlayStation 2 and GameCube. Thus, we highly recommend cropping the picture in the Scaling / Cropping menu before beginning here.

Masks

Horizontal Blur

Color Correction

The Color Correction Setup menu is where you can adjust the color values and interpretation of the video signal.

Gamma and PQ

The PQ stands for "Perceptual Quantizer".

Color Space Conversion

Input RGB to XYZ

Advanced Controls

Black Frame Insertion (BFI)

Black Frame Insertion (BFI) is a technique to improve motion clarity with high refresh rate monitors. As an example, a 60fps video source played on a 120hz monitor could have a black frame interstitially placed between every frame. The resulting "image-black-image-black" pattern can increase the perception of motion and fine details. If you have a higher refresh rate monitor, a customizable example can be viewed over at Blur Busters.

To enable BFI:

  • Set a Supported Resolution: The RetroTINK-4K can generate BFI, but due to bandwidth constraints, BFI is limited to 1440p or lower resolution output. When the Output Resolution is not set to a high frame rate output (100 or 120hz) BFI Controls will be disabled.
  • Set a supported Sync Lock Mode: BFI also cannot be enabled unless you are in Gen or Frame Sync Lock mode.

BFI Control

Black Frame Insertion (BFI) Settings
BFI Example Diagram.png
Strobe: Strobe controls how the output frame rate is divided into the input frame rate. As depicted in the diagram, with Strobe 1, the 60Hz input frame is flashed one time at 240 Hz. At Strobe 2, the 60Hz input frame is flashed twice at 240Hz, with black frames in between. Alternatively, a 60Hz source within a 120Hz output would display for 1/2 of the time 120Hz output window.

Blur: Blur is a duty cycle modifier that works in relation to Strobe to change how many frames the source video is presented in relation to the black frames. In the example diagram (60Hz Source inside a 240Hz output), a Blur of 1 would display the source video 1/4 of the 120Hz window, a Blur of 2 would display the source video 2/4 of the 120Hz window, and a Blur of 3 would display the source video 3/4 of the 120Hz window. Some relationships of Blur and Stobe are locked, such as a 60Hz video source in a 120Hz output window, which would only allow a Blur of 1 (1/2 of the output 120Hz window).

More information about BFI can be found at Blur Busters.

BFI Color

Deinterlacer and Film

The Deinterlacer / Film Mode Setup menu allows you to adjust settings for use on interlaced sources, such as deinterlacing methods and Inverse Telecine.

While tweaking the options under the Mode and Motion Adaptive Settings sections, we suggest using the Pause Button to pause the video on a frame with motion. This will allow you to see the effects of the deinterlacing more easily.

Mode

CRT Simulation

The CRT Simulation algorithm is unique enough to warrant its own section. It's used to to simulate the way 480i content is displayed on a real CRT: each frame of a 480i image is actually only 240 lines, and each new frame switches to using lines that were unused in the previous frame. Because of this, CRT Simulation will appear identical to Bob deinterlacing unless you use one of the Scanline functions enabled in the Processing / Effects menu (since they simulate the unused lines), and are viewing interlaced content.

CRT Simulation will also cause your crop settings to be displayed incorrectly, so be prepared to redo your crop after enabling this feature.

  • There is one thing to keep in mind when using this feature: the output frame rate of the RT4K must match the input signal's frame rate in order for the effect to be displayed correctly. This is important if you're using a PAL system, which run at 50 frames per second: if the RT4K is outputting at 60fps (as it usually does by default), the CRT Simulation will not appear correctly for PAL content!

Motion Adaptive Settings

Motion Adaptive settings apply only to the Motion Adaptive Deinterlacing mode, allowing you to adjust it to your liking.

  • Sensitivity - Adjusts the sensitivity of Motion Adaptive, between Min, Medium, High and Max. The higher this is set, the more weaving will be present for moving parts of the screen, at the benefit of a stabler look for static parts of the screen. Many games will look just fine on the Min. setting, however several games may require Medium or higher. For example, Burnout 3: Takedown on PlayStation 2 has a subtle flickering and animated noise that throws off the Motion Adaptive Deinterlacer for still parts of the screen.

Bob Settings

Film Mode

Cadence Detection

HDMI™ Receiver

The HDMI Receiver Setup menu is where you control how the RT4K handles Digital In video. This menu is only functional when the Digital In port is the currently selected Input. If it is, this menu can be quickly accessed by pressing the ADC button at the top of the remote when HDMI is selected as the input.

Input Decimation

Colorspace

Misc

RGB and Component ADC

The RGB / Component ADC Setup menu is where you control how the RT4K handles analog inputs, such as the RCA, S-Video, HD-15 and SCART ports. This menu is only functional when an RGB or Component input is in use. If that is the case, this menu can be brought up by pressing the ADC button at the top of the remote when YPbPr, RGBS, RGsB, or RGBHV is selected as the input.

Sampling (ADC)

Sync (ADC)

Gain

Offset

Auto Calibrate

Auto Phase

Any game screen is sufficient for automatic phasing, but it is recommended to use the 240p Test Suite or other sufficiently patterned screen for eyeballing results. whether you've set automatic sample detection using that menu, or you manually selected Decimation Factor in the ADC page, selecting Auto-Calibrate Phase makes the RetroTINK-4K automatically select the best Decimation Phase and Sub-Phase for your current picture and should give you the sharpest results. It is recommended you run this 3-5 times to make sure the same factors and phases are consistently chosen.

Auto Gain

The Auto Gain function will calibrate the gain levels for the current input, however it only works for RGB and YPbPr sources.

  • To use Auto Gain, go to a game screen which has a patch of colour that should be pure white. When you enable the Auto Gain function, the RT4K automatically calibrates the Gain levels based on that white patch.

Auto Gain only works in calibrating the overall brightness Gain, not the individual color gain. You may need to manually adjust the individual colors a few ticks more for in the Gain section to get the true RGB code (255) for a given color. We highly recommend the use of the 240p Test Suite for this task.

Auto Gain must be calibrated on a per-console basis, meaning it will need to be set between different systems. This applies even across different units of the same system, such as two Super Nintendos, as their picture output will have degraded slightly differently.

Sample Rate Detection

The Sample Rate Detection menu is where you control how the RT4K automatically detects the sample rate of a given analog source. This menu is only functional when an RGB or Component input is in use.

Sample Rate Detection Overview

The RetroTINK-4K can take advantage of sampling and scaling algorithms to seamlessly change settings when it detects a horizontal resolution change. This is useful for most analog retro gaming consoles, but requires knowledge of their "Master Sampling Rate," noted below.

Master Sampling Rate Chart
Console Name Master Sampling Rate Available Resolutions
Super NES 3410 256x224, 256x239, 512x224
Sega Genesis/Mega Drive 256x224, 320x224
Sega Saturn
Turbo Grafx 16/PCEngine 2730 256x224, 320x224
Sony PlayStation 256x224, 320x224, 384x224, 512x224, 640x224
Sony PlayStation 2

Once you know the master Sampling rate of your console, set that console's ADC Sample rate in the "Sample Rate Detection" menu under ADC Sample Rate, and turn both "Auto Dec. Factor" and "Auto Dec. Phase" to "On." Once you enable those options, if you know which resolutions you'll use, scroll down to that resolution to enable that horizontal resolution's detection and the RetroTINK-4K should automatically switch to a different set of settings whenever it detects that particular resolution is used. This process will help automatically set Decimation Factor and Decimation Phase in the ADC setup.

