Happ Universal Video Converter vs. ArcadeVGA?

[ChadTower]

http://www.happcontrols.com/monitors/96058300.htm

Has anyone here used this?  If so, how is it compared with the ArcadeVGA?  I have a 50" projection monitor that I'm going to use with mame (from a Sega VF2) and I'm fairly sure the ArcadeVGA won't work with it.  I'm wondering if this here is any good...

[ChadTower]

Anyone at all?

[tom61]

I don't think anyone has bought one yet, however there are a few threads about the merits and demerits of scan converters like this one.

[Stiffler]

I bought one. Used it for about a week and then sent it back.
I also have an ArcadeVGA card.  I'm using a 25" WG CGA monitor.
I thought the picture quality of the ArcadeVGA card was much much much much better then the Happ's UVC.  Sorry, I don't have any pictures. The UVC is easier to configure and get working than the ArcadeVGA card but the UVC has kwirks of its own. Everytime you switch resolutions, the UVC switches to it's logo for a second or two, then switches to the new resolution. And sometimes it wouldn't switch to the new res, it would just sit there and display the logo like it couldn't sync and you had to switch back to the old res.  If your not using one of the three resolutions, all your going to see is the logo. That means no display for people who use DOS. I think the picture quality looks bad compared to the ArcadeVGA card because the ArcadeVGA card can display many different resolutions including high res interlaced and the UVC only displays one resolution regardless of the input. I didn't even try using my Act Labs light gun with the UVC so I don't know if it will work. But the light gun does work with the ArcadeVGA card. So if you have a choice what to use on a CGA monitor, I would recomend the ArcadeVGA card.

Kevin

[ChadTower]

My reasoning for considering the UVC is that my monitor is very possibly fixed at 25khz.  If that is the case, the ArcadeVGA is useless to me.

[southpaw13]

Actually, I got the UVC running in a Daphne cab and it works great!  All the issues with Daphne and ArcadeVGA dissappear with the UVC.

[ChadTower]

Actually, I got the UVC running in a Daphne cab and it works great!  All the issues with Daphne and ArcadeVGA dissappear with the UVC.

Could you elaborate some more on this?  I'm not familiar with Daphne nor of the Daphne/ArcadeVGA issues.

[Stiffler]

For a Daphne only cab, the UVC would be a better choice.
The issue with the ArcadeVGA and Daphne is having to turn off
hardware acceleration because of a bug that causes only half of the
screen to be displayed.  Daphne is a Laser Disc game emulator for games like Dragon's Lair and Space Ace.

[Stiffler]

For a Daphne only cab, the UVC would be a better choice.

I take that back. If you consider the price difference, the ArcadeVGA is
still the better choice. But if you want to use a 25khz monitor, the UVC may
be your only choice.

[tpapa]

Acutally  I was excited to hear about this little device since I have a Neotec monitor I pulled from a San Francisco Rush The Rock machine ( a 25khz med res)  until I saw the price on it. $225 plus shipping. Sheesh,  that seems a little steep to me.

TP

[ChadTower]

Yeah, that's why I'm doing my research.  Ordinarily I'd just get another monitor... but this one is 50".  As my research continues, though, I'm finding it may just be a converted projection TV and possibly is a 15khz monitor after all.

[Wade]

Yeah, that's why I'm doing my research.  Ordinarily I'd just get another monitor... but this one is 50".  As my research continues, though, I'm finding it may just be a converted projection TV and possibly is a 15khz monitor after all.

8liners.com has convertors cga/ega/vga for $99!

Wade

[ChadTower]

8liners.com has convertors cga/ega/vga for $99!

Wade

If I understand all of this properly, 25khz/medium resolution is equivalent to EGA.  EGA is not mentioned in the specs of any of those converters.

[Darth Nuno]

I'm using UVC on my Gauntlet Legends / Mame Daphne Cab and I couln't be more happy  
The picture quality is very cool.
My cab has a 25hz mid-res monitor, the UVC is the only solution for using mame... but more than that, I'll able to plug my PS2/GameCube with an Console->DB15 monitor adapter ;-)

[seibu]

My cab has a 25hz mid-res monitor, the UVC is the only solution for using mame...

It's not. What about AdvanceMAME? You can play EGA games in their perfect original resolution (paperboy, Virtua Fighter etc.) and by using integer scaling you can get pretty close to the original resolutions for CGA games. Since you'll be driving the monitor directly, the results should look much better than anything a scan convertor can output.