Couple of Minimig questions

[Everblue]

I am considering purchasing a new monitor, and one of its uses will be for a minimig... I have two questions

1. What resolution does the minimig output?

1024 x 768?
800 x  640?
640 x 480?
Pal resolution depending on the game? (such as 320 x 256, 640 x 256, 640x512, etc.)

I suspect the Minimig would scale all video outputs to a fixed resolution, maybe someone knows what it is.

2. If I use a non 4:3 monitor (such as 5:4 or 16:9) will the screen be stretched to fill all screen (ewwww) or it will have borders on sides?

Thanks in advance!

[whiteb]

Well, the minimig will output whatever the game resolution is, or being generated, which is why it runs on 20 year old monitors.

The minimig is Scandoubled, so the minimum needed for VGA monitors (if they scan down that far, is 31khz.  unless you Jumper the option back to 15Khz and it will run on retro monitors.

now the second, if you use 16:9, the minimig does not know what is being used to display, you will have stretching in the signal being displayed, minimig just sends out the signal.  it is entirely up to your display device on how it displays its picture.

I have a Wide Screen TV, and it can be set forced in to 16:9 or 4:3.  If I feed the tv A 4:3 signal when it is set to 16:9 then yes you will have stretching.  If i force 4:3, then I get black borders on left or right.  That is not minimig's fault, it is the TV's and how it handles screen mode's.

Most Widescreen TV's have on screen menu options to FORCE Screen mode's, so you tell it to FORCE 4:3, and you will get the left/right Black Border's.  Unless the TV is intelligent enough and automatically select the TV type for you. (Not usually).  Same goes for Widescreen monitors, they should have display options somewhere.

Before you buy, MAKE SURE the monitor has 31khz support.  A lot of newer models do not.

[Everblue]

Well I was thinking of buying this one:

http://www.viewsonic.com/products/desktop-monitors/lcd/value-series/va926.htm

According to specs it can do both 31khz and 50hz needed for minimig. In the manual it mentions nothing about choosing display modes.

In the case that it stretches the picture to fill the screen, I guess I can manually scale it to 4:3 as there not much difference between the two resolutions.

[Darrin]

From my experience with a couple of LCD monitors/TVs and my Plasma TV, native Amiga screen modes are scaled to the best of the monitor's ability to the maximum screen resolution.

Here's Elite on my EDTV Plasma (stretched):
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/darrin01311/SDC10256.jpg

Here's Boot-up:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/darrin01311/SDC10188.jpg

Here's Alien Breed TA (stretched):
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/darrin01311/SDC10189.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/darrin01311/SDC10190.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/darrin01311/SDC10192.jpg

Here's Defender of the Crown on a HDTV LCD using "stretch"
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/darrin01311/100_1273s.jpg

Rodland (PAL) on an NTSC core with borders and no centering:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/darrin01311/100_1269s.jpg

Trodlers (uncentered with borders):
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/darrin01311/100_1254s.jpg

Personally, I leave the smart stretching on (justify mode) and Workbench can always make maximum use of overscan.  The choice is yours as you can switch it on and off.

[Everblue]

Darrin dont confuse TVs with Monitors. TFT/Plasma monitors have nice stretching options, smart, 4:3 and all that... but in my knowledge TFT widescreen monitors do not.

[whiteb]

That does not seem to be Wide screen, thats a regular Square monitor.

Frequency     Fh:30-82kHz, Fv:50-75Hz

But those look good..

[Everblue]

Well normal picture such as the one minimig outputs = 4:3

That one there is 5:4, its more square.

[Darrin]

Everblue wrote:
Darrin dont confuse TVs with Monitors. TFT/Plasma monitors have nice stretching options, smart, 4:3 and all that... but in my knowledge TFT widescreen monitors do not.

Fair point.  I never really thought about it as that HD LCD TV was meant to be used as a TV and a monitor.  If you're going for a large widescreen monitor then it makes sense to have it souble as a TV too.  :-)

[Darrin]

Don't worry about 4:3 and 5:4 - it's a square monitor and it just so happens that the 320x256 screen mode is exactly 1/4 the maximum resolution and so it will scale perfectly.