Reddit reviews Tendak 3RCA AV CVBS Composite & S-Video R/L Audio to HDMI Converter Adapter Support 720P/1080P with 3RCA S-Video Cable for NES SNES N64 PS2 PS3 HDTV

It won't look very good since composite has a ton of flaws, but the games will still be playable. It's basically about as bad as plugging a composite cable straight into your TV.

To be honest if you're gonna get a converter you might as well just get one with S-Video for a better image without spending too much money. https://www.amazon.com/Tendak-Composite-S-Video-Converter-Upscaler/dp/B00V2ULHBS/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1495937443&sr=1-3&keywords=s-video+to+hdmi

I'm just using an S-Video to HDMI converter. S-Video is a bit clearer than the AV (composite) cable, and the converters are relatively cheap around $40.

This is the one I got, I can say there is no noticeable input lag. I'm only using it with N64, but it should work with any retro consoles if you can find S-Video cables for them.

https://www.amazon.com/Tendak-Composite-S-Video-Converter-Upscaler/dp/B00V2ULHBS/

I got this one because it can take s-video as well (a huge improvement).

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V2ULHBS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Yes, there is a difference between PAL and NTSC SVideo. Older monitors, especially CRTs, are less likely to support both (though at least some of Commodore's CRTs were dual-sync). The 2001FP is an LCD, and so I suspect supporting PAL was no harder than supporting NTSC.

On a related note, another option might be to get an SVideo to HDMI converter. I haven't tested this, but I suspect that many of these devices will work with both PAL and NTSC SVideo. The reviews for this unit on Amazon suggest that it works with PAL or NTSC. Again, I haven't tested this, so buy at your own risk.

Gam3Gear SNES Nintendo N64 Gamecube S Video Cable https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LE3EAIK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_YMqUAb2D6A9K5

As for a converter, there are a bunch at a bunch of different price points. This one should work for you no problem but you can probably find a better or a cheaper one

Tendak 3RCA AV CVBS Composite & S-Video R/L Audio to HDMI Converter Adapter Upscaler Support 720P/1080P with 3RCA S-Video Cable for DVD VCR PS2 PS3 Xbox HDTV https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00V2ULHBS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_LOqUAbC9WHYEQ

These are two different tiers: $15 and $35. Read the reviews and see what you think.
https://www.amazon.com/GANA-Composite-Converter-Adapter-Supporting/dp/B01L8GG6PW/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=composite+hdmi+converter+n64&qid=1558105072&s=gateway&sr=8-3

The more expensive one has S-video input. This usually is better than the composite video input converter, if you have the S-video cable:
https://www.amazon.com/Tendak-Composite-S-Video-Converter-Upscaler/dp/B00V2ULHBS/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=composite+hdmi+converter+n64&qid=1558105209&s=gateway&sr=8-9

These are just 2 examples. Especially with the cheaper models, there are zillions of different Chinese made units that all look the same, so make sure you read the reviews.

First get an S Video Cable

https://www.amazon.com/Gam3Gear-SNES-Nintendo-Gamecube-Video-Cable/dp/B00LE3EAIK/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_63_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=2CH7A9A3X2DJEGW7RZA8

Second this will work for transcoding. It forces stretching but will work. You may want to find a different unit.

https://www.amazon.com/Tendak-Composite-S-Video-Converter-Upscaler/dp/B00V2ULHBS/ref=pd_cp_23_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00V2ULHBS&pd_rd_r=83F87ZSKHXTV2F3FHJAP&pd_rd_w=GobN9&pd_rd_wg=uuPbC&psc=1&refRID=83F87ZSKHXTV2F3FHJAP#customerReviews

https://www.amazon.com.au/Tendak-Composite-S-Video-Converter-Upscaler/dp/B00V2ULHBS/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?keywords=hdmi+upscaler&qid=1567573936&s=gateway&sr=8-6

For example. There's a bunch of them.

I play on a Wii with a Sewell HDMI adapter and a BenQ RL2460HT monitor as I no longer have room for a CRT on my desk, so I get your struggle. To answer your questions:

> What would be a good delay time for my price? (ie is 1ms overkill)

That is response time, i.e. how many milliseconds it takes for a pixel to change color. It is not how much input delay you have; for instance, my BenQ monitor I mentioned has 9ms of delay.

