The observation has been made that once I set my mind to something, I don't generally stop unless I achieve my goal, or the solution becomes too expensive. This is my third review regarding a product the purpose of which is to display the output from a video game console on my 21" Nokia 445xi VGA monitor. Previously I have written concerning TVOne's VGA Theater, and Redant's VGA Adapter. The product under review today, Micomsoft's XRGB-2 Upscan Converter, is, at $225, the most expensive of the group but gives the best image quality and the best color depth.

Let me state that the only halfway convenient source for this product is the National Console Support website, and it seems to be in permanent short supply, selling out as fast as it is restocked. I actually found the XRGB-2 courtesy of one of my readers who emailed me regarding the pinouts for the PSOne A/V port. Researching the web lead me to the GameSX Video Game Tech website. I was able to find the pinouts I was looking for, when my eye was caught by a little label entitled XRGB-2 Review which lead me to an article at the AtariLabs website. Unfortunately that still didn't tell me where the product could be purchased from, but fortunately a quick search on the Internet using the NorthernLight search engine lead me to National Console Support, and the rest, as they say is history.

What I hadn't previously realized was that console RGB cables are actually SCART cables. SCART is an implementation of RGBS, but one that includes the audio signal. Originating in France, SCART is almost unknown in the United States, but is fairly popular in the UK, Europe, Australia and Japan. The thing to remember is that in order to use the XRGB-2, you need Japanese SCART cables. Quite different from the Euro SCART, these are available from National Console Support, and cost $20 apiece. In addition to the Upscan Converter, I also ordered an RGB cable for my PS2, and another for my Dreamcast so I could do a comparison. National Console Support also does XRGB-2 compatible cables for the Neo Geo and the Sega Saturn, but these are currently out of stock.

On the AtariLabs forum I have read that it is possible to convert a Euro SCART cable to a Japanese one. Dave K had this to say: "On the Euro SCART leads. I mistakenly bought one of these (the maker was Naki). Since Naki is from Japan I thought it was a Japanese RGB cable. wrong! I had to open the SCART end, and push out/re-arrange the pints to match Lawrence's web page on the Japanese RGB cable specifications (this is on the gamesx.com site). Let me tell you it was a pain in the ass as it's hard to extract the pins without damaging the pins or the socket."

Should this prove to be the only possible solution, the Euro SCART pinout and other information can be found here, and the Japanese SCART pinout is available at the previously mentioned GameSX website. I'm no expert, and while there are similarities between the two that support the claim, there are differences that might complicate matters. If someone out there has undertaken the conversion, I'd love to hear from you. However I have to say I think a re-wiring as described by Dave K. might be sufficient. It seems to me that it should be possible to build a simple adapter, but despite much searching around the net, I've not found one.

Now before I start on the review proper, there is another caveat you should be aware of. The PlayStation 2 does not properly support DVD playback when equipped with a SCART cable. The reason is this; hackers discovered that by running the RGB signal through a scan converter like Micomsoft's you remove the Macrovision encoding used to protect DVD's from being copied. The result was that DVD's were being pirated onto VHS tapes. Sony was naturally rather concerned, and the consequence of all this was that they modified the RGB signal during DVD playback so that you get a green picture, rather like what occurs when you switch from RGB to Component Video without changing the receiving hardware. As with all things there are ways around the problem, some of which have discussed at various forums on the Internet. A link to one alleged fix can be found at XtreamChips.Com. Also, a cable that reportedly solves the problem is available in the UK at SpecialReserve website, but of course this is a Euro SCART cable, and would need to be rewired.

Do you have the patience to sit through another fix or two that would not require you to change cables every time you wanted to play a DVD? For the first, you need a Redant VGA Adapter. Connect this to the VGA pass-through port on the XRGB-2. Plug your SCART cable into the A/V port on the VGA Adapter. When you want to do DVD playback, on the Redant product, switch from the A/V port to VGA.or you could forget all about the SCART cable, and plug an S-Video cable into the back of the XRGB-2, but that would kind of defeat the benefit of having a SCART input in the first place.

Finally, there is a product called DVD Region X, also available from National Console Support that allows you to play DVD's from multiple regions. As a side effect, the green tint is removed. DVD Region X is comprised of an adapter that fits into a memory slot, and a CD. Made by Datel in the UK, the version stocked by National Console Support does work with US PlayStation 2's. If you don't like the idea of ordering on-line, bear in mind that Datel products often show up in the USA under the Interact label, as this one is expected to do, though a release date remains unknown.

