This is awesome! I just nabbed one, its a bit pricey at $85 but after attempting to use VGA on the Dreamcast so many times this is totally worth it. VGA cables are "meh" and don't have the best compatibility, VGA boxes are nice but you have to go through a decent amount of work to get it to run on a modern TV and are inconvenient overall. I was also super disappointed that VGA wasn't easily attainable on the Framemeister. Kind of wish this came out earlier, I think I spent more on my VGA, upscalers, and those Dreamcast VGA cables over the $85 they're charging for this.
I think the reason the Dreamcast supports VGA natively is because the Sega NAOMI arcade hardware uses VGA at 480p 31khz, and since the Dreamcast is basically a consolized NAOMI, the VGA support remains intact.
I've been using the Akura on my Dreamcast and Samsung Q70t. I absolutely love it. It makes the games look absolutely fantastic. I HIGHLY recommend spending the extra money to buy the Akura instead of something like the Pound cable.
An easy way to tell if your TV can do 480p through HDMI if you have a Xbox 360 (with HDMI port) connect it to the TV, go into settings, console settings, display, HDTV settings and choose 480p, if the display shows than your TV supports 480p through HDMI
Thanks Adam. I'm not a collector but I held on to my dreamcast collection because there are so many reasons why it really is something special. You're definitely the authority on everything DC. Keep up the good work!
It's unbelievable that it looks that much better than the Framemeister. But I wish you had compared it with a regular VGA box+cable as well so we could've seen all of the differences
i been watching your videos for over last year maybe two I just wanted to say I really love your videos your channel seems a lot different than others I like how knowledgeable you are in the research you do just wanted to say thank you for all the content you make
>HDMI box for Dreamcast SAY NO MORE. I NEED THIS IN MY LIFE. Edit: Yes, I have watched through the video and my TV DOES support 480p through HDMI, so I'm all set to go.
I'd honestly wait for the HDMI Mod for the Dreamcast coming up soon. It doesn't convert the video from Analog to Digital like this does but it rather taps onto the Dreamcast's Video Chips to get a 100% Pure Digital Video signal which is better than VGA ^-^
I can tell you exactly whay the Dreamcast has VGA output. The Dreamcast was based off the Naomi arcade hardware. Basically they just took the Naomi hardware and tweaked it a little and that is all. And that arcade system supported VGA of course for the arcade. So it was literally zero extra work to include VGA support. In fact, removing VGA support would probably cost more to remove the feature, so they just included it.
If I had a dollar for every time Adam had to explain the difference between resolution, graphics, and image clarity, I could afford so many Framemeisters that I could build a house out of them.
I wish a good quality PS2 HDMI box existed (need a good quality Wii one to). I also wish the same kind of thing existed for the original Xbox. Because, when you think about it, component is being phased out of existence, with fewer and fewer TVs having it. And we definitely need something that plugs directly into (and is powered by) the consoles. Because with independently powered, scart to hdmi & component to hdmi adapters, there's just too many cables going all over the place....
Maybe i'm remembering it differently, but I remember the VGA adapter being a big deal when the console was released. the Dreamcast Graphics chip was based on a upcoming PC Graphics Card, (which took over a year after the Dreamcast's release to come to market, being outdated by then.) so it natively supported VGA, So Sega did the smart thing by taking advantage of the tech already inside the Graphic chip. I remember when I finally abandoned the Dreamcast and got a PS2, and was really disappointed with the washed out colours, where I was playing the Dreamcast games using a RGB scart and looked so much better.
I know PAL region has its issues with lazy game conversions, but man the last console I used composite cables with was the NES 30 years ago! How did americans survive on composite for the 4th, 5th console generations? Madness.
You da man for providing the list of VGA bootable and non VGA compatible titles Adam. Thank you very much. I had trouble trying to "Figure it out" lol.
Hey Adam, You mentioned lightgun games on HDTVs. I have around 10 different lightguns for a few old game consoles (Master System, Mega Drive, Saturn, Dreamcast and Xbox). I know they won't work on a HDTV. But is there someone working on a gadget somewhere, like a sensor bar that can read the lightguns for a HDTV like the Wii, or is this even possible? I am dying to play Confidential Mission on my Dreamcast again!
+kost4 WHAT!? WOW! THAT IS AMAZING!!!! (*looks at price in pound sterling*)... HOW MUCH!!!!!? OVER £100 FOR ONE LIGHTGUN!!!! A bit pricey for me, but this is a good sign that it is possible to make it work!! Hopefully this will get cheaper with time! Thanks kost4 for showing this to me! Maybe Adam could mention this in one of his videos!
Unfortunately not even for the light Gun, but for the service of modding, you send him the light gun and he mods it for you and sends it back. Actually that guy put quite a lot engineering effort for that, how he makes it work is really smart. The dreamcast junkyard has an article about this. The downside is that this only works with one gun, so no 2 player fun. The developer also sells a wireless controller known as the DreamConn for a similar high price. But people that bought the DreamConn really like it. I might also buy one in near future.
My God the video quality is unbelievable. I was considering buying a VGA cable and using a VGA to HDMI box. How would you say the akura box compares to doing this? It looks like a great box, but damn it's expensive compared to doing a VGA to HDMI setup for around 30 bucks.
