Morph 2K: Difference between revisions

Pixel FX Morph 2K is an advanced, modular scaling solution based around a powerful FPGA architecture. The device has been designed to bring powerful, flexible 2K scaling tailored for video game material to users at an affordable cost. With its powerful dual ADC front end consisting of a TW9912 and TVP7002, the Morph 2K can natively process video inputs from composite to RGBHV (VGA) natively and with true 4:4:4 colors.

* [https://www.pixelfx.com/product-page/Morph-4k-Upscaler-Advanced-HDMI-Gaming-Media Pixel FX (USA)]

* [https://docs.pixelfx.co/ Pixel FX Documentation]

All Morph 2K's are constructed with a front physical power switch (off/on), an LED indicator, IR sensor, microSD port, and a push button.

==== User Button ====

The face button on the front of the unit can be configured to trigger custom shortcuts on the Morph 2K.

The Morph 2K has 7 ports on the rear panel:  

*USB-A

*HDMI output

*USB-C

==== SCART ====  

==== S-Video, Y/C ====

The 3 RCA connectors labeled Y/Pb/Pr are used for component video input on the Morph 2K. Component video is on input port B and uses the "AUD" 3.5mm audio connector on the rear panel. Component video shares port B with s-video, only one of the two can be active at once.  

==== USB-A ====

The USB-A port can be used to power small USB accessories (500 mA), and supports a custom serial protocol to communicate with video switches like the Pixel FX Infinity Switch.

The HDMI output port is located between the HDMI input port and USB-C power connector.  The port is rated for the HDMI 1.4 standard and is capable of outputting up to 1080p video at 60 frames per second in 4:4:4 color space.  The port can also passthrough Dolby Digital (DD) & Digital Theater Systems (DTS) audio formats.

Standard USB-C power connector.  Morph's base unit requires a 5V power supply with at least 2.5A of current.

=== Video Port Description ===

Connect your Morph's HDMI output port to an HDMI compatible TV or monitor using an HDMI cable. Remember to use a cable rated for 1080p HDMI 1.4 video.  

Connect a suitable power supply to the USB-C connector.  Turn on Morph using the physical power switch at the front left of the unit.  Verify your TV or monitor is set to the correct input to receive Morph's HDMI output port. You should now see a "No Signal!" message on your TV or monitor. Turn on a video source and select it <add description>

* Red Power Button - This button will toggle Morph in and out of standby mode while remaining powered on via the physical switch.   

** When entering standby mode, the front LED will turn white.  Morph's on-screen menu will not be displayed on the TV or monitor. Morph's WebUI is still available, yet features are limited.

** When exiting standby mode, the front LED will briefly turn pink for a few seconds and then change to blue to indicate Morph is awake and fully functional.  Morph's WebUI is then fully available.

Use the remote to select the desired resolution then press "OK". If your display cannot accept the chosen resolution, Morph will reset to the previous resolution after 30 seconds. If your display is unable to accept a signal from Morph, please check that your HDMI cable is properly inserted and the connector is free or debris.

This category encompasses all games consoles before the seventh generation, and some seventh generation machines such as the Nintendo Wii and the original launch Xbox 360.

'''What can the Morph do for Pre-HDMI consoles and computers?''' These machines were typically designed for older displays (especially sixth generation and earlier systems). Morph 2K can properly scale and process these systems and add CRT effects such as scanlines, to make them look as pleasing as they did on legacy CRT displays. For systems which output interlace video (e.g PS2) Morph 2K has a fast, motion adaptive deinterlacer that is optimised for video game content.

Systems such as Nintendo Wii-U, Xbox 360 (later revisions) PS3 and gaming PCs from this era typically output up to 1080p/60 via digital/HDMI connections. The Nintendo Switch would also fall into this category. To use these systems with the Morph 2K a HDMI to Analog DAC is required.

'''What can the Morph do for these systems?''' These machines were typically designed for more modern displays, however the Morph can be used to downscale the image or add mask overlays. Emulated titles or pixel art style games titles on these platforms (e.g Virtual Console) can be reprocessed by the Morph to correct bad scaling or to add scanlines or CRT filter effects.

Morph 2K offers an on-screen display (OSD) navigation that allows you to change various operational values before or during gameplay.  From the main menu, the following choices are available:

The Presets menu is found at the top of the main menu.  Presets act as the identity profile to apply Morph 2K settings based upon input sources and other conditions.  This menu can be used to create profile presets, manually load profile presets, automatically load profile presets, and keep the [[Morph_4K#MicroSD_Port|microSD]] card up-to-date with the preset archive.

Since many consoles with analog outputs have multiple resolutions and switch between interlaced and progressive scan (e.g. 240p/480i), Morph's profile presets decimate and shift the horizontal and vertical lines from the analog signal before Morph upscales it for the display.

The Input menu is for choosing your input source.

* [[Morph_2K#Scaler|Scaler]]

* [[Morph_2K#Morph_4K#Shift_.2F_Crop|Shift / Crop]]

* [[Morph_2K#Deinterlacer|Deinterlacer]]

* [[Morph_2K#Retro_FX|Retro FX]]

* [[Morph_2K#Output_Resolution|Output Resolution]]

* [[Morph_2K#Advanced_Video|Advanced Video]]

The scaler menu contains options that directly affect the prescale of the image.  This allows Morph to correct or discard any existing scaling that might have been applied to the image and then apply its own scaling.