Control

Progressive Detection

Interlaced Detection

SDP Decoder

The SDP Decoder Setup menu is where you control how the RT4K handles Composite and S-video. This menu can be quickly accessed by pressing the ADC button at the top of the remote when S-Video or Composite are selected as inputs.

Gain and Balance

Processing

Sync (SDP)

Audio Input

The Audio Input Setup menu is where you'll find options regarding the RT4K's handling of audio., such as the sampling rate and overriding which audio input is in use.

Sampling (Audio)

Source

System

The System selection of menus relate to the RetroTINK-4K itself, including the On-screen display, firmware updates, and displaying various status screens.

OSD and Firmware

This menu allows you to load in your own Banner. The SD card comes pre-loaded with a default RetroTINK-4K banner, FirebrandX's banner displaying Firebrand from Demon's Crest, and two moon banners (both of which intentionally do not display the moon in a perfect circle).

Here's some information on how banners work on the TINK-4K:

  • Banners are stored in the "image" folder of the SD card.
  • Banners must be 24-bit BMPs in order to work with the RT4K.
  • 320 x 128 is the recommended pixel dimensions. It can be larger, however only the upper-left 320x128 pixels of the image will be drawn.
  • An RGB value of "255, 0, 255" (a pink colour) will be treated as transparency.
  • If a Profile doesn't have a banner image specified, the file named "default.bmp" will be loaded instead. This lets you determine your own default banner image.

On Screen Display

This section allows you to adjust facets of the On Screen Display, including the menu.

  • Position - This lets you set whether the menu is displayed on the Left side of the screen, the Center, or the Right side of the screen. This is set to "Left" by default.
  • Auto-Off - Lets you determine how long the menu will wait before disappearing (as if you pressed the menu button). This is set of "Off" by default, but you can set it to turn the Menu off after up between 10 - 100 seconds (and anything in-between in 10 second increments).
  • Hide Input Res. - Turning this on will mean the RT4K will not display the current input and resolution in the top-right corner of the screen every time it changes. This is useful if you're capturing or streaming games that switch resolutions.
  • Enable Debug OSD - This option allows you to permenantly display one of the three Status Pages or the Diagnostic Console.

Firmware Update

This option allows you to Check the SD card for the two files needed for installing new firmware to the RetroTINK-4K. For more information on how to install new firmware, head to the Firmware Updates section.

Status

Displays the Status menu, letting you learn more about the current status of the RetroTINK-4K. For more information, visit the Device section of our GUI Map.

Diagnostic Console

Shows the 30 most recent actions in the RetroTINK-4K's operations. Or something?

About

Displays the About Page, containing the following information:

  • About
    • Device - Displays information about the RT4K's hardware version.
    • FW Version - Displays the current firmware name.
    • Device ID - Displays the ID of the RT4K.
  • Resources
  • Thanks!
    • "This project would not have been possible without the support of everyone who has helped over the years. Thank you all so much for everything and we hope this device brings you countless hours of joy!"

System-Specific Methodology

The System-Specific Methodology section is all about highlighting how you can use the RetroTINK-4K's various features to improve the experience of using your video game systems beyond just plugging them in. This can range from setting 1:1 pixel aspect ratio for Super Game Boy on the SNES, to dovetailing with the Sharpscale Plugin on the PlayStation TV.

NES / Famicom

The Famicom (or Family Computer) is the original Japanese version of Nintendo's landmark console, while the NES (or Nintendo Entertainment System) was released in all other regions. All Famicom / NES systems will be marked as such on the front, so simply read that to tell which one yours is (particularly useful regarding the top-loading redesigns). These systems render games in 256x224.

  • The NES family renders and outputs all audio in mono via the white RCA jack (left speakers). To account for this, go to Advanced Settings > Audio Setup, then set Input Swap to "Mono (Left)".
  • Some NES family games, like Super Mario Bros. 3, have visual errors visible on the left and right sides of the screen. These can be removed from view using the cropping tools.

The NES / Famicom can only output either Composite video or RF (with one rare exception). You will need at least a composite signal to connect directly to the RT4K. Use the list below to tell which one your system outputs:

  • Composite signals are supported by the RetroTINK-4K. This can be used on either the front yellow plug, or the rear green plug.
    • Original "Front-loading" NES (NES-001).
    • Top-loading "AV Famicom" with the rounded power switch and flat cartridge slot.
    • Sharp's "Twin Famicom".
    • Sharp's "Famicom Titler" (also capable of S-Video).
  • RF signals are not normally supported by the RetroTINK-4K. These models support RF output:
    • Original Famicom w. hard-wired controllers.
    • Revised "Top-loading" NES with a rounded cartridge slot and power switch.
    • The RF Modulator output from the original "Front-loading" NES-001, which has softer sound compared to the the sharper Composite output.

Super NES / Super Famicom

The majority of Super NES / Famicom games run in 256x224 resolution, while a select few games run with a mix of the following: 512x224 in the whole screen for menus, 256x224 for most of the image while running 512x224 over certain parts of the screen to create transparency effects, or the same but using 512x224 resolution to allow sharper text on the screen. It is recommended to run the Super NES in 512x224p mode to make sure you get all available detail. (https://consolemods.org/wiki/AV:RetroTINK-5X_Pro#512_%22Hi_Res%22_Games)

We recommend using a Super NES model number SNS-001, or Super Famicom model number SHVC-001, and an RGB SCART cable wired for Sync-on-Luma, as this works with both of the aforementioned models. There are internal revisions of these models, noted as "1-Chip" on the motherboard, and the 1-Chip-03 does not work with Composite Sync. There is a revised model, SNS-101 and SHVC-101, also known as the Super Nintendo Junior. This model only supports composite video.

[Picture Here: 1-Chip without gain adjustments vs 1-Chip with gain adjustments]

As noted, there are revisions of the original model Super NES, noted by the "1-chip" on the motherboard. The 1-chip boards have sharper yet brighter video, while the non-1-chip boards have a "smeared" and slightly darker look. We encourage using the auto-gain functions in the ADC to correct the video on both models.

[Picture Here: Non-1-Chip vs 1-Chip]

Profile included for automatic switching between 512 and 256 in Display Aspect Ratio, for both SCART and HDRV YPbPr cables.

Super Game Boy

The Super Game Boy Cartridge allows you to play original style Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges on your TV using the Super Nintendo, and adds borders. Once dialed in, Game Boy games are rendered in a 160x144p window inside a 256x239p canvas. However, Game Boy games were expected to be displayed on the square pixels of their screens, unlike the rectangular CRT pixels that the SNES expects.

  • For correct Super Game Boy pixels, go to Advanced Settings > Scaling/Cropping, then set Aspect Correction to "1:1 (Sq. Pixel)".

[Picture Here: Generic SGB vs Optimized 15x]

Profile included to maximize the Game Boy window to the screen.

Nintendo 64

Unfortunately, no stock Nintendo 64s support RGB without modding. All stock N64s support Composite, all NTSC N64s support S-Video, French N64s support SECAM S-Video, and some PAL N64s do not support S-Video at all.

All N64s have 3 levels of video processing that keep it from being as sharp as the PlayStation and Saturn:

  1. All games scale their image to 640 pixels wide. Many games were rendered at different resolutions but the N64 will scale to 640.
    • Many games render at 320 pixels wide and, as a trick, you can double your ADC Decimation factor to "correctly" render games in their original resolution. This trick only works for games that render at 320 pixels wide, and do not work for games that render at other resolutions that are not 320 or 640 pixels wide.
  2. Software level anti-aliasing. This can be disabled by patching ROMs or using a Gameshark to disable the effect.
  3. Hardware level anti-aliasing. This can't be disabled without a physical mod.