I'm in the process of making one of these, but inside the dreamcast, i actually emailed you about it a while back, its still in development, and adam, you'll be the first to know about it
I pre ordered it. Thanks Adam for informing me about this. I'm against preordering but I made an exception because I'm a proud owner of the Kuro. I know I can trust the quality of Behar Bros products.
I love my Kuro box but the thing to keep in mind with the Beharbros is that shipping takes a solid month. Worth the wait if you care about image quality.
was holding out on something like this now its here i have already pre-ordered it i trust them considering the great reviews the behar bros gear has got.
I've been using the Tomee cable for about two years and I've not had a single problem that you're outlining Adam. Yes it's inexpensive, and yes there is probably inconsistent production quality making it a purchasing lottery but that doesn't mean it's a bad alternative. I've used several VGA devices over the years including the Performance box you're so adamant about and frankly there's not a single solitary different in output quality or "features", it does exactly what is intended and that is output a 480p signal via VGA.
Yes, it does mean that. It also means you were one of the lucky few who didn't have issues. You're not the standard, you're the exception sir, and be proud of it.
RetroBit makes a cable like the Tomee cable, I've had it for 3 months and the quality is awesome. And I don't think it's going to break anytime soon, as far as compatibility every dreamcast game I got works for it even the home brows. And with it I get full 1080p.
RetroBit isn't Tomee, I'm specifically talking about the shitty white ones made by Tomee. Compatibility issues refers to the cables inability to work with a large amount of monitors and TVs, not the games. You absolutely don't get full native 1080p with it, it's literally not possible. All that's happening is your monitor or TV is upscaling at best.
I think you're right in respect to the choice for vga support. Quake 3 on the DC was part of the PC network. DC was attempting to also attract the PC gamer market. Especially being the only console to offer network interface at the time. Not to mention the broadband adapter. VGA then seems like an obvious choice to attract PC gamers to offer the VGA connectivity and practically replace the PC tower and connect to VGA displays. Totally valid speculation from a marketing standpoint.
85USD is a damn good price for HDMI video AND digital sound. A good VGA box and hdmi scaler would usually cost more and still be stuck with the analog sound output. Thanks for this video Adam!
You are correct with the PC/VGA thoughts. As a PC gamer in the 90s (and console gamer), there was appeal to the DC because of VGA. I connected my DC to my PC monitor at the time and it was a novel concept.
Maybe the reason why the Dreamcast output VGA is the GPU of the Dreamcast is a PowerVR 3D chipset, which was originally designed as 3D accelerator for PC desktop video card.
Awesome video as always, appreciate the heads up on the cheap cables. I did not give in to those! I wish this was out sooner. I went through the work of doing the internal vga mod haha.
Dear Adam. I have watched you series for a very long time now. Interestingly it's this very subject in fact! "getting the best video signal from the Dreamcast" that made me start watching. So I just preordered the Akura. I believe by your recommendation this is going to be incredible for me seeing as I have been playing Dreamcast on a SD picture tube on rca cords since 2000 lol. As you can tell this HDMI cord is a big deal lol. I suspect once this is a regular item and not a preorder it'll sell out like the Rhia lol. Keep on being the Dreamcast guy I wish I could be!!
+Daniel Alonzo Cital I asked Beharbros and got the following response from them: Some games can be forced to run in VGA mode by using the VGA switch trick or a Codebreaker disc. Or you can use a VGA patched backup copy too. It doesn't support the native RGB mode because majority of the TVs can't display 480i through hdmi. For this reason It needs to be upscaled to 480p which Akura can't do internally. It would add lag considerably. Only few games can't be played with those methods. Thanks for your interest on our products.
To Adam if you don't already know The Behar Bros are currently working on another "BOX" for the Dreamcast for people who want Component Y,Pb,Pr 480p output. We just have to wait for the announcement which is not far away now. Stay tuned.
Just wait till they announce it themselves - as i just thought i would give everyone a heads up in case they were about to buy one now, without knowing that this will be available shortly.
There's another surprise about the converter box that i will not tell anyone until they announce it. But lets just say for now - that it will benefit RETRO Gamers.
speaking about House of the Dead 2 lightgun capturing - theres ways to work around it with several more devices. It can be a combination of things from VGA distribution amps, vga to component transcoder converters, vga to hdmi box and of course the crt that accepts component in. This is something I'm going to finalize when friends and I finally get out co-op project rolling ;p I just got my Saturn lightgun set-up working yesterday for recording. Anyways -thanks for the video! Would be cool to see gameplay from both the Vga boxes to Atlona scaler and or framemeister solutions as well as this Akura.
A Strong argument for why Sega Future proofed the Dreamcast with VGA output would have been because SEGA pushed the Dreamcast really hard as a Computer terminal for internet surfing. Standard TV's have never had great Text Display so logical step would be to make it monitor compatible which would be to reduce the draw backs for users who would just use it for internet surfing. SERVICE Games the rise and fall of sega does cover that concept a bit but doesn't talk about why VGA was included.
Amazingly informative Adam! Especially with the included list of games. I've said it before and I'll say it again God I love being a...n Adam Koralik Subscriber!
I've seen VGA on some CRT TVs. It's not the typical D-sub connector though, instead it's 5 RCA jacks. RGBHV for Red, Green, Blue, Horizontal Sync, and Vertical Sync, at 31khz (not 15khz like RGBs). Flat/wide screen Sony Trinitron CRTs come to mind, the silver-coloured ones of the early 2000's when the PS2 dominated.
