Questions that do not deserve a thread

[Einzelherz]

Then I guess I'll keep waiting for a good deal. Any other places I should check besides Craigslist? Sorry if this is a frequent question, it sure seems like it would be

I've picked up two monitors from eBay with patience. I'm not saying you can replicate it, but it isn't impossible.

The 14M4 is a good screen, if you're find with its size. I'd offer 150 if you really need a monitor.

I'm in no rush, but I don't want to wait until they get crazy pricy! Plus I don't have enough cash as of right now. What price should I shoot for a 19 inch one?

First, remember that they don't have to be Sony. JVC and ikegami make great monitors as well. Second, get a CRT TV in the mean time. A good one (Sony, JVC, possibly others) and a scart to component converter work wonders.

Yes, monitors are scarce and the price will probably go up. They aren't exactly a normal market item. What you're willing to spend is up to you. To add my prices to Ben's as a reference - 1st 14" was $35 + 5 hour drive. 2nd 20" was $95 on eBay. 3rd 15" was $105 on eBay. The dates (since that's important) were 05/15, 03/16, and 06/16.

[LEGENOARYNINLIA]

Maybe we should have a sticky thread about recommended monitors that also encourages to use common sense instead of just daydreaming about 'DEM PEE VEE EMMZ' by people who have never even used one.

I'm only suggesting this because if I start one if might end up a bit too snarky.

[FinalBaton]

Maybe we should have a sticky thread about recommended monitors that also encourages to use common sense instead of just daydreaming about 'DEM PEE VEE EMMZ' by people who have never even used one.

I'm only suggesting this because if I start one if might end up a bit too snarky.

this is not a bad idea!

[FinalBaton]

I can get a Sony KV-20XBR (american model with a 34 pin RGB input) for $25. At that price, it's worth the hassle of building a cable for it.


But I 'd like to know : how hard is it to build a cable with a male 34 pin connector on one end, and a female scart connector on the other end?

I'm a noob with soldering so I don't wanna end up with a project that's too hard for me.

Someone on here said that a 34 pin floppy drive cable will fit into the Sony(won't have the right pinout, of course), has this been confirmed? If true, that would make the project easier

Here's the pinout for the RGB port on the Sony :

[Akuji]

I got my first 20" PVM for $50, the next two for $35 each. But I found a medical equipment reseller within 50 miles of my house that had dozens of them from hospitals around the state.

I'll keep an eye out for anything of the sort!

First, remember that they don't have to be Sony. JVC and ikegami make great monitors as well. Second, get a CRT TV in the mean time. A good one (Sony, JVC, possibly others) and a scart to component converter work wonders.

Yes, monitors are scarce and the price will probably go up. They aren't exactly a normal market item. What you're willing to spend is up to you. To add my prices to Ben's as a reference - 1st 14" was $35 + 5 hour drive. 2nd 20" was $95 on eBay. 3rd 15" was $105 on eBay. The dates (since that's important) were 05/15, 03/16, and 06/16.

Yeah I got a CRT but it's been having some minor problems so that's why I've been thinking of going the extra mile. Also I wasn't specifically focusing on Sony, it's just what's been near me on Craigslist. Sounds like you got some good deals!

Maybe we should have a sticky thread about recommended monitors that also encourages to use common sense instead of just daydreaming about 'DEM PEE VEE EMMZ' by people who have never even used one.

I'm only suggesting this because if I start one if might end up a bit too snarky.

Tone it down my man, just because this might be common doesn't mean everyone is a glue eater.

[Einzelherz]

I can get a Sony KV-20XBR (american model with a 34 pin RGB input) for $25. At that price, it's worth the hassle of building a cable for it.


But I 'd like to know : how hard is it to build a cable with a male 34 pin connector on one end, and a female scart connector on the other end?

I'm a noob with soldering so I don't wanna end up with a project that's too hard for me.

Someone on here said that a 34 pin floppy drive cable will fit into the Sony(won't have the right pinout, of course), has this been confirmed? If true, that would make the project easier

I could swear I saw this cable already made on eBay this week?

[FinalBaton]

I could swear I saw this cable already made on eBay this week?

Really?

I couldn't find anything.
Do you remember the title of the auction?

[FinalBaton]

Meh think I'll pass in the end

Just remembered that I don't really like the 20" ish size for CRT's. I'll look for a 27 incher instead.

A shmupper in Québec should grab it though.
It's on kijiji, but the guy now put the add on ebay. But if you act quick (tonight or tomorrow) via kijiji he might still sell it for the original $25 offer, provided he hasn't received offers on ebay.

