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My Scanline Quest
mike boss:
In MAME the other day I was playing around with the "scanlines." Modified the ini file so EFFECT was changed from NONE to SCANLINES (lowercase).
I had the resolution set to 800x600 - it looks good, the higher the res, the less the effect was evident. However (and this could just be myself), be it the scanlines in MAME or the scanline generator the effect is quite minimal. Is that just me ?
I know the hype, I know the authenticity appeal, but really, I find I really need to look ?
Now I'm sure I could configure it more, but then I feel the overall picture would be compromised.
Thoughts ?
gamepimp:
The scanline effect using the "scanline" .png file probably doesn't show up very well on a smaller monitor. But it's absolutely perfect on a large format LCD (mine is 50" in a showcase style cab). Unfortunately all the standard scanline filters in other emulators look way too thick and artificial. The subtle effect in MAME/MESS gives just enough scanline to make the graphics on these older games from looking blocky and pixelated. The only problem using MESS for consoles is that it doesn't emulate all systems 100%. Plus it has issues using cheats and saving games. That's why I was looking for an alternative. Still contemplating buying the Arcade VGA device to see if that might give me a hardware option...
CraftyMech:
I'd heard of the T-SLG, but not the RetroVGA until this thread. Seems like they all do roughly the same thing in their latest incarnations (switch to change sync polarity, switch for thick/thin scan lines). I just built my own DIY version w/ adjustable scan line intensity, but without the switches for line thickness or sync polairity. I was interested to see how compact I could make the design, and I still think it could shrink by about 1/3. I'm thinking of something just a little bit larger then a VGA gender changer, so the device is more of just a coupling between connectors, and unobtrusive. Altering the basic design to auto switch between sync polarities would also get rid of that extra switch, although I'm using mine for 640x480, it would be nice to know it would work at higher resolutions as well.
edekoning:
Well I have ordered a RetroVGA2, and I should receive it within a week or so. I'll be testing it on a 24" dell lcd that runs 1920*1200 and post the results here.
gamepimp:
I also bit the bullet and ordered the RetroVGA 2. I am going to be using it on a 50" Samsung LCD. So we'll see how it performs. Fingers crossed that it does what I'm looking for it to...