Custom configs for CRT using the built-in composite out

Cascote

I've been using your configs for the last few months and I must say you did an awesome job here!
I have built an Arcade using Raspberry pi 3b and a 20in CRT TV.
Games look great, no issues at all with that, but EmulationStation not so good.
I know that, inevitably, I will always have some flickering in Emulation Station since is running Interlaced, but is there any way to reduce that somehow? I tried progressive in ES, the picture doesn't have flickering, but text looks crappy as also the ES Menu UI. I tried changing emulation station resolution thru autostart.sh, trying different SDTV_MODES, different themes, modifying themes (since every existing theme is bigger than my screen), modifying colors and random stuff on the service menu from the TV... I ran out of ideas. Would you have any suggestion for me?
Thanks in advance :)

polish.potato

Hi, I have a question. How do you recommend I add the new update to the previous build? I just wanted to put it on top and skip the fresh install. Any help would be appreciated.

Sakitoshi

@Cascote that is a choice your poison situation.
480i provides full resolution and is perfect for text but it flickers. 240p is sharp and flicker free but the text wont be too legible because what essentially does is skip every other line of the 640x480 image, loosing half the vertical resolution needs bolder text and most themes don't have those (and now that I think about it it will break the force 480i option). you can lessen that by using one of the recommended themes that I mention in the github readme, but isn't perfect.

I personally prefer 480i for es because the extra resolution really helps and you spend little time staring at it anyway.

@polish-potato you can always create a backup of your current setup before copying my configs, that way if something goes bad you can just go back. but unless you have done some heavy modifications it should work with any non-fresh build.

Cascote

@Sakitoshi Thanks for your response! I also prefer 480i . I tried for a while with progressive 240p (I had to modify the line on runcommand-onend.sh to avoid force 480i when exiting games) and I couldn't get used to it.
Well, now that I know that I can't make 480i look better on ES, I can calm my OCD on it and go on with the remaining things on my list xD.
Thanks!

Sakitoshi

Long overdue update:

super gameboy borders are now used when using mgba instead of the custom border.

I was lazy on this one because I don't play gameboy very much on my raspi, but today while thinking about other things I though of an easy way to detect if a border is provided by mgba and use it instead of the generic one, so I went ahead and implemented it.
I still like gambatte more for the custom palettes, color correction for gbc and the newly added mix frames feature that emulates the ghosting of the gameboy screen.

handlolo

Hello everyone, I have registered on this page just to be able to consult you about this great addition to retropie.
I tell you my case, it turns out that I have a raspberry 1 model b that I connect through the composite cable to a commodore monitor 1084s D2 that supports NTSC through the analog RGB but not the composite cable.
I install the system correctly and without problem following the steps of installation, I have done test in Ntsc where I get the expected monochrome, and in progressive PAL where it is seen in color.
The problem is that the only systems where the games work are in Mame and Final Burn
The other systems do not work, neither Nes, nor Megadrive, Snes, Pce, the screen remains black and sound is heard in the background. Let's see if you can help me with this.
Thank you.

Sakitoshi

@handlolo it has to be your display, I've never owned a commodore so I'm not familiar with the monitor, but for what you say it seems like it has problems displaying 240p.
you say that mame and final burn work, but those systems aren't supported separately (the "arcade" system that contains both mame and fba is supported), so you are not using the configs with those systems and are displaying on 480i per default.

handlolo

@Sakitoshi It seems very strange to me, because that monitor was precisely for commodore Amigas 500/600/1200 that used 240p and other similar resolutions. Any suggestions to modify in the config files?

Sakitoshi

@handlolo Like I said, I'm not familiar with those monitors so I can be wrong, but that's where I think the problem might be. you should try using another display (an lcd it's ok too) to see if the configs are working as intended first.
you can try deleting the configs\all\runcommand-onstart.sh and configs\all\runcommand-onend.sh to force everything to run at 480i. that is no ideal but at least you should be able to receive signal that way.

handlolo

@Sakitoshi I tried again, this time with a "30" tv philips crt of 100hz and nothing, still with the same problem when loading a game of Snes and others, the screen remains black.

Sakitoshi

@handlolo the only thing that I can think off is that you have some custom configurations that are interfering with the way my configurations work, if that's the case, if you have a spare micro sd card, you can try to copy my configs to a fresh install of retropie, test if is works with that fresh install (if it doesn't then I really don't know what is at fault) and then compare both builds to find the issue.
I can't assist you with that since only you would know what values were changes.

if everything fails, sometimes a fresh install is the only "solution".

handlolo

@Sakitoshi No, I came from recalbox, I tried all this with a new installation of retropie 4.4. By the way I managed to see the games, the problem is in the archive retroarch.cfg that are in the configs folders, one option o more failed.

handlolo

I found the problem.. i change "aspect_ratio_index=23" for "aspect_ratio_index=22 (custom viewport)" and now the black screen problem it fixed. Can you explain me more about this command? Thanks for your help and for this great work.

mitu

@handlolo said in Custom configs for CRT using the built-in composite out:

I found the problem.. i change "aspect_ratio_index=23" for "aspect_ratio_index=22 (custom viewport)" and now the black screen problem it fixed. Can you explain me more about this command? Thanks for your help and for this great work.

That's because of a change in RetroArch code, where the aspect_ratio_index value that meant 'custom resolution' was bumped from 22 to 23, so the old configuration files would not work anymore - https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/19598/custom-viewport-problem-retroarch-1-7-5/5.

Sakitoshi

@handlolo oh, well that is explained at the beginning of the readme, but since you are new you didn't knew better (and I completely forgot that was a thing).

since retroarch 1.7.4 the aspect_ratio_index setting changed, this configurations follow this new aspect_ratio_index setting for default. if you want to use them with retroarch 1.7.3 or older you need to run the "fix_aspect_ratio_index" script located at runcommand > user menu, that script will automatically change the aspect_ratio_index setting of every config file depending on the version of your currently installed retroarch.

vanilla retropie 4.4 has retroarch pre 1.7.4, if you do update retroarch from the retropie setup you'll end up with retroarch post 1.7.4 and the problem will come back (but a little different). just follow those instructions and you'll be fine.

handlolo

@Sakitoshi Ok now i will do another clean install, following this instructions, by the way how can I pass the theme for Crt that you have uploaded, if the themes folder is not shared and through Putty does not let me write in it?

Sakitoshi

@handlolo to install themes manually you have to create a folder named themes in configs\all\emulationstation

they will appear immediately in the theme selection of es.

Sakitoshi

emulationstation update:

added autostart.sh with custom launch line to adjust emulationstation and don't lose the borders due to overscan.

I thought that this couldn't be fixed, disabling overscan benefits emulation greatly, but hurts emulationstation because it bleeds out of the screen borders.
I was very wrong and with this (hopefully) nobody will complain again about es looking bad.

little reminder that if you are installing this to a non-fresh install of retropie, check your autostart.sh if you have a custom command there before overwriting it.

jcook84

@Sakitoshi
Thanks again for your continued work on this. Hands down my preferred way to play Retropie!

handlolo

Hello again everyone!.
You know some way to fix the microstuttering that occurs when you play in a 50 hz pal monitor?
the emulators on a TV that holds 60 hz ntsc are smooth as butter. But I have that problem in an old monitor that can not support ntsc 60 hz.