Deinterlacing, Scaling, Processing: Micomsoft Special - XRGB-2, XRGB-3, Framemeister and XPC-4

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So, what's this little write-up all about? For users new to the world of video processing, it's certainly not the easiest task to work through my website. The reviews to the various processors have been added over the years, so they are usually a little out of context or at least hard to compare, if there have been many years between a review and another. By creating the Top 5 lists I tried to guide new users into the right direction, but I still get an immense amount of email requests every week, asking for the perfect processor for the most obscure setups.

Most users interested in getting an upscaler, usually go from "is there something to make my games look better?" , over "oh nice, there're some cheap boxes on eBay" and "oh shit, there are so many better boxes out there" to "oh damn, now I'm completely confused and don't even know where to start anymore". - And I certainly agree. It's taken me years to go through all those processors, spending more money on video processing than other people spend on their cars. At one point many users accept that buying a cheap processor is a start, but it's hardly ever the end of the line. Soon you will want something better and if you like to play your classic consoles in the best quality available, you suddenly get the feeling that you'll be ending up with a Micomsoft processor no matter what else you were or still are considering.

Once you realize that and have accepted the fact that you're going to spend quite some money on an obscure japanese upscaler unit, you're still confronted with the question which one of Micomsoft's toys to get. Today (summer of 2013 that is) available from Micomsoft are three interesting processors: the XRGB-3, the Framemeister and the XPC-4. If you add the second hand market you might also want to consider older units like the XRGB-2 or 2plus. Theoretically you could add the XRGB-1 or DISPL to the equation, but realistically looking at something you can actually find makes the whole process a lot easier. To represent the older machines I added a XRGB-2 to this line-up. This page shall guide you through all points you should consider before deciding for a Micomsoft processor and help you make the decision a little bit easier. All snapshots were taken on the same day, using the same sources and the same display. Just the processors were exchanged!

The various Micomsoft processors obviously apply to different audiences. Your setup of consoles and displays should have a major influence on your decision. If you're looking at a Micomsoft processor, your main concern already is perfect 240p processing. You probably have a number of consoles from the 80s or 90s and you want them to look perfect on your modern display. And the one thing in which all the Micomsoft processors really shine is certainly 240p processing, still there are lots of differences. Analogue or digital connections to the display are one aspect, processing lag, PAL compatibility or overscan controls are other aspects to consider, which may have a major saying in your decision.

There's no point in buying a Micomsoft processor if you're not aware of the advantages RGB output on your systems offers. While some of the processors shown here will at least accept lower quality connections, others exclusively accept RGB signals and that's what you want to feed them anyway. Not all systems can output RGB out of the box, but nearly all of them can be convinced to do so, by either getting the proper cables or to have them modded to output RGB. That's easy and cheap one some systems (early N64 units or a PC Engine or Turbo Duo) and more expensive and complicated on other systems (NES, Famicom or 3DO). Still it's always worth the effort and money and it's the definitive requirement to get any of the shown processors to perform at the level you expect from them.

There are always two different looks for your 240p sources you might want to achieve. One is what I would call an "emulated look", presenting your games with razorsharp pixels upscaled to your displays' native resolution and the other is your "classic CRT look", which tries to simulate a CRT's look as close as possible by keeping a certain softness in the image and adding scanlines to the image. If you're after the latter one, why don't you just stay with a CRT ? In Europe classic television sets with RGB Scart inputs have been available to roughly 29" in 4:3 (with some rare exceptions like Sony's 34" CRT set) and their quality has usually been quite good. In the United States you'd be looking for TVs with component inputs instead and use a color transcoder ($50) to connect your RGB scart sources. If you feel like you require more sophistication than this, you can get a professional RGB monitor instead. Sizes easy to acquire are 14" and 20" (Sony PVM or BVM series of monitors). Sizes harder to acquire are 29" or larger (Sony PVM, NEC XM series, Barco or Mitsubishi with up to 36"). There are a few aspects to an actual CRT image even the best upscaler can't accomplish on a LCD or plasma set. This includes the lack of motion blur or a pronounced shadow mask (the visibility of the actual R/G/B dots on a picture tube). Personally that's nothing I require in a gaming setup, but your requirements might differ.