Love my Hanzo! Beharbros are top notch! My display doesn't mind 480p over HDMI, but my AVR doesn't care for it at all. Looks like I'm sticking with the Hanzo for now. EDIT: I notice the LED is still very bright. I have a coaster on top of my Hanzo to keep the vibrant blue from splashing onto my projection screen.
Thanks for the video! Any chance of a more technical follow up with more video capture/comparisons? Also interested in the integrated scanline generator - does it try to simulate 480p scanlines, or does it try to fake/mimic 240p scanlines by culling half of the image (your quick scanline capture section seemed to flick between a few different modes)? Do you use the colour/boost option during normal gameplay, or do you think it's generally not needed. Seems the option might be there to boost contrast when scanlines are in use (due to them inherently making an image darker on modern TVs). Again - thanks for your initial impressions.
man I wish I saw your video like a week ago cuz I bought a vga cable and that shit didn't work on my samsung tv. Your videos are informative and funny and straight up awesome! Thanks
andrew garibay the Tomee cable he hates I used and it's a big upgrade to composite. It works fine on my HDTV. I took side by side pictures and it's night and day and I've showed the pictures to multiple people. In my case they work and I'm happy with something that works for that price.
Hi Adam... Great video, I wanted to ask you if you noticed any difference in terms of quality image between the toro and akura since toro is analog and akura is digital, thanks !
Thank you for the advice. I watched this video about two weeks ago and it was not available on their site at the time. I checked back today and got it on order.
Awesome video review Adam, I am new to your channel and I am convinced that I need this device in my retro gaming life. Thank you so much for the review, I can't wait to pre order Dec 3rd 2017.....
BBz 79 So picture quality wise, how does it compare to the tommee? I've been using my tommee vga for years now on different tvs and monitors and I think it looks great but everyone shits on em. I couldn't care less about scan line generators so is that the only difference or is there a difference in picture quality/clarity too?
The issue with the Tomee bullshit cables isn't that they offer inferior picture, it's that they're poorly made. They lack additional features (which yes is optional), and suffer from massive TV and monitor compatibility issues. If you have a set that's working, congratulations. But don't expect them to last long.
Thanks Adam! I was waiting for reviews before making the decision, definitely looks good though! Always love your DC videos bro. If i plan to get a 4K TV set in the future, would you recommend this box or a upscaler like you show at around 10:05 of the video? Right now I go direct VGA into a 1080p monitor and it works and looks great.
7:44 - Hey Adam, another reason Sega might of incorporated VGA into the Dreamcast was to have a clear screen for surfing the web! I used to surf the web using the Dreamcast and having a VGA cable would have made the small text more legible! Plus the cable could be used on a PC monitor for web browsing!
Hi Adam, great informative video. I have a question that may be stupid so I apologize in advance. My TV has an RGB PC port. Is this what the Dreamcast can plug into via an adapter and get a solid picture or should I just go for the Akura?
Adam Koralik Oh yes, it is VGA. So I'm guessing that a Dreamcast VGA cable adapter could do the trick, so please correct me if I'm wrong. If this is so, would you think the picture quality would be in the same ball park as the Akura?
I think Sega thought it made sense to support VGA since most people had their modems near their PC’s back then and Sega saw online gaming as the future. Also, Microsoft had been investing in console gaming since the MSX days. They also entered in partnership with Sega to continue this endeavor, hence the online feature through NT for the Dreamcast and Sega games and controller design in the original Xbox.
Adam at it again with a great video! Thank you so much, I really enjoy watching your videos you're a natural at making these videos. You have great flow and especially you don't do those annoying cuts when you speak ala Max Headroom style that just about everyone on RUclips does, I find those so annoying.
Adam just to make you aware your list applies for NTSC releases only, a number of PAL releases had the VGA mode removed for some unknown region or had other bugs that prevent it from running correctly. Skies of Arcadia for example had VGA support totally removed in PAL and Capcom vs SNK has a bug where only the hz selector screen works in VGA mode on the PAL version.
if I remember correctly, i think i read on a magazine or somewhere back then that Sega wanted to intertwine pc games with Sega Dreamcast gamers. They planned to eventually be able to cross-platform pc gaming with dc gaming. that's why they produced the keyboard, mouse, vga outputs and the Dreamcast Broadband Adapter (or BBA) and Modem Adapter
Awesome videos, Mr Adam I recently got into the Dreamcast and I bought a japanese console, since I am a big fighting game fan. As I began purchasing games, I ran into the "non vga games" deal, and noticed that 2 of the games I wanted to play the most (KOF 99 and Plasma Sword), fall into this "won't ever work with vga" category. I've done research for a couple days, watching reviews of these items and reading, and I just can't come across a clear answer of...HOW DO I PLAY THESE NON-VGA MODES. What box/cable/converter do you recommend? All the youtubers that capture footage for these particular games, don't even share what the process was for them. I don't want to give up on buying these games yet. Thanks.
Adam Koralik the best quality possible, please. I just don’t want to end up buying an expensive piece of equipment that serves no purpose for these non vga games haha. Thanks again
I have an official Sega VGA/RCA Audio cable. I remember because I had a Sony V/Wega (or just Trinitron?) at the time that had VGA input. Sega being Bleeding Edge? The Behar Bros make fantastic stuff.