The package that arrived from the Santa Claus in brown, otherwise known as the UPS man, was surprisingly heavy. I duly unpacked everything, and found the two RGB cables I had ordered, a reassuringly hefty gray plastic box with lots of connectors and push buttons adorning it, a VGA cable, what I ultimately used as an audio splitter cable, a power supply, and a fairly substantial manual that is completely useless, because it is written in Japanese, a language with which I am totally unfamiliar.

An acquaintance of mine at the Electronics Boutique in the Tucson Mall tells me he has a Japanese friend or two who might be willing to assist in a translation, so eventually I might be in a position to post an English version of the manual if anyone is interested.

This diagram is fairly typical of the documentation you can expect. However as a close look at the image above reveals, all ports and switches are labeled in English, giving us at least a sporting chance of getting everything connected correctly.

Taking the lower diagram first, the ports from left to right are:

1)      Left Audio in

2)      Right Audio in

3)      Composite Video in

4)      S-Video (SVHS or Y/C) in

5)      Audio out (headphones, speakers)

6)      Audio in (from PC)

7)      NEC Monitor out

8)      VGA out

9)      VGA in (pass-through)

10)  Power Supply

The image to the right shows Micomsoft's connection diagram.

So as you can tell, the product is more than simply an upscan converter, and incorporates a line doubler as described in my VGA Theater review. Like that product, you get a tremendous amount of flexibility.

The front of the box is dominated by the large, 21 pin SCART port.  It is pretty clear what Micomsoft intended to be used as the primary input. The buttons on the front panel are, from left to right again, the power switch, the input selection switch, up and down switches for use with the on-screen menu, left and right switches for the on-screen menu, and the switch that brings up that menu.

The unit is of good construction, with a reassuring degree of heft, unlike TVOne's VGA Theater, which had a tendency to be overbalanced when loaded down with connected cables.  Setting it up is pretty intuitive to anyone who's played around with cables before, with no particular gotcha's as long as you pay careful attention to the labeling.

Now before you go and start setting everything up, you will need to ensure that you PlayStation 2 is configured to output RGB, and not Component (YPrPb) video. You won't do any damage if you forget, but you'll be spared the shock of seeing a green and black display where you were expecting a color display. This setting can be found in the System Configuration menu. Making the change has no affect on composite or S-Video output should you change cables later.

Normal setup involves connecting the PlayStation 2's A/V port and the SCART port on the front of the Upscan Converter with the RGB cable you probably acquired from National Console Support. Then, you'll need to connect the VGA output port to your VGA monitor. If you have a PC, plug it's VGA cable into the VGA pass-through port on the rear of the Micomsoft box. Connect the power supply and you're just about ready to do. If you have PC speakers, you can plug them into the audio out port, again on the rear of the box. That same port can be used with headphones. Obviously if you have a decoder box and a set of speakers compatible with the PS2's optical digital out, you won't need to worry about it.

My own cabling hell has considerably simplified since the last time I wrote about it in my Redant PS2 VGA Box review. I no longer have my VGA Theater connected. Instead my Dreamcast VGA Adapter is now plugged into the pass-through on the Micomsoft box, and the PlayStation 2's A/V port has a SCART cable plugged into it, connecting to the SCART input port on the font of the upscan converter. I do DVD playback using the previously mentioned Datel Region X, which successfully fixes the green screen problem.

Just for the fun of it, the Micomsoft's composite video port is connected to the composite video out port on my Samsung GXTV, and it's S-Video socket is connected to the S-Video out port on the Dreamcast's VGA adapter. It'll probably never be used again, but for doing quick comparisons it is invaluable.

To handle sound, I normally plug in a set of Sony headphones, but sometimes I like to hear a video game through a set of speakers. My only available speakers are on my previously mentioned GXTV, so I used the extra Y-Splitter cable accompanying the unit to do this. Because these speakers are, after long exposure, proving to be somewhat lacking, somewhere in my long-term planning I do intend to get a proper surround sound system for my PS2. I'm considering either the S4 Midiland 8200 or the Klipsch Promedia 5.1 with the Klipsch Audio Tornado decoder, probably with the aid of the slap in the face otherwise known as the so-called tax rebate we're getting from the US government. Given that the Midiland setup can be found for $200 less than the Klipsch, the former will probably get the nod.

After everything is connected, switch on as usual. My immediate impression was that image quality had improved, though not to the extent that ravings on the Internet regarding RGB quality had lead me to expect. Still, there was a noticeable improvement, and this was just with the PS2 boot and configuration screens. My next step was to adjust the color to get the best possible. Already colors were considerably more vibrant than I had seen with the Redant VGA Box. My usual standard for this kind of thing is Onimusha's screen setup utility, which is comprised of several vertical color bars, a horizontal line bisecting them, and instructions to adjust the brightness until the vertical bars are visible only above the horizontal.