[Picture Here: AA enabled vs AA disabled]

[Picture Here: a 320 game with the trick used vs left at 640 (should be the same)]

[Picture Here: a non-640 or 320 game with the trick used (should look worse)]

Pokemon Stadium Game Boy Tower

Pokemon Stadium's Game Boy Tower allows you to play Pokemon games on your TV, similar to a Super Game Boy, and even uses the Super Game Boy borders. The issue, however, is the scaling noted above. These games render at 160x144p inside a 256x239p canvas, which is then scaled to 640 pixels wide. You will not get a sharp picture out of this setup due to that factor alone. It is recommended to play in a generic or default profile.

[Picture Here: SGB vs Pokemon Stadium]

Nintendo GameCube

For the purposes of use with the RetroTINK-4K, it is highly recommended to use a DOL-001 GameCube, which has the digital out port, and an Insurrection Industries Carby which outputs crisp digital video and can connect to the Digital Video input port of the RT4K. If you insist on buying YPbPr cables, we can only recommend the OEM D-Terminal cable with a D-Terminal to Component adapter, or the OEM component cable.

Most GameCube Games will run at 480p, a progressive mode is activated by holding B when the GameCube boots up a game.

Swiss, the Anti-Flicker Filter, and Horizontal Frame buffer Width

While Most GameCube games run at 480p and progressive mode is relatively easy to access, many GameCube games use an "anti-flicker-filter" by default, which will soften the image. Most of these filters can't be turned off in-game, but the homebrew software Swiss will allow you to boot games, including your own disks, with the anti-flicker filter turned off. As an added bonus, newer versions of Swiss automatically turn the filter off and boot your game in 480p.

[Picture Here: game with anti-flicker filter on vs off]

[Video here: Smash Bros Melee turning the flicker filter on and off]

A few GameCube games scale their image to fit the console's frame buffer before output. Swiss allows you to turn this off and shows the image at its original framebuffer width, and you can use the RT4K to scale it back, for a small sharpness gain.

[picture here: Framebuffer width left alone and the framebuffer width option turned on, with the RT4K used to scale back to the intended resolution] (I don't know what game to use)

240p Games

There are two GameCube games that run at 240p: Megaman X Collection, and the NES games in the Zelda Collector's Edition Promotional Disc. This means you do not have to enable 480p to run those games and can sharply scale these games on the RT4K.

[Picture Here: Megaman X on Super NES vs GameCube]

Game Boy Player + Game Boy Interface

The Game Boy Player is a popular add-on to the GameCube that allows you to play Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games on your TV. The Game Boy Player Disk does not sharply render games onto the screen, but you can use the homebrew software Game Boy Interface to sharply render games into the RT4K. A specific flavor of GBI was created to take advantage of the Insurrection Industries Carby and the TINK 4K's Digital Video input. Please use files gbihf-rt4k-HDMI.cli, gbihf-rt4k-HDMI.dol+cli or gbihf-rt4k-HDMI.gci included with GBI and follow the instructions noted here.

[Picture Here: GBA game on RT5x scaled to 4k (12x scale) vs RT4K (13x scale)]

[Picture Here: GBC game on RT5x scaled to 4k (12x scale) vs RT4K (15x scale)]

Profiles included for 13x scaled GBA games and 15x scaled GBC games.

Nintendo Wii

The Nintendo Wii is a very versatile console: it plays GameCube Games, Wii Games, and many classic retro titles through emulators as part of the Virtual Console lineup. The Wii also has easy to find YPbPr component cables and can easily support 480p across all Wii software through its component cables, making it a popular option for playing GameCube games. The Wii only supports 3 resolutions: 720x240p, 720x480i, and 720x480p. Please read on for more information on getting the sharpest possible picture from a Wii.

Profile included for basic generic output. It is recommended you use this for basic Wii use.

Virtual Console

Many Virtual Console games output at 240p when the Wii is in SDTV mode, and they will line double to output at 480p in EDTV mode. All virtual console games scale the image to 640 pixels wide, so it is recommended you use the default or generic profiles for playing virtual console games. Also of note: NES Virtual console games are rendered many shades darker than an original console, as an anti-epilepsy measure.

[Picture Here: Donkey Kong on Super NES vs Donkey Kong on Wii with generic settings]

USBLoader GX, and Counteracting the Anti-Flicker Filter, 480p LPF, and the Framebuffer Video Width

Homebrew called USBLoader GX allows you to activate or deactivate code before running games, even on your disks.

Most Wii games will apply an anti-flicker filter, even at 480p, which results in a softer picture. Use USBLoader GX's options to turn this off for Wii Games. If you wish to run GameCube games, you will need to turn the anti-flicker filter off separately in either Nintendont or Devolution, but USB-Loader GX does have these options in its menu.

[Video here: Super Smash Bros Brawl's settings menu turning the anti-flicker filter on and off]

There is an option in USBLoader GX called the "480p pixel fix" which makes the game look much sharper. It only works with RVL-001 models with the internal CPU-01 motherboard.

[Picture here: Wii game with 480p pixel fix off vs on]

You can get even sharper picture from the Wii by enabling the "Video Width: Framebuffer" option in USBLoader GX. This will make games output in their original rendering resolution, which you can then rescale using the RT4K to get a much sharper picture than originally intended at the "correct" aspect ratio. As an added bonus, NES and Super NES games will render at 512x224p with this option turned on, which you can use a doubled decimation factor to treat a game like its original 256x224 resolution, and get picture on par with their original consoles.

[Picture Here: Megaman X Super NES Optimal vs Wii Optimal]

Nintendo Wii U

It is highly recommended to use the Wii U's HDMI output instead of its Component output. This is because the analog video is duller, and has less sharpness (even compared to Component from the PS3 and 360).

  • The Wii U's HDMI only outputs in limited range. To account for this, go to Advanced Settings > HDMI Receiver, then set Input Range to "RGB Lim.".

Nintendo Switch

Nintendo Switch Online Games

it is highly recommended to use 1080p output for the NSO emulators and turning on "Pixel Perfect" in their settings under "Game Screen" and to also turn off "Show controls in game" under "Control Display," and to turn off "reproduce classic feel" on the Game Boy and Game Boy Advance apps. This way, all games output a perfectly integer scaled, line-multiplied output for their games.

[Picture here: Donkey Kong Country Super NES Optimal vs Switch Optimal vs Switch no adjustments] For a 256 wide game

[Picture here: Ristar Genesis on Wii Optimal vs Switch Optimal vs Switch no adjustments] for 320 wide games

[picture here: Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga on GBI 13x vs Switch Optimal 13x vs Switch no Adjustments 12x] for GBA games

[Picture Here: The Legend of Zelda, Oracle of Ages on GBI 15x vs Switch Optimal 15x vs Switch no adjustments 14x] for GBC games

SEGA Master System

The original model of the Master System supports Composite and RGB output (S-Video is not supported without mods). The second model, the "Master System II", cannot be used with the RetroTINK-4K without modding, as it only supports RF output.

