Converting TV signal from Amiga to HDMI?

[mindprober]

(Activate Farnsworth voice)

Good neeeewwwwsss everyone!!!

As a matter of curiosity and because I was never really satisfied with my original cable I bought, I sought out a better RGB to SCART cable. I really liked the build quality I saw here:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Commodore-Amiga-A1200-All-Models-High-Quality-RGB-Scart-Lead-Cable-TV-Lead-/251044312902?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3a73683746

So I made my purchase. The cable arrived today and, as expected, it worked just fine with the redirected cable arrangement. So,  just for sh*ts and giggles, I thought I would try it with all three cables connected to the converter....and guess what? It works!

So that either means my AmigaKit cable is not wired correctly or it is just wired to different standards. Can I make the case that it is *wrong* and I should ask for a return/exchange based on this new discovery? The wiring of these cables seems to vary from person to person, so who I am to say something is wrong? Is there a standard?

[mindprober]

You won't regret it. The quality of this cable is excellent. And, it uses a true DB23 connector. I'm wondering if Retro Computer Shack found a source for the DB23s and gobbled them all up.

Good work, Im gonna buy one and try it on my TV that doesnt currently like converted Amiga-RGB to Component.

PS, I have their C64 video cables and they are great.

[mindprober]

Sigh.

Well, I have to retract some of what I said. It is true that I am getting a signal out of the converter using the new SCART cable now. At first glance, I saw what looked like a little RF interference and was planning on swapping it out with a better cable. I did not continue to work with the computer, though. So when I sat down a little longer, I noticed the slight RF interference degraded into a strong image instability problem. It is hard to describe, but basically the image is filled with mangled graphics and the original wavy interference lines. In short, it is unusable as it appears.

Still, the fact that I am getting an image out of the converter now would seem to indicate that achieving a stable picture from the converter is possible with the right cable-- one made to certain specs perhaps?

@djos, I still think you're better off with a Retro Computer Shack cable, but you may want to reconsider after this update.

[mindprober]

Revisiting this thread because I recently acquired a fairly stock NTSC Amiga 1200 in good condition. I will be cleaning it up, checking the caps, moving my ACA1232 over and may eventually get an Indivision MKII.

In the mean time, I was rather displeased to discover another problem using my SCART to component converter box. Look at the attachment and compare it against my previous photos in the thread. It seems there is something it is not liking about the RGB video again. All the colors are there but it looks like it is being subjected to massive RF interference or something. I tried two different component cables just to be sure. I do have the top RF shield removed at the moment but I do not believe it is at fault.

I really thought I would see an improvement with the A1200 but just the opposite happened. I cannot do the monochrome-out bypass that worked so awesomely with the A500. The A1200's color composite does not help me much, either. My Dell U2410 actually has a composite input but it doesn't like what it is getting from the A1200.

Fortunately, I can get by with the Amiga RGB --> VGA adapter for now. I still see the ugly vertical lines as I did with the A500 and the colors are not as good as component but it will do until I can find a better solution.

I may have to crack open the converter box and see if adjusting the pots helps.

[mindprober]

More on this subject.  

Decided to try the SCART to HDMI converter box with the A1200 and a relatively new Vizio 4K TV. As I suspected would be the case, at the "HDTV" viewing distance, the motion artifacts are not a problem. I can still make out the slightly wavy vertical lines but that also is not a big deal, especially during game play.

What I did not at all anticipate is that whatever digital audio signal is being passed over HDMI connector is not being detected by my AV receiver (an old Yamaha RX-V3800). When connected directly to another input on the Vizio TV, audio is working! When I go to inspect the signal info the TV is receiving, it shows the video at the resolution that the box is outputting (1024x768 in this case) but next to audio, nothing is shown! Huh?

So my question to those who might be in the know, what format is the digital audio coming out of this box? I would think it would be CD-quality PCM. Even if it was 48KHz PCM or even Bitstream, my AVR could receive that. Not sure why it isn't working.

There is another another option, however. I can test the digital coaxial output and see if my receiver can detect this. I would imagine the box is sending the same signal in two directions, though. I would not expect something different.