Questions that do not deserve a thread

[Fudoh]

Without calculating it, I think you need 50" or 52" to have the yokotate size of a vertical 29" screen. Playing Futari on my 52" unit feels just about the same as playing it on a candy cab. I remember since I played the cab for a few weeks right before I got the TV.

[Xyga]

Actually some time ago I was working on completing a 16:9 -> 4:3 conversion table, but I'm not sure I'm reading it right (a pal from shmup.com did the math).
From what I'm reading a 16:9 of a size somewhere between 42" and 46" should be enough, or am I completely out of it ?
http://www.sendspace.com/file/n7idhz
(sorry this was originally .odt Open Office then converted to .xls, not sure it will work correctly in Excel)

EDIT: here's a pic for convenience;

[Fudoh]

Yes, you're right. You'd need 44" for 27" tated. I forgot that Futari's running in a 480x640 window on a 720p signal....

[bobrocks95]

It looks really thin. That means the 6 internal wires for RGBHV and Ground must be really, really thin. The streaks sound like what's know as "ringing", and bad cables can certainly make that worse.

The cool thing about the VGA box is that you can pick whatever length or thickness of VGA cable you need. So I would recommend one of those, then go to any Goodwill and buy the thickest VGA cable you see for $2.

Thanks for the reply. Are there any particular VGA boxes you would recommend avoiding? The retro-bit one seems the most common, but I don't know its quality.

[BazookaBen]

It looks really thin. That means the 6 internal wires for RGBHV and Ground must be really, really thin. The streaks sound like what's know as "ringing", and bad cables can certainly make that worse.

The cool thing about the VGA box is that you can pick whatever length or thickness of VGA cable you need. So I would recommend one of those, then go to any Goodwill and buy the thickest VGA cable you see for $2.

Thanks for the reply. Are there any particular VGA boxes you would recommend avoiding? The retro-bit one seems the most common, but I don't know its quality.

I have the retro-bit and the picture quality is great. The connection to the dreamcast can be finicky, so you have to make sure it's pushed in hard. I bought the dreamcast used though so that might not be the retro-bit's fault.

[mchay]

Looks like the chassis is AE-2A, which uses the RM-831 remote.

Does anyone know if the RM-816 use the same codes, and therefore is interchangeable with the above mentioned?

I found and bought the correct remote for the set, which was the RM-832.

I am able to get into TT mode, which is done by pressing two buttons on the front of the monitor.

Pressing menu on the remote gives me the following options, where I'm missing the DEMO mode mentioned on different sites or a geometry settings menu for correcting the monitors otherwise great picture.

http://www.kaedebycafeen.dk/sony_crt_tt_menu.jpg

Maybe it's possible that some TT code number will get me to the Geometry settings menu, but pressing in numbers without knowing what the actually do can have great impact on various settings, so I'm really holding out for someone to hopefully clarify how I should be able to do some geometry adjustment and if I'm doing anything wrong.

[Sixfortyfive]

Got some ?s about interlaced displays and refresh rates.

Let's say we're playing a game that runs at 60fps but we have the console hooked up via composite video cables. We're dealing with a 480i video signal. A single frame of a 480i video is a combination of 2 individual 240-line fields, with the odd numbered lines being field 1 and the even numbered lines being field 2 (or vice versa). How are they drawn to the screen? Once the interlacing is taken into account, does that mean that the display is actually updating 60 times per second, or is it 30?

- Can the TV draw the odd numbered lines at one point in time, then draw the even numbered lines 17ms later, then draw the odd number lines another 17ms later, and alternate back and forth like this?

- Or does the TV update the screen with both sets of lines simultaneously every 33ms?

- Do CRTs and flatscreens handle this function differently?

- Does it make a difference whether the source game/console is 15khz (240p) or 31khz (480p)?

[Fudoh]

Technically there is no 480i video with 60 frames (fps). If anything, then it's 60 fields per second.

The cathode beam crosses the screen VERTICALLY 60 times per second. 16.7ms per pass. With every pass the cathode ray alternates between the even and odd lines.

Your first assumption is right.

If your source runs at 240p60 instead of 480i the fields became frames and are drawn on top of each other. Only odd lines are used, the even lines are left blank and thus become what you know as "scanlines".

31khz is 480p60 with 480 lines per frame instead of 240 (15khz). On a 480p screen, all lines are drawn with every pass. 1080i on the other hand repeats the whole story with 540 lines per field.