When it comes to home cinema processors, there aren't too many models available with proper 240p handling. Some processors like the DVDO Edge or VP50Pro have been updated over their lifespan to handle 240p handles, but they all have a hard time reaching the XRGB's quality. Most home cinema processors treat 240p signals as interlaced 480i signals and apply unneccessary deinterlacing. This introduces a longer processing lag and can cause deinterlacing artefacts and improper handling of certain 240p effects (30Hz drop shadow effects for example). There are only a few exceptions to that rule and processors running on Faroudja's FLI-2200 design (or it's predecessor) are one of them. This includes processors like the Videon Omega One, the Vigatec FX2, the Faroudja DVP-3000 and some others. What you gain compared to the XRGB units (with the exception of the Framemeister) is usually much better 480i handling (with proper filmmode and videomode deinterlacing), really nice composite processing with a solid comb filter and top-notch A/D filtering of the inputs. What you loose is the internal scanline function along with the lag-free handling of 240p sources. Processors based on this or similar Faroudja designs usually have a processing lag of two frames (32ms).

The XRGB-2 is among the oldest processors I've ever reviewed on my page. It's been introduced in the late 90s and the the only processors of similar age are the Faroudja DVP-3000 (review coming soon) and the Extron Andora. Still the XRGB-2 remains a very solid performer up to this very day. The XRGB-2 didn't yet have a remote control, nor will you find any component or digital connections. Composite and s-video inputs are available, but of course it's the JP21 RGB input on the front you're looking for. The XRGB-2 provides a single VGA output on the back on which you'll receive a perfectly linedoubled version of the provided input signal. The device is limited to 15khz inputs. PAL and NTSC sources are accepted and most weirder refresh rates are supported as well (but might be limited to 60Hz sourcces by your display). The XRGB-2's output can show a very slight tremble on bright vertical edges. If and to what degree you'll be able to notice this, will depend on your display's ability to handle the unit's sync output. The XRGB-2 has an integrated scanline option.

The Micomsoft XRGB-2plus performs very similar to the XRGB-2. The 2plus adds a component input (only for 15khz sources though), a tiny remote control and the ability to choose between a few scanline density presets (while the XRGB-2 just offers a on / off switch). Because of it's better PCB compatibility, the XRGB-2 is considered the more solid processor compared to the 2plus. Expect to pay roughly 150 EUR ($200) for a 2nd hand XRGB-2. The XRGB-2 and 2plus have long been discontinued by Micomsoft. On 2nd hand units the PSU will typically fail after a few years (due to bad capacitors). Micomsoft recommends a standard 12V replacement PSU (despite the fact that the original PSU was running at 13.8V).

Using a Euro-Scart RGB cable on the XRGB-2 will instantly fry the input, so make sure to know your cables.

Basic settings are availble in the menu from the beginning. A so-called "super mode" (think of an extended service menu) is available by switching the unit on, waiting for a few seconds, pressing select and menu at the same time once and then pressing up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, select and menu. The super mode will allow you to switch the menu to english (well it's english for the most part already anyway) and add a few advanced options, which can be used to fine-tune compatibility with certain PCBs or monitors. The super mode will stay enabled until you switch it off in the menu.

The XRGB-3 is certainly Micomsoft's most complex processor. On paper it adds a lot of functions and features to the XRGB-2 or 2plus. You get component inputs (for 15 and 31khz signals), a processed VGA input and a lot of options, which you can adjust in the (english) on-screen menu. The XRGB-3 has two operating modes. One in which it acts as a line doubler very similar to the previous XRGB versions and one in which it provides upscaling up to 1920x1200p resolutions. In practice the XRGB-3 can be a beast to use though: the inputs are very sensitive to noise present in the source signal and sync cleaning might be neccesary for a number of sources. If you consider using the XRGB-3 for actual upscaling (e.g. to 1080p), it's quite good, but the Framemeister and the XPC-4 both do it a little better. The XRGB-3 remains a great line doubler though with similar performance to the XRGB-2 but with the added ability to adjust the scanline strength to your liking. For this comparison with the other Micomsoft processors I'll focus on the XRGB-3's linedoubling mode.

