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Conference hydra::amiga_v1

Title:AMIGA NOTES
Notice:Join us in the *NEW* conference - HYDRA::AMIGA_V2
Moderator:HYDRA::MOORE
Created:Sat Apr 26 1986
Last Modified:Wed Feb 05 1992
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:5378
Total number of notes:38326

1652.0. "Composite = Color" by MTWAIN::MACDONALD (WA1OMM 7.093/145.05/223.58 AX.25) Fri Sep 02 1988 15:04

    People keep saying that the composite port on the Amiga 2000 is
    monochrome. Well, why is it that when I connect that same composite
    port up to my VCR the result is color on the tape? Am I hallucinating?
    
    Paul
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1652.1Check your composite video cable!MTWAIN::WOODSGeorge Woods DTN 223-9971Fri Sep 02 1988 16:2413
    Composite means video and synch. pulses combined in one video output
    (as it would be for modulating a TV transmitter).  Adding chroma
    (color) information doesn't make it more "composite."  Where Paul
    can record/play/display color, it is obvious that the signal is
    a color composite signal.  Therefore, if you see only black and
    white on a composite color monitor, make SURE your composite video
    cable is wired for color connections.  I chased my tail trying to
    fix a color monitor that wasn't broken; I was using a monochrome
    cable.  The connector pinout on your computer probably has separate
    composite monochrome and color outputs.  Use the right cable and
    you will have color.
    
    
1652.2AGNESI::EKLOFWe're everywhere.Fri Sep 02 1988 17:1411
Re: .1

	The composite port on the back of the 2000 is an RCA jack.  Pretty
hard to screw up the cable to that.  You can buy composite connectors that
plug into the RGB port, and give you colour composite output.  My composite
jack gives monochrome output.  If Paul is getting colour, there are three
likely explainations.  They put the chroma signals back in the composite
jack, he's using a colour composite adapter plugged into the RGB port of
his Amiga, or he's halucinating.

Mark
1652.3COLOR COLOR COLOR!!!MTWAIN::MACDONALDWA1OMM 7.093/145.05/223.58 AX.25Fri Sep 02 1988 17:346
    Try it guys! Connect the composite jack from the back of your A2000
    to the video input of your VCR (can't imagine any Amiga owner without
    a VCR). Press record for a few minutes. Then, play it back and tell
    me if it looks like B&W or color.
    
    (George? Planning on buying a mean machine real soon?)
1652.4I thought only the A500 had MONOCHROME composite?ANT::SMCAFEESteve McAfeeFri Sep 02 1988 18:530
1652.5They must have wised upTLE::RMEYERSRandy MeyersFri Sep 02 1988 21:0426
The Amiga 2000 model A did not have a composite output jack.  The
Amiga 2000 model B has a composite output jack.

That jack, and the jack on the Amiga 500, is [was?] monochrome.
Says so the the technical book.  My Amiga 2000 (rev 4.2) does produce
monochrome.

The reason Commodore changed the color composite out on a Amiga 1000
to a black and white for the Amiga 500 and B2000 was to allow for
cheap monitors.  They thought it would be a selling point to be able
to say, "Look, you can get a cheapie monochrome long persistence
composite monitor for about $100 and use the interlaced display modes
for text processing."  Monochrome was output rather than color so
that shades of green (say) wouldn't look exactly like shades of 
blue on the monochrome monitor.  Commodore remapped the various
colors in the palette into different shades of gray.

So far, everyone was thought this to be a bad idea.  The single
business application that the Amiga completely "owns" (desktop
video) requires that you have composite color out.  It's embarrassing
to require a $50 converter when you claim to be designed with that
application in mind.  (Not as embarrassing as the $1000-$2000 video
boards required by the Mac II to do the same thing...)

If Paul's Amiga is producing color (I guess we should believe him!),
I guess Commodore changed its mind and "fixed" the motherboard.
1652.6BAGELS::BRANNONDave BrannonFri Sep 02 1988 22:4120
    my A2000 is plugged into the back of my VCR, it only does monochrome,
    just like the docs say.  Congrats if yours does color.  I've been
    hoping CBM would realize sometime soon how bad that idea was.
    
