I have 2 different models:
Samsung SyncMaster 1100P Plus( https://www.cnet.com/products/samsung-s ... -1100plus/ )
and
Samsung SyncMaster 957MB ( https://www.cnet.com/products/samsung-s ... 903/specs/ )
Does anyone has any experience with those models? Both have BNC connectors. Are those monitors suitable for retro gaming?
Samsung Syncmaster
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Xer Xian
- Posts: 895
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- Location: Italy
Re: Samsung Syncmaster
It's not having a BNC connector that will dictate whether or not a CRT monitor is suitable for retrogaming, but the frequency of the horizontal scan rate. Very few monitors accept 15Khz scan rates (240p/480i) and will require a line-doubler for those resolution (better if able to add scanlines, since they will of course be missing otherwise). So, if you're ok with pairing them with such a device (OSSC, XRGB or others that can act as transcoder too), yes they are good.
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Zeromemory
- Posts: 37
- Joined: Fri Aug 26, 2016 12:22 pm
Re: Samsung Syncmaster
Thank you for the reply.
So, just Sync Strike won't do?
Or just a normal SCART to BNC with something cheaper in the middle?
So, just Sync Strike won't do?
Or just a normal SCART to BNC with something cheaper in the middle?
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Ed Oscuro
- Posts: 18654
- Joined: Thu Dec 08, 2005 4:13 pm
- Location: uoıʇɐɹnƃıɟuoɔ ɯǝʇsʎs
Re: Samsung Syncmaster
Both these monitors look like typical high-resolution PC monitors (note "15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15)" and also the "Horizontal Refresh Rate"). The second link is light on details but it is almost certainly just typical.
In almost all cases these kinds of monitors have just one 15-pin video connector for video, and they are designed to support video from 640x480 @ 60Hz up. Most support 31KHz, which is what you'd want, but it pays to check this too. Some PC monitors do have BNC ports, but that doesn't guarantee compatibility with one input standard or another (checking the labels should give a hint).
Most consoles are aimed at 480i displays, which have just half as many lines as the mandatory 640x480@60Hz PC monitor mode, so many devices support that specifically.
It's worth pointing out that the picture a PC monnitor can support differs from what a 480i TV/monitor will produce, in various subtle ways. As Xer Xian implies, it can take some work to approximate the look you expect. A working picture also requires that your monitor supports the framerates you're trying to send it - a Micomsoft XRGB-2 scan rate converter will happily scan convert the output from an arcade board with a funky framerate, but my (cheapo) NEC MultiSync FE700+ won't likely show a picture. Not sure if this is an issue with typical consoles, but some can have unusual specs.
Some useful terms to look for:
"Upscaler" - this can mean lots of things but I think of full-picture scalers that are doing sophiticated processing to the entire image to make one picture fit on a screen with very different dimensions.
"Line doubler" - you get two lines of output where earlier there was one. Useful for hooking low-res 240p games into 640x480 PC monitors (and possibly 480p TVs as well) though note that the framerate still can be a problem. However, units made for connecting to LCD TVs can also have line double / line triple modes (and so on) and are not what you're looking for, so look next at -
"Scan rate converter" - this signifies that the unit is doing what you're asking for - converting a 240p game signal to 640x480 or 480p. The best known ones are the old Micomsoft XRGB series and the DISPL, but they are old, expensive, and not very flexible.
Looking over the OSSC I don't think that will be helpful as I see it has just a DVI-D output and apparently no analog pins are connected. Maybe this can be remedied with a DIY kit? I would not buy one for use on a PC CRT monitor, myself.
Basic thoughts:
LCD and OLED TVs are getting better, you can easily get a OSSC to work with many of these. There's also some fairly fast PC monitors with good vertical size to compete with tubes, and at prices not too high.
For real CRTs, there's always video monitors and especially simple consumer TVs. With a decent consumer TV you can get quite a bit, if not most, of the quality possible out of an old console with a basic A/V cord - and in my opinion the revision of a SNES ends up making more of a difference than how it's hooked up. Same for NES; I personally don't think there's much point to fiddling with the perfection of its famous composite output
In almost all cases these kinds of monitors have just one 15-pin video connector for video, and they are designed to support video from 640x480 @ 60Hz up. Most support 31KHz, which is what you'd want, but it pays to check this too. Some PC monitors do have BNC ports, but that doesn't guarantee compatibility with one input standard or another (checking the labels should give a hint).
Most consoles are aimed at 480i displays, which have just half as many lines as the mandatory 640x480@60Hz PC monitor mode, so many devices support that specifically.
It's worth pointing out that the picture a PC monnitor can support differs from what a 480i TV/monitor will produce, in various subtle ways. As Xer Xian implies, it can take some work to approximate the look you expect. A working picture also requires that your monitor supports the framerates you're trying to send it - a Micomsoft XRGB-2 scan rate converter will happily scan convert the output from an arcade board with a funky framerate, but my (cheapo) NEC MultiSync FE700+ won't likely show a picture. Not sure if this is an issue with typical consoles, but some can have unusual specs.
Some useful terms to look for:
"Upscaler" - this can mean lots of things but I think of full-picture scalers that are doing sophiticated processing to the entire image to make one picture fit on a screen with very different dimensions.
"Line doubler" - you get two lines of output where earlier there was one. Useful for hooking low-res 240p games into 640x480 PC monitors (and possibly 480p TVs as well) though note that the framerate still can be a problem. However, units made for connecting to LCD TVs can also have line double / line triple modes (and so on) and are not what you're looking for, so look next at -
"Scan rate converter" - this signifies that the unit is doing what you're asking for - converting a 240p game signal to 640x480 or 480p. The best known ones are the old Micomsoft XRGB series and the DISPL, but they are old, expensive, and not very flexible.
Looking over the OSSC I don't think that will be helpful as I see it has just a DVI-D output and apparently no analog pins are connected. Maybe this can be remedied with a DIY kit? I would not buy one for use on a PC CRT monitor, myself.
Basic thoughts:
LCD and OLED TVs are getting better, you can easily get a OSSC to work with many of these. There's also some fairly fast PC monitors with good vertical size to compete with tubes, and at prices not too high.
For real CRTs, there's always video monitors and especially simple consumer TVs. With a decent consumer TV you can get quite a bit, if not most, of the quality possible out of an old console with a basic A/V cord - and in my opinion the revision of a SNES ends up making more of a difference than how it's hooked up. Same for NES; I personally don't think there's much point to fiddling with the perfection of its famous composite output