Re: CRT TV as monitor working backwards

[Michael J. Mahon <mjmahon@aol.com>]

KP <kjpmail@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