Retro AV |OT| RGB, CRTs, Upscalers, and more

Personally I limit my Monoprice buys to couplings and connectors. I mean how much quality can you expect for their prices with more complex things?

While not that particular HDMI switch, I had 2 other Monoprice Switches that all went bad on me relatively quickly. One got this issue where inputs would develop white sparkles on the video. It started with input 5, then 4 got it, then 3, and I put it out to pasture. The other one just straight up stopped working at all, and both of these died with in 6 - 12 months of use.

I was surprised they didn’t test that pelican component switch, that thing is a tank. I bought one the day they came out and its been in use in my setup since. Never had a single issue with it.

I have also been looking for a good hdmi switch for a while and was originally shocked that there wasn’t an easy pick for a good functional unit that just passes though the complete and exact data of a selected input. I still haven’t gotten one.

I would really like one that can handle like 8 inputs and does 4K60 at a reasonable price.

Just want to reiterate here that my mono price component switch has never had an issue. It feels cheap but has worked great!

I had two of those before jumping on the extron train, and they are great. Definitely don’t feel like quality, they are super lightweight, but they work perfect. I couldn’t see even the slightest hint of quality loss, either.

And you can use them for composite as well, by running it through the green ports.

This is perfect for me, I need this device!

Found the same thing happening with my Wii which was on the second component switch chained into the first. Fixed it by ditching the second switch, finding another way to wire things up instead.

I also found a reasonably priced six port component switch which also happens to be a six port scart switch; not sure on the quality of it but might be useful for someone.

okay! so i tested out all my SCART RGB cables last night, and…it seems like most survived the move! well, the PS2 one now has awful feedback, i’m gonna mess with that and if nothing else, put that system back on component for now. speaking of though…

so again, i’m using an OLED for HD and my trinotron for SD, right? only, the CRT only has one component input, and it’s a bitch to get at! ive got a GC & Xbox (and possibly PS2) that need room so the way i see it, i have 2 options:

  1. use whatever component switchbox y’all recommend, and hope that the signal degradation is minimal

  2. seeing as how right now there’s a simple male to male component cable plugged in (it’s going to a component/RGB adapter i bought years ago on some of y’alls say-so), maybe i could get a female to female adapter and keep it nearby, swapping out the other cables as needed, if that makes sense?

which do you guys think is more viable/practical here? also, let’s all collectively pray this CRT (and all CRT’s) never die, cause i was playing Rastan and MUSHA last night and they looked awesome

Personally, I’d lean toward option one as pushing a button seems a lot more appealing than unplugging cables all the time.

For what it’s worth, I’ve been using this switch with a CRT setup for about 6 months and haven’t noticed any glaring issues with it:

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fuck it, i’m in! what cable do i need for it (to go from the box to the TV)? another amazon link if ye don’t mind, feels good having all this sorted soon!

also in the coming weeks i’m inheriting an old-ass family stereo, from the mid to late 80s or so. no idea if and how i can make this work with the old TV but i’m stupid excited about the classic wood unnecessarily large speakers (boy i hope they work)

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The receiver should have an Aux in or similar input you can route the audio out from your component switch in to. I had my systems hooked up that way during the PS2 era.

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For cables, nothing fancy is needed, just standard male-to-male component. Something like this:

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That switch is a great deal for the price. If that works out you could get two and have a passive 6x2 switch!

I’ll always be an Extron proponent but I know some don’t want or need the bulk and extra components you need for a Crosspoint or other BNC switch. I’ve not tried the gcomp or the Otaku @poptart mentioned above but either would be the place to go if that cheaper option doesn’t work out.

I have been moving toward all RG59 or RG6 cables in my setup, since I have had so much trouble out of cheap, basic cabling. Monoprice uses RG59/U in their component cabling and they’re very high quality, though the insulation is very heavy and stiff so watch out for that.

I’d love to see some video reviews of AV switches from the EE’s perspective. It’s hard to justify $100-200 for a switch when there are cheap options out there, but conversely, it’s hard to know what’s crap as well.

Out of curiosity, how come no one is using a stereo receiver for component switching? I gave my folks my old onkyo receiver a few years back but now they are using a sound bar set up everywhere. So I am taking my receiver back and planning on routing my PS2, Cube, PSPgo dock and maybe DC if HD Retrovision every gets their stuff together.

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AV receiver would be a good option if it has enough ports and you have the space for it. In my case, the oldest receiver I have is an Onyko 607 from ~2006 but it only has two component inputs. Plus the space really wouldn’t accommodate the size of a receiver without major hassle and clunkiness. (It was a second CRT setup that I was already pushing my luck with, if you know what I mean.)

Edit: The other consideration here is input lag which I suspect will be a factor with any AV receiver when compared to a non-powered switch box.

when I bought mine, it was during the 6th gen. I had enough ports for my DVD, XBOX, PS2 & GC. Currently, I am using a GSCOMPSW and I think its a bit basic. I don’t have enough room right now but after I rebuild my closet setup I will. It will also give me better audio options for both my retro and HD/4K setups.

Newer receivers with HDMI support typically have very few component ports on them, least in my experience.

While not available new any more, I am still using my Pelican System Selector Pro that bought when it launched back in the early 2000s. I’ve never had a single issue with signal degradation or any noise it’s just an 8 input tank. I really can’t recommend it enough if you can find it. I have the 1.0 version which has push buttons, but there is a 2.0 version that replaced the push buttons with an LCD screen and also added a remote.

Still has a page on Amazon though. https://www.amazon.com/Universal-System-Selector-Pro-Sony-PSP/dp/B0001GAYUE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1546479252&sr=8-2&keywords=pelican+system+selector+pro

Does anyone know how well the 2019 TCL TVs handle lag and the OSSC? I’m thinking of picking one up later this year.