While those non VGA games you listen won't work from the original discs, there are some people re-programming / patching their isos in order to be VGA compatible. Some people are currently doing that for Dino Crisis for example.
I have the Manta VGA to HDMI and I admit most games are displaying in 16 by 9 though the scaler does a good job doing that but obviously I want the correct aspect ratio but given the Framemeister can do 4 by 3 and I need to get one for all my older consoles is this device really worth upgrading to!
So Adam, would you say this is the very Best device for getting the best picture from your Dreamcast on an HDTV compared to all the other things you have used with the Dreamcast? Does the quality look the same like on a CRT TV or better?? I'm a Hugh fan of the Dreamcast as well and just got one recently after I got rid of my original back when Sega quit the hardware business I always regretted getting rid of it, but I got it back and I also got a new HDTV a couple months ago and would like to get it to look the same or better when I had to hooked up to my CRT TV back in the day So if this would fix the picture then I would be very interested in buying one Thanks!
Hi Adam! Which would you recommend for the Dreamcast among these options? S-video -> Retrotink 2x -> M-classic or Akura -> M-classic? I think the former would definitely support more of those non-vga games with probably not much sacrifice as it's getting the Retrotink 2x to massage it?
Great video adam! I've been thinking about getting a Dreamcast myself and this seems perfect for my setup despite having VGA on my tv. My only concern is if I wanted to use an upscaler to make this look better, I'm not sure if there's devices that upscale things iver hdmi.
Woah, your voice is sooo different during the composite gameplay capture! Doesnt even sound like you! haha Awesome vid man,, Glad to see the dreamcast is still going amazingly strong... My favourite console ever!
This is awesome! I just nabbed one, its a bit pricey at $85 but after attempting to use VGA on the Dreamcast so many times this is totally worth it. VGA cables are "meh" and don't have the best compatibility, VGA boxes are nice but you have to go through a decent amount of work to get it to run on a modern TV and are inconvenient overall. I was also super disappointed that VGA wasn't easily attainable on the Framemeister.
Kind of wish this came out earlier, I think I spent more on my VGA, upscalers, and those Dreamcast VGA cables over the $85 they're charging for this.
I think the reason the Dreamcast supports VGA natively is because the Sega NAOMI arcade hardware uses VGA at 480p 31khz, and since the Dreamcast is basically a consolized NAOMI, the VGA support remains intact.
I've been using the Akura on my Dreamcast and Samsung Q70t. I absolutely love it. It makes the games look absolutely fantastic. I HIGHLY recommend spending the extra money to buy the Akura instead of something like the Pound cable.
Finally an adapter that hears our demands for real HDMI connectivity \o/
I need that, just for the sake of Sturmwind already.
If you like to pay 85 bucks for this HDMI passthrough, go on.
Sturmwind
An easy way to tell if your TV can do 480p through HDMI if you have a Xbox 360 (with HDMI port) connect it to the TV, go into settings, console settings, display, HDTV settings and choose 480p, if the display shows than your TV supports 480p through HDMI
Thanks Adam. I'm not a collector but I held on to my dreamcast collection because there are so many reasons why it really is something special. You're definitely the authority on everything DC. Keep up the good work!
It's unbelievable that it looks that much better than the Framemeister. But I wish you had compared it with a regular VGA box+cable as well so we could've seen all of the differences
i been watching your videos for over last year maybe two I just wanted to say I really love your videos your channel seems a lot different than others I like how knowledgeable you are in the research you do just wanted to say thank you for all the content you make
Thanks dude!
>HDMI box for Dreamcast
SAY NO MORE.
I NEED THIS IN MY LIFE.
Edit: Yes, I have watched through the video and my TV DOES support 480p through HDMI, so I'm all set to go.
I'd honestly wait for the HDMI Mod for the Dreamcast coming up soon. It doesn't convert the video from Analog to Digital like this does but it rather taps onto the Dreamcast's Video Chips to get a 100% Pure Digital Video signal which is better than VGA ^-^
ur dreamcast games and care for the dreamcast is absolutely amazing I need to get a new dreamcast
I can tell you exactly whay the Dreamcast has VGA output. The Dreamcast was based off the Naomi arcade hardware. Basically they just took the Naomi hardware and tweaked it a little and that is all. And that arcade system supported VGA of course for the arcade. So it was literally zero extra work to include VGA support. In fact, removing VGA support would probably cost more to remove the feature, so they just included it.
Oh my god I'm so happy. I can finally stop trying to find a high quality VGA to HDMI box.
If I had a dollar for every time Adam had to explain the difference between resolution, graphics, and image clarity, I could afford so many Framemeisters that I could build a house out of them.
If I had a dollar for every time someone said they were the same thing I could build a second story to your Framemeister house.
Its good that he always explains because there is always a new subscriber or someone just getting started in the hobby.
Pre ordered mine directly after this video. I can't wait to finally play and record my Dreamcast games in a great quality.
Hope you like it!
maybe the dreamcast had the VGA support because the arcade equivalent (A. K. A. Naomi??) would use VGA monitors on the cabinets?