Setting up the Redant VGA Box via such means was certainly possible, but colors looked washed out. However because the XRGB-2 has its own brightness controls, accessible via the on-screen menu, when used in conjunction with the brightness controls of the VGA monitor, the result is a huge range of adjustment that when properly tweaked, gives you bright, vivid colors, a screen that matches Capcom's instructions, and furthermore a solid black background. You don't end up with a black background that isn't quite black. not unless you want to, that is.

The XRGB-2 is a truly flexible unit. Once you've adjusted the screen display for the SCART input, you can switch to the Composite Video source and adjust that, and then repeat for the S-Video source and here's the real kicker, these settings are distinct and unique to each input. As a line doubler, the mode the system is in when using the Composite and S-Video sources, it works as well as the Redant line doubler, with the added benefit of the extra settings I've already described.

I cannot stress the importance of these extra video settings. They can make all the difference to a game, letting you see detail that might have been too dark previously, but without washing out the overall screen because it is too bright. Indeed, a product was released onto the market just recently that performed the same function for the Composite and S-Video sources for use on a television set. As of this writing I can't recall the manufacturer, but I shall endeavor to locate the unit.

In addition to the color controls that are available, comprised of the tint, brightness, contrast, color saturation and gamma settings, you can also adjust the horizontal screen position and sharpness. A sliding switch on the front allows you switch between regular RGB, such as the signal coming out of your PlayStation 2, and arcade RGB. Another feature that can be surprisingly useful with low-resolution games is the ability to display fake scan lines. What this does, essentially, is halve the number of lines on the screen by alternating a line of actual image with a black line.

The problem with low-resolution games being displayed on a high-resolution display is that it enhances problems with the original image. Jagged lines can become very prominent, for example, an issue I've written about before. Partly, the problem is the improvement in the display quality, but also the height of each pixel has been doubled when converted from a low resolution to a high-resolution display. By replacing every other horizontal line with a black one the problem is considerably reduced. It doesn't even look particularly odd when you try it, and certainly alleviates the problem to a considerable degree.

The image quality is simply superb. However despite the nearly five times cost increase over the price of a Redant VGA Box, the image isn't five times better. If the various forms of video signal were represented on a sliding scale, the biggest improvement is achieved when switching from composite to S-Video. After that, the degree of improvement is much less. Nonetheless, a clearer, crisper image than that available from the Redant product is gained, and when coupled with the other features of the XRGB-2, the result is a product I consider to be well worth the expenditure.

One last item that readers may be wondering about is this. How does the image quality compare with that achieved from a Dreamcast VGA Adapter. It's not really a fair comparison as the Dreamcast wasn't designed to produce an RGB signal except with a VGA adapter, and this feature isn't supported by all games. However as I mentioned previously, National Console Support does have a SCART cable for the Dreamcast, one that is supported by all games. I rather suspect that this solution is something of a kludge, but it does work.

However, it doesn't work as well as a Dreamcast VGA adapter. It is marginally better than the S-Video output from the same console when that output is routed through the XRGB-2. Dreamcast users are, however, advised to use a VGA adapter if they seek the best in image quality. Looking at the output from a PlayStation 2, I have to say that it is hard to do a comparison. Ideally some kind of test image, one that is the same on both consoles, is needed in order to be fair and objective about this. Such an image isn't available, so I have to rely on a more subjective means. My conclusion is that the image from a PlayStation 2 isn't as good as a Dreamcast's VGA adapter. It is very good indeed, and I don't think anyone would be unhappy with it, but basically until console manufacturers start including VGA ports on their products, Micomsoft's XRGB-2 Upscan Converter is your best bet.

I note that neither the Xbox nor the GameCube are equipped with VGA ports, and from what I can gather, neither was designed to work with a suitable adapter either. Like the N64 before it, the GameCube doesn't even support RGB though a fix of sorts was possible with the former Nintendo product, and hopefully a similar one will emerge for the latter. A query to National Console Support revealed that they would supply XRGB-2 compatible SCART cables for either or both if demand justifies it. Of course this leaves us with the problem of how to switch between the various consoles so equipped, and NCSX tells me that they are trying to get ahold of Micomsoft's SelectY21 SCART switcher, which supports three inputs.

In summary, I can highly recommend this product. It is flexible, sturdy, delivers excellent image quality and represents the best current solution to the question, "how do I get my console to display on my VGA monitor", a question I actually get via email every couple of weeks. My only reservation with regard to the XRGB-2 concerns the cost, which may be too rich for many console owners.