Re: Using IIgs with VGA monitor - how to go?

[mjmahon@aol.com (Michael J. Mahon)]

In article <b6hisl$5a4p8$1@ID-60882.news.dfncis.de>, "Volkmar Friauf"
<vf@apple2.com> writes:

>Hi everyone,
>
>recently, picture quality of my IIgs Color monitor is degrading rapidly, so
>I've been looking for an alternative. Since I have a fine VGA display for
>my PC, I am looking for a way how to use that display with my IIgs
>(possibly with a monitor switch so I easily switch between IIgs and PC).
>
>I have thought about trying a SecondSight VGA, but first they are not easy
>to come across ;) , and second, I believe that this wouldn't be a good
>solution for long, because of possible crashes and incompatibilities.

Indeed, as well as being nearly impossible to come by, and quite
expensive ($300?) when found.

>So what is there else? Google told me that I could either use a "V-Box",
>and converte the IIgs' composite video output to VGA. Or, I could use a
>scan rate converter to convert the 15.7kHz HSYNC analog RGB signal to VGA's
>minimum 31kHz.
>
>The composite way would be much easier and cheaper, since such a V-Box is
>available for about US$50, and I could use it off the shelf. On the other
>hand, I fear that the result might be a mushy picture. Is that true?

Yes.  I have tried one of these (the "Video Cheese Box"--no kidding ;-)
with poor results on anything but normal hi-res graphics (not text), and
even with that restriction, the result is only fair.

>A scan rate converter such as the X-RGB 2+ is promosing sharper pictures,
>but for a much higher price: the X-RGB 2+ seems to go for about US$250,
>*plus* I would have to rig up a proper DB15-RGB to Japanese SCART cable. Is
>it worth the hassle?

It may be, if you must have VGA.  But you should not expect too much,
since the currently available solutions do not properly resample the input
video, with the result that pixel positions are unstable and often "jaggy",
and spatial aliasing of fine patterns occurs.  At this time, no one has yet
found an anti-aliasing converter, but, since most LCD displays need just
such a converter for scaling non-native resolution inputs, I'm hopeful that
a solution will soon exist at a reasonable price.

-michael

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