The XRGB-3 had great support over the past years. Many firmware upgrades have been made available, one of the last even allows to the use the processor as a framegrabber (snapshots only, no videos). The XRGB-3 is still available new from Micomsoft (as of summer 2013), but it's certainly the next machine to get discontinued. For 2nd hand units expect to pay around 220 EUR ($300). The XRGB-3's PSU is running at 11V, which makes it kinda hard to find a proper replacement power supply. Older XRGB-3 units came come a rather large PSU, while never units come a new, tiny PSU (same size as the Framemeister's PSU). The old ones tend to fail due to bad capacitors.

Using a Euro-Scart RGB cable on the XRGB-2 will usually instantly fry the input within a second, so again, please know your cables.

The Framemeister is kind of Micomsoft's superstar right now. It's been introduced around christmas 2011 and has become a fan-favorite within no time. Micomsoft provided a bunch of solid firmware updates over the first months, but hardly anything since. There are still a few bugs and quirks which keep the Mini from being a perfect processor, but community support for the Framemeister is great - possibly the best you'll ever find on any upscaling gear. If you haven't yet, you should read the Framemeister review. It's not really up to date, but it certainly gives you a good idea about it's capabilities. The Mini offers all kinds of inputs, the composite input is unfortunately missing a good comb filter and it's a bit of a hassle to connect VGA sources like your Dreamcast through the front RGB input.

In general the Mini can output in a number of PC resolutions and of course in 480p, 720p and 1080p (no 1200p support though for 4:3 sources). Scanline support is available for all output resolutions, but it works best on 720p. 1080p output is best used without added scanlines. The Framemeister does not have a physical JP21 RGB port, but a little MiniDin port instead. An adapter cable for JP21 RGB sources is included and EU-Scart to MiniDin replacement adapters are easily available. The Framemeister will set you back about 300 EUR ($390). The Mini's running on a 5V PSU which is easy to replace with a power supply matching your countries' outlets.

The Mini is protected against connecting EU-Scart cables to a JP21 RGB adapter cable. Until today I haven't heard of anyone frying the Mini's input, still you shoult not try it and make sure to always use the proper adapter cable.

I only recently reviewed the XPC-4, so make sure to check out it's review on the main page. The XPC-4 is a down-converter and upscaler in a single unit. I didn't find much use in the down conversion, especially since the quality didn't seem great. There are certainly a few scenarios in which down-conversion might come in handy (video capture to DVD maybe), but I'd like to recommend the XPC-4 for it's upscaling instead. Considering that the XPC-4 was never advertised for upscaling 15khz video game consoles, it performs incredibly well. Once you take the hurdle of connecting your sources (the XPC-4 only has a DVI-I input, but easily accepts 31khz VGA and 15khz RGBs with clean sync on this input as well), the XPC-4 is as easy to use as the XRGB-2. Also switching between linedoubling (480p output) and upscaling (up to 1600x1200p and 1920x1080p) is extremely easy and fast.

The XPC-4 will output in DVI or HDMI without scanlines and can be connected to an external scanline device using it's VGA output intead. PAL sources are accepted, but framerate-converted to the XPC's 60Hz output. Outside of Japan the XPC is rather rare. New units are available from Japan at about the same price you'd pay for a Framemeister (300 EUR / $390). The XPC-4 uses the same 11V PSU as the XRGB-3, but to my knowledge all XPC-4s shipped with the newer version of Micomsoft's power supply.

To connect your 240p RGB sources you need a Scart to VGA adapter including a sync stripper (e.g. the Arcadeforce Sync Strike).

