Help with PVM Overscan Percentage

[22point8]

Hi, I have a Sony PVM-2044QM with 'Super Fine Pitch', the service manual I got online says they were around in 1989. The screen glass is almost flat (unlike my 1454QM). This PVM seems to be completely analog, in that it has no on screen display, it has little lights on the front if you're using PAL/PAL4.43/NTSC/SECAM via composite/s-video/vtr, but as I use RGB they don't light up.

There are little holes on the front with tiny screws that adjust white balance. When I got it blacks were tinted green. I adjusted the 6500 preset (you can select 6500/9300 via a switch on the back) as best I could using an X-rite DTP-94 and ColorHCFR software. The brightness control seems to have a big affect on the white balance. The green gain control might be broken or somethings came loose inside because it doesn't do anything. The black level was immeasurable (0.01 @ 5IRE) and the white level was about 80cdm2 @ 100IRE. This PVM has EBU phosphors, so the colour is bang on the EBU gamut.

There is a memory save that can be used by pressing reset and poking the recessed memory button. On RGB it only saves the brightness.

As I'd have to open up the PVM to make adjustments, what percentage of overscan do you recommend for Megadrive, PS1, PS2 and Wii? I want to use the the Wii for Homebrew/Emulators, and have read it can output 240p. So far I'm thinking 5% is the way to go.

On a test pattern DVD from HCFR (PAL) via PS2 the overscan pattern says I have about 2% overscan on normal scan mode. Underscan mode had been calibrated to act as 16:9 mode by the Production company I bought it the PVM from (I think they subtitled programs for foreign markets). The geometry is ok but not perfect (compared to my PVM-1454QM (HR Trinitron 600 lines) with 5% overscan, and KV-21LS30U (FD Trinitron) also at 5% overscan.

I tried a NTSC test pattern disc (720x480) via PS2 and there were big borders on all sides. The PVM-1454QM has settings for 50hz height and 60hz height in the service menu. The 2044QM just has screws on boards inside, and no 50/60 specific adjustments. Games look the same on 50 or 60hz size wise.

On PlayStation 2 games there is quite a lot of underscan, which distorts the geometry, some games are better/worse than others. Hitman 2 has minimal underscan. Outrun 2006: Coast 2 Coast fills the vertical but has big horizontal underscan which is wider at the bottom than the top. Namco games have pretty even underscan.

On PlayStation 1 Street Figher Alpha 3 has very little underscan, as does R-Type Delta which seems to have extra height but some side borders. Other games have more like R-Types (1 and 2).

Would it help to find a pattern generator and if so what should I be looking for and where can I find one cheap in the UK?

[Fudoh]

What exactly is your question ?

There is no setting which will accomodate all your systems. PS2 in general has extreme underscan. Set your monitor to match the PS2's active picture area and you'll cut off massive amounts of active resolution from a XBox1 signal. 240p systems like PS1, Mega Drive or Saturn all with different underscan and different pixel ratio. If you set your monitor for one, the other's will be off.

A typical example for the 16-bit machines are SNES and MD which both have 224 lines. If you set your display to cover those without additional borders, you'll lose picture on a PS1 signal, because there you got 240 active lines.

[22point8]

Well I guess it'd help if I knew what other people had there PVM overscan set to. I don't have the luxury of presets like a BVM, I've got a normal scan mode, and an underscan mode that I'll probably set at 0% rather than the 3% the manual says it should have.

[Fudoh]

If you have two sets of memory, set one with a PS2 game and the other one with a PS1 game. The PS2 preset should then be fine with other 224-line systems like SNES or MD.

[22point8]

Don't different games have different resolutions? Can you recommend games that have any test patterns in? I know Tekken 5 Arcade history mode has some for Tekken 3.

My PS1 can play any NTSC game.

EDIT: Service Manual if anyone wants it https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B_p3a0 ... mZJaWFQZEU

[Fudoh]

You can use Artemio's 240p test suite for MD, MCD or DC.

PS1 games can be 240p or 480i, but the general overscan/underscan are should be the same. I would always use console-exclusive titles for setting a monitor. Arcade conversions might use a smaller screen area to preserve arcade resolutions.

[22point8]

Yesterday I was experiementing with my 1454QM, even though there are settings for 50 and 60hz heights, there is only one width control. Also because they share the geometry settings, a perfect geometry set on pal is a complete mess on ntsc. The geometry on underscan mode is worse because it has only pin phase and pin-amp. I got fed up in the end, but would I be right in thinking that if I used the normal scan geometry controls (pin phase/pin amp/lower pin amp/u-l pin/sexy/V-linearity/v-bow/lower v-bow/v-angle) in underscan to get that perfect, it would stay perfect in normal scan mode?






Here are some pictures of my 2044QM not done anything to it yet:

[Fudoh]

But I wouldn't want to play MD/Gen with those underscan settings....

[22point8]

Well, I haven't got around to it yet, should I eliminate the coloured borders? Is that what the 240p test suite should show (haven't got my wii yet, I have a mega cd but only 1 megadrive 1 psu and the mega cd isn't modded to do 60hz)?



Those are the controls I will have at my disposal.

These are what the 1454qm has:



is it best to do the geometry in underscan first?

[Fudoh]

Well, I haven't got around to it yet, should I eliminate the coloured borders?

full height with overscan borders are 240 lines. Active area are 224 lines. I would eliminate the colored overscan area completely.

[22point8]

Ok, so I calibrate normal mode to 224 active lines, and underscan to 240 lines. What about horizontal resolution, for example snes is 256, megadrive is 320, if I use the megadrive patterns will snes games and psx games come out alright?

[Fudoh]

What about horizontal resolution, for example snes is 256, megadrive is 320

resolution doesn't matter, since all are 4:3 and just the pixel aspect ratio differs. If you set one, the others should come out ABOUT right as well.

[Pyongyang]

I got a PVM 2044QM today (thanks for the service manual link). Mine has a problem with the picture positioning so I think I need to play with the H/V Shift pots on the chassis. Is it safe to do this with the monitor powered on? I'm assuming it is as how else would you calibrate the monitor?

Do you need to mess around with an HV Probe or anything along those lines to discharge it first before making any adjustments?

[fagin]

You don't need to discharge anything... just be careful and sensible.

Yes... the set has to be on with the relevant source connected and on.