User avatar
gwoods27

Posted Mon May 29, 2023 10:00 am

Anyone out there test this CGA to VGA converter with a Commodore 128D?
https://www.ambery.com/av-1m.html

User avatar
Shot97
Detroit, MI, USA

Posted Fri Sep 22, 2023 9:36 am

I use that for the Amiga. It acts as a scan doubler, getting rid of most scan lines and allowing the use of monitors other than 15khz. I used it connected to a late 90's Gateway CRT monitor, where it looked fairly good, though there were always some little issues with it. It went funky in NTSC high res mode, 640x400, though it was fine in high res PAL 640x456. It had visible wavy lines, not scanlines, and they went vertical, this was especially evident with dithering in medium res 640x200. Kind of made heavy dithering look a bit trippy.

Later I would pick up a separate device to plug into it which got rid of those lines. This other device said that all the other scan doubler type things are made for newer LCD monitors which have built in stuff so those vertical lines aren't really noticed (they're wrong, they are still noticed on LCD monitors, and even my late 90's CRT monitor has the same thing and it was noticed). I picked up this other thing because I just started using a CRT television for the Amiga while it was still hooked up to late 90's monitor. On the TV that scan doubler looked pretty bad, but this other device made not only the TV look good, but also made those lines that I just dealt with over the years instantly disappear on the late 90's monitor.

I've never hooked it up to the 64, I just have the cable going straight to a CRT TV where it looks fantastic. I'd just keep in mind what you're intending to hook it up to, and even with LCD monitors there is issue with vertical lines that you might be able to dismiss, but you'll notice it unless you get that other device along with it.

User avatar
Zippy Zapp
CA, USA

Posted Fri Sep 22, 2023 10:57 am

I also have one of those but I have never got around to using it. It is still sitting brand new in the box.

I will probably sell it and a ton of other stuff i have acquired over the years and don't use.

Also they do not work out of the box for the C128. This device calls it CGA but it does not actually support true CGA which is RGBI TTL. It only supports analog forms of RGB. So for the C128 you would need an RGBI to Analog RGB first then you could use this to convert from 15khz to 31khz or whatever VGA is.

They should not call it a CGA converter because that is false.





Return to “Commodore 8 Bits”