Once you have arrived at Micomsoft's line of upscalers, you've already reached the pinnacle of 240p processing. All Micomsoft processors treat 240p as progressive signals, so all 240p effects are kept intact. Using a 480p output from each of the systems, the XRGB-2, XRGB-3 and the XPC-4 have about the same picture quality, especially once you use a scanline overlay - either using the built in options or an external scanline device. While the XRGB-2 and XRGB-3 of course have a JP21 RGB input on the front, the XPC-4 requires a sync stripper like the Arcadeforce Sync Strike to accept Scart RGB sources. The Framemeister's 480p output is considerably softer than this and isn't a recommended output resolution. Setting the Framemeister to 720p instead (1080p is out of the question if you want nice looking scanlines) puts it ahead of it's competition. This is the best looking - scanlined - output from a 240p source you'll find anywhere. Unfortunately some displays have problems upscaling a 720p input to their native resolution, or they do better with 480p input, but if your display plays well with 720p input resolutions, the Framemeister looks stunning. Compared to a CRT's RGB image the XRGB-2 and the XRGB-3 (and the XPC-4 with an external scanline device) resemble a CRT's look best. The Framemeister at 720p is already considerably sharper than your standard CRT will ever be. For upscaled output (1080p for example) the Framemeister and the XPC-4 perform quite similar with the XRGB-3 being a close third.

Interlaced SD signals is where you'll find the biggest differences between the various Micomsoft processors. The XPC-4 does not have any 480i deinterlacing algorithms. It treats the signal like a 240p input which causes weird scaling effects, trembling lines and bad ringing. The XRGB-3 in upscaling mode offers a rather bad deinterlacing for interlaced signals. It's hardly on par with even the cheapest component to HDMI converter boxes from China. The XRGB-2 and XRGB-3 in linedoubling mode use a single field deinterlacing method without any interpolation. The processors compensate for the line offset between adjacent fields, making the output not exactly pretty, but watchable and keeping the deinterlacing as fast as possible. The Framemeister plays in a completely different league when it comes to 480i processing. While background details are naturally a bit mangled compared to native 480p, the Framemeister's output from 480i sources is as good as it gets. In fact's it's the very best 480i deinterlacer for videogaming material you can find on any processor.

Especially in the mid to late 90s there have a number of games which switch between 240p and 480i during gameplay. Some games limit their 480i use to the title screen or options menu (Radiant Silvergun or Battle Garegga on Saturn), but others switch in-game very often (Killer Instinct 64 or Bio Hazard 2 on the N64). The XRGB-2, XRGB-3 and XPC-4 handle those transitions very fast, in a way gameplay is hardly interrupted. The Framemeister on the other hand takes more than 5 seconds for each transition. It will black out during each transition and cause the HDMI output to initiate a handshake with the TV again, which can cause additional delay by the display resyncing to the Mini. Games which switch often between 240p and 480i are therefore currently unplayable on the Framemeister.

480p processing isn't important, if you want to use your classic gaming systems, but it's convenient if you have a system that can output some of it's games in 480p - the prime example for that would be a Playstation 2. On the other hand, JP21 RGB connections don't officially support 480p, which is why you usually get component or VGA for 480p signals. Anyway, the XRGB-2 (and 2plus) does not accept 480p. The XRGB-3 can accept 480p on it's component inputs and on the JP21 RGB input using component format. In it's linedoubling mode 480p sources are just passed through to the output. In upscaling mode they're upscaled to the output resolution you selected. This looks ok, but the XRGB-3 is very sensitive to noise or a DC offset in the signal, so there's a good chance you'll have to take quite some extra measures to get a clean image from a 480p source. The Framemeister gladly accepts 480p via HDMI, component or in RGBs signals, but it has a nasty bug in it's scaling engine which causes all vertical edges to look blurry. It's not the most terrible 480p handling - in fact it can look rather nice, but once you see what other processors do with the same source signal, you won't go back. The XPC-4 finally handles 480p RGBHV signals fantastically - zero noise, zero artefacts, easiest handling, but fails with 480p component signals, at least from a Playstation 2.