Great video buddy. May have to get one in the future when I eventually get a 4k TV, as most don't have VGA ports like my current TV. Excellent.
Awesome!
wow it really does look nice via the HDMI..
Hell yeah.
Hey Adam - thanks for the sweet video. Picked up my first ever Dreamcast today - gonna grab one of these as soon as they're back in stock!
I wish a good quality PS2 HDMI box existed (need a good quality Wii one to). I also wish the same kind of thing existed for the original Xbox. Because, when you think about it, component is being phased out of existence, with fewer and fewer TVs having it. And we definitely need something that plugs directly into (and is powered by) the consoles. Because with independently powered, scart to hdmi & component to hdmi adapters, there's just too many cables going all over the place....
Maybe i'm remembering it differently, but I remember the VGA adapter being a big deal when the console was released. the Dreamcast Graphics chip was based on a upcoming PC Graphics Card, (which took over a year after the Dreamcast's release to come to market, being outdated by then.) so it natively supported VGA, So Sega did the smart thing by taking advantage of the tech already inside the Graphic chip.
I remember when I finally abandoned the Dreamcast and got a PS2, and was really disappointed with the washed out colours, where I was playing the Dreamcast games using a RGB scart and looked so much better.
I know PAL region has its issues with lazy game conversions, but man the last console I used composite cables with was the NES 30 years ago! How did americans survive on composite for the 4th, 5th console generations? Madness.
You da man for providing the list of VGA bootable and non VGA compatible titles Adam. Thank you very much. I had trouble trying to "Figure it out" lol.
I think Dino crisis can be patched
Hey Adam, You mentioned lightgun games on HDTVs. I have around 10 different lightguns for a few old game consoles (Master System, Mega Drive, Saturn, Dreamcast and Xbox). I know they won't work on a HDTV. But is there someone working on a gadget somewhere, like a sensor bar that can read the lightguns for a HDTV like the Wii, or is this even possible? I am dying to play Confidential Mission on my Dreamcast again!
No, it won't work, period. The technology is completely different.
Get Money ready and be amazed, for what that guy has created :)
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LightConn-Dreamcast-Wireless-Gun-for-HDTVs-SERVICE/262819713668
+kost4
WHAT!? WOW! THAT IS AMAZING!!!! (*looks at price in pound sterling*)...
HOW MUCH!!!!!? OVER £100 FOR ONE LIGHTGUN!!!!
A bit pricey for me, but this is a good sign that it is possible to make it work!! Hopefully this will get cheaper with time!
Thanks kost4 for showing this to me! Maybe Adam could mention this in one of his videos!
+Adam Koralik
You should find kost4's link interesting!
Unfortunately not even for the light Gun, but for the service of modding, you send him the light gun and he mods it for you and sends it back. Actually that guy put quite a lot engineering effort for that, how he makes it work is really smart. The dreamcast junkyard has an article about this. The downside is that this only works with one gun, so no 2 player fun.
The developer also sells a wireless controller known as the DreamConn for a similar high price. But people that bought the DreamConn really like it. I might also buy one in near future.
9 months after first watching this video, and I have FINALLY got mine pre ordered! Hallelujah!
Going from composite to hdmi is like playing without my glasses on then putting them on.
Thank you so much for this review Adam. I'm going to place my order.
Thanks for watching.
Question how does the stand alone Akura view vs the Toro/Framiemister/scart upscaled to 1080 images view.
Jay Jennings I second your question
My God the video quality is unbelievable. I was considering buying a VGA cable and using a VGA to HDMI box. How would you say the akura box compares to doing this? It looks like a great box, but damn it's expensive compared to doing a VGA to HDMI setup for around 30 bucks.
pre ordered this as soon as you dropped this video still have no idea when it will ship, anyone else know?
RallyDon82 Mine just shipped a few days ago. ETA is 2-3 weeks to USA.
I'm in the process of making one of these, but inside the dreamcast, i actually emailed you about it a while back, its still in development, and adam, you'll be the first to know about it
Cool!
im pritty shore the reson the dreacast had vga on it was to do with the fact that the dreamcast was the console version of the Sega Naomi arcade units
This is what I've been waiting years for.
I'm waiting on them to start selling them again
Me too! I messaged them a few days ago and said we should be able to place orders in the next few weeks.
I really want to pick one of these up sometime! Gotta finish off the last 10 games I need first!
I pre ordered it. Thanks Adam for informing me about this. I'm against preordering but I made an exception because I'm a proud owner of the Kuro. I know I can trust the quality of Behar Bros products.
Glad I could help!
JD Gaming 1050 pls let us know how it works or any new improvements??? on compatibility for example!??
I bought one and finally got it. I love it! keep the videos coming
I love my Kuro box but the thing to keep in mind with the Beharbros is that shipping takes a solid month. Worth the wait if you care about image quality.
dafoomie I second that it takes a month to ship
was holding out on something like this now its here i have already pre-ordered it i trust them considering the great reviews the behar bros gear has got.
Just received my 2 Akuras. Sweet product and works great.
Great video man, will definitely be the go to video out until the custom Dreamcast board comes out.
I've been using the Tomee cable for about two years and I've not had a single problem that you're outlining Adam. Yes it's inexpensive, and yes there is probably inconsistent production quality making it a purchasing lottery but that doesn't mean it's a bad alternative.