    I haven't tried videotaping it.
    
    what rev of the motherboard do you have?
    
    
    Anybody else out there with an A500 or A2000 that does color composite
    video?
    
    I believe the question was asked on Usenet if it was possible to
    do a modification to the A500/A2000 to get color composite instead
    of the monochrome.  The response was something like not easy or
    worth doing since it would take a lot of hacking, and for $50 you
    could get it from the RGB port.
    
    -dave
    
1652.7STC::HEFFELFINGERGive my body to science fiction.Sat Sep 03 1988 02:114
    My 2000 is rev 4.4.  I don't have it connected to a VCR, but through
    the composite input of my KV-1311CR it looks pretty grey to me.
    
    Gary
1652.8Another vote for the asylumLEDS::ACCIARDIHeisenberg may have slept hereSat Sep 03 1988 03:295
    
    I agree.  Poor Paul has gone insane.  Should we pass the hat for
    his family?  My rev 4.2 A2000 is clearly grey on my Sony KV1311.
    
    Ed.
1652.9BAGELS::BRANNONDave BrannonMon Sep 05 1988 01:248
    RE: the price of color :-)
    
    The Memory Location sells the Cltd CVIEW (RGB to composite) for
    $29.  Not too expensive... but it doesn't allow you to connect
    a RGB monitor and your VCR at the same time.  I'm going to wait
    until genlocks get cheaper to add color composite to my 2000.
    
    -dave
1652.10neither color nor monochromeSAUTER::SAUTERJohn SauterTue Sep 06 1988 12:3715
    In response to this topic I tried the "mono" jack on my A2000 for
    the first time last night.  I connected it to my shiny new super-VHS
    VCR, which is monitored by my similarly-new monitor.  I could see
    color fringes while my son played F/18, but not real color.  To
    achieve a decent picture I turned the color control all the way
    down, getting a monochrome picture.  I also turned the brightness
    all the way down.
    
    I also tried connecting to the video output of the Sony KV-1311CR,
    which is fed from the RGB connector, but the Sony apparently doesn't
    convert its RGB input to video output.
    
    I recently got a camcorder, so I am considering a genlock.  It's
    nice to hear that they have video output.
        John Sauter
1652.11MTWAIN::MACDONALDWA1OMM 7.093/145.05/223.58 AX.25Wed Sep 07 1988 18:221
    Okay .. who wants a demo tape?
1652.12BAGELS::BRANNONDave BrannonWed Sep 07 1988 21:3110
    
    hmmm.... you don't suppose he could be right :-) ......
    
    If so, then maybe there is a way to modify an A2000 to do color
    composite (assuming that his color composite is due to a manufacturing
    mistake).
    
    any hardware hackers want to check this out?
    
    -Dave
1652.13VR241-A and Color Composite VideoDPDMAI::ANDERSONASun Oct 23 1988 15:03113
     
      On my Amiga 500 I am using a VR241-A monitor, this uses the Analog
      RGB signals from the Amiga.  The C View 1 NTSC RGB to Composite
      adapter also uses the Analog RGB signals from the Amiga.  The
      VR241-A is designed to drive another monitor if it is placed in
      high impedance mode.  I have come up with the following cable
      to drive a C View from the VR241-A.  First I will list the pins
      that are used on the C View.
         
      Pin 1  XClk   This pin has a solder connection but
                    I cannot see an etch it could be for 
                    physical support.
      Pin 3,4,5     Analog Red, Green, and Blue.
      Pin 10        CSYNC
      Pin 12        VSYNC  I did not need to use this wire.
      Pin 13        GNDRTN without this I only got Monochrome Video.
      Pin 15        C1 Clock Out
      Pin 20        Gnd
      Pin 22        +12 Volts
         
      The C View comes packaged in a DB25 hood so it is small enough
      to tuck away beside your monitor.  I never wired the XCLK 
      signal; in looking at the C View I could not locate an etch 
      going to this pin.  It may be for physical support of the 
      circuit board. The C View only supported one gnd pin (20).  To
      ground all of the shields I added a jumper to the C View from
      pin 19 to 20 and ran all of the cable shields to pin 19.  you
      could jumper all of the gnd connectors together if you like.
      But it could be close quarters under the C Views hood.  Also I
      originally ran a wire from the Amiga VSync to the C View.  But
      it broke off and I didn't notice it until after I had it 
      working.  So I guess it wasn't necessary.  Some day I'll play
      around with it to see what effect it has.  The GNDRTN signal is
      necessary, without it I only got Mono Video out of the C View.
                           
