Best way to use a PAL amiga in NTSC

Mstone · 29 September 2018, 23:06

Hello all! I am new to this forum.
I had an A500 in the past but sold it atter having it about a year or two. But I have recently become interested in the A1200 and have found one I am interested in. It is a PAL system which is good for compatibility I understand, but I live in NTSC territory. I have read some stuff about it but I am confused by it. A lot of people hook their Amiga to a flat screen modern monitor or TV, and I do not want to do that. I could only find info on hooking it to a flat screen or an original Commodore monitor, neither of which I want to do. I dont like old systems hooked to a modern TV because it spreads the pixels out and makes it more obvious that its pixilated. I want to hook it to a standard CRT TV with regul composite video. What is the best way to do this? I have a cheepo VGA to composite video box somewhere that works pretty well and doesn't lag, but I am not sure if it accepts multiple region formats. Do i need to get an Indivision mk2? Is that the only way? They are out of stock, and they are expensive in general. Thank you all!

Mrz · 29 September 2018, 23:18

to get working the A1200 pal on a old TV you need a PAL-B TV
in europe you can find one easily, perhaps you can order an old TV for a few cents from there

New LCD TVs support any norm automcatically under composite video,and they will not pixelate the image

Mstone · 30 September 2018, 02:26

Hmm I live in the US and the shipping costs for a monitor from Europe would be expensive. I also already have a great CRT tv for this.
I do have a flatscreen but Im not sure if it accepts other formats. When I used my A500 with it after my monitor gave out, it was black and white through the amiga composite out, which is already black and white, and through the a520 rf out. So I dont know. Id rather use crt because I dont like the effect that flat screens have on old computers and game consoles. They show all the pixels, while crts blend them together. If I wanted to use a high resolution mode then the flat screen could be good, but I'm not as much looking for that.
Thank you!

30 September 2018, 09:37

i do have a pal amiga and i live in canada and i use a scandoubler which has a vga output with an lcd monitor. the image is pretty good. maybe you could get such scandoubler with a vga to composite adapter to use on an old crt tv but again i dont think the picture would be very good. from my experience , as soon you start convert pal to ntsc and use a scandoubler , you will get a different image. there are some adjustments that can be done with software or even in the hardware but it will never be the same as using an ntsc amiga on an ntsc monitor. personally i did not care too much to get a bit different image as long i can use it and that the picture is still good anyway even if not perfect.

majinga · 30 September 2018, 11:53

A lot of CRT TV of the late nineties can handle both, PAL and NTSC.

Mstone · 30 September 2018, 16:47

Hmm you know I actually never thought to look up my crt TV just to see if it is compatible. It is from 2006. And yeah I am fine with the omage not being perfect My VGA to composite box messes up the text of a modern computer connected to a tv, but the Amiga has low enough resolution and blocky text compared to Win 7 that it should not matter lol. I looked up the box and it seems to me like it might accept both region formats, though Im not surr if it converts them. I will be looking up my tv though. Thank you!

Mstone · 30 September 2018, 16:53

Hmm I did not think of checking my CRT tv. It is from 2006. And yeah I dont care too much about a perfect image, as long as I can read the text on it. My VGA to composite box ruins the text of a modern computer connected to a tv, but since the amiga is low resolution and has blockier text, it should be fine. I looked up my VGA box and I think it accepts multiple format signals, but I am not sure if it converts them. Here is the box:
https://www.amazon.com/Fosmon-Adapte...ref=mp_s_a_1_5

Thank you!

Mstone · 30 September 2018, 16:53

Sorry! I thought the first message did not work.

Jope · 30 September 2018, 18:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by majinga

A lot of CRT TV of the late nineties can handle both, PAL and NTSC.

Yes, in Europe they do. In USA they do not.

Mstone · 01 October 2018, 02:01

It seems like, with many other things, the US is less accepting of other ways: multiple formats, multiple languages, currencies, and measuring systems. Lol

Mstone · 01 October 2018, 02:04

Even though it sounds like it will be more of a PITA to hook up a PAL amiga in the US, I think I will still go for it for the software compatibility.

th4t1guy · 01 October 2018, 20:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jope

Yes, in Europe they do. In USA they do not.

I've been able to get most CRT tvs over here to work with PAL by adjusting the V. Hold, but it's still missing a good chunk of the screen. So I guess it just depends on what you're ok with.

TjLaZer · 03 October 2018, 05:42

But they will display in black and white. If you intend on using composite video get a NTSC Amiga.

Mstone · 03 October 2018, 07:20

That is what I would think, or one could use a VGA to composite video box. I just have to figure out if mine accepts PAL signals and converts to ntsc or not

Hewitson · 03 October 2018, 16:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by th4t1guy

I've been able to get most CRT tvs over here to work with PAL by adjusting the V. Hold, but it's still missing a good chunk of the screen. So I guess it just depends on what you're ok with.