> Is refresh rate going to matter?

If you're only running your GameCube on it, no. Go with 60hz and don't look back.

> Would it be cheapest to find a monitor with component, or try to find a component to HDMI converter?

You're going to find that almost no PC monitors have component. The closest you can get is finding something with a VGA input that can also do YPbPr, but that's such an oddly specific situation that it will be easier for you to use something like this S-video to HDMI adapter instead.

> I want sound through headphones, what would be the best way to do that?

At $150 you should be able to find a monitor that includes an audio out that you can plug your headphones into.

> Should I settle for something like 720p, as the monitor is only going to be used for Gamecube speedrunning?

Closest you can get to is 1366x768 resolution, but at your budget a 1080p monitor is easily afforded.

> I have three monitors currently, one that isn't being used but all of them only have VGA and DVI ports, no HDMI. Is there something I could use to convert component to VGA/DVI that's cheap and effective? If so, how would I play sounds?

At your price point you can get a monitor that has low input delay, a headphone jack, and HDMI.

While a small CRT is both cheap and would fit your needs, it also can take up a lot of space on your desk, so again I understand the need to go with a LCD instead. I think your biggest obstacle is going to be finding a way to connect your GameCube to the monitor, but I (among other people like LylatR) have had good results using the Tendak S-video to HDMI adapter that I linked to earlier.

Wrote this for another user recently, but it might be helpful for you too:

C64 has two different ports you can use to output video and audio. These are the RF port and the Video port (see here).

Easiest way is to use an RCA cable with an RCA to Coaxil converter plugged into the cable/antenna jack of your TV.

Alternatively, you could also use a C64 video to composite cable but you need to be careful. The three composite cables that come out of that usually don't correspond to the modern "video, left audio, right audio" that we are use to. They correspond to "chroma, luma, and audio".

That means if you want to get a clear picture, you would have to combine the chroma and luma into one signal using something like this. You can then split the mono audio into two channels with an RCA Splitter.

Option 3: Pick up a composite to S-Video Cable and use that, or if your TV doesn't have S-Video, you could also convert it to HDMI using an S-Video to HDMI converter box.

I know I am late to the party, but does it do conversion better than a general analog to HDMI box like this... That is 1/5th the price?

Tendak 3RCA AV CVBS Composite & S-Video R/L Audio to HDMI Converter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00V2ULHBS/

My initial post was a bit disorganized since I was on my phone. If you're still looking for options, I've summarized them for you, and made notes as to visual quality and price.

Option 1: Composite to HDMI or Composite to VGA adapter. These low price adapters can vary greatly in quality and lag, but will still get the job done. HDMI is probably more useful in the long run, but the VGA one might have less lag added, and has the benefit of also supporting S-Video input. If you look for others, make sure you are getting analog in and HDMI out, and not the other way around! This route means less things to buy, but I do not recommend staying with composite. Visual quality is garbage.

Option 2: S-Video to HDMI or S-Video to VGA Both of these products also accept composite input, but I really suggest getting yourself this Nintendo S-Video cable. It's inexpensive, and the difference between Composite and S-Video on the Gamecube is phenomenal. If you prefer to stick to the Gamecube and don't want to spend too much, this is definitely the way to go.

Option 3: Gamecube component cables and component to HDMI. I don't recommend this route. The Gamecube component cables are ridiculously rare and overpriced. They also only work on early model Gamecubes with this port on the back. Yes, they give an awesome improvement on visual quality, it's just not worth it for the money. Especially when you have...

Option 4: Get an Early Wii: The original Wii systems have gamecube backwards compatibility. Additionally, Wii Component cables are inexpensive, as are the Wii to HDMI adapters. These Wii to HDMI adapters should in theory be better than normal component to HDMI converters, since they were designed specifically for the Wii. If you already have an older Wii, or you don't mind investing in one, I absolutely recommend this route above all other options. You will unquestionably get the best quality for your money.

Option 5: Metroid Prime Trilogy. If you have a Wii or WiiU, you can look into the Metroid Prime Trilogy for either system. The WiiU's version is available on the Nintendo eShop, and outputs HDMI natively. For the Wii, you'd still have to do Option 4 above, so it might not be worth it unless the trilogy interests you.


