Best Monitor for PicassoII Card

[pneron]

Can you suggest best monitor for Picasso II card and can I use VGA/HDMI converter?

Thanks

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Oooh boy. You're going to get a million and one answers, lol.

For me personally, the "best" was any of Dell's "UltraSharp" model LCD monitors, especially those that work in native (4:3) aspect ratios (not widescreen), 19" or 20" screensize. This matched more closely with my most commonly used screenmodes. Look for models with the fastest refresh rates possible.

Of course other people swear by CRT's for an Amiga, and you'll get even more differences of opinion if you talk about wanting to play games vs productivity apps, etc.

Good luck!

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

BTW - look up the "removing the resistor" hack for PII's, if using an LCD.

[Pat the Cat]

What's your budget and desired screen area?

You playing the Garden, vehicular mount or is this for a static A2000 on a desktop?

There is a big choice when it comes to "best monitor".

Picasso II like every other kind of video signal generator. It can do different res at different refresh rates to a hardware output, and you can get any kind of interface you like with video. If you can afford it.

Edit: Hmmm... have you got a Pablo?  Pablo gives you an SVHS output, and FBAS output, but only in PAL modes. You can timebase lock the output to other video formats though.

And it might be you can connect two monitors to the beast. So maybe not one big monitor, but 2 smaller ones, which can do max resolutions of the video outputs, could be a better solution.

http://amiga.resource.cx/exp/picasso2

My technical German is very poor, but I'll have a go.

[Pat the Cat]

Well, here's how it goes. You've got two VGA outputs, which give you either output from the card, or just output from the Amiga's native graphics. You can actually swap which one is mapped to which output, which I guess is handy if one of them is damaged.

You can also rig the Amiga's native output to a BNC (BriberyNCorruption phono style connector, although that will probably take an extra cable you might not have. You don't really need this, it doesn't insist on PAL (Pablo does).

Not all Picasso IIs might support these options. There are a few variations.

It's nice to be able to control a framebuffer without the controls (The amiga native output) being visible on the 24 bit display. There is also probably an alpha channel option in there somewhere, and proably fading and toggling screens around (controlled by software, probably with an ARexx port for automation).

You don't necessarily want to have to run 24 bit graphics mode all the time. That means loading Workbench or another operating system fully. If you are playing games through the native chipset, don't bother loading drivers for the card, it's just a waste of resources, because madame blitter Agnus does not talk to 24 bit cards. If you are playing games with RTG 24 bit output, or using 24 bit applicatoins, or you just want a reource heavy but beauriful Workbench, it's a different story.

And pages 18-24 of the manual go over the resolution versus refresh rate issue in substantial technical detail, but appear to confirm the English language web reference.

Whether those refrersh rates match what you can get your hands on for a display or displays is the crucial issue, really.

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

And it might be you can connect two monitors to the beast.

That is incorrect.  The second DB15 port is for a switched pass-through input from the Amiga's native graphics output.

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

I owned two Picasso II's before trading up to my Spectrum.  They're not bad cards, really, but I could never get the input on the switcher to play nice with the output from my Indivision ECS (I wanted to use only a single monitor for all screenmodes - the PII is not a scandoubler - if you feed it 15KHz input, it will output 15KHz, unlike the more advanced PIV cards).  I tried two different versions of PII and even had some correspondence with Jens, but eventually gave up and got the Spectrum card, instead.

You want to use the latest Picasso96 software with it, which I think you already have a link to download, and if I recall correctly you've already learned how to set different screenmodes.  For me the best balance of performance vs quality was around 800x600x16-bit or 1024x768x8-bit, but of course your expectations may vary and you may choose to set up a screenmode that's completely different, with a monitor that's completely different, lol.

BTW - don't use segmented memory mode on the things.  Yes, you can.  But no, you shouldn't.  

[Pat the Cat]

The second DB15 port is for a switched pass-through input from the Amiga's native graphics output.

That is correct, as is the option for a phono output (not sure if the 24 bit card outputs that way, but probably switchable).

However, the OP did not demand that they be limited in any way, shape or form.

And sometimes, they will likely be running software that may not like RTG, or just doesn't use it anyway.

I know video, Mike. And I know why VGA is sometimes NOT the prefered option. Nor is permanent reliance on an Picasso card very sensible. What happens if one output channel dies or is damaged? Or the whole card? Mid way through a live performance, when the system is close to the gig, and the operator is maybe a 100 meters away?

The show must go on, but you wouldn't believe how hairy that can be.

[Pat the Cat]

They're not bad cards, really, but I could never get the input on the switcher to play nice with the output from my Indivision ECS (I wanted to use only a single monitor for all screenmodes - the PII is not a scandoubler - if you feed it 15KHz input, it will output 15KHz, unlike the more advanced PIV cards).

