Using TV in a cab

[Slippyblade]

I've got a Virtua Striker cab that I am shoving a MAME pc into.  I intend on just using an old tube TV since most of them are literally drop-in replacements.  My question is in regards to the resolutions.  I know the old TVs had dramatically lower resolution than a PC monitor, but Win7 seems to bottom out at 800x600.  If I am connecting the PC to the TV via S-Video, do I need to get a lower resolution?  If so...  how?

[pbj]

https://www.winhelp.us/low-resolution-video-vga-mode-in-windows.html

[Slippyblade]

Awesome, thanks PBJ!  I'll try that out as soon as I get home.

[Slippyblade]

Hmm.  Not working.  I can see the POST screen on the TV but the moment Windows takes over I get "unusable signal".  Ah well, I'll keep digging.

[Slippyblade]

Weird, nothing I tried worked.  I swapped the card out, DL'd the current driver for THAT card, and now it works great.  Having those big fluffy pixels actually makes a difference, I'm loving the look.

[Slippyblade]

What
the
hell

It was working just fine the other day.  Today, I try to fire it up and damn thing is acting all wonky.  Only had a little bit of time before leaving for work, will screw with it again tonight.

[Slippyblade]

Yay!  It looks like the S-Video port on the video card I was trying to use doesn't work.  Swapped in another card and it's working great.  My next problem is minor, but annoying.  I'm getting some...  streaking?... in the image.  Just a little bit, kind of like when you have the color cranked WAY up on an old TV.  I've twiddled with the TV settings and the only way I've found to remove the streaking is to crank the color all the way down to the point where it's almost a black & white image. 

Is there a way to tweak individual colors on a TV?  Maybe on the board itself?  It almost seem like the red is a little too high.  I can't find a way to tweak the color stream on from the computer.  I'm using LinuxMint 17.2 with reference drivers.  Gonna try to install the proprietary Catalyst driver tonight and see what I can do there.

[adder]

tv make and model number?

[Slippyblade]

No clue.  It was a Goodwill purchase and the shell was trashed.

It's not bad enough to be unplayable, I've played on far worse in the arcade.  Even if it pops on me I'm not upset, it only cost me $1.

[adder]

ok was wondering because if i know the tv make and model number could look up how to get into the service menu in order to adjust the strength of the colours. would also need the remote control to do that

[Slippyblade]

So there are super secret on screen menus?  Cool.  I actually do have the remote and it works.  Didn't occur to me to look at the remote for the brand.  I'll nose around the tube and board and see what I can find as far as model.

Thanks a lot!

[adder]

cool, post any information u can eg. any writing on the remote control (look in battery compartment also for a model number of the remote control), also and codes etc on the main board of the tv
oh and find out the screen size also, eg.  19" ... 21"  .. measure diagonally with a ruler 

[Slippyblade]

Ok, it's an RCA.  Diag measurement is about 26.5"  So not sure where that actually goes.  I can't find crap for identifying marks.  The remote is labeled as R130A1.  Looking that up returns 4 LCD models - which makes no sense.  The rear panel has component, an analog and a digital coax, and standard red/yellow/white RCA hookups.

[adder]

ok i think your tv is this model:
http://www.cnet.com/products/rca-24f524t/specs/

so far found the regular user manual, here:
http://www.manualslib.com/download/139375/Rca-27f524t.html

[adder]

hmm just looking around for how to get into the service menu of the tv
have a look at this thread here, perhaps try some of the methods (they suggest a couple of different ways) for getting into the service menu:
http://www.avsforum.com/forum/64-direct-view-single-tube-crt-displays/703101-need-help-getting-into-rca-27v550t-service-menu.html

then   when inside the service menu, see if u can find a way of adjusting the colours, maybe at the worst case if u cant adjust individual R,G,B levels,  u could adjust the 'hue' which would affect the overall colours (eg. make everything more/less green, or more/less blue, or more/less red, etc

ps. before adjusting anything, u should have a pen and paper next to you and before u change any value in the service menu;  write down the default value u are changing, so u dont forget and can set it back to its default (it's easy to get lost and make changes and then realise you cant get your tv back to its default settings, and end up with a mess )

[Slippyblade]

I'd found that thread as well.  No luck on any of those techniques. 

I think it is a "hue" problem.  The red seems way high.  In R-Type, for instance, the first enemies you see are red ships.  They are SO red on this screen that there is no detail in them.  Just red blobs.

[nitrogen_widget]

Does the video card driver's offer an adjustment?

Also, try a better cable.
I use shielded svideo cables with some girth.
They work way better than the skinny one's that came with DVD players.