Deinterlacing is the process of converting interlaced video to progressive video. Modern fixed resolution displays cannot display interlace video directly, and this content must be deinterlaced first, either by the deinterlacer built into the display or an external device, such as the Morph 2K.

|The Morph 2K can also emulate sub-pixel "Mask" effects such as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_mask shadow masks] or [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aperture_grille aperture grills]. These are most effective at higher output resolutions such as 1080p or 1440p. Some mask effects are designed to work with scanlines applied too, while others will look better when used in isolation.  Toggle the Mask option on or off to apply mask emulation. <br> &nbsp;&nbsp; - For type, choose your desired mask. Morph comes with several masks via the [[Morph_4K#Presets|presets archive]] and more masks can manually be created via the WebUI.  When new masks are added to the microSD, pressing the '''<span style="color:blue>blue</span>''' shortcut button will (re)scan presets and accumulate all new masks as selectable options.  <br> &nbsp;&nbsp; - For intensity, you can adjust how intense or pronounced the mask effect is on the image either incrementally by 0.01 using the left or right navigation or by 0.10 (coarse) using the '''<span style="color:#FFDB58">yellow</span>''' or '''<span style="color:blue">blue</span>''' shortcut buttons on the remote.  <br> &nbsp;&nbsp; - For transform, you can rotate or flip the mask effect.  Options are: '''Multiply by 2''', '''Rotate 90''', '''Rotate 180''', '''Rotate 270''', '''Mirror Horiz.''', '''Mirror Vert.''', '''Flip NW/SE''' (Northwest/Southeast), or '''Flip NE/SW''' (Northeast/Southwest).

Morph comes packaged with a set of 5 display resolutions. The current output resolution has an exclamation point ('''!''') to the right.  When choosing a new resolution, you must press the OK button once to confirm and then again to save the change.  If you do not save the change within 20 seconds, Morph will revert to the previous screen resolution.

|'''1440p 4:3'''

|Displays a 1920x1440p 60Hz resolution.  Supported by most modern 1440p monitors, yet may be incompatible with some TVs.

Options in this menu affect the output of the Morph 2K's video.

|Allows you to run a firmware version check against the Pixel FX server on the selected update channel to compare the staged and installed firmware versions.  When these values are equal, then you will see the message "Firmware is up-to-date."  When these values are not equal, then you can click OK to check release notes for the version differences and either click back to exit or click OK to initiate a firmware update.  For the full list of steps to implement the firmware update, check out [[Morph_4K#Updating_via_WiFi|Updating via WiFi]].

|Allows you to stage and install the newest firmware update available from the Pixel FX server based upon the selected update channel.  For the full list of steps to implement the firmware update, check out [[Morph_4K#Updating_via_WiFi|Updating via WiFi]].

[[File:Morph_Firmware_Check_for_Update.png|thumb|300px|right|Example of Check for Update screen after a version check verifies a new update is available on the Pixel FX server for the stable channel]]

|Allows you to write a debug log file called ''debug.txt'' to the root directory of the [[Morph_4K#MicroSD_Port|microSD]] card. This is useful in the event you encounter a problem or issue using your Morph and need to share your debug log with Pixel FX.  By default, this is set to off and can be changed to '''yes (overwrite)''' to write over the file on each power cycle or '''yes (keep)''' to continuously record lines without losing debug history.  The debug log can easily be accessed from the [[Morph_4K#Web_Interface|Web Interface]] at [http://morph4k.local/sdcard/debug.txt http://morph4k.local/sdcard/debug.txt].  Currently TX, RX and Clock events are recorded as well as other notable events.  In order to locate events in their context, you can use the '''Number 5''' button on the Morph remote to create a ''user mark'' in the log file (such as when a sync drop occurs) to assist in inspecting the debug log for unusual behavior in proximity to the recorded user marks.********

Dumps the EDID information of the device connected to the Morph 2K's HDMI output, typically for debugging purposes, and allows it to be downloaded through the web interface. Extended Display Identification Data (EDID) is a metadata format for display devices to describe their capabilities to a video source.  

The Debug / Self Test submenu displays various debugging/self test information about the Morph 2K.  Click OK to reset the self test and check all fields on the top and bottom sections.  Click the '''<span style="color:#FFDB58">yellow</span>''' shortcut button on the remote to view the CEC section.

[[File:Morph_Snake_Game_Example.png|thumb|300px|right|Example of Pixel FX's Snake game]]

The Snake submenu is Pixel FX's version of the popular classic video game, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_(video_game_genre) Snake].  This is useful when you want to easily play a game in the OSD without powering on a separate device or console.

|Choose this option to reset the [[Morph_4K#Firmware|firmware updater]] so a new version is found the next time it is executed, even if the checksum of the firmware on the server matches the firmware that is currently installed.  Generally, you would only use this option when advised during troubleshooting by Pixel FX support.

|Choose this option to reset the [[Morph_4K#Presets|preset updater]] so a new version is found the next time it is executed, even if the version of the preset archive matches the version currently installed.  Generally, you would only use this option when advised during troubleshooting by Pixel FX support.

The Info submenu displays important information pertaining to Morph 2K's hardware and software.

The Restart menu is to simply restart Morph 2K or put it into standby mode.

#* If you have trouble with the QR code, then you will need to manually change your phone's (or PC's) WiFi settings.  Select '''MORPH 2K''' from your WiFi's SSID list and enter the password ''MORPH 2K'' (all capital letters).

#* If DHCP is disabled on you phone or PC and you're using a static IP address, be sure to re-enable DHCP in order to connect to the '''MORPH 2K''' SSID.