Component inputs are convenient because they're the only connection to officially (and without trickery) accept 240p, 480i and 480p signals. In theory 240p via component is slightly worse than RGB, but in practice it's extremely hard to spot any difference, so I'm perfectly fine to use component instead of RGB. Noteworthy systems to output in component are the Playstation 2, the GameCube, the original XBox and the Wii. Wii and Playstation 2 offer all three types of signals (240p, 480i and 480p), while GameCube and XBox only switch between 480i and 480p (not talking of the few exceptions that can output in 720p or 1080i). On japanese processors you'll usually find D-Terminal connections instead of straight RCA (Cinch). It's the same signal though and you just need a little adapter cable to connect your component sources. Getting expensive dedicated D-Terminal cables (available for PS2, Cube, Wii, XBox360) doesn't offer any advantage. The XRGB-2 does not offer component inputs (but then again it does not process 480p, so it doesn't matter). The XRGB-3 has got component inputs, but they're sensitive to noise and the A/D converter lacks quality. The Framemeister has got a nicely working component input (still a little bit more noisy compared to the RGB input). The XPC-4 - while shining at 480p upscaling - technically doesn't offer a component input. Included with the machine is a D-Terminal to DVI-A adapter cable, but I didn't have much luck with that. My test run showed excessive chroma shift, so to utilize the processors great 480p upscaling, you have to use a transcoder up front to get a RGBHV signal from your component source.

For many years VGA connections have been the standard for linedoubled or upscaled images. Most TVs up to around 2011 did have a VGA inputs to feed them progressive analogue signals. Unfortunately most manufacturers see VGA as an obsolete connection and removed it from their TV sets. Panasonic was one of the first companies to complete this transition, Samsung and Sony did follow shorty after. If you buy a new television set today, chances are quite high, that it won't have a VGA connection anymore. There are alternative ways to connect VGA sources to those new displays - see the info box further down the page about combining processors. The situation on new PC displays isn't this tragic yet. Some higher end sets (especially those with resolutions higher than 1200p) don't come with VGA connections any longer, but your usual gaming LCD will - for now - still have VGA connections. The XRGB-2's only output is a VGA connector. The same is true for the XRGB-3 as long as you want to use it in it's fast linedoubling mode. For it's upscaling mode a HDMI-compatible DVI-D connection is available (but with severe compatibility problems). The XPC-4 offers a DVI-I output which can work as both a VGA and a digital DVI-D connection and the Framemeister is limited to HDMI output. VGA connections in general require a seperate audio connection. The XRGB-2 and XRGB-3 will pass the audio from the front JP21 RGB input to a 3.5mm audio connector on the back. The XPC-4 does not have any audio features and the Framemeister integrates audio into it's HDMI output - quality is not perfect though, so if you're using a AVR or amp anyway, you're doing good by bypassing the Mini.

The XRGB processors are well known for their internal scanline overlay. External solutions like the SLG3000 or MiniSLG are easily available by now, but they always require a VGA connection which can cause problems with modern TVs and don't offer real PAL support. Of the four Micomsoft processors shown here, the XPC-4 is the only one without internal scanline support. The XRGB-2 offers solid scanlines for 240p sources. The scanline intensity isn't adjustable and it's fixed at about 50%, maybe a bit stronger. To get the same scanlines on 480i content you have to use an external device. The XRGB-3 offers no scanlines in upscaling mode and very nice scanline support in it's linedoubling mode. The intensity is fully adjustable using the menu (0 to 100%). Again no classic scanline support on 480i (or 480p) sources without help from an additional box. The Framemeister offers great scanline support for 240p, 480i and 480p sources, but is limited to 720p output for perfect scanline quality. The Framemeister is the only single-machine solution to offer "scanlined" HDMI output.