  • Master System games are infamous for having borders of solid colour around the game graphics. These can be removed by going to Advanced Settings > Scaling/Cropping and using the Input Crop trim tools, but be mindful! Master System games can use two horizontal resolutions: 248 pixels and 256 pixels, and some games will use both of them. The safest option is to crop to a 256 pixels wide screen, which will leave a column on the left-hand side of 248 pixels wide screens. You could also have an additional profile just for 248 pixels wide screens.
    • The Auto Crop tools will not work here, as they will consider the coloured border to be part of the image (it technically is, if still unsightly).
  • The Master System also has rather dim video output compared to other systems. You can fix this by going to Advanced Settings > RGB/Component ADC and adjusting the Gain while using the 240p Test Suite. You can also use the Auto Calibrate Gain feature, which works best if there's a patch of solid, pure white somewhere on the screen.

SEGA Genesis / Mega Drive

Recommended output: RGB

For practicality, "Genesis" refers to both the SEGA Genesis and the Mega Drive (it's Japanese and European name), as they are functionally identical as far as the RetroTINK-4K is concerned, outside of NTSC and PAL standards.

  • The SEGA Genesis has three "240p" output resolutions: 320x224, 256x224. A third resolution, 480i, is only known to be used in the 2 Player VS modes of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Combat Cars.

Certain Genesis games will display coloured dots along the bottom edge of the screen. Known as CRAM (Colour RAM) dots, these would have been in the overscan area of most CRTs and thus invisible to the player, but are quite prominent on modern displays. You can hide them by going to Advanced Settings > Scaling/Cropping and adjusting the Bottom Trim value. You should not use Auto Crop, as it will consider the CRAM dots to be the bottom edge of the picture.

Composite effects. see this portion of the 5x wiki https://consolemods.org/wiki/AV:RetroTINK-5X_Pro#Genesis_Dithering

SEGA CD

SEGA 32x

Master System Games on Genesis

SEGA Saturn

Recommended output: RGB

SEGA Dreamcast

Recommended Output: RGBHV

Sony PlayStation

All Sony Playstation models support RGBS. It is recommended to use a well shielded SCART cable that uses Sync-on-Luma.

Resolution Switching

PlayStation games will switch resolutions often, usually horizontal resolutions like 256, 320, 384 and 512, but occasionally vertical resolutions as well with 480i. The PlayStation is a perfect use for the Automatic Sampling Detection feature of the RT4K. To help with switching vertical resolutions quickly, please enable Triple Buffer in the RT4K's Output menu.

see this part of the 5x wiki https://consolemods.org/wiki/AV:RetroTINK-5X_Pro#Resolution_Switching

Profiles included will automatically switch to all resolutions. You may want to consider researching your game collection and see if you can turn off any resolutions that you won't use, for faster response from the auto sampling detection.

Sony PlayStation 2

The PS2 outputs 240p, 480i, 480p, and 1080i, and supports RGB as well as YPbPr. For simplicity, it is highly recommended to use YPbPr cables because the RT4K will automatically detect and switch to all those resolutions seamlessly. The PS2 will use RGBS for 240p and 480i, but will switch to RGsB for any resolutions above that. While the RT4K supports RGsB, it does not automatically switch from RGBS to RGsB, you will need to change the input manually.

All PS2 games will output either 512 pixels wide or 640 pixels wide. [sic]

PS1 Backwards Compatibility

PS1 games on PS2 use a different set of optimal sampling numbers than the PS1 console.

Sony PlayStation Portable

PSP models PSP-2000, PSP-3000, and PSP-N1000 (aka PSP GO) can output to a display. It is highly recommended you use component cables with the RT4K.

PSP games are rendered at 480x272p. When they are displayed on a television with component cables, they render a 480x272p picture inside of a 720x480p canvas. You can use the RT4K to upscale the image to fit the screen. You will get the sharpest integer scaled picture at the expense of cutting off 2 vertical pixels.

[Picture here: PSP left alone (4.5x scale) vs PSP scaled to 8x]

PSone Classics on PSP

PSone Classics are PS1 games played on the PSP, and use a different set of optimal sampling numbers than the PS1 and PS2 consoles.

  • PSone Classics can be output at their original resolution. On the PSP, go to Settings > Connected Display Settings, then set Component / D-Terminal Output to "Interlace".

[picture here: ps1 console optimized vs ps1 classic]

Sony PlayStation 3

The PS3 supports HDMI, which is recommended for the sharpest possible picture with the RT4K.

  • The PS3 supports outputting PS3 games at 720p, 1080i and 1080p, which the RT4K supports. However if you do not have an option enabled (such as 720p), the PS3 will use a different one. To avoid this, on the PS3 go to Settings > Display Settings, then pick "Video Output Settings". In the new menu, choose "HDMI", then "Custom". In the list, ensure that 720p, 1080i and 1080p are all selected, then press Right and then X to save your settings.
  • While the PS3 does support up to 1080p using component cables, it's softer compared to HDMI output. However many users choose it anyway, as the PS3's HDMI output always uses HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) with no option to disable it like on PS4 and PS5.

[Picture Here: HDMI vs YPbPr]

PSone Classics on PS3

PSone Classics on PS3 can render to 480p, but scale the image to fit the 4:3 aspect ratio. For the sharpest picture, use these settings:

  • On the PS3, go to Settings > Game Settings, then set both PS - Upscaler and PS - Smoothing to "Off".
  • On the RT4K, go to Advanced Settings > Scaling/Cropping, then set Vert. Pre-Scale to "1/2".

[Picture Here: PS1 console optimized vs ps1 classic]

Sony PlayStation TV

The PlayStation TV (called the Vita TV in Asia) allows you to play Vita, PSP, and PSone Classics on your TV through HDMI. By default, all output from the PlayStation TV is soft because of the following factors:

  1. All software has a bilinear filter applied
  2. All software is scaled to the PSTV's selected output resolution
  3. Vita software is internally scaled to 960x544p regardless of its original rendering resolution. This applies to Vita handhelds as well
  4. PS1 Classics are unevenly, horizontally scaled to 4:3.

To counteract this for the sharpest possible picture, we highly recommend installing custom firmware on your PSTV and installing the Sharpscale plugin to counteract all the above effects applied to the PSTV.

Sharpscale Plugin

See an overview of sharpscale here. The following suggestions only work when sharpscale is enabled with the following options:

[picture of sharpscale plugin with the following settings enabled]

PSTV Sharpscale Options
Option Name Option Choice
Scaling Mode Integer
PS1 Aspect Ratio Pixel
Scaling Algorithm Point
Unlock Framebuffer Size Off

Vita Games

When Playing a Vita Game, the PSTV outputs a 960x544p picture inside of a 1280x720p canvas. Use the following settings to get the sharpest integer scaled picture for Vita Games. These settings cut off 4 vertical pixels from Vita games.

RT4K PSTV Vita Settings
Scaling/Crop Setup
Top Trim -90
Bottom Trim -90

[Picture Here: Steamworld Dig 2 with sharpscale disabled vs enabled and optimized]

PSP Games

The PSTV also outputs a 960x544p picture inside of a 1280x720p canvas. Use the following settings to get the sharpest integer scaled picture for PSP games. These settings cut off 2 vertical pixels from PSP games.

RT4K PSTV PSP Settings
HDMI Receiver Setup
Input Pixels 2
Scaling/Crop Setup
Top Trim -45
Bottom Trim -45
Vert. Pre-Scale 1/2

[Picture Here: Final Fantasy IV with sharpscale disabled vs enabled and optimized]

PSone Classics on PSTV

Sharpscale will allow you to get the sharpest picture for PS1 games, but the behavior is not optimal. With the Integer Scaling Mode setting enabled in Sharpscale, some resolutions will use the full vertical space, and others will only scale to 480 vertical pixels inside 720p. it is recommended you look at the resolutions supported by your game before you use sharpscale with the RT4K and see if it is worth avoiding the headache. If you set PS1 Aspect Ratio to 4:3 in the PSTV's settings, the PSTV will force all games to fit, but they will not evenly scale horizontally, resulting in shimmering pixels.

