Can anyone tell me how to make my PC monitor behave more like an arcade monitor?

[Gunstar Hero]

Hey guys.

I installed a KDS 21' PC monitor in my cab and it looks great.

The only issue I have is that sometimes on scrolling games you get kind of a ripple down the screen... not a huge thing, but a little annoying.

I tried doing the "sync to monitor" setting and that fixed the ripple, but jacked my speeds all up, so I scrapped that.

Some games seem "flickery" too...  

I've decided I need to figure out how to set up video in MAME, but I don't know how to begin.

Can anyone tell me how to make my PC monitor behave more like an arcade monitor?

[desmatic]

If you're looking for the right solution to your problem, advancemame would be it.  If your looking for a quick and easy solution, set your pc monitor refresh rate to 60Hz.    This will fix your problem for almost all games.  If you're having trouble with a game that uses a wierdo refresh rate like mk, then you'll need to either add a custom mode to your video card settings or use advancemame.

As far as stretching goes in the official mame, there's a configuration parameter (which I don't recall off the top of my head) that forces integer stretching.  Integer stretching is as close as you can get on a PC monitor to authentic emulation, however, unless you are using advancemame (or a custom set of modelines) the game may not take up the whole screen.

If you're looking for a little more detail read the modeline tutorial on my site.  Right now there isn't any info on creating custom modelines for Windows, however, google should turn up something should you be interested in going that route.

[SirPeale]

I tried doing the "sync to monitor" setting and that fixed the ripple, but jacked my speeds all up, so I scrapped that.

Make your refresh rate 60Hz.

[Gunstar Hero]

My monitor is set to 60Hz... as far as I know it has always been.

Can I set MAME to match?

[desmatic]

My monitor is set to 60Hz... as far as I know it has always been.

Can I set MAME to match?

What games are giving you problems?

[Gunstar Hero]

Shinobi springs right to mind. When the screen scrolls you get a sort of distortion that moves down the screen now and again. It's always happened on my PC setup too, so I don't think it's an actual monitor problem, I've just never messed with MAME's monitor settings, always just deeming little things like that "the cost of emulation."

Now that I have a cab I want to figure out how to set the screen up to be more arcade-like.

[mwoody]

V-sync is the only way to fix the "tearing" you're seeing.  And having an actual arcade monitor wouldn't fix the problem, either; it's a symptom of the program (MAME) not forcing it's frames per second to either match or be a factor of the monitor refresh rate.  I had to track down the setting in the INI file for MAME to fix this very problem on my Betson/Kortek 27" multisync.

[desmatic]

Shinobi springs right to mind. When the screen scrolls you get a sort of distortion that moves down the screen now and again. It's always happened on my PC setup too, so I don't think it's an actual monitor problem, I've just never messed with MAME's monitor settings, always just deeming little things like that "the cost of emulation."

Now that I have a cab I want to figure out how to set the screen up to be more arcade-like.

You might want to try AdvanceCD/DVD.  If your card is supported then it should solve all your problems.  Aside from setting the refresh rate to 60Hz, there's not much I can think of that'd fix your problem, other than creating custom modes for windows which is really involved / pain in the butt.

[Tritoch84]

yeah, it  is kinda annoying, but you learn to live with it.

I notice it more in the first fight of Art O Fighting 3,  when at the start of the match you get a "roll" going up the screen. And Bucky o Hare comes to mind.