Input lag is usually a bit overrated, still it can sum up (the processor's lag gets added to your display's lag) and possibly screw with your ability to 1'CC your favorite 8- or 16-bit classic. In general an input delay of about 2-3 frames total is considered acceptable, but some gamers migth be more sensitive, especially when coming from a lag-free CRT display. A good start is always to know your display's input lag. You might not have the means to measure it on your own, but these past years input lag measurements have been part of most online reviews, so you should be able to find some numbers for your particular monitor or TV set. Just note that the response time listed by manufacturers with the display specs has nothing to do with the actual input lag present on your display. Modern IPS monitors intended for gaming can offer inputs lags as low as 3-6ms while the fastest large screen TVs have around 15-20ms (always based on 60Hz inputs, so 1 frame equals 16.7ms). The XRGB-2 is basically lag-free. It measures at around 1ms. The XRGB-3 in linedoubling mode is equally fast with a measured input delay of about 2ms . That's as good as it gets. Hardly any other processor can live up to those standards. Faroudja-based processors (which are the next best thing in 240p processing quality) always have a 2-frame delay (about 30 to 32ms). In upscaling mode the XRGB-3 increases it's delay to 22ms. That's very close to the Framemeister, which clocks in at 24ms. The XPC-4 is a little bit faster than those two. It's processing time measures at about one frame (16ms ). To make use the XRGB-2 and 3's ultra low processing delay you require an analogue VGA input on your monitor or TV.

European vintage video gaming systems output in 288p with a 50Hz refresh rate (in comparison: NTSC systems output in 240p at roughly 60Hz). Since the ROMs themselves are the same, 99% of the 8 and 16-bit system titles are running nearly 17% slower on PAL machines. The sprite and graphics assets aren't changed either, so the original resolution of up to 240p is just mapped onto the 288p output causing the image to look vertically squeezed with heavy borders on top and bottom. Still, if you have grown up with this kind of gaming, you might prefer your games to run at this speed. All the Micomsoft processors have been created for use with NTSC sources, still they work with PAL systems to a certain degree. The XRGB-2 and XRGB-3 in linedoubling mode will create a 576p50 signal from your 288p sources. So, they technically work fine with PAL signals, but unfortunately your TV's VGA input will most likely not play well with that. VGA ports on television sets are most often limited to VESA timings, which only know 60Hz signals. Some PC monitors will sync to a 576p50 VGA signal, but many of them will internally do a framerate conversion and cause jerky scrolling. The XRGB-3 in upscaling mode and the XPC-4 will accept signals with PAL timings, but will do a framerate conversion to 60Hz on their own. Again not perfect to play smoothly scrolling action games. The Framemeister provides a bunch of 50Hz HDMI output timings (576p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p - all at 50Hz) and is therefore your perfect companion for PAL sources. The XRGB-2 and XRGB-3 can be paired with another processor to make them fully PAL-compliant.

All shown processors work nicely with a huge number of arcade PCBs. Unfortunately contrary to the world of home consoles, there are a lot of non-standard timings available in the world of Arcade boards. A PAL timing comes out at 288p at 50Hz, NTSC is 240p at 59.94Hz. A SNES runs at approx. 60.05Hz and a Neo Geo MVS will run at approx. 59.15Hz. That's all more or less NTSC. Some a little closer to the actual standard, some a little further from it. Still they all run on the majority of video processors. Problems start with PCBs running nowhere near those standards. Examples are the Seibu boards (240p at 54Hz) or Irem boards like R-Type (running at 256p in 55Hz). Technically the XRGB-2 and XRGB-3 in linedoubling mode will work with those boards, still hardly any LCD will be able to display that output. The XRGB-3 in upscaling mode and the XPC-4 will try to convert these boards' video outputs to 60Hz and introduce stutter with that (confirmed with Seibu Raiden Fighters 2). The Framemeister does not work with those boards. To use any of those PCBs in their original refreh rate and with a line doubler like the XRGB-2 or XRGB-3 you need a display that can handle those frequencies. A multi-sync PC CRT monitor is your best choice. If you're keen to achieve the best possible compatibility with all your boards, you might also want to look into Micomsoft's ultra-hard-to-find DISPL converter. Check out Superdeadite's Youtube review of the DISPL , but keep in mind that you are more likely to find a nice looking arcade cab in your area than to find an actual Micomsoft DISPL for sale anywhere or anytime soon.