[Picture Here: PS1 console optimized vs pstv optimized]

Sony PlayStation 4

TurboGrafx-16 / PCEngine

Microsoft Xbox

Preferred output: YPbPr.

Up to 720p available with custom firmware

Microsoft Xbox 360

The cable you should use for your Xbox 360 may vary by model.

  • For Xbox 360 models made in 2007 or later, HDMI output is available and should be your first choice, since HDMI cables are readily available.
  • The earliest Xbox 360 models only offer A/V video output. Unlike the PS3 and WiiU however, the 360's component video is quite sharp, so it's a good alternative to HDMI if that's what you need / prefer. A/V output was standard alongside HDMI for most of the 360's life, except for the 360 E revision.

Microsoft Xbox One

Profile Repository

This section catalogues all of the profiles available on the RetroTINK-4K's included SD card.

Generic Profiles

Profile Name 1 Download 1 Description
Profile Name 2 Download 2 Description

Downscaling

Profile Name 1 Download 1 Description
Profile Name 2 Download 2 Description

Console Specific

3DO Interactive Multiplayer

Profile Name 1 Download 1 Description
Profile Name 2 Download 2 Description

Atari Jaguar

Profile Name 1 Download 1 Description
Profile Name 2 Download 2 Description

Microsoft Xbox

Profile Name 1 Download 1 Description
Profile Name 2 Download 2 Description

Microsoft Xbox 360

Profile Name 1 Download 1 Description
Profile Name 2 Download 2 Description

Neo Geo AES

Profile Name 1 Download 1 Description
Profile Name 2 Download 2 Description

Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

Profile Name 1 Download 1 Description
Profile Name 2 Download 2 Description

Super Nintendo / Super Famicom

Profile Name 1 Download 1 Description
Profile Name 2 Download 2 Description

Nintendo 64

Profile Name 1 Download 1 Description
Profile Name 2 Download 2 Description

Nintendo Gamecube

Profile Name 1 Download 1 Description
Profile Name 2 Download 2 Description

Nintendo Wii

Profile Name Download 1 Profile Description
Generic Download 2 Recommended for use with an unhacked Wii, optimized for 240p, 480i, and 480p.
VC 256 Recommended for use with the NES and Super NES Virtual Console games that output 256 wide pixels on a hacked Wii. Make sure to switch "Video Width" to Framebuffer in USBLoader GX.
VC ~256 Recommended for use with games that should be 256 pixels wide but are scaled to 320 pixels a hacked Wii. Make sure to switch "Video Width" to Framebuffer in USBLoader GX. DO NOT USE with games that actually output 256 pixels wide.
VC 320 Recommended for use with Virtual Console games that output 320 pixels wide on a hacked Wii. Make sure to switch "Video Width" to Framebuffer in USBLoader GX.

Nintendo Wii U

Profile Name 1 Download 1 Description
Profile Name 2 Download 2 Description

Nintendo Switch

Profile Name Profile Description
N64 720 Download 1 Set the Switch to 720p to use this profile. NSO N64 games render at 720p. This profile is for use with scanlines to approximate the look on a CRT, not for additional sharpness. If you want a sharper picture, use the default profile.
NSO 256 Download 2 To be used with the NES, Super NES, and Sega Genesis Nintendo Switch Online emulators when the game has an 8:7 aspect ratio.
NSO 320 Download 3 To be used with the Sega Genesis Nintendo Switch Online emulator when the game has a 10:7 aspect ratio
GBA This profile is for use with any GBA game on Switch, including the NSO GBA app as well as ports of GBA games that are scaled 6x to 1080p. This allows for a 13x scale to 2160p, where a default profile would only scale games 12x.
GBC This profile is for use with any GBC game on Switch, including the NSO GBC app as well as ports of GBC games that are scaled 7x to 1080p. This allows for a 15x scale to 2160p, where a default profile would only scale games 14x.

Phillips CDi

Profile Name 1 Download 1 Description
Profile Name 2 Download 2 Description

Pioneer LaserActive

Profile Name 1 Download 1 Description
Profile Name 2 Download 2 Description

SEGA Master System

Profile Name 1 Download 1 Description
Profile Name 2 Download 2 Description

SEGA Genesis / Mega Drive

Profile Name 1 Download 1 Description
Profile Name 2 Download 2 Description

SEGA Saturn

Profile Name 1 Download 1 Description
Profile Name 2 Download 2 Description

SEGA Dreamcast

Profile Name 1 Download 1 Description
Profile Name 2 Download 2 Description

Sony PlayStation 1

Profile Name 1 Download 1 Description
Profile Name 2 Download 2 Description

Sony PlayStation 2

Profile Name 1 Download 1 Description
Profile Name 2 Download 2 Description

Sony PlayStation 3

Profile Name 1 Download 1 Description
Profile Name 2 Download 2 Description

Sony PSP

Profile Name 1 Download 1 Description
Profile Name 2 Download 2 Description

Sony PlayStation TV / Vita TV

The Playstation TV profiles require a hacked PSTV and the Sharpscale plugin to take advantage of the potential sharpness the PSTV can give. If your PSTV is not hacked, please use the default profile.

For the following profiles, please set the following options in Sharpscale:

PSTV Sharpscale Options
Option Name Option Choice
Scaling Mode Integer
PS1 Aspect Ratio Pixel
Scaling Algorithm Point
Unlock Frame Buffer Size Off
Profile Name Description
PSVita Download 1 The PlayStation TV outputs a 544p window onto a 720p canvas.

Upscaled 4x to fit 2160p. Cuts off 4 pixels vertically

PSP Download 2 Sets Decimation Factor to 2 and Prescale to 1/2

The Playstation TV outputs a line-doubled 272p window into a 720p canvas. Upscaled 8x to 2160p. Cuts off 4 pixels vertically.

PS1 Generic The Playstation TV will output the PS1 game to an integer scale of its signal that will fit inside 1280x720p.

Use this profile for PS1 games that switch between many resolutions often. 480i will scale 1x. 512x224p and 640x224p will scale 2x. 384x224, 320x224, and 256x224 will scale 3x.

The following profiles require a slight change in Sharpscale settings. These profiles are best used with games that stick to one resolution for the majority of their gameplay. Do not use these with Chrono Cross or Silent Hill, their menus will cut off vertically

Sharpscale Settings
Option Name Option Choice
Scaling Mode Real
PS1 Aspect Ratio Pixel
Scaling Algorithm Point
Unlock Frame Buffer Size Off
PSTV Profiles: PS1 Pixel Aspect Ratio
Profile Name Profile Descriptions
PS1 256 Download 3 Use for PS1 games that are primarily 256x224.
PS1 320 Download 3 Use for PS1 games that are primarily 320x224.
PS1 384 Download 4 Use for PS1 games that are primarily 384x224.
PS1 512 Download 4 Use for PS1 games that are primarily 512x224
PS1 640 Download 5 Use for PS1 games that are primarily 640x224

TurboGrafx-16 / PC Engine

Profile Name 1 Download 1 Description
Profile Name 2 Download 2 Description

Classic Mini Consoles

256 Download 1 Use with mini consoles that output a 3x integer scale of 8:7 aspect ratio games.

Primarily used by NES and Super NES Classic Mini consoles. Note: The Famicom Classic Mini needs Digital Video Color space changed to "Limited"

320 Download 2 Use with mini consoles that output a 3x integer scale of 10:7 aspect ratio games.

Primarily used by Sega Genesis Classic Mini.

