VGA adapters for A500? Feasible, desireable?

[sharpie]

I've seen them around on ebay. Are they any good?

I have an NEC-Mitsubishi monitor (19" fully flat CRT) that I would like to run my Amiga 500 into.

How well would this work for games? Is there a preferred model of converter/adapter?

[redrumloa]

Please be more specific There are not many Amiga 500 external scandoubler/flicker fixers.

[Effy]

What's the differnce between an external scandoubler for A500 and A1200 or A4000 ?? You just have to plug it into the videoport, not ?? Isn't it that simple  :-?

[sharpie]

Look, I don't know what the hell I'm talking about

I am basically looking for someone to explain to me how I can get my A500 to connect to my 19" flat screen CRT from NEC/Mitsubishi.

I don't know doublers from troublers and adapters from scanners.

I want to play games on this setup, so presumably it has to not mess up the aspect ratio, a subject of which I know nothing about.

If you can help me establish some clueage for myself, I would be greatful

[Effy]

An Amiga sends out his graphix at a frequency almost identical to the one of videorecorders. If you wanna see the graphix on a pc monitor then you need to find a way to double the frequency so it can be displayed on a pc monitor, that's why they call it 'scandoubler' ... some old pc monitors do allow Amiga frequencies and some modern tft screens also do that ....

[Cyberus]

you can use one of those silvery things that came bundled with the A4000 in order to use a VGA monitor, however you won't be able to display screenmodes used in games.....

in other words, you buy a scandoubler. or buy a multisync monitor capable of going down to 15kHz, or you get a SCART cable and TV...

[sharpie]

Ok, starting to make sense to me.

Can I buy any scan doubler? Can anyone recommend or point me to an example?

I read somewhere that there is this:

Eyetech EZ VGA adapter

Designed for Amigas to go to SVGA, but I cannot find it sold anywhere.

[Jose]

You can buy ANY scandoubler or scandoibler/flickerfixer that connects to the Amiga's external RGB port. Thos will also work in any Amiga model.
There are some internal ones for AGA amigas that connect directly to the chipset to get the digital video signal but I don't know if there were any equivalents for older Amigas.
In your case I'd personally choose the first ones becase like I said, they'll work on any Amiga.

[adolescent]

As mentioned you can use any external scan doubler/flicker fixer on the A500.  There's also the ICD Flicker Free Video 2 which is internal for the 500, 1000, and 2000.  ICD still has them listed on their website for sale.

www.icd.com

Note: if still available new, they're prohibitively expensive at $180.  I'd suggest an external model that you can move from computer to comptuer as needed.

[CRL]

Hi All:
I recently bought a "toasterscan" scan doubler/flickerfixer from Software Hut for about $145.  Just plug on to the video out, plug the VGA cable into the other end, and it works.  I have a A4000, but there is no obvious reason it shouldn't work with any amiga.  I could drag out my old A500 and try it if you are really in need of assurance and really interested in this fix.  I must add that it doesn't deal well with PAL screen (they get all fish-eye looking).  Best flicker solution I ever found was an old C2080 slow phosphor monitor (identical to a 1084 inside).  It was great, but it seems to have burned out.
CRL

[Jagabot]

You guys always overlook the obvious (and normally pretty cheap) solution.  :-)

Just get a composite/rgb to VGA converter used with Playstations, Dreamcasts, etc., (the universally compatible ones) and you can use ANY VGA/SVGA monitor with any Amiga under any resolution your system supports. They really look great on a SVGA monitor (I use my Dreamcast on a 19 inch flat screen Viewsonic G90f for example, and I also have plugged in a CD32 the same way).

The silver RGB to VGA adapters (I have a few of these btw if anyone has been looking for one) work super as well, but ONLY under the ~30kHz resolutions (ie: no games). Or if you have a multisync monitor like a 1950, 1960, etc you can use any resolution you want (I have a couple of these as well if anyone is looking for one).

[adolescent]

@Jagabot

A standard upscan converter works, but it doesn't offer the visual quality that a real scan doubler/flicker fixer does.  Also, since the A500 doesn't have composite or S-video out, which the upscan converters normally use, you'd need additional hardware.  

[darksun9210]

my A500 had a composite output, if you took a wire from the composite output of the A500 to the composite output of an original NES and held down the reset button of the NES, the nintendo would display any signal on the composite lead out its TV modulator! (did this for a time when my monitor was away for repair) ahhh those where the days... :-)

[doctorq]

I have an NEC-Mitsubishi monitor (19" fully flat CRT) that I would like to run my Amiga 500 into.

Wouldn't it be kind of stupid to run an Amiga 500 into a screen? You will possibly smash both things if you do it hard enough ;-)

[ami500]

adolescent wrote:
@Jagabot

A standard upscan converter works, but it doesn't offer the visual quality that a real scan doubler/flicker fixer does.  Also, since the A500 doesn't have composite or S-video out, which the upscan converters normally use, you'd need additional hardware.  

Plug in an A520?