AV to HDMI converters questions

[whib96]

With CRTs on their way out along with AV ports on HDTVs, I'm looking to get an HDMI converter for my old consoles. Wii/Gamecube is my top priority, though I would like to be able to play my 64 and NES games as well (i like to play my games with the controller made for it, so emulators aren't always my thing since I would have to buy adapters). Does anyone have any experience with those general AV to HDMI converters that sell for 25ish dollars? That would let me play all my AV consoles. However, I have heard that the Sewell HDMI converter is the best for the Wii. The obvious downside is that it is Wii only, and sure isn't cheap.

Suggestions? I fear that the general converters will cause bad input lag for a fast game like melee or just give a crappy picture or die within months, which inclines me to the Sewell. I just don't want to buy both if I don't have to.

 

[Spak]

I've not had experience with AV to HDMI converters, but you'll want to hang onto your CRT. Melee requires lightning fast TVs, and HD TVs tend to lag a lot because it goes through so much image processing. In addition, if you bring a setup to a tournament, they might give you a discount (depending on how it's being run). The lag the converter may add (which is usually little to none) pales in comparison to the amount of lag the actual TV adds.

I also thought you should know that the SNES, 64 and GC all have the same output port for video/audio, so if you don't mind changing the video input manually every time you want to use a different console, you could just get one AV to HDMI converter for use on all three.

EDIT: Never mind, I see you have NES; I'm pretty sure that's a different adapter, but you could still use the same one for the 64 and GC. You could also get an official Wii U video cable that has HDMI for the Wii, as the Wii and Wii U have the same video output port.

 

[EPsilon933]

If you're going to play on a modern display, I recommend Asus VG248QE. A few lag tests online say it has on 3 MS of lag... if you ever have the money to throw away

Normally, HDMI doesn't support 480i signals, which is the only resolution that old consoles can display in

A Smasher on Facebook told me that the Wii HDMI adapter has 1 frame of lag. There's even a Reddit thread detailing it (I don't know the link). You might want to try a component-to-HDMI converter or even an HDMI capture card for this console. The lag they add is <.1 MS. I don't know anything about composite-to-HDMI adapters