RetroTINK 5x-Pro - Output Testing on Final Fantasy V
9I recently purchased a RetroTINK 5x-Pro and was so happy with the output, I wanted to put together some footage comparing different cables and configurations. It's harder to notice the difference in fine details when the video is not played at the highest quality (1440p).
NOTE: Any RetroTINK output is using the "Generic 4:3" source and "1080p (FILL)" output settings. In my production, I scale the video up to 1440p (my monitor's resolution) mostly for YouTube purposes. The video will look better in 1440p on a 1080p monitor over the 1080p quality, for instance.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The first comparison is between 5 different setups.
The first HDMI adapter results in a slightly blurry/soft image but retains colors closer to the more expensive options. My particular cable has audio issues (some ringing feedback noise) which is what turned me to another solution.
The Hyperkin adapter I originally thought had the same output as the "generic" adapter, but I used this for recording PS2 gameplay because of the latter's audio issues. I would recommend this option as the cheapest HDMI solution I know of. The two HDMI adapters have some sort of artifacting or upscaling frame (not really sure what's going on) when a sprite is animated? What I'm referencing is most noticeable in the dragon's animation.
The composite cables through the TINK seem to be the worst solution, based on the visual quality. It's funny to think that I used these cables throughout my childhood to play all of my games, which gives this image a nostalgic factor for me. Still prefer component nowadays, though.
The component through the TINK sees what I think are the best visuals from this group of outputs. I prefer the colors of this solution combined with 25% scanlines provided from the TINK. The sharpness of the pixels I find fantastic and immediately noticeable from the other setups.
The PS3 emulation upon my first tests showed a slight blur/softness to the upscaling, which had me peg the TINK as the clear victor for my interests. However, upon conducting these recordings I found that the PS3 was actually even slightly sharper in its upscaling through emulation. I'm unsure what changes I could have made to achieve these results in my PS3's settings. I will do further testing, but the PS3 combined with the TINK might be some people's preferred solution. While I am not against emulation by any means, I definitely prefer recording/playing games off of the original hardware. Most of my preferences are from factors outside of the actual output between the PS3/PS2. I think I'd like to conduct more testing on this PS3, though! I had a bit of trouble getting a PS3 component output to work with the TINK, but was able to get a specific configuration to work.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The second comparison is between 2 different component cables and component with the TINK's 25% Scanlines mode.
I did this test because component cables are my preferred setup for using my PlayStation. I wanted to show the difference between a lower-quality "generic" component cable and a higher-quality cable (the HD Retrovision).
The most noticeable difference is a horizontal bar of noise that rises throughout video on the lower-quality cable. Aside from this, the rest of the image is pretty sharp but if you can afford the ~20$ price difference in a higher-quality cable, I highly recommend it.
I am currently encountering an issue with noise in my setup, even with my Retrovision cable. I suspected it might be due to all of my passthrough I use to record, but when I minimalized this I could still notice the noise. My next suspicion is that it may be my console.
Here's my setup in order:
PS2 Component - RetroTINK HDMI - HDMI Switch (for multiple consoles) - HDMI Splitter (to record PS3 HDMI) - Elgato HD60 S+ - TV
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Products used in this video]
RetroTINK 5x-Pro: https://www.retrotink.com/product-page/5x-pro
HD Retrovision PS Component Cable: https://amzn.to/2XEVNd3
"Generic" Component Cable: https://amzn.to/3m9N77Q
"Generic" PS2 to HDMI Adapter: https://amzn.to/3vEaVE0
Hyperkin PS2 to HDMI Adapter: Unfortunately I bought this in a store and can't find it anywhere online. It was $30.
Sony PlayStation 2 Composite Cable: I don't think these are manufactured anymore, so you'd have to buy them secondhand. However, there are plenty of other third-party composite cables at this point. I would always recommend component over composite, but if for whatever reason you need a set of composite cables I don't think the third-party cables would be a noticeable downgrade to Sony's.
Other Videos By tofutyger
Other Statistics
Final Fantasy V Statistics For tofutyger
At present, tofutyger has 350 views spread across 1 video for Final Fantasy V, with his channel publishing less than an hour of Final Fantasy V content. This makes up less than 0.02% of the total overall content on tofutyger's YouTube channel.