I've used several VGA devices over the years including the Performance box you're so adamant about and frankly there's not a single solitary different in output quality or "features", it does exactly what is intended and that is output a 480p signal via VGA.
Yes, it does mean that. It also means you were one of the lucky few who didn't have issues. You're not the standard, you're the exception sir, and be proud of it.
RetroBit makes a cable like the Tomee cable, I've had it for 3 months and the quality is awesome. And I don't think it's going to break anytime soon, as far as compatibility every dreamcast game I got works for it even the home brows. And with it I get full 1080p.
RetroBit isn't Tomee, I'm specifically talking about the shitty white ones made by Tomee.
Compatibility issues refers to the cables inability to work with a large amount of monitors and TVs, not the games.
You absolutely don't get full native 1080p with it, it's literally not possible. All that's happening is your monitor or TV is upscaling at best.
I think you're right in respect to the choice for vga support. Quake 3 on the DC was part of the PC network. DC was attempting to also attract the PC gamer market. Especially being the only console to offer network interface at the time. Not to mention the broadband adapter. VGA then seems like an obvious choice to attract PC gamers to offer the VGA connectivity and practically replace the PC tower and connect to VGA displays. Totally valid speculation from a marketing standpoint.
Cool stuff, really tempts me to get back in to collecting for the Dreamcast
Yooooo, that looks amazing! I really didnt think it would look that good
I'm going to look into getting one of these. Top video as usual Adam!
Thanks for watching!
85USD is a damn good price for HDMI video AND digital sound. A good VGA box and hdmi scaler would usually cost more and still be stuck with the analog sound output. Thanks for this video Adam!
Yeah, my guess is if it scaled too, it'd be like $200.
Adam Koralik my bad I meant to say hdmi converter. I always get scaler and converter confused.
These guys are great and make awesome well made products. I bought the Toro from them and I absolutely love it.
You are correct with the PC/VGA thoughts. As a PC gamer in the 90s (and console gamer), there was appeal to the DC because of VGA. I connected my DC to my PC monitor at the time and it was a novel concept.
Glad Sega put it in there though, helps keep the Dreamcast at least a tad relevant. Enough to discuss and tinker with anyway.
I have a VGA compatible monitor and I was about to buy those to my VGA cables. thanks for the advice Adam!
Sure thing.
nice to know about this thing, since i have been interested in reviewing some dreamcast games lately, thanks
Sure thing.
Maybe the reason why the Dreamcast output VGA is the GPU of the Dreamcast is a PowerVR 3D chipset, which was originally designed as 3D accelerator for PC desktop video card.
Probably a more sound reason.
Awesome video as always, appreciate the heads up on the cheap cables. I did not give in to those! I wish this was out sooner. I went through the work of doing the internal vga mod haha.
autospeed yea me too!
Just got my Akura in the mail last week. I didn't know it existed prior to your video!
Glad I could help!
Abby Jameson lucky you! You got the money to get one!
Unfortunately, making money cuts into game time, though :'(
Abby Jameson your right.
Not having a separate power supply is a game changer. Definitely looking to pick this up.
Awesome video Adam! This thing looks awesome.
Thanks.
Dear Adam.
I have watched you series for a very long time now. Interestingly it's this very subject in fact! "getting the best video signal from the Dreamcast" that made me start watching. So I just preordered the Akura. I believe by your recommendation this is going to be incredible for me seeing as I have been playing Dreamcast on a SD picture tube on rca cords since 2000 lol. As you can tell this HDMI cord is a big deal lol. I suspect once this is a regular item and not a preorder it'll sell out like the Rhia lol. Keep on being the Dreamcast guy I wish I could be!!
+Daniel Alonzo Cital I asked Beharbros and got the following response from them:
Some games can be forced to run in VGA mode by using the VGA switch trick or a Codebreaker disc. Or you can use a VGA patched backup copy too. It doesn't support the native RGB mode because majority of the TVs can't display 480i through hdmi. For this reason It needs to be upscaled to 480p which Akura can't do internally. It would add lag considerably. Only few games can't be played with those methods. Thanks for your interest on our products.
I love scan lines. Personally I find the image more pleasing to look at, always liked the display of scan lines.
Yes, yes I am. (jealous of your Dreamcastic shirt)
Holy amaze balls. Looks incredible. Need one.
Vga is awesome I just got my cable last month lol 18 years later
To Adam if you don't already know
The Behar Bros are currently working on another "BOX" for the Dreamcast for people who want Component Y,Pb,Pr 480p output.
We just have to wait for the announcement which is not far away now.
Stay tuned.
A new Dreamcast converter box - like all the other ones they make.
But it outputs Component video instead of VGA and HDMI.
Really?! How'd you found out about it? If i'd had kept my Dreamcast I've would've bought that thing like it's no tomorrow
Just keep ckecking back on the Beharbros website once a week until they announce it - shouldn't be too long now.
Just wait till they announce it themselves - as i just thought i would give everyone a heads up in case they were about to buy one now, without knowing that this will be available shortly.
There's another surprise about the converter box that i will not tell anyone until they announce it. But lets just say for now - that it will benefit RETRO Gamers.
My $400 HDTV from 5 years ago still has VGA in so I like it.
