I’ve asked a couple of people and I got mixed answers.
This is what I want to do:
I have a Standard Resolution 36" Arcade Monitor. It’s currently displaying the Sega Dreamcast in 15khz standard resolution. Looks real nice but the games I want to play on it should be running in VGA mode. So, when I look at the monitor I want it to look like VGA.
Someone the XRGB, can anyone confirm that this works?
Is there a device I can use to make my Standard Resolution monitor output VGA, and look like VGA with little or no signal degradation.
You may be able to upgrade/replace your monitor chassis with one that can do tri-sync. Aside from that, I don’t believe downscanning VGA is going to look any better than just displaying it interlaced as you likely do now.
there are schematics to build your own VGA box for DC just so you know–ebay price is pretty dirt cheap too. You don’t want to get anything like the XRGB VGA box for your DC. That would actually be WORSE than a standard DC VGA box because DC supports VGA natively.
^You’ve got your standards mixed up there, toodles. 60Hz is refresh rate, and is a capability of both standard res and high rers (VGA) monitors. 15kHz is the horizontal frequency of standard res monitors, while 31kHz is horizontal frequency of high res. To stick with one naming convention or the other, 15kHz standard res is CGA, 25kHz medium res is EGA, and 31kHz high res is VGA. As Taiki said, you will never get a 31kHz signal out of a 15kHz monitor…unless you do some modifcation, like laugh suggests. Most monitors that you will find in cabs (at least pre-2000 or so) do not support dual sync natively, but you can always check the part number of the pcb board (if it’s a U.S. cabinet, there is probably a Wells-Gardner part numer somewhere on the PCB, which can be cross-referenced at their site), and see what it supports.
I’m playing the Dreamcast on it right now but it’s displaying it at 15khz from a hacked VGA box. So, I guess there is no way to make it LOOK like VGA without swapping out the chassis (monitor PCB) or replacing the whole monitor. I don’t think I’ll ever find a 36" open frame arcade monitor locally.
Another option would be fitting an LCD screen, with VGA input, into the cabinet. May not be the most cost-effective option, but compared to “built for arcade” monitors, it may actually be less expensive.
