[net.micro.amiga] Monitors: what letters of the alphabet do I need?

acs@amdahl.UUCP (Tony Sumrall) (09/27/86)

Well, I'm just about ready to start looking for a monitor for my machine
(been using a 13" color TV for quite some time).  Anyway, I've been watching
the mags for adverts and am absolutely dumbfounded by the alphabet soup
that proliferates in the monitor world what with EGA, PGA, NTSC, PAL,
RGBA, RGBI, etc. etc.  Can someone shed some light on what it is I need
for the Amiga interface-wise and all?  I know I can get a NEC Multi-sync
or the KV1311-CR but I'd really like to be a bit better informed so that
I can make some practical decisions on my own.  I guess if I want interlace
I need a monitor that's capable of at least 640x400 so that's taken care
of but what kind of interfacing/signalling?  I guess all that I want is
a correspondence table of RGBI == PGA or something like that (no, I don't
*really* think that RGBI is the same as PGA, that just an e.g.).

Can *anyone* help?

BTW, I'm interested in long persistence phosphor as well.

Thanks and if I receive any personal replies I'll summarize to the net...I
can't believe that I'm the only one out here that would like to have this
info.
-- 
Tony Sumrall                    ...!{ihnp4,hplabs,seismo,sun}!amdahl!acs

[ Opinions expressed herein are the author's and should not be construed
  to reflect the views of Amdahl Corp. ]

higgin@cbmvax.cbm.UUCP (Paul Higginbottom) (09/28/86)

In article <3789@amdahl.UUCP> acs@amdahl.UUCP (Tony Sumrall) writes:
>Well, I'm just about ready to start looking for a monitor for my machine
>(been using a 13" color TV for quite some time).  Anyway, I've been watching
>the mags for adverts and am absolutely dumbfounded by the alphabet soup
>that proliferates in the monitor world what with EGA, PGA, NTSC, PAL,
>RGBA, RGBI, etc. etc.  Can someone shed some light on what it is I need
>for the Amiga interface-wise and all?

Let's have a go at explaining the letters - EGA - enhanced graphics
adaptor (IBM name for nice RGB-(oops another one, that's RED-GREEN-BLUE
input)-I(intensity) 350 vertical line resolution board).
PGA - Professional Golfers Association - sorry, just kidding, I assume
it's a professional graphics adaptor - hmm. NTSC - North-American
Television Standord C(?) - it's the name for the type of video signals
used in North America.  Yes, your monitor must be NTSC compatible.
PAL - don't know what it stands for, but it's the "other" video standard
which is used most everywhere OTHER than North-America.
RGBA - Red-Green-Blue-ANALOG inputs - the Amiga needs this because its
control of the color is ANALOG which allows all those thousands of
colors.  RGB-I only allows 16 (think of each of R-G-B-I as one bit = 16).

So, you need an NTSC-RGB-Analog monitor at the minimum.  If you see a
mention of the "dot pitch" you want as LOW a number as possible.  This
basically specifies the resolution of the monitor itself.  The 1080
is .4<?> or thereabouts, which is barely ok.  The Sony 1311 is REAL fine,
around .3 I think.

As for a cable - good luck.  The Amiga has this wonderful(!) 23 pin
connector which I've never seen ANYWHERE before.  The easiest way if
you find you'll need a custom cable and can't get one would be to hack
off the two end pins on a DB25 connector and make your own.

No doubt I've made TONS of inaccuracies in what I have said here, but
please don't flame too hard, it should help Tony somewhat.

	Paul.

Disclaimer: I don't work for anyone, and my opinions are my own.
  I know I can get a NEC Multi-sync

phils@tekigm.UUCP (Phil Staub) (09/30/86)

In article <799@cbmvax.cbmvax.cbm.UUCP> higgin@cbmvax.UUCP (Paul Higginbottom) writes:
...
>                                            NTSC - North-American
>Television Standord C(?) - it's the name for the type of video signals
>used in North America.  Yes, your monitor must be NTSC compatible.
>PAL - don't know what it stands for, but it's the "other" video standard
>which is used most everywhere OTHER than North-America.
...
>
>	Paul.
>
>Disclaimer: I don't work for anyone, and my opinions are my own.
>  I know I can get a NEC Multi-sync

NTSC = National Television System Committee. Description is correct.

PAL = Phase Alternate Line. A NTSC-derivative color system in which the
phase of the color reference is alternated on every other line, which also
results in an alternation of the color phase of the same line on alternate 
scans of the same field. The resulting "averaging" effect reduces the
visibility of color phase errors (such as caused by antenna response and other
factors) to the point that TVs receiving any PAL system signals (that I know
of) do not require (or have) a "tint" or "hue" control, as on NTSC systems.

There is also another system in use in France called SECAM (this one I don't
know the meaning of the letters on. It's French, and since I don't speak 
French, I never bothered to find out. Probably couldn't properly print it on 
an ASCII terminal anyway 8-). ) which is totally unlike either of the above
systems.

Hope this helps.

Phil Staub
Tektronix, Inc.
ISI Engineering
P.O. Box 3500
Vancouver, Washington 98668
C1-904, (206) 253-5634
..tektronix!tekigm!phils

stever@videovax.UUCP (Steven E. Rice, P.E.) (10/01/86)

In article <946@tekigm.UUCP>, Phil Staub (phils@tekigm.UUCP) writes:

> There is also another system in use in France called SECAM (this one I don't
> know the meaning of the letters on. It's French, and since I don't speak 
> French, I never bothered to find out. Probably couldn't properly print it on 
> an ASCII terminal anyway 8-). ) which is totally unlike either of the above
> systems.

SECAM stands for SEQuentiel A Memoire ("sequential with storage"), according
to _The SECAM Color Television System_, by L. E. Weaver (Tektronix, Inc.,
Beaverton, Oregon, 1982).  SECAM uses a frequency-modulated chrominance
subcarrier, unlike both NTSC and PAL.

The story circulates in TV circles that SECAM actually stands for "System
Essentially Contrary to the American Method". . .

					Steve Rice

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rkolker@netxcom.UUCP (Rick Kolker) (10/06/86)

In article <1972@videovax.UUCP> stever@videovax.UUCP (Steven E. Rice, P.E.) writes:
>SECAM stands for SEQuentiel A Memoire ("sequential with storage"), according
>to _The SECAM Color Television System_, by L. E. Weaver (Tektronix, Inc.,
>Beaverton, Oregon, 1982).  SECAM uses a frequency-modulated chrominance
>subcarrier, unlike both NTSC and PAL.
>
>The story circulates in TV circles that SECAM actually stands for "System
>Essentially Contrary to the American Method". . .
>
>					Steve Rice
 
And NTSC stands for Never The Same Color.

                              rich
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stever@videovax.UUCP (Steven E. Rice, P.E.) (10/10/86)

In article <120@netxcom.UUCP>, Rick Kolker (rkolker@netxcom.UUCP) writes:

> And NTSC stands for Never The Same Color.

As someone else pointed out, the usual slur is, "Never Twice the Same Color."
I used to believe the propaganda about how marvelous it was that PAL didn't
have a hue control, because the colors were always correct.  Then I saw a
monitor displaying seasick PAL -- everyone was green.  The most frustrating
part was that there was no hue control, so the error introduced at the studio
couldn't be corrected!

					Steve Rice

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