cfleck@SRC.Honeywell.COM (Chuck Fleckentein) (03/22/91)
I have a question about connecting a color monitor to an 800XL. Has anyone used a NEC JC-1225MA Monitor with their 8-bit ? Someone at work wants to sell this monitor to me and I want to make sure it is compatible... He used it with his C64. It has two VCR like plugs in the back (video in and video out).... I know I would have to buy a 5pin to video cable... Are there any other considerations I need to take into account ? What would be a normal price to pay for a monitor like this ? Thanks cfleck cfleck@src.honeywell.com
njd@cbnewsd.att.com (nick.j.dimasi) (03/22/91)
In article <1991Mar21.183252.25475@src.honeywell.com> cfleck@SRC.Honeywell.COM (Chuck Fleckentein) writes: >I have a question about connecting a color monitor to an 800XL. > >Has anyone used a NEC JC-1225MA Monitor with their 8-bit ? >Someone at work wants to sell this monitor to me and I want to >make sure it is compatible... He used it with his C64. It has >two VCR like plugs in the back (video in and video out).... >I know I would have to buy a 5pin to video cable... Are there >any other considerations I need to take into account ? >........ I've never seen this brand of monitor, but if it has 2 (and only 2) "VCR-like" (RCA-type) jacks in the back, and no other jacks, then those must be Video In and Audio In (assuming the monitor handles audio, maybe some don't!). One Video In jack means the monitor accepts NTSC composite video (assuming it's not a European PAL- input monitor - I've never seen such a beast). If there are actually three (RCA-type) jacks (or two RCAs and a mini-phone jack), or two sets of jacks (one triplet, one pair or less if audio is not separated), then they are probably Chroma, Luma, and Audio In (and the 2nd set would be composite). I have a Commodore 1802C monitor, which of course works with a C64. It has two video input modes: NTSC ("Regular Video") and what I call 'split chroma/luma' ("Commodore video"). I use it with my 130XE (and, when pressed, with my 800XL, when some programs balk at the OmniView chip in my XE). The complications at the Atari end are: The 800 and 130XE (and possibly other 8-bit models except the 800XL) will output either NTSC composite video or split chroma/luma. (The same monitor jack has pins for both - just use different cables.) But the 800XL is missing the internal wiring for the chroma pin, so unless you modify it, you can only use composite video. That's no problem for most monitors usable with 8-bit machines, because NTSC composite video is a (US) standard 'Split chroma/luma' gives better resolution, though - enough for 80 columns (for me, anyway). To summarize: Unless your friend's monitor ONLY accepts 'split chroma/luma' video - no composite video - you can use it with your 800XL. Composite video monitor cables are (or at least were when I last bought one) an off-the-shelf item. Nick DiMasi Uniq Digital Technologies, Inc. nick@udt386.chi.il.us [I'm not there as much] ...att!odutsa!njd [I'm on here a lot] | Delphi: TURBONICK or njd@odutsa.att.com | | R/r (reply command) is supposed to be | under contract to AT&T Network Systems OK (to cbnewsd, forwarded) now. | (Network Software Ctr., Lisle, IL)