All the above is true for CRTs *ONLY*.

----------

LCDs and Plasma (with very few exceptions) are progressive by nature. If you feed a 480i signal, it gets deinterlaced to 480p first, before it's upscaled and displayed. Deinterlacing 480i60 does not result in a 30fps signal (which is often believed), but it results in a 480p60 signal with every field being used twice, once with the preceding, once with the following field.

And FYI: ""We're dealing with a 480i video signal"" -- 240p does not become 480i just because you use composite. On the other hand, flatscreens often just don't know 240p and treat 240p falsely as 480i....

[BazookaBen]

I just configured my PC to output 320x240 over RGB, but I'm getting a lot of overscan. This is way more than what I get from my consoles over RGB, which actually underscan on one side. Anybody know if I should adjust the horizontal scan frequency or something like that? Or make my horizontal resolution 640 or 720?

With my PC I'm missing nearly an inch on the right side, keeping me from seeing doors on the far side of the screen in Castlevania Rebirth (playing with the dolphin emulator).

[Ed Oscuro]

re: Genesis & SNES cartridge opening tools -

What do you use? I am currently looking at this one on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Silverhill-Tools- ... DWZQWAJCTY

[brownvim]

Just double check if the snes one is the right size, as the console and cartridge use slightly different sized screws.

I bought the wrong one last time.

[Ed Oscuro]

They will do what I want - I'm just looking to see if anybody can suggest a better choice (price, longevity, features). For the price, they seem to be pretty good, though perhaps there are others with better features.

[Fudoh]

For years (decades actually) I've been using bits instead (for use with a driver of your choice). If you search for gamebit on ebay you get a lot to choose from. Usually you can buy the two sizes you need in a set. The smaller ones (3.8mm) are for the carts, the larger ones (4.5mm) for the consoles (SNES, PC Engine etc).

[Ed Oscuro]

Probably bits are a better choice here...I'm partial to screwdrivers, can never get enough of them

In some applications bits don't work well - such as when something is recessed far into a case. Reportedly you basically need a long tri-wing screwdriver to get into a Wii, for example. But I guess that doesn't apply here at all.

Eh, these screwdrivers are like $7 US, so I guess I'll just go do it.

[cfx]

.

[Kabal2X]

Hello all quick question:

How can I connect my laptop (HP Elitebook 8740W) to a CRT TV, which has component inputs? My laptop has VGA, HDMI and Display Port outputs.
Thanks in advance!

[mchay]

Looks like the chassis is AE-2A, which uses the RM-831 remote.

Does anyone know if the RM-816 use the same codes, and therefore is interchangeable with the above mentioned?

I found and bought the correct remote for the set, which was the RM-832.

I am able to get into TT mode, which is done by pressing two buttons on the front of the monitor.

Pressing menu on the remote gives me the following options, where I'm missing the DEMO mode mentioned on different sites or a geometry settings menu for correcting the monitors otherwise great picture.

http://www.kaedebycafeen.dk/sony_crt_tt_menu.jpg

Maybe it's possible that some TT code number will get me to the Geometry settings menu, but pressing in numbers without knowing what the actually do can have great impact on various settings, so I'm really holding out for someone to hopefully clarify how I should be able to do some geometry adjustment and if I'm doing anything wrong.

The above mentioned problem is still causing me some sleepless nights, as I really don't understand why the DEMO menu isn't available, eventhough the TT mode seems enabled jf. the TT shown in top right corner.

Does anyone have knowledge about the DEMO submenu being disabled through TT code or anything simmilar?

[BazookaBen]

Hello all quick question:

How can I connect my laptop (HP Elitebook 8740W) to a CRT TV, which has component inputs? My laptop has VGA, HDMI and Display Port outputs.
Thanks in advance!

Something like this:

http://www.audioauthority.com/product_details/9A60

Then create a 240p or 480i resolution with CRU, or "custom resolution utility". A program called Soft15hz might also be necessary. Then you can just use your VGA port.

[Kabal2X]

Thanks! There is no risk in harming my laptop by using that custom resolution, right?

[Ed Oscuro]

Thanks! There is no risk in harming my laptop by using that custom resolution, right?

See the FAQ here:
http://community.arcadeinfo.de/showthre ... #post59253

To this I want to add: You want to make sure you're outputting this custom resolution to a "secondary monitor," not the primary one!

[BazookaBen]

Thanks! There is no risk in harming my laptop by using that custom resolution, right?

