Post a pic of your Sega setup

[Zebbe]

Yeah, but you loose that in speed, since NTSC has higher blast processing than PAL.

[evildragon]

Yeah, but you loose that in speed, since NTSC has higher blast processing than PAL.

yea, i know, but since my hand-eye coordination isn't as it used to be, i prefer the slower speed...

[Zebbe]

Here is my setup, now EVEN BETTER than on the last pic I showed:



Early Mega Drive I for headphone jack and no license screen and the best game library all consoles.
60/50 Hz switch to avoid lousy PAL conversions and Eng/Jap switch to avoid lousy western populist censore.
Mega CD II for great CD games like Snatcher, Sonic CD and Shining Force CD.
Genesis 32X for great arcade conversions and Knuckles' Chaotix and also because it can take Jap carts.
RGB SCART-lead for High Definition Graphics.
Speakers and bass booster (ONTZ-ONTZ-ONTZ) for Stereo Sound.
Non-Majesco 6 button pads for their greatness (not on pic).
Power Base Converter for great library of 8-bit games (not on pic).

The only thing I miss at the moment is Fonzie's ultimate Mega CD cart, which I will get as soon as it's possible to get.

[David J.]

Yeah, but you loose that in speed, since NTSC has higher blast processing than PAL.

Haha. Blast processing is just a advertising scheme. It's slower, not less blast processing.

[evildragon]

Zebbe, that picture looks like it's RGB..
EDIT: I shoulda read it, it IS RGB...


I want RGB!!! (why can't more american TVs support this?)

[David J.]

That TV doesn't look very stable on that shelf...

[Joe Redifer]

Why would I want both PAL and NTSC carts? Easy, PAL is higher resolution sometimes on Genesis/32X games (320x240 vs 320x224)

So you're saying that PAL game/conversions have the designers go in and draw an extra 16 lines of detail to every background and whatnot to the games to match PAL resolution that didn't even exist in the game code before?

[evildragon]

So you're saying that PAL game/conversions have the designers go in and draw an extra 16 lines of detail to every background and whatnot to the games to match PAL resolution that didn't even exist in the game code before?

Don't ask why, but some games do it..

Knuckles Chaotix for example.. NTSC version has 224 lines.. The REAL PAL version has 240 lines.. You can test this in an emulator and see...

EDIT: Oh, and technically the background sprites are usually very large, much larger than even the 240 line PAL stuff.. PAL just adds a few more lines by just simple code.. (i believe in code, it's the "playfield")

[Joe Redifer]

That would mean the sprites are smaller (and somewhat squashed) since, say, characters will always be 24 pixels tall or whatever they were designed for. I doubt anyone would redraw every sprite in the game. Now backgrounds that can scroll vertically could easily display 16 extra lines. Those that don't would be in trouble visually.

The REAL PAL version has 240 lines

There is a fake PAL version?

[evildragon]

That would mean the sprites are smaller (and somewhat squashed) since, say, characters will always be 24 pixels tall or whatever they were designed for. I doubt anyone would redraw every sprite in the game. Now backgrounds that can scroll vertically could easily display 16 extra lines. Those that don't would be in trouble visually.

nothing gets squashed.. nothing at all gets squashed.. the aspect does go incorrect, yes.. let me get screenshots..

[Joe Redifer]

If the aspect ratio is incorrect, there is some squishing going on, period.

[evildragon]

no, joe, there isn't..

look for yourself...

NTSC Chaotix


Notice the NTSC version is like a small letter-boxed version... (that's 224 lines)

PAL Chaotix


Notice the bottom of the PAL version has more scene to be seen... (that's 240 lines)



The same applies to standard Genesis games, they did this too with them..

[Joe Redifer]

I was under the impression that they would put 240 lines into the same space that the Genesis puts 224 lines, which it obviously does not. Therefore the perceived resolution would be exactly the same, since the extra 8 lines on each side are in the overscan area anyway. If you adjust the TV so that the extra PAL information is visible, then yes, evildragon, you will get squishing since both PAL and NTSC are 4:3.

[evildragon]

but that's the thing, the squishing isn't by the Genesis, it's by your TV, and not all TVs do that.. My Commodore monitor doesn't squish, and the real shape of say, a sphere, is retained.. it's just that the picture goes down slightly more...

oh, and not to mention, 320x240, is 4:3..

320x224, is NOT..

[Joe Redifer]

I never said the Genesis or Mega Drive would be doing the squishing. Something that is 32 pixels tall (for example) will appear less tall on an image with 224 pixels than with 240 pixels if the image is being squished. And if the image is not being squished, I see absolutely zero benefit to the extra 16 lines of resolution. I think with PAL you always lose since most Genesis/Mega Drive videogames are designed in Japan with NTSC in mind.