Dreamcast-Talk.com

Hi folks,

I've just re-purchased a Dreamcast on eBay today, having owned one back in the day. Obviously technology has moved on and televisions have become HD, so what is the best way for me to connect to the TV's we have here at home?

I have a 55" LG LCD which doesn't have a VGA port, so I'm ruling that out. We also have a 40" Sony Bravia in the bedroom which does have VGA input. I was going to buy a VG cable on eBay for £10, as I was told that most if not all the big titles support VGA out so I could go straight from DC to TV VGA port without the need for a VGA box inbetween.

I was under the impression a VGA box is there to allow dual input to the TV so that games which don't support VGA switch to the other "normal" input method automatically. Is this the case?

If it becomes too troublesome I might just source a cheap CRT with RGB SCART and play as intended.

Appreciate the time and any advice.

Thanks!

I recommend the setup described in my video below. It's worked wonderfully for me and all the components are cheap. I wouldn't worry too much about games not supporting VGA. I own over 150 Dreamcast games and maybe 2 don't support VGA output at all (meaning they can't even be tricked into working with a boot disc).

Note that this setup should work with any VGA cable or box so if you prefer to get a box that has composite/s-video output on it then you can do that as well.

pcwzrd13 wrote:I recommend the setup described in my video below. It's worked wonderfully for me and all the components are cheap. I wouldn't worry too much about games not supporting VGA. I own over 150 Dreamcast games and maybe 2 don't support VGA output at all (meaning they can't even be tricked into working with a boot disc).

Note that this setup should work with any VGA cable or box so if you prefer to get a box that has composite/s-video output on it then you can do that as well.

Thanks very much for your help, pcwzrd.

I'm actually watching an auction for that exact brand of cable right now on eBay.

We have a non-brand 720p LCD in the spare bedroom which we use for my niece when she stays over, all that's used on it is a DVD player connected via SCART. I've picked up an RGB SCART cable on eBay and will try the Dreamcast out on the 720p set first via SCART, hopefully the lower resolution of the set means it won't look too bad since there's less of a resolution to upscale to. We bought the TV from Aldi in the UK as a cheap spare room TV, but normally these non-brand TV's support the downright wacky stuff that the big brand sets seem to omit.

I'll still pick up a VGA and go direct from the console to the Bravia eventually, I think that's the best way to go. I'm not bothered about the VGA box if all its there to do is offer a switch when games don't support VGA. Given the compatibility list, as you alluded to in your post with some 50 games, I don't think I'll be buying or playing anything that doesn't support VGA.

Thanks again, I appreciate the friendly and helpful welcome to the forum. I might stick around and contribute elsewhere in the place too!

No problem! Happy to help! The best solution is to go straight VGA if you can. I really don't think the upscaler makes much of a difference. The only reason I have one is because my TV doesn't have a VGA input. IMO that's the only reason to buy one.