Nope. And most consumer-grade CRT TV's just show a scrambled signal if you send them something too high (like 720p).

[MysticSynergy]

Recently been messing around with the settings on my Sony BVM20E1U and I have a few questions:

1) I still don't understand the 75ohm plugs that attach to the outputs of the RBG. I currently have them plugged in and it seems to darken the picture as if I turned the brightness down. However, when I remove them the picture is much brighter. I like it that way, but I've noticed that while playing games the overload light constantly turns on when there is a large amount of white color on the screen. I can't imagine this is a good thing. Should I turn down the brightness without using the 75's or is there some reason why I should absolutely be using these plugs? I mostly play on my Ps1, Ps2, SNES and N64 if it makes a difference.

2) While using the BKR Control Unit, I can individually click and activate the brightness, contrast and chroma. Should I be keeping these buttons "active" when playing on the monitor?
If I turn them off, the monitor returns to default color settings.

3) On the subject of colors, my default color temperature settings on the BVM for the Red, Green and Blue are all set at certain numerical values. If Iwanted to "crank the gains" of each color, would I simply double these values? I figure I should use the 240p suite to calibrate each color, but wanted to double check. Fudoh, just for curiosities sake, may I ask what numerical values you have for your R, G and Blue settings?

4.) When checking how many hours are on the monitor, the software version of the BVM is 1.30. What does this mean exactly? Do I need to update it? If so, how would I go about doing that?

Thank you so much for any help you can give and I hope these haven't been asked somewhere else before. Trying to better understand this beast of a machine and what it is capable of.

[Fudoh]

1) you should leave the termination plugs in and simply adjust the contrast and brightness.
2) no, those are only for short time corrections. Anything permanent should be set in the menu and saved as the standard.
3) no idea, never messed with that - sorry. But if you try, let us know how it works out.
4) you don't need to update anything. Updates basically just added compatibility for more plug in boards.

[Kabal2X]

Thanks to everyone for the kind answers!

[Sixfortyfive]

Technically there is no 480i video with 60 frames (fps). If anything, then it's 60 fields per second.

The cathode beam crosses the screen VERTICALLY 60 times per second. 16.7ms per pass. With every pass the cathode ray alternates between the even and odd lines.

Your first assumption is right.

If your source runs at 240p60 instead of 480i the fields became frames and are drawn on top of each other. Only odd lines are used, the even lines are left blank and thus become what you know as "scanlines".

31khz is 480p60 with 480 lines per frame instead of 240 (15khz). On a 480p screen, all lines are drawn with every pass. 1080i on the other hand repeats the whole story with 540 lines per field.

All the above is true for CRTs *ONLY*.

----------

LCDs and Plasma (with very few exceptions) are progressive by nature. If you feed a 480i signal, it gets deinterlaced to 480p first, before it's upscaled and displayed. Deinterlacing 480i60 does not result in a 30fps signal (which is often believed), but it results in a 480p60 signal with every field being used twice, once with the preceding, once with the following field.

And FYI: ""We're dealing with a 480i video signal"" -- 240p does not become 480i just because you use composite. On the other hand, flatscreens often just don't know 240p and treat 240p falsely as 480i....

Thanks for the response, btw.

Would the following demo animation be accurate, then, before deinterlacing is applied in the third example? (The third example resembles how I've seen interlaced footage show up on all the different capture equipment I've ever used when no filters are applied. I should probably specify that instead of "flatscreen.")

Excuse the garish color choice...

http://www.sixfortyfive.com/temp/240p.gif

[Fudoh]

first and second illustration are right. The third isn't. As said, deinterlaced 240p60 or 480i60 does NOT result in 30fps, but 60fps. What you see in your capture app isn't deinterlaced material, it's just interlaced material with two fields displayed at once.

[scarmullet]

On the CGA to VGA adapter, there are headers for a 12 pin wire harness next to the D-SUB 15 connectors...is this for other VGA connections, and where can I find the harnesses?

[Sixfortyfive]

Do any consoles output 480p through SCART?
Do any televisions, monitors, or upscalers accept 480p through SCART?

[brownvim]

The XRGB-3 accepts PS2s 480p through its front scart connection.

[antron]

The XRGB-3 accepts PS2s 480p through its front scart connection.

then the PS3 will work too. As well as an original xbox (modded to allow 480p with a SCART cable)

all these consoles would actually be outputting sync on green VGA btw. (this is not quite correct, see next post)