Future Options to make note of:

HD Retrovision is looking to create a low cost analog to HDMI converter that is optimized for retro systems. When it comes out, it will very likely be the best budget converter for retro systems.

Modders are creating a way to replicate the expensive Gamecube component cables. This project also includes the ability to output digital 480p via HDMI directly from the system...no conversion needed. The latter will likely be the best output the Gamecube will ever be able to offer. The project is open source, but several known modding sites like badassconsoles.com will be selling kits or modding consoles themselves.

There, I think I hit everything. Hopefully that helps!

How can I word it better? Don’t want people to get the wrong impression.

My digitization setup is to play the tapes on a high end consumer VCR, output the video signal via S-video through a RadioShack S-video amplifier, feeding the S-video into a HDMI hardware upscaler (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00V2ULHBS/), outputting to a quality HDMI capture box (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01LX22X2T). Technology Connections shared this analog upscaling method to digitize at least 95 percent of the visual detail (source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=pQioCb4KUHM)

Because I want the workflow as simple as possible, i’ll digitize the tape in one go from beginning to end. I’ll catalog each digitized tape a number and each donation a donation number. If I find degraded spots and deem them rare or historically notable I’ll go back to the VCR and play those sections of tape frame by frame for future reconstruction.

What am I going to do with the tapes after I’ve digitally transferred them? If the original owner contacts me within ONE YEAR of digitizing them, I’ll give them back and keep the files. After ONE YEAR, I will check to see if the ribbons have silver / other expensive metals in them for future recovery. I know by recovering precious metals from tapes I will be destroying the details left behind by the transfer process, which is the last 5% of the detail and any metadata outside of the frame field, along with the magnetic charges. Since I don’t want to hoard already digitized media, they’re FREE to anyone who can pick them up by the carful in San Jose, CA or will pay the shipping, I’ll even ship them international if you prepay all shipping charges. I am not responsible for any customs, freight, and shipping charges.

I was thinking if buying one of these because they're like the like the monster s video cables. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F232529554582 then one of these https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00V2ULHBS/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524253113&sr=8-1-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=s+video+to+hdmi+converter&psc=1 to covert it into HDMI but don't know if getting these two would be better or the same as those modded hdmi N64's

Would something like this work?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V2ULHBS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A36PN40E750046

Is it possible to somehow use this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Converter-Tendak-Composite-Upscaler-Nintendo-S-video-HDMI/dp/B00V2ULHBS/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1537565101&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=s-video+thunderbolt

And then use one of the outputs (HDMI) to a Thunderbolt adapter, then into a laptop, then to capture software?

The Intensity is a lot of $$ to pay out up-front for what may be a day's worth of use if I wasn't happy with the product and needed to send it back (...)

Edit here: my link is for a version without S video. Adding link for unit with S video.

https://www.amazon.com/Tendak-Composite-S-Video-Converter-Upscaler/dp/B00V2ULHBS?th=1&psc=1

The audio quality and volume also drops with splitters. Everything is easier (and the price is almost the same) with a powered splitter.

http://www.amazon.com/RadioShack-1500320-Component-Distribution-Amplifier/dp/B004Z1SO9O

I bought this last month and it's freaking fantastic. Splits, converts composite to S-Video and S-Video to composite. $15, just about the same price as the passive splitters you could buy.

I don't mean to start an argument or anything and I respect your posts and your opinions but I just went through this and this is the best option available for those on a budget.

My setup is like this:

PS2 (S-Video for PS1 games for example) to powered splitter, one to TV (composite, I don't have S-Video on my TV) and one to the upscaler, then the video feed goes through the El Gato and the computer. If I'm using component (PS2 games basically) then it bypasses the upscaler and splitter and goes straight to the El Gato.

I highly recommend both the splitter I mentioned earlier and the upscaler I bought to anyone on a budget trying to stream or record older consoles. It makes my games look fantastic at 1080p/720p. Just trying to help anyone who might be dealing with this too.

Upscaler: http://www.amazon.com/Tendak-Composite-S-Video-Converter-Upscaler/dp/B00V2ULHBS?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00