There are a number of reasons why connecting the XRGB-2 or XRGB-3 to another video processor can actually make a lot of sense. The most obvious reason is certainly that your TV set is missing a VGA input. Processors like the DVDO iScan VP50Pro, the DVDO Edge or the Gefen VGA to DVI Scaler Plus will gladly accept the the XRGB's VGA output and transform it something your display can work work. The 50Pro or the Gefen will upscale your image up to 1200p via HDMI, while the Edge is limited to 1080p. Second and most obvious reason would be the total processing lag. The DVDOs add 6~7ms of delay to your processing chain. With a XRGB-2 or XRGB-3 your total processor delay will stay under 9ms this way (compared to the Framemeister's 24ms). The Gefen is a tiny bit slower than the DVDO processors. Another reason would be the added PAL compatibility. The DVDOs will accept 576p50 from the XRGB units and output 1080p50 via HDMI - perfectly framelocked and with smooth scrolling. Processors like the Edge also add additional tweaking posibilites like overscan control, underscan masking or extended aspect ratio controls. Picture quality is great with a XRGB connected to a DVDO - extremely close to the Framemeister's praised 720p output. With PAL sources the Framemeister is limited to 576p50 output (if you want solid scanlines), so an upscaled XRGB-3's output will look considerably better.

Sometime in 2011 Micomsoft asked users to propose their wish-configuration for a possible XRGB successor, so it's likely that we will someday see a XRGB-4. Micomsoft is obviously struggling with decisions about their actual target audience. Maybe the Framemeister will remain a weird little digression from their XRGB line, just like the DISPL or DISPL-TV were so many years ago. For users interested in upscaling from raw RGB to VGA, Crafty-Mech's Retropix project sounds extremely promising. He's basically trying to recreate a no-nonsense processor like Micomsoft's DISPL - scanline support included and full PCB compatibitiliy guaranteed - as long as your display accepts the game's refresh rate via VGA. And all of that with an anticipated price tag under $100.

Time to make a decision: in the end I can't make any decision for you, but I tried to compile all valid arguments for each of the available Micomsoft processors to help you make that decision easier. Each of you will have a different profile of systems or games you want to use with your upscaler. Some profiles make it easy to decide for a processor, while others make it next to impossible. There are a few basic conditions though, which make it easy to decide.

- If you have PAL sources you want to use accurately, a Framemeister or a XRGB / DVDO combo are your only options.

- If you want PAL, low input lag and don't mind the costs, a XRGB / DVDO combo is perfect for you.

- If you're very sensitive to lag: get a XRGB-2 or XRGB-3. A VGA connection on your monitor or TV is a requirement though.

- If you have a number of 480p sources and don't want a dual processor setup, consider the XPC-4 instead of the Framemeister.

- If you have japanese computer systems like a PC98, X68000 or FM Towns next to your consoles, the XPC-4 is for you.

- If you don't mind a little lag and you want scanlines through HDMI, the Framemeister is still a near perfect all-in-one solution.

And what's my personal solution ? I hardly use any PAL games or machines and I don't mind a little lag, so for me it's a Framemeister for all my 240p and 480i gaming needs. For 480p I use other processors - usually a Crystalio II, sometimes an iScan VP50Pro. And for quick testing sessions in between I still have a Videon Omega HDP hooked up to my big-screen TV. It's sometimes easier to use than a Framemeister, especially when combined with a XSELECT-D4 for full RGB compatibility and a SLG3000 for nice scanlines.

The XRGB-3, the Framemeister and the XPC-4 can be bought new from SOLARIS JAPAN.
For 2nd hand offers I recommend the Trading Station on the shmups.com message board.

(this one's a combined counter for this site plus the scanlines page)