Re: CRT TV as monitor working backwards

[KP <kjpmail@gmail.com>]

On Aug 9, 12:04 pm, Michael J. Mahon <mjma...@aol.com> wrote:
> KP <kjpm...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > On Aug 9, 2:03 am, Michael J. Mahon <mjma...@aol.com> wrote:
> >> KP <kjpm...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >>> I plugged a IIgs composite-out into the composite-in on a 13" CRT
> >>> Sharp TV.  Much to my surprise, I was shocked that, when put in
> >>> GRAPHICS mode (lo-res, hi-res, any res), the picture is crystal clear
> >>> (including the text portion of the screen in GR or HGR mode).
> >>> Likewise much to my surprise, I was further shocked that, when put in
> >>> TEXT mode, the text is ludicrously fuzzy and blurred.  The latter
> >>> effect disappears when I reduce the COLOR setting on the TV to 0.
>
> >>> See, I thought that the composite out was supposed to be super clear
> >>> in text mode, and that it was the graphics modes that were supposed to
> >>> struggle.
>
> >>> This is a Rom 01, if that matters.  I just don't know what's going
> >>> on.  I was expecting portions of the experience to be uncooperative,
> >>> but I had expected the opposite problem from what actually happened.
>
> >>> Is this normal?
>
> >> Composite out on a IIgs is *completely* different from the composite out on
> >> 8-bit Apples.
>
> >> The IIgs is natively an RGB machine, with composite being approximately
> >> synthesized. 8-bit Apples are native composite machines, with typically
> >> non-native RGB behavior. In fact, the IIgs converts the native Apple II
> >> composite signal to RGB in an approximate way, then back-synthesizes its
> >> composite output from that!
>
> >> Any analog CRT NTSC monitor will be free of the resampling artifacts that
> >> typically plague LCD monitors. Of course, the bandwidth of the luminance
> >> signal, so critical for sharp text, will usually be severely compromised.
>
> >> For a IIgs composite signal, YMMV.
>
> >> -michael - NadaNet 3.1 and AppleCrate II:http://home.comcast.net/~mjmahon
>
> > Is this the technical way of saying "Plug that thing into a green
> > phosphor monitor, plug your //e into the CRT TV, and end it there"?
>
> > If so, I suppose that makes sense, but the last time that I plugged a
> > IIgs into an LCD TV (and a big LCD at that--it was a demonstration for
> > a user group), it looked outstanding!  I'd describe it as being top-
> > quality composite.  Not RGB, of course, but a real gorgeous big
> > composite image.  And now I'm plugging a IIgs into a 13" CRT and I get
> > a totally different result.
>
> > Really just time to give up on putting the IIgs on a color composite
> > screen?
>
> Not at all!  But, as you have found, results can vary widely.
>
> Apple II graphics were designed for limited bandwidth NTSC monitors, and
> most analog CRT monitors meet that criterion. Some digital LCD monitors can
> do it well, too--but not all.
>
> Apple II text displays--especially 80-column displays--look best on high
> bandwidth monochrome monitors, which practically no analog TV can do.
> Again, some digital monitors may do this well, but likely not in "color"
> mode.
>
> -michael - NadaNet 3.1 and AppleCrate II:http://home.comcast.net/~mjmahon

What I'm using isn't a "monitor" per se--it's just a CRT TV with an
RCA plug for composite video in.  Last night after posting here, I
tried it again with some GS-specific software that uses the GS higher-
end graphics modes.  It looked fantastic!  I just don't understand why
graphics that are supposed to look beautiful only on an RGB monitor
would display gloriously well on this composite screen, but text--that
should look decent regardless of the screen--wouldn't.

The other bizarre thing is that, when I turn the COLOR setting on the
TV down to 0, not only does 40-column text look great... but so does
80-column text!  I can use AppleWorks with crystal clear clarity on
this TV screen via composite-in and it is crisp, clear, and perfectly
legible.  But in order to do it, I have to eliminate the color on the
screen.

Then, when I want to play a game, I need to reset the color setting to
its default, and all of a sudden I'm looking at crystaline graphics
quality so stunning that it's difficult to believe I'm not just on an
RGB connection.

Meanwhile, when I plug into an LCD screen, the text mode is great with
no blur.

But I think I'll just have to reconcile myself to manually changing
the color setting on the tv when I switch from text to graphics.  It's
an annoyance, but given the quality of the resulting images, it's
probably the best solution.