Task: Link Your Atari Computer to an LCD Screen

Recommended: LCD display screen, connectors

Introduction

I adore my Sakata SC-100 monitor that I utilize with my 8-bit devices. We nevertheless have actually the one that is same utilized right right back within the time with my Atari 800. The maximum amount of I know it won’t last forever as I love this monitor. There will come a when i need to find an alternative day. We have started preparing for that eventuality through getting what I need certainly to link my Atari computer systems to a monitor that is modern television. There are numerous options that are different explore in this area. We will concentrate right right right here using one of the and conserve others for future articles.

First a little bit of history about Atari 8-bit computer video clip. Most of the Atari 8-bit computer systems have monitor port that outputs a composite movie sign. This can be a single-channel analog video clip sign that is linked to a monitor or television by way of a yellowish connector that is frequently discovered as part of an RCA connector which also includes red and white audio connectors for stereo noise. The solitary channel of movie is called composite as it creates a linear mixture of the luminance (luma) that holds the brightness associated with the movie combined with the chrominance (chroma) that holds the colour. It is quite simple and lets you link any Atari 8-bit computer with the composite out to A television or monitor aided by the composite (yellow) in. Lots of monitors and TVs through the 1990s and early 2000s have actually composite in as they are nevertheless relatively simple to locate.

Even though composite signal is not difficult you could get definitely better quality movie by keeping the luma and chroma signals split and feeding the two-channel sign to A s-video connector. When I will show below into the instructions, these connectors for the Atari can easily be bought. To look at difference between quality, We have included below screenshots of composite for A crt monitor (my Sakata SC-100), composite on an LCD monitor, and S-Video for an LCD monitor. Note the remarkably higher quality associated with the S-Video image. They were all three taken beneath the exact exact same illumination conditions during the time that is same. The LCD monitor is really a Dell 2001FP monitor that is 20-inch ended up being highly popular during the early 2000s. The video clip ports with this monitor are shown below.

Composite to S-Video Comparison

S-Video is obviously the strategy to use. Regrettably, just the Atari 800, 65XE, and 130XE provide both the chroma and luma signals needed by S-Video. This might be issue since many Atari 8-bit enthusiasts use an 800XL that just includes the luma sign. The chroma capability can there be it absolutely was simply never ever attached to the monitor slot into the 600XL, 800XL, and 1200XL. You can find directions online for how exactly to result in the connection to enable S-Video. I haven’t tried this yet but want to do a post that is future this. Let me reveal an Atari Age thread with this.

Dell 2001FP Video Ports

The issue that is final sound. Many LCD monitors don’t have actually sound ability. what this means is you will need to link the red and RCA that is white for some speakers. I’d a time that is really hard tiny speakers for the desktop that accepted RCA noise input. Happily, there clearly was a Y connector that converts the RCA noise up to a 3.5 mm audio connector found of all speakers. Details below within the guidelines.

Guidelines

Buy a Dell 2001FP LCD monitor or similar. These could be readily available on e-bay for approximately $50 to $100. You might manage to see them locally for much cheaper since there are lots still around.

Buy a composite to S-Video connector. They are often available on e-bay. I purchased mine from 8-Bit Classics. Be prepared to spend about ten dollars to $25 of these.

Buy an RCA audio to 3.5 mm sound converter. The only i purchased i came across on Amazon for around $10.

Feedback

I’ve found getting Atari video onto modern monitors and TVs become one of the most confusing topics. This is certainly partly as the resources on Atari Age along with other sources are inconsistent and sometimes assume your reader has more information about the technical part of video than they probably do. The things I described above is fairly simple and S-Video rocks ! when you have an 800 or XE system. Getting these systems that are old HDMI is a tale for the next time.