Awesome! I have just preordered mine! Can't see the time to get it! :D
speaking about House of the Dead 2 lightgun capturing - theres ways to work around it with several more devices. It can be a combination of things from VGA distribution amps, vga to component transcoder converters, vga to hdmi box and of course the crt that accepts component in. This is something I'm going to finalize when friends and I finally get out co-op project rolling ;p I just got my Saturn lightgun set-up working yesterday for recording.
Anyways -thanks for the video! Would be cool to see gameplay from both the Vga boxes to Atlona scaler and or framemeister solutions as well as this Akura.
A Strong argument for why Sega Future proofed the Dreamcast with VGA output would have been because SEGA pushed the Dreamcast really hard as a Computer terminal for internet surfing. Standard TV's have never had great Text Display so logical step would be to make it monitor compatible which would be to reduce the draw backs for users who would just use it for internet surfing. SERVICE Games the rise and fall of sega does cover that concept a bit but doesn't talk about why VGA was included.
I'll pass the message to Justin, he moded a Dreamcast for me too and I have him as a contact xD
Amazingly informative Adam! Especially with the included list of games. I've said it before and I'll say it again God I love being a...n Adam Koralik Subscriber!
+Jared sharkey Thanks!
Adam Koralik seriously I love that there is someone on RUclips that has the same love for the dreamcast as I do. Ace shit man
I've seen VGA on some CRT TVs. It's not the typical D-sub connector though, instead it's 5 RCA jacks. RGBHV for Red, Green, Blue, Horizontal Sync, and Vertical Sync, at 31khz (not 15khz like RGBs).
Flat/wide screen Sony Trinitron CRTs come to mind, the silver-coloured ones of the early 2000's when the PS2 dominated.
I plugged my Dreamcast using VGA into an Apple monitor with a Sony Trinitron CRT, and it looks absolutely beautiful.
VGA mode on Dreamcast is no joke.
@@AdamKoralik You're a legend for replying to commenting on videos made over 7 years ago.
@@anonymous_preferred7737 No problem.
Thanks for the informative video-- solidified my decision to finally get a Dreamcast!
Love my Hanzo! Beharbros are top notch! My display doesn't mind 480p over HDMI, but my AVR doesn't care for it at all. Looks like I'm sticking with the Hanzo for now.
EDIT: I notice the LED is still very bright. I have a coaster on top of my Hanzo to keep the vibrant blue from splashing onto my projection screen.
Thanks for the video! Any chance of a more technical follow up with more video capture/comparisons?
Also interested in the integrated scanline generator - does it try to simulate 480p scanlines, or does it try to fake/mimic 240p scanlines by culling half of the image (your quick scanline capture section seemed to flick between a few different modes)? Do you use the colour/boost option during normal gameplay, or do you think it's generally not needed. Seems the option might be there to boost contrast when scanlines are in use (due to them inherently making an image darker on modern TVs).
Again - thanks for your initial impressions.
man I wish I saw your video like a week ago cuz I bought a vga cable and that shit didn't work on my samsung tv. Your videos are informative and funny and straight up awesome! Thanks
andrew garibay the Tomee cable he hates I used and it's a big upgrade to composite. It works fine on my HDTV. I took side by side pictures and it's night and day and I've showed the pictures to multiple people. In my case they work and I'm happy with something that works for that price.
Hi Adam... Great video, I wanted to ask you if you noticed any difference in terms of quality image between the toro and akura since toro is analog and akura is digital, thanks !
Thank you for the advice. I watched this video about two weeks ago and it was not available on their site at the time. I checked back today and got it on order.
Ordered and received in less than 3 weeks
Awesome video review Adam, I am new to your channel and I am convinced that I need this device in my retro gaming life. Thank you so much for the review, I can't wait to pre order Dec 3rd 2017.....
Thanks for watching!
Thanks Adam! Got mine as soon as the video was over ... and I own the tomee vga and I thought it looked pretty good
BBz 79
So picture quality wise, how does it compare to the tommee? I've been using my tommee vga for years now on different tvs and monitors and I think it looks great but everyone shits on em. I couldn't care less about scan line generators so is that the only difference or is there a difference in picture quality/clarity too?
The issue with the Tomee bullshit cables isn't that they offer inferior picture, it's that they're poorly made. They lack additional features (which yes is optional), and suffer from massive TV and monitor compatibility issues.
If you have a set that's working, congratulations. But don't expect them to last long.
B Simpson I don't know yet. I pre ordered it and I have to wait a month but I'd go with Adam. I bought the tomee years ago before I knew better
Thanks Adam! I was waiting for reviews before making the decision, definitely looks good though! Always love your DC videos bro.
If i plan to get a 4K TV set in the future, would you recommend this box or a upscaler like you show at around 10:05 of the video? Right now I go direct VGA into a 1080p monitor and it works and looks great.
Assuming your TV supports it, probably just go direct.
7:44 - Hey Adam, another reason Sega might of incorporated VGA into the Dreamcast was to have a clear screen for surfing the web! I used to surf the web using the Dreamcast and having a VGA cable would have made the small text more legible! Plus the cable could be used on a PC monitor for web browsing!
Hi Adam, great informative video. I have a question that may be stupid so I apologize in advance. My TV has an RGB PC port. Is this what the Dreamcast can plug into via an adapter and get a solid picture or should I just go for the Akura?
Do you mean RGB SCART or VGA?
