MicroCoreLabs
Experienced Member
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2016
- Messages
- 296
Thank you for the insight. I passed it along to the MiSTer PXCT group!
Well, I wasn't thinking on this demo specifically, I also understand that it's intended for a very specific system+characteristics.And, as has driven into the ground, it would be really pointless to incorporate as an alternate code path into a demo that's specifically supposed to demo the fixed configuration of a 4.77mhz 5150 or exact compatible with CGA. Maybe if someone wants to write *THE* killer demo for IBM PS/2s it'd be a trick that'd come in handy.
The MCL86 is cycle accurate and emulates these Intel 8088 bug "features". It can even replace the CPU in the motherboard.
BTW, the Keen intro is one of the most hilarious things I've seen in a long time . Kudos for the great technical achievement but also for your great sense of humor. Could be done another Commander Keen 4/5 port for CGA 16 colors, but for CRT instead of composite?
Tell me about it - there's no easily accessible info about it other than on your site. It's a very interesting video setup... but even if we were to source one and learn the ropes, there's barely a handful of people on the planet who'd be able to enjoy the results.At some point I'd like to see what these talented folks can do with the 3270PC display subsystem. But that's much rarer and less-well-documented hardware.
There's 3 Shades of Gray (the "mirrors" link has some working downloads) but the .nfo says "8MHz or faster 8086 PC"... closest thing I know of.Id like to see a 5150 hercules and/or IBM monochrome video adapter demo... If there are such things point me to them please.
Not to mention that the MDA dot clock runs off a separate crystal so you can't do cycle-counting either.... so your code would have to spend quite a bit of time polling the status bits to try and keep in sync with the beam....IIRC, Hercules/MDA make it even more difficult to "race the beam" on slow systems, since the H/V blanking periods are ridiculously short. Horizontal blanking is barely even there - blink (poll in a loop?) and you'll miss it.
True, that's what I meant with my "poll in a loop" referenceNot to mention that the MDA dot clock runs off a separate crystal so you can't do cycle-counting either.... so your code would have to spend quite a bit of time polling the status bits to try and keep in sync with the beam....
Ella es mi mujercita. She too finds it very important that this demo be viewed at 4:3 aspect ratio - anything wider will elicit some strong words when that screen comes up.Quién es esa niña?
Awesome! Is that RGB2HDMI?My CGA to HDMI video adapter chain finally came in. I was able to hook up to my Compaq Portable to an LCD screen and view Area 5150 in stunning color! Recorded on an iPhone that struggled to get the correct white balance and glare from the lights above (sorry, I'm no videographer). The video signal converter chain also introduced some screen tearing artifacts, no doubt due to the conversion to a 1024x768 digital signal. Still looks amazing in person, though:
It's a chain of GGLABS CGA2RGB adapter plugged into a RGB to HDMI Arcade Game Video Converter Output Board. It looks better than I expected, but I think the HDMI output is a little harsh. I'm getting the RGB to VGA Converter Board and connect it to a good old analog VGA monitor.Ella es mi mujercita. She too finds it very important that this demo be viewed at 4:3 aspect ratio - anything wider will elicit some strong words when that screen comes up.
Awesome! Is that RGB2HDMI?
If there's are any tearing, it's not visible in the video. But yeah, scaling that resolution up to 1024x768 will probably introduce some artifacting due to non-integer scale factors.
To maintain CGA's pixel aspect ratio at integer factors, you'd have to scale up by 5x12, which isn't practical; ginormous target resolution, and most converters are probably going to drop frames like they're hot. 2x5 is close enough (4% difference), but you'd still need a monitor with a vertical resolution of x1200. Gotta love current display technologies with their physically fixed pixel grids... three cheers for progress!
That's a very good video, and it's focused well enough to see some scanlines, which I think really contributes to the 'feels' of this amazing demo!Some CRT footage off the IBM 5153. Tried to get a decent video that's both 60fps and (mostly) free of flickering/banding artifacts:
Captures are cleaner, but on a CRT you do get that nice effect when there's graphics in the overscan area right up to the bezel...
Thanks for checking - that's a bit surprising because the CDP 1600 was touted as 100% compatible, with explicit comparisons to the Compaqs... wouldn't have thought to put it in the "cheap dirty ripoff" category! Gotta wonder whether it's the motherboard design or the CGA clone they bundled with it.Finally got a minute to try it on my Columbia Data Products 1600. It looks nice up until the end, I guess when it does the water effects, and the video goes totally out of sync.
Yea, still seeing what I can get away with on a cheap dirty rip-off clone.