xboxscene.org forums
OG Xbox Forums => Hardware Forums => Xbox Audio/Video Technical => Topic started by: xboxmods2977 on July 16, 2011, 01:04:00 PM
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Something to keep in mind.
If you go with building the converter from the tutorial you've linked to, the resulting adapter will not work on a CGA monitor (Pac-Man, Galaga, etc). Make sure your arcade monitor is either an aftermarket "tri-mode", or at least EGA.
For CGA monitors, try this page and scroll down to this section: "XBox to Arcade Monitor/Speaker Adaptor". Scroll down to the last item on the page for the adapter designed for "tri-mode" monitors if you have one of those.
Also note that I havn't used any of these adapters myself. I have basically just been dreaming/researching the stuff for my own knowledge as I would like to get into this myself but can't afford a new CGA monitor.
Regards
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always wanderd what are the benefits of using a arcade monitor vs a CRT tv ?
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The main benefit is authenticity.
It depends on which arcade games you like to play tho, but in the case the common classics, such as Pac-Man, Galaga, Centipede, etc, they were coded to use a very low resolution, 240p, which is a CGA resolution, because all they had at the time in the way of monitor tech, was CGA (they could have just used TV's inside the cabinets, but CGA offered a much clearer image).
When playing such games on a VGA monitor, or even a TV, the games must be stretched to fill the screen. This is done though various methods, depending on the software/hardware filter, but is most commonly achieved through line doubling, and/or blurring which works, but (arguably) never looks as good as the original picture displayed on the original arcade monitor.
Most people won't notice the difference, which is negligible, unless you are old enough to vividly remember playing these classics on their original hardware (coin-op machine).
The difference between playing a CGA game on a CGA monitor, or playing it on a TV could be compared to the difference between listening to an MP3 encoded at 192kbps and then again encoded at 320kbps. Unless you really know what to look (listen) for, the average person wouldn't notice it.
If you are a classic arcade junkie, I invite you to see the difference for yourself. Fire up your xbox and play one of the above mentioned games on a TV, paying close attention to the the way the game looks. Then, do a google search for close-up screenshots of said game running on the arcade hardware. It is awesome, and surprising.
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like i said I always did wonder... (never worked out in my head cost vs seemingly no diference to me)