Analogue Pocket

GBA Download 1 Set Scale size to 6x in Pocket GBA settings. Outputs 13x scaled GBA games where the default profile would normally scale to 12x. Do not use with Pocket scanline effects.
GBC Download 2 Set Scale Size to 7x in Pocket GBC settings. Outputs 15x scaled GBC games where the default profile would normally scale to 14x. Do not use with Pocket scanline effects.

Computer Specific

FM Towns

FM Towns computers once hitting white desktop variants output different video displays with some models performing internal upscaling conversions from 24khz to 31khz as well as some models performing 15khz to 31khz with adjustments in the TBIOS configuration file. EA and Pentium type desktops only output 31khz video modes. The below profiles are meant for all towers, UX, UG, UR, HG and HR models which are all models that do not perform internal conversion.
FM Towns will require a custom profile for any displays at 24khz

24Khz Download 1 24Khz Display Mode

Sharp X68000

Sharp X68000 is unique with its outputs primarily being 15khz and 31khz. A few games have hidden selectable 24khz display modes.

Profile Name 1 Download 1 24Khz Mode in XXXX Game.
Profile Name 2 Download 2 24Khz mode

PC-8801

PC-8801 computers will output either 15khz or 24khz depending on the dipswitch settings in the back. If dipswitch settings are incorrect, games will refuse to boot and crash the computer. The 15khz VGA detection in the RT4K works very well for PC8801 and most video modes won't require a profile.
A 24khz signal will require a profile to display properly.

24Khz Mode in BASIC Download 1 24Khz Mode in BASIC.

Notes

Deinterlacer -> -> Motion Adaptive Settings -> Sensitivity


(medium and high options might be might be reversed) Controls combing effect at costs of sharpness. Low = less combing.


Deinterlacer -> -> Motion Adaptive Settings -> Interpolator:


Basically controls how the "bob" portion of the MA is calculated. The bob is either taken from the line above, line below or the average of the upper and lower lines BFI. It's a matter of preference. I think either Top or Bottom interpolator looks a little sharper. Average is softer In the end it doesn't matter too much because Bob is only used during motion when it is hard to see detail anwyays


Deinterlacer -> Motion Adaptive Settings -> Detector:


This is a little complicated to explain... but let me try basically symmetric adds one frame of lag but the motion detection may be better. Because it is looking "one field into the future" idk if its really better tho in real life


HDMI -> BFI Control


-Strobe: How much the frame is divided down (i.e. 1 = divide by 2, 2 = divide by 3, 3 = divide by 4) from input to output -Blur: How many frames are ON vs OFF. So let's say we are converting 60 Hz -> 240 Hz. Blur = 1, ON, OFF, OFF, OFF. Blur = 2 is ON, ON, OFF, OFF -LCD Saver - inverts the pattern of the BFI to avoid renetion. But every few minutes u will see a flicker

Custom Mode Lines


#RT4K Custom Mode Line Format
#H active, H front porch, H sync, H total blank, polarity (1 = pos, 0 = neg)
#V active, V front porch, V sync, V total blank, polarity (1 = pos, 0 = neg)
#Nominal frame rate (floating point)
#Text name

Launch Information

https://www.retrotink.com/post/introducing-the-retrotink-4k

User Guides

The User Guides section contains guides on how to accomplish a desired task that may require the use of multiple RetroTINK-4K functions, or are applicable to multiple systems.

Defeating Dithering

Dithering is a technique many games used in tandem with the blurring effect of a video cable (like Composite) and a CRT. The idea is that the video cable and display blend the dither patterns together, to accomplish tricks like transparency or higher color depth. When using high-quality cables like RGB-SCART and Component, dithering can become very apparent, and many users may find them unsightly. The RetroTINK-4K has an option that can help:

  • Go to Advanced Settings > Processing / Effects, then set Hori. Kernel and Vert. Kernel to "Bilinear Soft" as needed. This blurs the edges of the pixels to disguise the dithering.

The cost of applying this effect is that the image will of course be rather blurry. Adding some scanlines (also in the Processing / Effects menu) can help alleviate this somewhat (HDR will help brighten the image back up). If the dithering is only vertical stripes (like the waterfalls in Sonic the Hedgehog or the water in Kirby's Dream Land 3), you could alternately use a sharper setting like Bilinear Std. for a slightly sharper appearance.

Dithering Gallery
Sonic the Hedgehog - Bilinear Sharp Vert. and Hori.
Sonic the Hedgehog - Bilinear Soft Vert. and Hori.
Sonic the Hedgehog - Bilinear Soft on Vert. only w. Scanlines

Custom CRT Shadow Masks

The RT4K allows for the use of custom CRT shadow mask overlays.This is primarily intended to give an effect similar to CRT slot masks, as opposed to the pictures scanlines.

  • Custom CRT masks must be saved as 32-bit BMP files.
  • The maximum dimensions of a CRT mask is 16 x 16 pixels. They can be smaller, which will result in denser tiling of the mask across the screen.
  • A color value of 128 will be neutral,while 0 will completely black out the corresponding pixel. 255 will double the input value (although this will be clamped).
  • CRT masks will NOT adhere to the pixel grid like the RT4K's scanlines will. You can make this happen yourself by having your overlay match the dimensions of a single pixel, but this will vary depending on many factors, and so should be paired with a specific Profile.

Downscaling (pre-scale) Basics

Downscaling is the act of taking a picture that's one size and reducing it to a lower resolution. This process is essential for applying thicker scanlines to a high resolution image.

  • IMPORTANT: Downscaling is different from the process of having the RetroTINK-4K output a resolution lower than the source. That can be accomplished with a custom Output Resolution modeline.

For HDMI sources, this will be handled in Advanced Settings > HDMI Receiver Setup. Input Pixels determines how much the signal is "divided" by (with the number in brackets marking the effective vertical resolution). Output pixels also does something, I've heard. Initial Phase adjusts which pixels "survive" the division.

Community Resources

Community Profiles

FAQ / Troubleshooting

Hardware Questions

Software Questions

Support Questions

Compatibility Questions

Store/Pricing Questions

Comparison Questions

Recommendation Questions

Miscellaneous Questions

RetroTINK-4K GUI Map

The GUI Map lists every single menu and menu item on the RetroTINK-4K, along with a brief description of what it does. For more information on them, click on a header to be taken to the appropriate section on this page.

GUI - Basic Setup

GUI - Input Selection

More information concerning inputs can be found in the Inputs section.

Digital Video
thing a information
thing b information
Front
Composite Selects the front composite input.
S-Video Selects the front s-video input.
Rear RCA
YPbPr Selects the rear RCA YPbPr input.
RGsB Selects the rear RCA RGsB input.
CVBS on Green Selects the rear RCA CVBS input.
SCART
RGBS (75 ohm) Selects the SCART input and sets it to RGBS
RGsB Selects the SCART input and sets it to RGsB
YPbPr Selects the SCART input and sets it to YPbPr
CVBS on Pin 20 information
CBVS on Green information
Y/C on Pin 20/Red information
HD-15
RGBHV information
RGBS information
RGsB information
YPbPr information
CBVS on Hsync information
CBVS on Green information
Y/C on Green/Red information

GUI - HDMI™ Output

More information concerning outputs can be found in the Outputs section.

Transmitter
HDR Enables "HDR10 [8-bit]"
Colorimetry Lets you choose between "Auto", "Rec. 709", "Rec. 2020", "Adobe RGB" and "Display-P3".