      On the VR241-A place the impedance switch in high and the SYNC
      switch in external.  You will get a signal if the impedance 
      switch is in the 75 ohm position but the signal will be lower
      and the video quality will be poor.  The output signal is only
      about .75 V peek to peek, as opposed to the full 1.5 V peek to
      peek you get in the high impedance position.  The picture on 
      your monitor will also increase in brightness when the switch
      is placed in high impedance.
    
      If you use a DB25F to make the C View connector remember ignore
      pins 13 and 25 when installing the wires and then pin 14 
      becomes the new pin 13.  And if you use a DM25M for the Amiga
      Video connector you have to hack saw off pins 13 and 25.
    
      Modified DB25M
                                             or
     VR241-A High Impedance BNC            DB23 M              Amiga
                                                               Video
     Sync <---------------------------------- 10 CSYNC         
                                         --- 
                                          |__ 19 Shield
     Red  <---------------------------------- 3  Analog Red
                                         ---
                                          |__ 16 Shield Red
     Green <---------------------------------- 4  Analog Green
                                         ---
                                          |__ 17 Shield Green
      Blue <---------------------------------- 5  Blue
                                         ---
                                          |__ 18 Shield Blue
                              
                              + ------------- 13 GNDRTN
                              |
                              | +------------ 15 C1
                              | |
                              | | +---------- 20 Gnd
                              | | |
                              | | | +-------- 22 +12 Volts
                              | | | |
                              | | | |
                              | | | |                        C View
                              | | | |     DB25F or DB23F     NTSC
                              | | | |                        Comp.
                              | | | +-------- 22 +12 Volts
                              | | | 
                              | | +---------- 20--------+  Gnd
                              | |                       |
                              | +------------ 15 C1     |
                              |                         |
    VR241-A 75 Ohm BNC        +-------------- 13 GNDRTN |
                                                        |  
    Sync <----------------------------------- 10 Csync  |  <--Jumper
                                         ---            |     Installed
                                          |__ 19 Sheild-+     on CView
                                                        |     to Provide
     Red  <---------------------------------- 3  Red    |     an extra
                                         ---            |     Gnd Pin
                                          |_____________|      
    Green <---------------------------------- 4  Green  |      
                                         ---            |      
                                          |_____________|      
                                                        |
     Blue <---------------------------------- 5  Blue   |
                                         ---            |
                                          |_____________|          
    
    
      The C View is $35.00 and the parts for the cable from radio 
      Shack ran about $25.00 so for under $60.00 you can get Color 
      Composite Video from your Amiga.  This will hold me until 
      genlocks get cheaper.  I Video taped DOC and took it to the 
      office it blew their socks off.  Now I need a TV and VCR that
      supports Stereo.
    
    
      Have fun!
      Alan
    
1652.14Trouble with .13DPDMAI::ANDERSONAThu Oct 27 1988 02:077
    I started having a few problems with the setup as described in .13.
    It will drop the color after 10 to 15 minutes.  I will have to do
    some more work on it when I get some time.  Right now work is making
    serious inroads into my play time.  
    
    Alan
    
1652.15A little late but still tryingCSC32::A_ANDERSONDTN 592-4170 NSU/VAXTue Jul 17 1990 16:4613
    Finnaly I got around to working with the cable setup in .13.  This time
    I am using a A520 RF modulator.  This so far seems to be working ok.  
    More testing is needed.  But I can connect a Maganvox Camcorder to the
    A520 Composite Video and the color holds steady for about 10 minutes of
    the DOC demo.  Waiting to Video Titler 1.5 to get here so I can give it a
    good workout.  Shure beats squinting thru the B/W vewfinder of the
    Camcorder.  Also I can connect a TV up to the RF out of the Camcorder.
    
    Cheap but workable.
    Alan