I'm sure any modern CRT would support a 50hz signal.

29 September 2018, 23:06	#1
Mstone Registered User Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Virginia Beach, VA, USA Posts: 50	Best way to use a PAL amiga in NTSC Hello all! I am new to this forum. I had an A500 in the past but sold it atter having it about a year or two. But I have recently become interested in the A1200 and have found one I am interested in. It is a PAL system which is good for compatibility I understand, but I live in NTSC territory. I have read some stuff about it but I am confused by it. A lot of people hook their Amiga to a flat screen modern monitor or TV, and I do not want to do that. I could only find info on hooking it to a flat screen or an original Commodore monitor, neither of which I want to do. I dont like old systems hooked to a modern TV because it spreads the pixels out and makes it more obvious that its pixilated. I want to hook it to a standard CRT TV with regul composite video. What is the best way to do this? I have a cheepo VGA to composite video box somewhere that works pretty well and doesn't lag, but I am not sure if it accepts multiple region formats. Do i need to get an Indivision mk2? Is that the only way? They are out of stock, and they are expensive in general. Thank you all!

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29 September 2018, 23:18	#2
Mrz Banned Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: I Posts: 338	to get working the A1200 pal on a old TV you need a PAL-B TV in europe you can find one easily, perhaps you can order an old TV for a few cents from there New LCD TVs support any norm automcatically under composite video,and they will not pixelate the image

30 September 2018, 02:26	#3
Mstone Registered User Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Virginia Beach, VA, USA Posts: 50	Hmm I live in the US and the shipping costs for a monitor from Europe would be expensive. I also already have a great CRT tv for this. I do have a flatscreen but Im not sure if it accepts other formats. When I used my A500 with it after my monitor gave out, it was black and white through the amiga composite out, which is already black and white, and through the a520 rf out. So I dont know. Id rather use crt because I dont like the effect that flat screens have on old computers and game consoles. They show all the pixels, while crts blend them together. If I wanted to use a high resolution mode then the flat screen could be good, but I'm not as much looking for that. Thank you!

30 September 2018, 09:37	#4
maniaque Posts: n/a	i do have a pal amiga and i live in canada and i use a scandoubler which has a vga output with an lcd monitor. the image is pretty good. maybe you could get such scandoubler with a vga to composite adapter to use on an old crt tv but again i dont think the picture would be very good. from my experience , as soon you start convert pal to ntsc and use a scandoubler , you will get a different image. there are some adjustments that can be done with software or even in the hardware but it will never be the same as using an ntsc amiga on an ntsc monitor. personally i did not care too much to get a bit different image as long i can use it and that the picture is still good anyway even if not perfect.

30 September 2018, 11:53	#5
majinga Registered User Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: Italy Posts: 52	A lot of CRT TV of the late nineties can handle both, PAL and NTSC.

30 September 2018, 16:47	#6
Mstone Registered User Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Virginia Beach, VA, USA Posts: 50	Hmm you know I actually never thought to look up my crt TV just to see if it is compatible. It is from 2006. And yeah I am fine with the omage not being perfect My VGA to composite box messes up the text of a modern computer connected to a tv, but the Amiga has low enough resolution and blocky text compared to Win 7 that it should not matter lol. I looked up the box and it seems to me like it might accept both region formats, though Im not surr if it converts them. I will be looking up my tv though. Thank you!

30 September 2018, 16:53	#7
Mstone Registered User Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Virginia Beach, VA, USA Posts: 50	Hmm I did not think of checking my CRT tv. It is from 2006. And yeah I dont care too much about a perfect image, as long as I can read the text on it. My VGA to composite box ruins the text of a modern computer connected to a tv, but since the amiga is low resolution and has blockier text, it should be fine. I looked up my VGA box and I think it accepts multiple format signals, but I am not sure if it converts them. Here is the box: https://www.amazon.com/Fosmon-Adapte...ref=mp_s_a_1_5 Thank you!

01 October 2018, 02:01	#10
Mstone Registered User Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Virginia Beach, VA, USA Posts: 50	It seems like, with many other things, the US is less accepting of other ways: multiple formats, multiple languages, currencies, and measuring systems. Lol

01 October 2018, 02:04	#11
Mstone Registered User Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Virginia Beach, VA, USA Posts: 50	Even though it sounds like it will be more of a PITA to hook up a PAL amiga in the US, I think I will still go for it for the software compatibility.

03 October 2018, 05:42	#13
TjLaZer Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Tacoma, WA USA Age: 52 Posts: 1,932	But they will display in black and white. If you intend on using composite video get a NTSC Amiga.

03 October 2018, 07:20	#14
Mstone Registered User Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Virginia Beach, VA, USA Posts: 50	That is what I would think, or one could use a VGA to composite video box. I just have to figure out if mine accepts PAL signals and converts to ntsc or not

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