Non-gaming video quality on Sony BVM monitors?

[BazookaBen]

Has anybody tried timings like this from a PC to display 1080i/72hz on a BVM? If you're close to the horizontal frequency of 720p (45khz), maybe the BVM will show it? I imagine with the huge front/back porches you'd have to increase v-size significantly in the BVM's settings.



I successfully did a similar trick on a Sony Hi-Scan, though because it would only work at 33.75khz I could only do this for 21:9 movies at 824i or something like that

[Nekoi]

I haven't tried these particular settings. But I'm pretty sure it won't work. These monitors only seem to sync display modes they were made for. I tried to get it to display 640x480 with a refresh rate greater than 60. Didn't work.

And even if it would work, there is still the question how you would get such a resolution to the monitor. I cannot even get the regular 1080i to the BVM over RGB in a usefull way (since the extron interface doesn't like interlaced video). I can get 1080i to the BVM over HD SDI and component video. But HDMI to SDI converters only support standard modes, same with HDMI to component converters. Only way I can see right now might be if you have a graphics card that can output component video.

[Lawfer]

I haven't tried these particular settings. But I'm pretty sure it won't work. These monitors only seem to sync display modes they were made for. I tried to get it to display 640x480 with a refresh rate greater than 60. Didn't work.

And even if it would work, there is still the question how you would get such a resolution to the monitor. I cannot even get the regular 1080i to the BVM over RGB in a usefull way (since the extron interface doesn't like interlaced video). I can get 1080i to the BVM over HD SDI and component video. But HDMI to SDI converters only support standard modes, same with HDMI to component converters. Only way I can see right now might be if you have a graphics card that can output component video.

The Original Xbox does 720p and 1080i with quite a bit of games:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_X ... play_modes

Even the japanese version of Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria does 1080i.

The Xbox 360, same with Playstation 3 as well as the Wii U can be used with analog connections which can be hooked on a broadcast monitor, these consoles accepts HDMI, VGA (not the Wii U), Component and Scart (for the Wii U it only works with PAL ones).

If you have a 60Gb launch Playstation 3 you could play all your PS2 games and PS3 games in 1080i through analog RGsB on a broadcast monito by using an RGB-21, Euroscart or VGA adapter cable (all of which are officially supported).

As a matter of fact since pretty much all the games from Xbox 360 and PS3 are natively 720p and there are basically no native digital displasy out there with a native resolution of 1280x720, you would get a better result playing these games on a BVM-D/A 32" at 720p than you would playing them at 720p on a digital display who's native resolution is likely not 720p.

[BazookaBen]

Only way I can see right now might be if you have a graphics card that can output component video.

You can just run VGA straight to the BVM, since it accepts RGB. If it only has composite sync, you'll to combine H and V sync with a simple T-connector or, failing that, and Extron device.

The reason the resolution I showed may work, is because I've increase the number of lines in the front and back porches to give it a horizontal frequency equal to 720p (45khz), which is one of BVM's compatible resolutions.

I've tried a similar trick on my Hi-scan Sony Trinitron, which only accepts 33.75khz (1080i/540p) natively (in other words, the only frequency that bypasses the internal scalers). I created a 21:9, 824i resolution at 72hz, which ended up with a horzontal frequency of 33.75khz. My Hi-scan set displayed it fine, and I verfied it at http://testufo.com

[Nekoi]

Only way I can see right now might be if you have a graphics card that can output component video.

You can just run VGA straight to the BVM, since it accepts RGB. If it only has composite sync, you'll to combine H and V sync with a simple T-connector or, failing that, and Extron device.

I am using an Extron device. It works well for progressive video, but not for interlaced video. The 1080i60 image that arrives at the monitor is garbage. The image is too dark, parts of the image have very high contrast, others low and there is ghosting. That's why I said I don't know how I can get 1080i to the monitor in a useful way.

To get a good image through the Extron RGB interface I need to enable digital sync processing and the serration pulse option. If these options are not activated the image is bend at the top. This effect is called flagging as I've learned. With progressive video the image is bending to the right. With interlaced video it is alternating between left and right. Looks really funky. But at least with sync processing turned off the colors and contrast in 1080i look correct.

I have not tried the other method, connecting it through a VGA to RGBHV cable and then a T-connector to combine the sync signals. But I cannot see how this would help. Where would the serration pulse that the monitor needs come from in this situation? The results would probably be the same as when using the extron with digital sync processing turned off.

[Fudoh]

There are enough users that had pretty good results with simply using a t-connector to combine syncs. Give it a try - it doesn't cost you more than a few dollars for the T-piece.

If you want something more solid, you can look for any other older video processor. Even with machines not able to process 1080i, you usually get full sync controls, or you can just output component instead. Or get a HDFury to convert from DVI/HDMI to component. Or you could check out the Decklink Mini Monitor card which gives you an HD-SDI output for video playback from PCs. So many possibilities.....

[jrodefeld]

I've been playing around with some emulators and I was unaware that you could get a computer CRT monitor to properly display 240p. I've been using RetroArch at a resolution of 3840x240 using the methods that have been described online. It looks really excellent on my FW900 monitor.

I guess I'm wondering if the quality is basically equal to what you'd get on a BVM? I'm a little confused about all the settings and shaders that people are using. Is there a way to set up RetroArch to achieve the same look as a D24 or D32?

Most of the filters and tutorials I've seen online seem to be geared towards making LCD displays look like a CRT. In my case, I'm trying to get a VGA computer monitor to look just like a Sony BVM that natively accepts 15khz signals.

[Fudoh]

What's the horizontal scan rate for your resolution ?

Shaders require a higher (vertical) resolution. On your FW900 you could use a 960p resolution combined with a good scanline shader and get very close to a BVM's look.

[mikejmoffitt]

I'm late to this party, but as an FW900 owner I want to point out that it *does* have extremely advanced region-based convergence controls, but you must do it through a serial port on a computer.