Questions that do not deserve a thread

[ryu]

i'd guess that it's defect. why would there be compatibility issues with just the left button?

anyways. did anyone else ever notice very weak red colours when using a ps2 with component cables? i just noticed that when i was doing a comparison. it might be the monitor i had the component-ps2 hooked up onto, but i think i've done a colour bars check on it before and that the monitor performed perfectly fine.
alternatively i would wonder if low tier deinterlacers cause a reduction in red colours...

[Fudoh]

reds from PS2 component are perfectly fine, see here:



must the color decoder in your display or processor.

[ryu]

thanks. that motivated me to do some more testing and it seems my pgm r1 isn't properly calibrated. gotta fix that sometime.

[HDgaming42]

I'm trying to set up an older Macbook Pro (Santa Rosa) as an emulation box with Soft15kHz. I have a few challenges. The only monitor I have that can do 15kHz is a PVM-8041Q via RGBS (BNC).

I've got WinXP 64bit SP1 up and running with all the updates that are available. I have functioning video and sound. The drivers suggested were 266.58 (card is an 8600M GT). The drivers don't take, the install fails, but you can then use windows driver update to complete the driver installation. This however leaves you without the nvidia control panel.

I added resolutions with soft15kHz.

I'm trying my best not to damage the PVM, so I'm running VGA out from the laptop through an Extron Emotia first to deal with me tinkering in 640x480. I need to get my video out working properly before I can move on.

I can only extend my desktop without the nvidia control panel. Firing up any 15kHz capable emu seems to freak the LCD screen out (go figure!) and eventually crash.

Am I screwed if I can't enable video out exclusively to the PVM? Or at least set it as the primary (won't let me)? I see references to people using soft15kHz with macbooks, but they don't go into detail as to how to do it.

Do I have a bad driver version? I can't seem to find a place to download just the control panel...

Any help is appreciated! =)

[ryu]

you can't swap the gpu of a macbook, right? i suggest you just try to get your hands on a multisync crt. that's the most flexible solution for properly setting up a 15khz computer.

and i don't see how you can't set it to output to the pvm only. just switch to the pvm before setting the res to 15khz, though you should have a processor in-between that scales down to 15khz (i'm not sure if the emotia does this).

[HDgaming42]

you can't swap the gpu of a macbook, right?

No. Wish I could. The 8600M GT was a piece of buggy garbage that resulted in Nvidia eventually paying some form of restitution. It already failed once on me just inside of warranty. Now its a ticking time bomb.

i suggest you just try to get your hands on a multisync crt. that's the most flexible solution for properly setting up a 15khz computer.

I've been trying to line up a cheap unit for years. Though truthfully, I haven't looked THAT hard.

and i don't see how you can't set it to output to the pvm only. just switch to the pvm before setting the res to 15khz, though you should have a processor in-between that scales down to 15khz (i'm not sure if the emotia does this).

That's the thing--without a proper driver install your options are literally "extend my desktop to this monitor" or not. No extra tabs, no control panel, spanning, mirroring, etc.

[HDgaming42]

To answer a few of my own question(s):

Nvidia doesn't include support for laptops in their drivers--they leave that to the OEMs. You can imagine how much appetite apple has for certifying new drivers for users of Boot Camp. Turns out you can modify an .inf before install to force the drivers to complete. Laptopvideo2go supplies drivers and modified infs. Here's the tricky part. They no longer have many (any?) infs for WinXP 64bit.

I had to modify my own based off some guy's advice for Vista drivers. Syntax was completely different, but the important information I took away was this--the Macbook Pro Nvidia 8600M GT shows up as: DEV_0407&SUBSYS_00A0106B.

By slamming that string, or ID wherever it seemed to be feasible the driver install took. Of course, then my secondary monitor didn't function at all. What a night full of win.

[HDgaming42]

Stupid question:

If soft15kHz is functioning correctly, what is the lowest resolution available to you in "display properties"? Mine is 640x480. I have emus that will properly switch to fullscreen 15kHz, but I can't seem to get my desktop to do that.

Is that normal?

If that's the case I'm having a hard time figuring out how to set this up. How do I satisfy an LCD or CRT monitor that cannot take 15khz at the same time as a PVM that can't take anything higher?

You must be able to set your desktop to 15kHz, right? Is it time for me to dig out some old Dell Optiplex's in the hopes their GFX cards will co-operate with soft15kHz?

And what about configuration? At 640 x 480 I already can't see the "OK" or "Cancel" options in any windows display settings.

I have so little time allotted to this hobby nowadays. Good god I'd like to get something working for once...

[ryu]

did you get quick res? you'll need that to set the desktop resolution any lower.

anyone know a good lossless rgb scart to hdmi convertor? alternatively vga to hdmi will also work, but it has to be compatible with the sync you get from using a sync stripper (can i even use a d-sub 15 cable for that?)

[Fudoh]

anyone know a good lossless rgb scart to hdmi convertor?

you mean without upscaling ? There are none.

alternatively vga to hdmi will also work, but it has to be compatible with the sync you get from using a sync stripper

31khz (plenty available), 15khz (none available).