Adam Koralik I believe VGA. It just reads RGB PC on the back so I assume it is VGA. I have two sets with this hookup.
Okay, skip to 6:15 and 7:13 in the video and tell me which one the cable you're talking about looks like.
Adam Koralik Oh yes, it is VGA. So I'm guessing that a Dreamcast VGA cable adapter could do the trick, so please correct me if I'm wrong. If this is so, would you think the picture quality would be in the same ball park as the Akura?
The Akura won't be much better than a direct VGA connection. It's really more for convenience and future proofing.
I think Sega thought it made sense to support VGA since most people had their modems near their PC’s back then and Sega saw online gaming as the future.
Also, Microsoft had been investing in console gaming since the MSX days. They also entered in partnership with Sega to continue this endeavor, hence the online feature through NT for the Dreamcast and Sega games and controller design in the original Xbox.
Adam at it again with a great video! Thank you so much, I really enjoy watching your videos you're a natural at making these videos. You have great flow and especially you don't do those annoying cuts when you speak ala Max Headroom style that just about everyone on RUclips does, I find those so annoying.
Thanks.
I think that PC gaming theory makes sense with the keyboard and mouse duo and the amount of games that can be played with PC players.
Adam just to make you aware your list applies for NTSC releases only, a number of PAL releases had the VGA mode removed for some unknown region or had other bugs that prevent it from running correctly. Skies of Arcadia for example had VGA support totally removed in PAL and Capcom vs SNK has a bug where only the hz selector screen works in VGA mode on the PAL version.
Yes, I enjoyed the video. Thanks for making those.
if I remember correctly, i think i read on a magazine or somewhere back then that Sega wanted to intertwine pc games with Sega Dreamcast gamers. They planned to eventually be able to cross-platform pc gaming with dc gaming. that's why they produced the keyboard, mouse, vga outputs and the Dreamcast Broadband Adapter (or BBA) and Modem Adapter
I bought it, just waiting to be shipped on the 7th
Seeing that Bangai-O will work with this has put it on my list of things I need to get.
Bangai-O has kind of funky output from what I recall.
Awesome videos, Mr Adam
I recently got into the Dreamcast and I bought a japanese console, since I am a big fighting game fan. As I began purchasing games, I ran into the "non vga games" deal, and noticed that 2 of the games I wanted to play the most (KOF 99 and Plasma Sword), fall into this "won't ever work with vga" category. I've done research for a couple days, watching reviews of these items and reading, and I just can't come across a clear answer of...HOW DO I PLAY THESE NON-VGA MODES. What box/cable/converter do you recommend? All the youtubers that capture footage for these particular games, don't even share what the process was for them. I don't want to give up on buying these games yet. Thanks.
Um, do you want them to display the best way they can or just...work and video quality be damned?
Adam Koralik the best quality possible, please. I just don’t want to end up buying an expensive piece of equipment that serves no purpose for these non vga games haha. Thanks again
Okay, check out my video on the SCART 2X. That should help.
Adam Koralik exactly the answer I was looking for. Will try to buy that. Thanks.
I have an official Sega VGA/RCA Audio cable. I remember because I had a Sony V/Wega (or just Trinitron?) at the time that had VGA input. Sega being Bleeding Edge? The Behar Bros make fantastic stuff.
While those non VGA games you listen won't work from the original discs, there are some people re-programming / patching their isos in order to be VGA compatible. Some people are currently doing that for Dino Crisis for example.
Yep, definitely cool.
I have the Manta VGA to HDMI and I admit most games are displaying in 16 by 9 though the scaler does a good job doing that but obviously I want the correct aspect ratio but given the Framemeister can do 4 by 3 and I need to get one for all my older consoles is this device really worth upgrading to!
So Adam, would you say this is the very Best device for getting the best picture from your Dreamcast on an HDTV compared to all the other things you have used with the Dreamcast?
Does the quality look the same like on a CRT TV or better??
I'm a Hugh fan of the Dreamcast as well and just got one recently after I got rid of my original back when Sega quit the hardware business
I always regretted getting rid of it, but I got it back and I also got a new HDTV a couple months ago and would like to get it to look the same or better when I had to hooked up to my CRT TV back in the day
So if this would fix the picture then I would be very interested in buying one
Thanks!
Hi Adam! Which would you recommend for the Dreamcast among these options? S-video -> Retrotink 2x -> M-classic or Akura -> M-classic? I think the former would definitely support more of those non-vga games with probably not much sacrifice as it's getting the Retrotink 2x to massage it?
Akura to mClassic definitely. Very few games don't support the VGA mode.
Great video adam! I've been thinking about getting a Dreamcast myself and this seems perfect for my setup despite having VGA on my tv. My only concern is if I wanted to use an upscaler to make this look better, I'm not sure if there's devices that upscale things iver hdmi.
The Framemeister technically does, but it's not really designed for that.
many many years ago i asked adam why no one has created an hdmi box for dreamcast , i guess finally my question has been answered
You should do a review of the Dreamconn and Lightconn wireless controllers, they seem pretty well made
Woah, your voice is sooo different during the composite gameplay capture! Doesnt even sound like you! haha
Awesome vid man,, Glad to see the dreamcast is still going amazingly strong... My favourite console ever!
I thought it was someone else speaking for a while