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-tvs/ville-de-que ... nFlag=true

[Ikaruga11]

Aside from Dolphin, what's the best possible way to play GameCube and Wii games?

[Einzelherz]

I could swear I saw this cable already made on eBay this week?

Really?

I couldn't find anything.
Do you remember the title of the auction?

I guess I was mistaken. http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.vi ... 1987774185

I'd still do it just for the fun. Making a cable isn't that big of a deal.

It appears to be a standard IDE style connector. Should be easy, I'd think.

[atheistgod1999]

So I have this awesome concept I'm working on, and I need to know some things:

How do the sync signals tell the display/upscaler/whatever what the number of scan lines are, horizontal frequency, and whether or not they're interlaced (and which field it is if it is interlaced)? I'm talking about H+V sync it ends up as (if not originally); I don't need to know about how composite sync says it or anything.

And how does a CRT display anything if there's no sync?

How long does the horizontal retrace take, in the fastest instances?

[accaris]

So I have this awesome concept I'm working on, and I need to know some things:

How do the sync signals tell the display/upscaler/whatever what the number of scan lines are, horizontal frequency, and whether or not they're interlaced (and which field it is if it is interlaced)? I'm talking about H+V sync it ends up as (if not originally); I don't need to know about how composite sync says it or anything.

And how does a CRT display anything if there's no sync?

How long does the horizontal retrace take, in the fastest instances?

A CRT can display video without sync because the sweep oscillators are still moving the beam, and the beam is still being deflected onto the screen, it's just not being timed with the video signal, so the result is a wavy mishmash of garbage. Sync is very technical but it basically has to do with a circuit that detects voltage pulses at the end of each raster line drawn, which the video controller in turn interprets to lock the raster scan to the field timing of the video signal. Since the horizontal scan rate of a CRT is (usually) 15khz, I would assume that a horizontal retrace takes 1/15,000 of a second to occur.

Of course this is all controlled by circuitry which ensures that the beam is scanning the screen the correct number of lines; AFAIK this is an analog process and it can be screwed up by stuff like unusually high voltage being generated by the tube's transformer (which would result in retrace lines.) Scalers avoid these problems because they process the picture output digitally; but even then, they still have digital circuitry to interpret sync signals, so that the scaler's DPP knows how to correctly draw each frame.

[bobrocks95]

Aside from Dolphin, what's the best possible way to play GameCube and Wii games?

Are you talking display wise or what?

[atheistgod1999]

Sync is very technical but it basically has to do with a circuit that detects voltage pulses at the end of each raster line drawn, which the video controller in turn interprets to lock the raster scan to the field timing of the video signal. Since the horizontal scan rate of a CRT is (usually) 15khz, I would assume that a horizontal retrace takes 1/15,000 of a second to occur.

I already knew that; I'm asking how the signals tell it specific resolutions and horizontal scan rates.

[Ikaruga11]

Aside from Dolphin, what's the best possible way to play GameCube and Wii games?

Are you talking display wise or what?

Signal wise and display/audio wise.

[Unseen]

I already knew that; I'm asking how the signals tell it specific resolutions and horizontal scan rates.

The horizontal scan rate is implicitly given by the time between two horizontal syncs - the electorn beam of a CRT must sweep from left to right fast enough that it can make it all the way across in the time between two horizontal sync pulses. In a purely-analog monitor this would probably be done by using a sawtooth-generator with controllable frequency and setting it to match the horizontal sync frequency. In a digital system (e.g. a scaler) the parameter that is needed is the number of pixels that need to be sampled per line and that should be inferrable from the HSync pulse length and time between HSyncs by applying commonly-used formulas in reverse that would normally be used to calculate the sync length and timing from the resolution and frame rate. It's also possible to tune the sample points within a line by looking for a sample rate+phase configuration with maximum contrast - you may have seen that in action if you have used the "auto adjust" function of a TFT connected via VGA.

For the vertical it's even easier, the number of scan lines is directly given by the number of HSyncs that appear from one VSync to the next (more precisely, from the start of one VSync to the start of the next one). In the analog case, it's another sawtooth-generator that is synchronized to the sync pulses (guess where that name comes from) and for digital it's just a matter of guessing where the blanking area starts and ends - again you can just assume that the common resolutions/formulas apply and also cross-check by detecting where non-black image contents appear.