[ryu]

anyone know a good lossless rgb scart to hdmi convertor?

you mean without upscaling ? There are none.

alternatively vga to hdmi will also work, but it has to be compatible with the sync you get from using a sync stripper

31khz (plenty available), 15khz (none available).

how about going from rgb scart to component?

[Fudoh]

plenty. CSY-2100 and clones, but note that not all component inputs work with 240p signals.

[ryu]

i'll need this for 480i only anyways. when can i find these things (if available outside of ebay and private trades)?

[ryu]

that was a stupid question. got it solved in a sec using google.

got two little questions regarding the vp30, since there's a bunch up on ebay. however they apparently all come without remotes and psus. so can the processor easily be configured even without a remote? considering all the options it has it seems to be quite a hassle. i'm also wondering if i can use one of these http://www.ebay.de/itm/6V-5A-AC-DC-Powe ... 20c51bc4f8 with a local pc / monitor type lead

[Fudoh]

You have full control with the buttons on the front and you can use the shown PSU with a german power cable.

[ryu]

that's great to hear. i hope this goes well for me.

is there such a thing as a simple processor for 240p signals with very good picture controls (saturation, brightness, contrast... though only saturation matters for me) and no scaling?
as long as it supports 240p output i wouldn't mind if it has scaling functions, but i wouldn't need them anyways and would like to keep the price low (if possible). if worst comes to worst i'd like to know if the cinemateq po2+ also features 240p through the RGBHV BNC outputs.

something completely different i'd like to know if there's an explanation as to why games played on a ps2 (both psx and ps2 games) have incredibly weak colours when used on some vga/rgbhv rgb monitors. i thought this was normal since these monitors probably weren't made for displaying video rgb signals anways (considering they lack saturation etc. controls on their rgb inputs), but when i played saturn on my nec the colours seemed just right anyways...
but maybe the ps games i played so far naturally feature less saturated colours (edit: just checked a cartoony ps game of which i knew it had to have vivid colours, and it looks like i was really just playing games on video displays with the saturation turned up way too high for too long. i'm can be sure now that some games were just made with pale colours and that it's not a problem with rgb monitors)

[Fudoh]

though only saturation matters for me

some of the earlier processors disable the saturation controls if you feed RGB or component....

if worst comes to worst i'd like to know if the cinemateq po2+ also features 240p through the RGBHV BNC outputs.

no, all video processors only support 31khz output and higher.

why games played on a ps2 (both psx and ps2 games) have incredibly weak colours

never noticed anything like this on any of my setups.

[ryu]

some of the earlier processors disable the saturation controls if you feed RGB or component....

guess i better keep my fingers crossed that the vp30 will be able to do this

never noticed anything like this on any of my setups.

that was a misunderstanding. it just turned out i've played everything on displays with wrong colour settings for the last couple years, so it felt like the colours were too plain when i played some ps games on rgb monitors

single bnc video inputs are composite only, yes?

[Fudoh]

sure, the VP30 has full saturation controls for all kinds of signals.

Single BNCs are either analogue composite video or digital component video (SDI).

[ryu]

hm guess bnc video won't be an option then. i've recently heard of video amplifiers, checked ebay and amazon and sure enough some of these seem to have colour controls. however i couldn't find a single rgb compatible device. do you happen to have some knowledge on this?

[ED-057]

any x68000 owners want to try this and see if it works on the real machine? thx
http://www.hyakushiki.net/misc/testd.x

[speedlolita]

Does anyone know what the PCB does inside an official PS1 SCART cable?

[Fudoh]

Nothing, it just carries the capacitors.

[speedlolita]

http://goput.it/opf.jpg

Seems to have some other shiz on it.

[Fudoh]

the IC on the left is used to generate a +12V voltage for scart switching from the 5V available from the PS's output. It's not used for the actual signal. The circuit seems to be exclusive to the PAL scart leads, the japanese ones don't have that IC.

[speedlolita]

Ah okay. Obviously that pic is from a PAL one of someone I know.

Don't suppose you know the value of the caps, supposedly they're 220uF but I have to lower brightness on my PVM to get decent colour levels. A third party cable I have uses 100uF too.

[Fudoh]

caps don't have anything to do with the picture (voltage) level, they flat flatten out the peaks and act as a filter. If the picture ends up to bright, add resistors behind the capacitors. One each in line of the R/G/B signal. 75 to 220 ohm, depending on how bright the signal is.

[ryu]

just got an iscan vp30. is the deinterlacing upgrade card the little pcb on the right (when looking from the front) that has "sd deinterlacing powered by abt" printed on it?

[Fudoh]

that's right. If the game modes are available within the menu, then the card works fine.

[ryu]

alright. any idea what kind of psu i'd exactly need? seems like the psu that was shipped with the unit is busted. i know i need one with 6v and 5a output, but i'm not sure about this ac... dc and watt stuff. the unit apparently came originally with an ac to dc converter, so i guess i'll need dc output? i can't find anything on watt though.

edit: alright, got this solved.