With HDR enabled, Rec. 2100 is also available via the "Auto" setting.

Sync Lock Lets you choose between "Triple Buffer", "Gen 50.0 Hz (x1)" and "Frame 50.0 Hz (x1)".
VRR Lets you choose between "Off" and "FreeSync".
Deep Color Lets you choose between "Off" and "On". Exceeds the HDMI 2.1 bandwidth spec if used with 4K60 output.
Output Resolution
4K60 Sets the output to 3840x2160p at 60 frames per second
4K50 Sets the output to 3840x2160p at 50 frames per second
1080p60 Sets the output to 1920x1080p at 60 frames per second
1080p50 Sets the output to 1920x1080p at 50 frames per second
1080p100 Sets the output to 1920x1080p at 100 frames per second
1440p100 Sets the output to 2560x1440p at 100 frames per second
1080p120 Sets the output to 1920x1080p at 120 frames per second
1440p120 Sets the output to 2560x1440p at 120 frames per second
480p60 Sets the output to 640x480p at 60 frames per second
BFI Control
Strobe information
Blur information
LCD Saver information

GUI - Profiles

Load Profile
Load From File Loads a chosen profile from the "profile" folder on the SD card.
Load Default Loads the Default Profile.
Save Profile
Save Current Saves the current profile by overwriting the original file on the SD card.
Save As New Saves the current profile as "New Profile #".
Assign Profile
Button 1 Sets a specified profile on the SD card to Button 1 on the remote.
Button 2 Sets a specified profile on the SD card to Button 2 on the remote.
Button 3 Sets a specified profile on the SD card to Button 3 on the remote.
Button 4 Sets a specified profile on the SD card to Button 4 on the remote.
Button 5 Sets a specified profile on the SD card to Button 5 on the remote.
Button 6 Sets a specified profile on the SD card to Button 6 on the remote.
Button 7 Sets a specified profile on the SD card to Button 7 on the remote.
Button 8 Sets a specified profile on the SD card to Button 8 on the remote.
Button 9 Sets a specified profile on the SD card to Button 9 on the remote.
Button 10 Sets a specified profile on the SD card to Button 10 on the remote.
Button 11 Sets a specified profile on the SD card to Button 11 on the remote.
Button 12 Sets a specified profile on the SD card to Button 12 on the remote.
Power Up Sets a specified profile on the SD card to load when the RT4K is powered up.

GUI - Advanced Settings

GUI - Scaling/Cropping

Input Crop
Top Trim Adjusts trim on the top edge of the picture.
Bottom Trim Adjusts trim on the bottom edge of the picture.
Left Trim Adjusts trim on the left edge of the picture.
Right Trim Adjusts trim on the right sedge of the picture.
Vert. Pre-Scale Reduces the effective vertical resolution of an HDMI image. Can be set between "1/2" and "1/31".
RoTATE (Beta) information
CP Auto Crop
Vertical Only Crops only the top and bottom edges of the image, sets Aspect Correction to "4:3 (PAR)" and Scaling Mode to "Proportional".
Full Crop to 4:3 Crops all edges of the image, sets Aspect Correction to "4:3 (PAR)" and Scaling Mode to "Proportional".
Full Crop to 16:9 Crops all edges of the image, sets Aspect Correction to "16:9 (PAR)" and Scaling Mode to "Proportional".
Scaler
Aspect Correction Lets you choose between "4:3 (PAR)", "16:9 (PAR)" and "1:1 (Sq. Pixel)" options.
Scaling Mode Lets you choose between "Auto Fill", "Proportional", "Free-Form" and "Auto Fill Integer" options.
Vert. Factor Adjusts the vertical height of the image. Only available when Scaling Mode is set to "Proportional" or "Free-Form".
Hori. Factor Adjusts the Horizontal width of the image. Only available when Scaling Mode is set to "Free-Form".
Buffer
Length Displays the current lag in milliseconds. Can be set to "Min. Lag", "1/2 Frame" or "1 Frame".
Masking Color
Red Adds red to the cropping mask, between 0 and 31.
Green Adds green to the cropping mask, between 0 and 31.
Blue Adds blue to the cropping mask, between 0 and 31.
Show Lets you choose between "Cropping Only" and "Always".

Processing / Effects

Interpolation
Vert. Kernel Lets you choose between "Bilinear Sharp", "Bilinear Med.", "Bilinear Std.", "Bilinear Soft", "Cubic", "Lanczos2", "Lanczos3", "Sinc", and "None".
Hori. Kernel Lets you choose between "Bilinear Sharp", "Bilinear Med.", "Bilinear Std.", "Bilinear Soft", "Cubic", "Lanczos2", "Lanczos3", "Sinc", and "None".
Anti-Ringing Can be set to "On" or "Off". Only visible on "Lanczos2" and "Lanczos 3".
Scanline
Function Lets you choose between "Off", "Exponential", "Gaussian", "Super Gaussian", "Linear", "Box", "LCD Mono" and "LCD RGB". Anything except for "Off" will enable the settings below.
Strength Increases scanline strength from 0 to 99.
Modulation Increases modulation strength from 0 to 99.
Red Bleed Enables red bleed.
Red Convergence Adjusts red convergence from -10 to 10.
Blue Convergence Adjusts blue convergence from -10 to 10.
Mask
Enable Enables the Mask feature, as well as the Strength option. Will not appear to do anything until "Load from File" is used.
Strength Adjusts the mask strength from -10 to 10.
Load from File Select a Mask File from the "mask" folder on the SD card.
Horizontal Blur
Function Lets you choose between "Off" and "IIR LPF", enabling the Cut-Off Freq option below.
Cut-Off Freq Adjusts the blur strength from 0.50 MHz to 9.00 MHz, in 0.25 increments.

Color Correction

Gamma/PQ
Input Factor Can be adjusted between 0.99 and 5.00.
Input Lift Can be adjusted between -1.00 and 1.00.
Input Gain Can be adjusted between 0.00 and 10.00.
Output Factor Can be adjusted between 0.10 and 5.00.
SMPTE 2048 PQ information
Color Space Conversion
Custom Matrix Enables the Input RGB to XYZ options below.
Load from SD Lets you load a CSC file from the "csc" folder on the SD card.
Input RGB to XYZ
Xo[Rin] Can be adjusted between -1.75000 to +1.75000.
Xo[Gin] Can be adjusted between -1.75000 to +1.75000.
Xo[Bin] Can be adjusted between -1.75000 to +1.75000.
Yo[Rin] Can be adjusted between -1.75000 to +1.75000.
Yo[Gin] Can be adjusted between -1.75000 to +1.75000.
Yo[Bin] Can be adjusted between -1.75000 to +1.75000.
Zo[Rin] Can be adjusted between -1.75000 to +1.75000.
Zo[Gin] Can be adjusted between -1.75000 to +1.75000.
Zo[Bin] Can be adjusted between -1.75000 to +1.75000.
Advanced Controls
Bit Crush Lowers the color depth of the picture. Can be adjusted between "Off" and "7 bits Removed".
Saturation Increases or decreases image saturation. can be adjusted between -1.00 and +1.00.
Transfer Function Can be set to "sRGB 0.055", "Rec.601/709 0.099", "SMPTE 240M 0.1115" or "Gamma".

GUI - Black Frame Insertion

BFI Control
Strobe information
Blur information
LCD Saver information
BFI Color
Blending Mode Lets you choose between "Solid" and "Alpha".
Red Adjusts Red, Green and Blue from 0 to 31.
Green Adjusts Red, Green and Blue from 0 to 31.
Blue Adjusts Red, Green and Blue from 0 to 31.