Of course you couldn't. Not without running both sets of the video chain (P2 and Indi ECS) in perfect sync, either with a 4:2:2 mixing desk, or by TBC'd them to the same clock, or by a number of other routes.

You cannot just click one set of analog video signals to another. Not without glitching at the very least. THAT is why you control with one side, and the public side, the display side, doesn't see the controlling bits, just the public output. This stuff was designed to output, but not necessarily LIVE. It could take days to generate 1 frame of 24 bit data with the 3D tools and CPUs around in Amigas at the time. They weren't designed to play GTA 2 or later, that's for sure.

Anyway, the OP wanted routes to HDMI. I'll go examine them, please. Or somebody else can tell the guy.

EDIT: Heck, loads. Check the specs, make sure they'll take the inputs (Amiga or card graphcis) and you can have two displays.

Or a wall of 28 projectors illuminating, say, the Empire State Building. Will cost ya a bit more though.

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

I know video, Mike.

Okay, (1) please stop talking down to me, and (2) you are wrong.  There is one video input on the Picasso II, which is used for the passthrough video input from the native Amiga graphics chipset (or from a compatible scandoubler), and one video output - which is used to connect to a standard "VGA-style" monitor (or some other device of their choice - such as a projector, HDMI converter, etc.).   Your previous post came up with some cockamamie malarkey about being  able to connect two monitors directly to the PII, which will not work for OP and  only confuses things.

You've obviously never owned one of these cards, so go google it.

PS - I have the manual in English, too.  :p

[Pat the Cat]

Okay, (1) please stop talking down to me, and (2) you are wrong.  There is one video input on the Picasso II, which is used for the passthrough video input from the native Amiga graphics chipset (or from a compatible scandoubler),

OK, but would you please stop talking down to me too? You ever used anyhing BUT picassos when it comes to video?

Would you please stop talking down to the original poster? They asked a quesion, without giving real personal usage requirements. Maybe a 24 inch monitor is a little bit large for them.

The manual looked to me like it had two outputs. I posted the pics to show my sources. How accurate that is, or what further options it gives them, is still conjectural at this point.

You've obviously never owned one of these cards, so go google it.

PS - I have the manual in English, too.  :p

That's true Mike, I haven't. You don't need to own stuff to Google it and form an opinion.

Now, have you ever had a true analog video mixer? Mixed flawlessly between muliple sources? That's what you wanted to do, but if you didn't know how, or couldn't get the hardware at the time, fair enough.

Ever tried to run a VGA signal 50 meters? That's kind of tricky. Same with HDMI. Phono can travel further, and SVGA is good up to that sometimes, but you probably didn't know that, either.

Hows about SECAM? Or automated VTR capture / playback / mixing?

You owned a couple, OK. You got something better, fair enough. GFX cards have their uses and abilities, but if you got one performer, it's not the same thing as working with orchestras, you dig the metaphor?

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

The Picasso II card does not have two discreet video outputs, "conjectural" my ass.  You made an assumption based on a manual that's not in English, you were wrong.  Here you go, from the manual, in English.  Pictures attached.  I really wish you would stop posting erroneous information in the forum.

And I never suggested a 24" anything.  Couldn't care less what OP gets, it's entirely up to them and their particular needs.

Now, have you ever had a true analog video mixer? Mixed flawlessly between muliple sources? That's what you wanted to do

Wrong.  Like many Amiga graphics cards, the Picasso II has a built-in video switcher designed for just such purposes.  Have you ever used one?  Hint: it's a switcher, there's no mixing involved.  :p

.

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

You don't need to own stuff to Google it and form an opinion.

True.  A wrong opinion, perhaps,  but an opinion nonetheless.  :lol:

[Pat the Cat]

True.  A wrong opinion, perhaps,  but an opinion nonetheless.  :lol:

So, what is wrong with the opinion that you can wire up one, two, or as many monitors as you want, to a P2? Bearing in mind, you can do such nice things with an input, as well as have whatever choices you want when it comes to displays?

Think outside the box, and I asked you nicely to stop talking down to me. Answer the question instead. And let's see what the OP actually wants to do, with their system.

"Best" depends on application. Please be patient, if you want an informed opinion, or at least, a variety of opinions from different information sources, let the OP give some input on that "what are your plans, needs and wants" issue. From their perspective, it's far more important to them getting informed options. As opposed to one option and a P1ssing contest.

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Ever tried to run a VGA signal 50 meters? That's kind of tricky. Same with HDMI. Phono can travel further, and SVGA is good up to that sometimes, but you probably didn't know that, either.

Hows about SECAM? Or automated VTR capture / playback / mixing?

You owned a couple, OK. You got something better, fair enough. GFX cards have their uses and abilities, but if you got one performer, it's not the same thing as working with orchestras, you dig the metaphor?

Blah blah blah.  How is any of this relavant to OP's question?  But thanks for telling me again "what I don't know".  :angryfire: