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CRT via S-Video Question
zauxier:
Phew, so I was able to change the resolution to 640x480 by going to the "list all modes" screen. It definitely looks better now, seems to fill out the entire screen like normal. Thanks for the heads up!
I still think it can be updated to look a little better, any suggestions with my current setup?
Arroyo:
--- Quote from: zauxier on October 24, 2019, 09:23:01 pm ---I still think it can be updated to look a little better, any suggestions with my current setup?
--- End quote ---
Yeah install an AMD/ATI graphics card (HD 5000 or newer, they are all pretty cheap) and get to know CRT Emulation driver and GroovyMame.
With your current setup you won’t get the resolution switching per game nor will you get the proper refresh rates which might be even more import and so that the game play runs 100% at its original speed.
As mentioned the output of your S-Video will take what ever setting you choose on your graphics card and force 480i. Most games were designed for 240p so none of the games will look as good as they originally did (you’ll be running interlaced instead of progressive).
What kind of CRT do you have (make and model)?
zauxier:
I'm a little hesitant to put a new graphics card in the pc because it's an old Windows XP machine and is all setup right now for MAME. But if this is what it's going to take to make a big difference then I might be interested.
The crt that I have is kind of a POS. Its a polaroid TV that's 19inches. No component, just s-video and composite. Looks like this.
Arroyo:
Without knowing the model it's hard to say for sure, but I'm going to assume you live in the U.S.
The bad news: consumer CRT's (TV's) in the U.S. are doable but challenging if you want to get a good picture. As you noted without component the only way to get a really great picture is to hack the TV. You can use the S-Video to some success, although I would have to lean on someone else's experience converting an RGB signal with minimal loss to an S-Video.
The good news: You can hack the TV's OSD (on screen display chip) to inject an RGB signal. It requires getting comfortable with knowing the components of a CRT (especially the dangerous ones), and requires comfort in looking at schematics and soldering. There is a dedicated subforum to the topic here: https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=56155. There are also numerous Youtube videos showing people doing it as well if you search for TV RGB mod. I haven't performed one myself yet, but plan to do so in the future. There are folks here that have done it as well.
Arcade monitors, Sony PVM's, and Consumer TV's with component make it easier (although with component you will have to buy a Transcoder).
There is also the additional option of doing a tube swap (I haven't done this either yet). Which means you buy an arcade chassis (Printed Circuit Board typically underneath the glass tube, which will also have a neckboard and other components), and take the tube from the consumer TV and fit it to the arcade chassis. Again this involves a more firm understanding of CRT components and understanding taking the proper safety measures, and measurements on the tube to match it to a chassis.
This may all be a bit much if you are starting out. It depends on how far you want to go to get an accurate Arcade picture/experience.
Zebra:
There is no way you output 600 x 800 or 640 x 480p / 60hz to that TV via the svideo out on a gpu.
Old SD crt tv's only accept a 15khz signal so 480i / 60, 480p / 30hz or 240p. Most, if not all svideo out ports on gpu's ignore the res you set in windows or the Nvidia menu and output 480i only. You have no control over it.
The only way to play old arcade games in native 240p and native refresh rates is with groovy mame output via the vga or DVI - I port. The analog rgb 240p from groovymame can be converted to svideo but only with an external transcoder like a jrok. You can't use the gpu's svideo port.
When I used to use my jrok with groovymame on a Sony Trinitron via svideo, the pic was acceptable but not great. It was better than using an HD display though:
And way better than using blurry 480i.