GUI - Deinterlacer / Film

Mode
Algorithm Lets you choose between "Motion Adaptive", "Weave", "Bob", "Linear", "Blend", "CRT Simulation" and "LCD Blending".
Field Inversion Reverses the fields of 480i signals. Can be set to "Off" or "On".
Motion Adaptive Settings
Sensitivity Adjusts the sensitivity of the Motion Adaptive Deinterlacer. Can be set to "Low", "Medium", "High" and "Max". Higher settings result in a more solid image but with more weaving artifacts.
Noise Threshold Adjusts the noise threshold, at the cost of weaving. Can be adjusted between 0 and 63.
Interpolator Choose which field to prioritize. Can be set to "Average", "Bottom Field" and "Upper Field"
Detector Can be set to "Zero-lag" or "Symmetric".
Bob Settings
Offset Adjusts how far each field is shifted when using the "Bob" Algorithm. Can be set between -3 and +3.
Film Mode
Inverse Telecine Enables a detector for "3:2" telecine (24fps content) and "2:2" telecline (30fps content).
Dejudder 24 Hz Can be set to "Off" or "On".
Cadence Detection
Motion Digital Can be set from 0 to 500.
Motion CP Can be set from 0 to 500.
Motion SDP Can be set from 0 to 500.
Threshold Can be set from 0 to 500.

GUI - Acquisition

GUI - HDMI™ In Receiver

Input Decimation
Input Pixels Can be set between "1 (Output: 1)" and "15 (Output: 1)".
Output Pixels Can be set between 1 and 15.
Initial Phase Can be set between "1 of X" and "X of X", where "X" what Input Pixels is set to.
Colorspace
4:2:2 Upsampler Can be set to "Linear" or "Nearest".
Input Range Can be set to "Auto", "RGB Lim.", "RGB Full", "YCbCr 601", "YCbCr 709", "XUYCC 601", "XUYCC 709", "YCbCR 601 (Full)" or "YCbCR 709 (Full)".
Misc.
A/DAC Mode Can be set to "Off", "NTSC" or "PAL".

GUI - RGB / Component ADC

Sampling
Samples per Line Manually set the sampling.
Decimation Factor Can be set to between 2 and 16.
Decimation Phase Value range matches the Decimation Factor.
Sub-Phase Adjusts the Sub-Phase in 11.25 increments. Can be set as high as "348.75 deg"
Anti-Alias LPF Can be set to "Auto (16MHz)", "9MHz (Strong)", "16 MHz (Med)", "35 MHz (Light)", "95 MHz (Min.)" and "Off".
Sync
SoG Threshold Adjusts the Sync on Green Threshold in 11.29 increments. Can be set between "0.00 mV" and "327.42 mV".
Pre-coast Can be set between 1 and 31.
Post-coast Can be set between 1 and 31.
Slow-lock Gives more time to lock onto Sync on Green. Can be set to "Off" or "On".
Gain
Pre-ADC Adjusts the picture gain. Can be set between -0.7 and +0.8.
Red Adds red to the picture, in increments of 0.008. Can be adjusted between 1.000 and 1.996.
Green Adds green to the picture, in increments of 0.008. Can be adjusted between 1.000 and 1.996.
Blue Adds blue to the picture, in increments of 0.008. Can be adjusted between 1.000 and 1.996.
Offset
Red Can be set between -100 and +100.
Green Can be set between -100 and +100.
Blue Can be set between -100 and +100.
Auto Calibrate
Phase Analyzes the picture to determine the Sub-Phase setting. Works best on detailed images with high contrast details.
Gain Analyzes the picture to determine the Red, Green and Blue Phase settings. Works best on calibration screens like in the 240p Test Suite.

GUI - Sample Rate Detection

Control
Auto Dec. Factor Can be set to "Off" or "On". Enables all other options in the Sample Rate Detection Menu
Auto Dec. Phase Can be set to "Off" or "Auto".
ADC Sample Rate Manually set the sampling.
Progressive Detection
Enable Sample Rate A information
Enable Sample Rate B information
Enable Sample Rate C information
Enable Sample Rate D information
Enable Sample Rate E information
Enable Sample Rate F information
Interlaced Detection
Enable Sample Rate A information
Enable Sample Rate B information
Enable Sample Rate C information
Enable Sample Rate D information
Enable Sample Rate E information
Enable Sample Rate F information

GUI - SDP Decoder

Gain / Balance
Brightness information
Contrast information
Chroma information
Phase information
Blue Only information
Setup information
Processing
Y/C Filter information
Comb Bandwidth information
Chroma Badwidth information
Sharpness information
CTIE information
Sync
H-Lock Speed information
Standard information

GUI - Audio Input

Sampling
Sample Rate Can be set to "48 kHz" or '96 kHz".
Pre-amp Gain Can be set between "-24.0 dB" and "+28.0 dB" in 0.5 increments.
Source
Input Override Manually changed the audio input to another source. Can be set to "Off", "RCA", "HD-15", "SCART", "Front" or "S/PDIF".
Input Swap Can be set to "Mono (Left)", "Mono (Right" or "L/R Swap".

GUI - System

GUI - OSD / Firmware

On Screen Display
Position Can be set to "Left", "Center" and "Right".
Auto-Off Sets the time the menu will disable after inactivity. Can be set up to "100 sec" in 10 sec increments.
Load Banner Loads a menu banner from the "image" folder on the SD card.
Enable Debug OSD Permenantly displays one of the debug OSDs on the screen. Can be set to "Off", "Status Pg 1", "Status Pg 2", "Status Pg 3" or "Console".
Firmware Update
Check SD Card Checks the SD card for update files stored in the SD card's root directory. If multiple firmware files are present, the most recent one will be chosen.

GUI - Device

GUI - Status

Status
Lets one display one of three System Status pages relating to the RT4K.
GUI - System Status Page 1
Video Source
Video Source CP Proc. (I assume CP Proc will change based on selection)
Input Timing information
Pixel Clock information
Freq information
Detected Mode information
Audio Input
Audio Input I2S (I assume will change based on audio input)
Measured Freq information
Measured Freq information
HDMI N / CTS information
FPGA Core
Scaler Clock information
PLL VCO information
Pipeline information
SDRAM Clock information
SDRAM Load information
HDMI Transmitter
Output Timing information
Active Size information
Pixel Clock information
HDMI Standard information
PIC32MX MCU
System Clock information
Uptime information
Loop Time information
Last IR Code information
SD Card Free information
GUI - System Status Page 2
HDMI Input Protocol Analyzer
TMDS information
Mode information
Resolution information
Colorspace information
H. Timing information
V. Timing (F0) information
V. Timing (F1) information
Audio information
AVI Infoframe information
Aud. Infoframe information
VS Infoframe information
ACP Infoframe information
GUI - System Status Page 3
HDMI TX Information
TX Mode information
Hot Plug information
Scrambling information
Clock Factor information
Ch 0 Error information
Ch 1 Error information
Ch 2 Error information
Sink EDID Dump information

GUI - Diagnostic Console

to do

Diagnostic Console
Displays a diagnostic console screen regarding Digital In TX channels.

GUI - About

About
About Displays the name of the device, the firmware version, and the Device ID.
Resorces Displays the URLs for the RetroTINK website, Discord channel, and the RetroTINK-4K wiki page.
Thanks! Displays a thank you message from Mike Chi to the user.