Best video display for ti99/4a

[James app-2008]

Hello,

 

i own a ti99/4a computer which i have a din plug for audio and video i believe. 
 

i like the computer but on my crt’s the display is hard to read which takes away from the enjoyment of coding 

 

i fool around with writing music on the computer but its frustrating reading the letters 

 

can anyone help me by pointing me in the right direction as far as improving the video quality, weather it be some kind of video mod or some advice? 
 

thanks in advance

[Hans23]

I take it that you're using a video monitor connected to the console using a DIN-5 adapter cable, and you are located in the US.  If that is the case, your best bet is an F18A which gives you a VGA output and adds a 80 chars per line mode, which is nice for coding.  If you have a european console, you can also acquire a tms-rgb board.  It is soldered underneath the video controller and gives you a clean RGB signal (15 kHz).  You will need a monitor that can operate with that scan rate (e.g. CBM 1084 or a TV with an RGB SCART input).

 

I'm still building F18A boards and if you're interested, fill out my form to get onto the waiting list.  I'm currently waiting for the FPGA chips that I ordered to arrive, but once they do, I'll be able to build another bunch of boards.

[pixelpedant]

And barring an F18A, options which might improve things include: 

 

- Using a European console, which outputs a much cleaner YPbPr signal (but needs 50Hz compatible display). 

- Using an upscaler (whether analogue>analogue or analogue>digital) which provides some good filtering. 

- Using a CRT with some good signal/output tweaking. 

 

But definitely, F18A is the way, in the long run.  Especially because it's required for certain fairly popular games and applications, and is the only way to get 80 column graphics, in current production. 

[Hans23]

20 minutes ago, pixelpedant said:

- Using a European console, which outputs a much cleaner YPbPr signal (but needs 50Hz compatible display). 

The tms-rgb that I mentioned converts the YPbPr signal to RGB.  This might not be necessary as YPbPr is commonly referred to as component video and there should be TVs that can directly display it.  I tried with my Samsung screen but finally gave up and went the RGB route.  Do you know of any working solution that converts the YPbPr output produced by the TMS9929A to a standard component video signal?

[tmop69]

5 minutes ago, Hans23 said:

The tms-rgb that I mentioned converts the YPbPr signal to RGB.  This might not be necessary as YPbPr is commonly referred to as component video and there should be TVs that can directly display it.  I tried with my Samsung screen but finally gave up and went the RGB route.  Do you know of any working solution that converts the YPbPr output produced by the TMS9929A to a standard component video signal?

I'm using the OSSC Scaler with a component cable to connect to a PC Monitor. It's working great.

 

 

[pixelpedant]

Same.  OSSC is my preferred option.  For upscaling F18A RGB as well. 

[Hans23]

Nice, thank you both!  I'll give the OSSC at try, I have one here and never tried it with the TI.

[tmop69]

3 minutes ago, Hans23 said:

Nice, thank you both!  I'll give the OSSC at try, I have one here and never tried it with the TI.

It works out of the box without having to worry too much with all the parameters of the OSSC. My monitor supports the 2x and 3x at FullHD. I've just added some scanlines for having a retrò feeling. It is better to set the brightness of the monitor to maximum to compensate the scanlines and having better colors. However, I'm not 100% satisfied with the colors result, so if you find some settings/tricks please let me know. On the same monitor, the MiSTer on HDMI and scanlines at 25% offers spectacular results.

 

[James app-2008]

Hello

 

as far as i know i have a usa model ti. 
 

I do have an rgb monitor. I use it for my sega and rgb modded nintendo. 
 

so your saying i should get on the list for the F18A board? 
 

would the rgb mod be a possibility? I bought the ti off ebay pretty sure its a us model. 
 

i dont have any vga video cables, although i just dusted off what looks like a dell vga computer monitor which i could use. 
 

my current monitors, are crt’s and have composite and rgb respectfully

[RickyDean]

Just now, James app-2008 said:

Hello

 

as far as i know i have a usa model ti. 
 

I do have an rgb monitor. I use it for my sega and rgb modded nintendo. 
 

so your saying i should get on the list for the F18A board? 
 

would the rgb mod be a possibility? I bought the ti off ebay pretty sure its a us model. 
 

i dont have any vga video cables, although i just dusted off what looks like a dell vga computer monitor which i could use. 
 

my current monitors, are crt’s and have composite and rgb respectfully

Search on these forums for ti99 rgb 9928 you should find some info for setting up for rgb, I don't have an rgb setup right and don't keep track of the links.

[mnielsenau]

9 hours ago, pixelpedant said:

Same.  OSSC is my preferred option.  For upscaling F18A RGB as well. 

@pixelpedant I just wanted to check that you are using an OSSC with the F18A? If so is there a specific VGA to SCART cable that you are using?

[pixelpedant]

34 minutes ago, mnielsenau said:

@pixelpedant I just wanted to check that you are using an OSSC with the F18A? If so is there a specific VGA to SCART cable that you are using?

Yes, I use an OSSC with an F18A for the purposes of my main everyday-use machine.  The OSSC has a DE-15 plug which accepts 31KHz RGBHV, so this works with no special cabling of any kind.  Just plug it in, select the right input, and away you go. 

[mnielsenau]

1 hour ago, pixelpedant said:

Yes, I use an OSSC with an F18A for the purposes of my main everyday-use machine.  The OSSC has a DE-15 plug which accepts 31KHz RGBHV, so this works with no special cabling of any kind.  Just plug it in, select the right input, and away you go. 

@pixelpedant Thanks for that I must admit I didn't realize that the OSSC had a VGA input... doh.  BTW I love your YouTube videos and your sense of humor in them. As a sarcastic Aussie I really get your humor....

Edited May 13, 2021 by mnielsenau

[pixelpedant]

Thanks.  My wife has long alleged that I am almost definitely a robot, what with the way I act and talk like one. 

 

And that might not be the conventional brand, for YouTube videos. 

 

But when it comes to talking about 40 year old computers, I figure it fits alright.