Detecting interlaced vs. progressive is just a matter of checking if the field has an integer number of lines (progressive) or something-and-a-half lines (interlaced). Usually, VSync pulses start at the start of a line, simultaneous with the HSync pulse. To generate half of a line, the VSync pulse instead starts in the middle of a line in one field and at the start of the line in the next one, so every field contains a half-line at either the beginning or end.

If you can find a cheap copy, I recommend reading "Video Demystified" by Keith Jack - it explains many details about video signals, their generation and processing them in detail.

[bobrocks95]

Aside from Dolphin, what's the best possible way to play GameCube and Wii games?

Are you talking display wise or what?

Signal wise and display/audio wise.

Unseen's HDMI mod into a 480p digital display or a good 480p scaler to a 1080p display, component via either the official cable or Unseen's into a 480p capable CRT.

If you don't have good speakers, you probably won't notice the difference between analog and digital audio, especially considering the GameCube has no sort of buzzing you'd get with say a scart cable.

[Ikaruga11]

Unseen's HDMI mod into a 480p digital display or a good 480p scaler to a 1080p display, component via either the official cable or Unseen's into a 480p capable CRT.

If you don't have good speakers, you probably won't notice the difference between analog and digital audio, especially considering the GameCube has no sort of buzzing you'd get with say a scart cable.

What do you mean buzzing? Is the official component cable better than Unseen's?

[bobrocks95]

What do you mean buzzing?

Buzzing you can hear in the audio, caused by video interference. Have you never noticed this with SCART cables?

Is the official component cable better than Unseen's?

You've asked this before. Actually you've asked all this before. No, they're identical.

[Ikaruga11]

Buzzing you can hear in the audio, caused by video interference. Have you never noticed this with SCART cables?

I've never used SCART cables. Only Composite and Component.

You've asked this before. Actually you've asked all this before. No, they're identical.

Oh, alright. Thanks.

Quick: Are there versions of the NES that are better than other versions? Like hardware revisions that produce better sound and picture quality? Thanks.

[atheistgod1999]

For games that came in cardboard boxes, what's a good way to store cartridges with their manuals? I bought an NES BitBox once, but they're really expensive, so I didn't buy any more and just used it to store my mint Mega Man 1 copy. I've been using plastic bags for the rest of them.

[Einzelherz]

Individual fireproof safes.

[orange808]

For games that came in cardboard boxes, what's a good way to store cartridges with their manuals? I bought an NES BitBox once, but they're really expensive, so I didn't buy any more and just used it to store my mint Mega Man 1 copy. I've been using plastic bags for the rest of them.

If you're careful, you can store carts on a shelf.

If you save boxes, I suggest a plastic storage bin for empty boxes

For manuals, I suggest a filing cabinet with manilla envelopes.

But, I passed crazy years ago...

[atheistgod1999]

How come people who know what they're doing play video games, let alone retro games via an upscaler, on HDTVs instead of PC monitors? Even with game mode, they still have more lag. Yes, I know it depends on the model, but in this one MyLifeInGaming I saw, Try said his TV has FOUR FUCKING FRAMES of input lag!!! Yes, I know they're better for living rooms, but why the fuck not get a TV that doesn't have >.06 seconds of lag!?

[Guspaz]

With the Framemeister, Try's TV has 5-6 frames of lag. Some people are just highly insensitive to lag. Personally, 100ms of lag is hugely noticeable to me.

[orange808]

How come people who know what they're doing play video games, let alone retro games via an upscaler, on HDTVs instead of PC monitors? Even with game mode, they still have more lag. Yes, I know it depends on the model, but in this one MyLifeInGaming I saw, Try said his TV has FOUR FUCKING FRAMES of input lag!!! Yes, I know they're better for living rooms, but why the fuck not get a TV that doesn't have >.06 seconds of lag!?

Do what makes you happy.

With that said, five or six frames of lag transforms gaming from a satisfying test of reflex/skill into a boring chore of memorization/trial and error.

Some people like that kind of thing.

[Ikaruga11]

With the Framemeister, Try's TV has 5-6 frames of lag. Some people are just highly insensitive to lag. Personally, 100ms of lag is hugely noticeable to me.

It also doesn't matter if you're not playing competitively or are just playing RPGs.

[LEGENOARYNINLIA]

It also doesn't matter if you just buy games to put them on your shelves.

[Ikaruga11]

It also doesn't matter if you just buy games to put them on your shelves.

What?

[zimes]

Is there a noticeable difference in image quality between the official PS2 component cable and the official PS3/PS2 component cable when hooked up to a PS2? I believe both can be hooked up to a PS2 but am curious if one or the other has a better build quality and superior image.