Any chance we'll see HLSL or similar CRT emulation in a future release?

[dekarAF]

Each time I've been away from the Amiga scene for a while and come back, there's a new WinUAE out with even more features and higher compatibility. Hats off to Toni for that! I really love the new auto scaling feature!

Anyways, I'm quite an arcade/MAME freak and after recently replacing my Makvision CRT with an LCD in my cabinet I have started experimenting with HLSL.

Now, is there a chance that HLSL (or similar CRT emulation) can be implemented in WinUAE? I just don't think that the current PAL filter cuts it for me, especially not after seeing what HLSL can do for MAME.

What I really need is slight blurring and good looking 1:1 pixel scanlines. The curving of the screen etc. isn't that important, although phosphor bleed emulation would be very cool.

I also noticed in some other threads that people were using external filters for scanline emulation in WinUAE. Does anyone want to elaborate on that?

[Toni Wilen]

HLSL (D3D) shaders should be already supported (at least some). Scanline filters won't work correctly (at least not yet).

[dekarAF]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

HLSL (D3D) shaders should be already supported (at least some). Scanline filters won't work correctly (at least not yet).

Thanks for the quick reply as always. Supported, but not implemented in WinUAE (I mean, I can't choose it from the filters/display UI)?

[Toni Wilen]

won't work correctly = loads and works but looks usually quite horrible. (incorrect scaling)

[dekarAF]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

won't work correctly = loads and works but looks usually quite horrible. (incorrect scaling)

I understand. I guess I'll do with the PAL-filter for now then.

[Toni Wilen]

Do you have any example HLSL files that you'd like to use? (which don't work at the moment)

[dekarAF]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

Do you have any example HLSL files that you'd like to use? (which don't work at the moment)

Honestly I have only used the HLSL feature that is included in MAME so I have no idea where to get the files. I don't even know how it works in other emulators.

[dekarAF]

Tested now and using D3D: 2xSaI+Scanlines along with aperture1x2rb mask actually looks pretty authentic CRT-wise. The only problem is that the scanlines has some heavy banding, but I assume this is because they're not scaling correctly?

[Retro-Nerd]

HLSL support in MAME is more than single shader. You can combine these with slider controls/ini settings to mimic different old Arcade monitors.

bloom.fx
color.fx
deconverge.fx
downsample.fx
focus.fx
phosphor.fx
pincushion.fx
post.fx
prescale.fx
primary.fx
vector.fx
yiq_decode.fx
yiq_encode.fx

http://mamedev.org/source/docs/hlsl.txt.html

Looks really nice on a LED/LCD monitor. Would love to see this in WinUAE too.

[dlfrsilver]

indeed, the graphic quality is really excellent ! Colors are just awesome (aside the CPS1 incredible palettes !)

[dekarAF]

Originally Posted by Retro-Nerd

HLSL support in MAME is more like single shader. You can combine these with slider controls/ini settings to mimic different old Arcade monitors.



Looks really nice on a LED/LCD monitor. Would love to see this in WinUAE too.

Hell, I'll donate at least $50 the day WinUAE gets the same HLSL options as MAME. I'm pretty sure there's many more like me. Hear that Toni?

[Toni Wilen]

Put the .fx files somewhere in one package and I'll take a look.

[Retro-Nerd]

Attached, default files from the mame 0149 package. But it would only make sense if we could combine them, with the above linked mame devs configurable settings for each shader.

[Toni Wilen]

Then there is no chance because of license incompatibility. Those shaders require lots of external data, extra textures etc from C-code side.

[Retro-Nerd]

Damn. I 've expected you would say that. A shame, it would end all further requests for a decent "CRT look" shader system.

[dekarAF]

I don't really need the entire HLSL package that MAME has. Correctly scaled scanlines and a little blur would do the trick.

[Leandro Jardim]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

Then there is no chance because of license incompatibility. Those shaders require lots of external data, extra textures etc from C-code side.

This is very unfortunate.

But, then I dont understand how the MESS team have implemented parts of UAE on it. For what I know MESS have some kind of Amiga emulation, or am I wrong? How they did it too? For what I understand MESS is something of a "fork", a sister project of MAME.

Anyway, since there are people interested to pay for it, may be a very good idea to pay for Toni and for example, to Blargg, that did very good filters for NTSC and I am pretty sure him could do something for PAL, too. Toni may work with him to "mix" NTSC and PAL filters to WinUAE.

http://slack.net/~ant/libs/ntsc.html

[TysonJacobs]

Try my shader!

I think it is at least almost as good, and it is just 1 file!

I recomemnd you use the crt.png mask, it makes it look better, and is needed to compensate for the brightnesss introduced by the shader.

[Leandro Jardim]

Originally Posted by TysonJacobs

Try my shader!

I think it is at least almost as good, and it is just 1 file!

I recomemnd you use the crt.png mask, it makes it look better, and is needed to compensate for the brightnesss introduced by the shader.

Hmmm... I am trying it on a 640x512 window on my desktop, it helps to generate wonderful CRT-like saturated copper bars and smooth icon text, things that I simply love and was missing in any kind on WinUAE.

Many thanks.

[TysonJacobs]

Originally Posted by Leandro Jardim

Hmmm... I am trying it on a 640x512 window on my desktop, it helps to generate wonderful CRT-like saturated copper bars and smooth icon text, things that I simply love and was missing in any kind on WinUAE.

Many thanks.

Glad you like it!

My personal sweet-spot is 800x600 fullscreen with the png mask, I love the watercolor-on-canvas look this gives.

With this, along with using Sandra to force 50hz on my LCD, I feel I have finally arrived at that ever elusive nirvana, *perfect amiga emulation*