Posted by Andy Geez on 8, 2000 at 4:49 PM:
In Reply to: Do they sell such an animal posted by Rob Caskey(staticx) on 8, 2000 at 4:03 PM:
1. Buy a SIS6326 videocard, with the file from BlastCity MAME cabinet page there is a file that when run will convert a 640x480 Windows95/98 screen to a 15khz 30hz Interlaced dispaly, so that means you'll get Windows on that (also the best card for MAME on an Arcade Monitor) I don't have this beast to test yet, but it should also be very cheap.
2. Buy a Quantum3D AArdvark Card (I don't think they make em anymore), if you are in the UK I can give you a contact that will sell you one, note the following.
Price = £269 (Including Delivery).
The actual output isn't great for Windows in Standard Res mode (15khz) and only 320x240 and 640x480 mode work, its very slow for DOS apps, no VESA2 or great, just VESA1 and the graphics look crap, but in Medimum Res (24khz) 512x384 and 1024x768 work and it looks amazingly sharp, and Bleem! and Impact. Also you can view the Image on the PC monitor at the same time, as it has two connectors one for VGA output and one EGA connector for Arcade Monitor. I own one of these cards.
3. STB Lightspeed 128 (NVidia RIVA128) TV version, this card had a BIOS bug in early version which outputed RGB out the VGA, but when the TV was connected, the signal was the correct frequency for Arcade Monitor at 15khz (as far as I know only 640x480 mode was supported).
4. Buy a scan convertor, these convert any VGA from 320x200 to 1024x768 to a correctly selected signal to RGB (PAL/NTSC), downside of this is the picture quality suffers, the scan conversion means there can be a delay in the field update, plus the colours look all yucky, personally I'd don't like this option. I own a scan convertor.
It is certianly a tough decession this, do you get a commercial VGA arcade monitor, that would solve a lot of the problems, but then you can't really use Guns (I'd like to use Light Guns oneday).
You have to way up the pro's and con's, if you only want it for MAME then its really simple, if you want to play Impact and Windows stuff then you are pretty screwed, cause a Standard Arcade Monitor isn't designed for anything like 640x480 or higher.
I hope I helped.