Sega Dreamcast on HDTV

Hi everyone,

Since I'm getting a new TV stand with two audio towers which will actually be used in part for older gaming systems, I'm looking into getting the most out of such systems in terms of image quality on a LCD screen (Sony Bravia EX500).

I'm aware that I would be better off tracking down a CRT TV for those older systems but I don't entertain the thought of having a bulky TV added to my rec room (space limitations).

So...excuse my ignorance here as I'm about to ask some questions.

Do I assume I would get better image quality if I connect my Dreamcast to my HDTV via a VGA box (my EX500 does have a VGA port) than via its default composite connection?

If yes, would there be any improvement to the image quality if I use the VGA-to-HDMI adapter? Or will it still retain the VGA quality?

Any info would be greatly appreciated!

yes you get better image quality than the default. Max resolution is dependent on the game but no better than (VGA) 640x480/60Hz. It won't upscale or anything but you will get a very clean image.

http://www.racketboy.com/store/sega-dreamcast/dreamcast-vga-cable-box.html
This is what you're looking for? There's a little hole in the thing and that's for audio right?

If you're sporty enough, you can install a vga port in the Dreamcast.

Using the VGA box is the best way to get the highest-quality visuals out of a Dreamcast. The Dreamcast was the first console to universally support VGA output.

The up-scaling for resolution will likely be handled by your HDTV, and as such won't provide you with the ideal solution. But it will definitely look much improved over the composite, or even the S-Video options. You could play around with the scaling options on your HDTV to see what they are capable of. A simple 2X or 3X scaling solution would be best.

You're better off not trying to pass your output through a VGA-to-HDMI adapter. The Dreamcast cannot pass audio out through the VGA cable, and that would be the only real advantage in using HDMI. Since the Dreamcast supports VGA natively, its best to stick with that, especially if your HDTV accepts VGA input. Adding an extra step to the process would be redundant. Passing it through HDMI would not improve the signal in any way.

The ideal Dreamcast graphics are connecting one via a VGA adapter to a CRT monitor. Unfortunately, CRT monitors are no longer practical, both in terms of cost and size. When I constructed my arcade cabinet, I connected a Dreamcast to it using this method, and it looked fantastic.

This is what I ended up doing.

http://implantgames.com/?p=961

Using the racketboy VGA adapter and the monoprice VGA to HDMI adapter, you actually get sound out of the 3.5mm sound cable. The only downfall is that games that don't support the 640x480 VGA resolution won't output at all. Some games you can "trick" into working by starting it up with composite cables plugged in and then swapping to the VGA cable after it has booted.

Thank you very much for all the informative replies, guys! Much appreciated!

[quote name='notorious_pip']This is what I ended up doing.

http://implantgames.com/?p=961

Using the racketboy VGA adapter and the monoprice VGA to HDMI adapter, you actually get sound out of the 3.5mm sound cable. The only downfall is that games that don't support the 640x480 VGA resolution won't output at all. Some games you can "trick" into working by starting it up with composite cables plugged in and then swapping to the VGA cable after it has booted.[/QUOTE]

This is really your only VGA drawback. I recenntly found my DC VGA cable after it being disconnected for years and put it on my recent HDTv purchase, which has the VGA input. Everything looked as good as it's going to on a non-CRT monitor...but I gotta admit, after almost all my games working (even my Fire Pro Wrestling D import disc), I was pretty crushed that NBA Showtime didn't work with VGA.

Totally worth the effort though.