Computers: The Technical Thread [!OT]

[melfice]

Dunno... but i can see 1024x768 @ 60Hz...

[Allchimistul]

Hey I'm confrunting myself with a dillema.
I really don't know what kind of monitor do I have (what brand).

The manual specifies only the model:


OSD Digital Control Model 1510 - 22


There is no label either on the monitor itself or in the manual.

Oh and another thing:
The manual is written in 2 languages:
English and Spanish and on the back of the monitor it's written "Made for F.I Iberica"

[mrwiseman]

F.I Iberica sounds like a Spanish company to me, but I've never heard of them.

I can't find anything related to the model name/number or F.I Iberica in the Net, but if it has OSD, I can tell a couple things:

- It has at least 30-47 KHz HFreq
- It has at least 60-72 Hz VFreq
- It won't be damaged if you try setting a mode it doesn't support (very old monitors could, but if this one has OSD it's not old).

If Windows didn't identify the monitor (i.e. it's not using the VESA DDC driver, nor it says what model of monitor you've got), I recommend you set your monitor refresh rate to 60 Hz (Desktop Properties, Configuration, Advanced Options, Monitor) and your screen resolution to 800x600 (Desktop Properties, Configuration); then tell Windows you have a super-duper 1600x1200 monitor @ loads of Hz (Desktop Properties, Configuration, Advanced Options, Monitor, Properties), so you can try every mode. Use always 60 Hz for testing. Start with 800x600, then 1024x768, then the next available mode, and so on. If you can't see anything on the screen after setting a new graphics mode, or it looks real bad, quickly press 'N' to go back (*). With this procedure, you can determine your monitors supported modes and an approximation of its maximum HFreq, which you could use to determine the maximum refresh rate in every mode (I suggest you work at no less than 72 Hz in a 14" screen and no less than 85 Hz in a 17" screen). You can also try setting a different Hz to see what happens, if it doesn't work just press 'N' (*).


(*): Note: 'N' should work on most systems for "No", but if you have installed the Romanian version of Windows it might be a different letter depending on how is "No" said in Romanian.

[melfice]

Wiseman, have you ever programmed a "file transfer" program using the serial port? (bioscom function and stuff...)

It is that the next year i'll have to make one of them (in pure C, compiled under a MSDOS environment, don't worry.. [img]tongue.gif[/img] ) and i'd thank any help in that meaning...

[mrwiseman]

Nope, I had done a file transfer thingy using sockets (had to be for Linux, but it's portable to Win32 in under 5 minutes), I've never played with the serial port.

What kind of help do you need?

[Xellos]

I need help...

How do I take a pic of a movie? When I print screen it and paste it into Photoshop, it hows hte movie as a black screen. I figured the only way would be to use Animation shop and pick out the individual frame I wanted, but is there any other way?

[SmellyCat]

What do you think of this deal?

Playstation 2
Messiah 2 Pro
ps2 8MB card
ps1 1MB card
rgb cable
rgb fix
mini rc car (what's that?)

price: ? 375

[SmellyCat]

Can you play imported (NTSC) games on a PAL TV?
Uhmm probably a stupid question [img]smile.gif[/img]
But I want to be sure.

And how come ps2 games are dependant of the frequency of the TV?
I mean I can play PC games in many frequencies.
Is it because of optimization?

And why do I never see any of the RPG games you mention in the stores in the Netherlands?
[img]confused.gif[/img]

[mrwiseman]

IRT Xellos WRT birthday:

I think paying $250 for that kind of thing is far too much. You should try to get an VGA box-like thing for each console you have, it'll be cheaper.

As for the video quality: I don't know how the component system is (we have SCART in Europe), but if it's as good as SCART, it'll kick S-Video's butt. Much clearer signal, less color bleeding, and vibrant colors. However, it might not be as good as a 640x480 VGA signal, i.e. there's a possibility that a VGA box would deliver better quality than a component output converted to a VGA signal. (It also depends on the kinds of video output the console provides.) Anyways, computer monitors are higher quality than TVs, and you'll definitely get a better image, even if it was just regular TV. Melfice said "you can see ALL the details a game has" [...] "it is just like if you were playing a PC game", but I'd add "only much nicer, as a console game is" [img]tongue.gif[/img] [img]smile.gif[/img] .

Finally, careful with the monitor size and the viewing distance - if you sit close to a 20" monitor, and play games at 640x480 (for example, console games), scanlines will be very noticeable.

-----

IRT SC: Is the PS2 second hand or first hand? It looks like a good deal, especially if it's first hand... Also, I don't know what's a Mini RC Car, maybe a game? FYI I'll tell you what I got:

- Second hand PS2 (v3) with 1 gamepad + SVHS and SCART cables + 8 MB PS2 memory card + 2 Mb PSX memory card + Wipe Out Fusion for ?150
- Messiah 2 mod-chip + installation + technical support on the chip and the installation for ?120

[SmellyCat]

It's a first hand playstation 2.