Vga Out

[Pickle]

I think this could be decent feature, it shouldnt take too much space. Shouldnt be hard to add. Maybe put the connector on ths side?
If we have TV out, why not?

 

[Squidge]

cost?

We would need extra circuitry to convert digital video signal to analog, extra connector which would be rarely used, the cost for the engineer to route the resulting pcb traces/test and debug/etc, modify the case.

Doesn't sound like a lot, but when you consider how many people would be using such a connector compared to tv out, I doubt it would be worth it.

 

[PokeParadox]

On a similar theme though, what output methods will be possible (through the use of cables) from the AV port?

 

[Pickle]

cost?

We would need extra circuitry to convert digital video signal to analog, extra connector which would be rarely used, the cost for the engineer to route the resulting pcb traces/test and debug/etc, modify the case.

Well I dont have much to go on but the block diagram, but it has a display controller with parallel/serial connection to a TFT monitor.
If that supports a DVI type connection the signals could remain digital and the analog doesnt have to be supported.
Maybe the digital levels are the same, in that case it would a straight route from the soc to the connector.

QUOTE

Doesn't sound like a lot, but when you consider how many people would be using such a connector compared to tv out, I doubt it would be worth it.



Some people on the forums are saying the same kind of things about the keyboard. They dont think is useful and without the cost would go done.

I think it also useful to get the topic out there before the pandora is released. If it doesnt happen oh well, at least know could say it was brought up.

 

[Squidge]

Well I dont have much to go on but the block diagram, but it has a display controller with parallel/serial connection to a TFT monitor.

No, it has connection to a TFT Panel, not TFT Monitor. Therefore for DVI output, it would require a DVI Transmitter plus possibly a buffer to convert the voltages, as the transmitter will most likely be 3.3V.

 

[Pickle]

Well I dont have much to go on but the block diagram, but it has a display controller with parallel/serial connection to a TFT monitor.

No, it has connection to a TFT Panel, not TFT Monitor. Therefore for DVI output, it would require a DVI Transmitter plus possibly a buffer to convert the voltages, as the transmitter will most likely be 3.3V.


i guess that makes more seen for the type of processor this is. Yeah DVI (any connecter) is no where close to a internal connection to a display.
Anyway this conneciton is whats powering the exisiting display most likely.

I simply read it wrong. Your argument against it was right on., it would be wasteful to try to make a vga out.

 

[Prophet]

VGA would be great, but at this stage of the game it's not needed.

S-Video is decent, and for retro emulation, probably the most "accurate" signal to have (in terms of recreating the onscreen look most people experienced with older consoles (RGB cable nutnicks like myself not withstanding)).

One thing I'd like to know - how is the 800x480 resolution converted to S-Video? Is it downscaled to 640x480 interlaced or??? Just wondering how it will be rendered into an NTSC video signal.

 

[DaveC]

Does this output S-video? The last time I heard it only put out crummy composite video. Hopefully that has changed as composite looks awful.

 

[atomicthumbs]

I thought MWeston said something about S-video, but I may be wrong.

 

[Prophet]

According to http://pandora.bluwiki.com

QUOTE
TV-out included in hardware, A/V-OUT Port outputs S-Video and Composite and inputs 3,5mm Headphone/Microphone cables..

And for backup, this is quoted from the OMAP3430 PDF ( http://focus.ti.com/pdfs/wtbu/ti_omap3430.pdf ):

QUOTE
The OMAP3430 supports high-quality outputs as well as inputs, enabling easy
sharing of multimedia content. Composite and S-video outputs provide flexible
connectivity options to extend to TV displays and projectors.

 

[Squidge]

Does this output S-video? The last time I heard it only put out crummy composite video. Hopefully that has changed as composite looks awful.

S-Video output is on the A/V socket (part of the extended headphone jack).

 

[cappuchok]

S-Video is decent, and for retro emulation, probably the most "accurate" signal to have (in terms of recreating the onscreen look most people experienced with older consoles (RGB cable nutnicks like myself not withstanding)).

Well, yeah, S-video MAY be decent, depending on your TV set and whether or not you live in the US where S-video is pretty much the best you're likely to get unless you go Component, but for accuracy nothing beats direct-drive RGB (that's what the arcade monitors used and you could get RGB from SNES and other home consoles used in arcades as well) and in Europe it is universally available thanks to SCART, whereas S-video connectors are still relatively rare (except on flatscreens) and most CRT TV sets can't handle it properly over SCART (S-video over SCART is a hack and thus not widely supported). If the TV set doesn't support S-video over SCART and doesn't have dedicated S-video inputs (it never "took off" in Europe) feeding it an S-video signal will look far worse than Composite and may even be totally unwatchable.

But yeah, I second the VGA suggestion, as most flatscreens allow VGA inputs as well and you get a signal just as accurate as RGB (it's the same signal but with separated H/V sync, I think). If VGA is available, converting it to RGB outside of the box would be possible (though it would require an extra circuit board to combine the sync signals, I guess).

 

[Prophet]

for accuracy nothing beats direct-drive RGB (that's what the arcade monitors used and you could get RGB from SNES and other home consoles used in arcades as well)

Yes, I'm well aware... You're talking to someone who's been running his consoles on RGB for 20 years... That's what the "RGB cable nutnick" comment meant.

In the USA no less, where no TV's had RGB - we used Amiga monitors or Wells Gardner arcade monitors etc.

But yeah, I second the VGA suggestion, as most flatscreens allow VGA inputs as well and you get a signal just as accurate as RGB (it's the same signal but with separated H/V sync, I think).

It's simply not going to happen. Unfortunately. Read Squidges comments.

 

[Squidge]

I'm sure if your that desperate for RGB output, someone will write a driver for a USB->VGA converter box. Then all the cost is contained in a completely separate product that can be purchased separately.

 

[Prophet]

Hey Squidge,

One thing I'd like to know - how is the 800x480 resolution converted to S-Video? Is it downscaled to a smaller resolution and interlaced or??? Just wondering how it will be rendered into an NTSC video signal.

 

[Julius]

The TV-out is a seperate singnal (CraigiX said once very early in the discussion), e.g you can have a different image on the build in screen and on the TV out.
Thus there is no need to scale the 800x480 into TV resolution.

 

[Prophet]

The TV-out is a seperate singnal (CraigiX said once very early in the discussion), e.g you can have a different image on the build in screen and on the TV out.
Thus there is no need to scale the 800x480 into TV resolution.

Ah, very interesting! Thanks.

 

[3Designer]

Ehm I'm not sure if this is a stupid question, but if it doesn't have vga will I be able to connect it to my tft monitor with just a wire?

 

[Orkie]

Not unless your monitor has support for composite or S-video built in, which very few do.

 

[Fishbong]

You can always use a VGA box, but those look awful on LC-displays.

But what´s this part about video input i read earlier? Does that mean that we could use the Pandora as a VCR too?