XMD s-video output for the Genesis/Sega CD/32x

Check out an eBay seller by the tag of 'jump-to-japan'
If he doesn't currently have it listed in his eBay store, ask him whether he could get one for you.
But as some of the guys here have noted- these units aren't cheap at all.

 

I need some advice on this.
I am wanting to buy a SCART to Component (YpRpB) conversor and use on my HDTV LCD.
How do I know if my TV will support all genesis and saturn video modes?

 

I know it's possible to transcode the RGB from a MegaDrive to YPbPr, but I think current TV sets do not accept 240p on component inputs. I check some recent Samsung and Philips sets and they do not list 240p as a supported resolution for component inputs.

Another thing that seems to confirm this is the behaviour of my XSelect D4 (http://www.micomsoft.co.jp/xselect-d4.htm). If you use a 240p RGB source it will always be transcoded to 480i, causing the display to flicker. I think this is because TV sets generally do not support 240p via component.

 

I'm still looking for a cheap way to get better picture quality from my Genesis.

The game ICO (PS2) runs in 240p.
I tested it on 3 TVs, both using Component Cables

LG CRT 480i = Perfect image
Philips CRT 1080i = No image
Samsung LCD FullHD = Garbled image (see here)

Based on these tests, genesis and saturn games will not work on HDTVs too?

 

If you want to get better picture quality for Genesis and Saturn I would recommend you get a nice quality CRT type TV or RGB Monitor. HDTVs will always make these consoles look like ass. I have a 20" cheap CRT TV I bought for like 80 bucks years ago. Composite Video input is as good as you get with it. Still it looks a million times better than hooking up a classic console to a HDTV.

If you can't get a CRT that supports RGB, but you get one that supports S-Video, for a system like the Genesis you could get a RGB to NTSC transcoder like the JROK used for Arcade JAMMA Supergun projects. You could wire a SCART input to it and get Euro SCART cables to convert the RGB to S-Video. But you may be better off trying to find this XMD device. But then again Genesis will look alright through Composite on a high quality CRT. S-Video would be an improvement but it's not like a HDTV where Composite Video is complete ass, S-Video is just shitty, and RGB or Component is passable. HDTVs just aren't intended for Computer Games and definitely not for older Standard Definition games.

 

RGB transcoders are pretty expensive, really expensive when one can mod a genesis for the cost of an npn transistor, a capacitor, and two resistors. Pin 15 is chroma, solder the positive leg of the cap to it, then a 75 ohm resistor. For luma, solder the B leg of the transistor to pin 16, pin 12 is a nice close by +5volts, and add a 27 ohm resistor on E and your done. Looks just as crisp and nice as anything else, and it costs less than a dollar as radioshack.