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Yuan · Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 11

So far NO ONE has ever been able to answer me this question, but I think the people here might be able to help me.

The MD/Genesis has a border in the video signal (If you have a full-image TV or monitor you'll know what I'm talking about). The color of the border is the same as one of the backgrounds. The border isn't present on the Nomad, I presume because the monitor was designed and adjusted not to display that part, or then I could be wrong.

My question is: Is this extra border executed by the video procesor, or added in the video signal processing? If it is part of the MD/Gen's execution, then strictly accurate emulators should display it, and the MD/Gen's TRUE resolution wouldn't be 320*224; but one with the added lines, (320+x)*(224+y).

This doesn't apply to video decks (VCR,VHS, etc.) and some consoles like the N64. Often, older consoles have this same border and it can't be a standard because the ratio on, say, the Famicom/NES is totally different than the MD/Gen.

My guess would be that the screen was 'reduced' due to past decade (century, and millenium) TV sets not capable of displaying the whole signal (well, they were huge LIGHT BULBS to begin with, and had rounded screens) so to prevent image loss an chipping (on some way old way non-centered TVs you can't even see your LIVES left) of the sides, top, bottom, and corners.

Anyone who knows the answers and 'correct' resolutions on the various consoles (provided my assumption's is correct, that is) please post them!

If you don't know the answers I appreciate your theories, but please write that you ASSUME any possibility that you are unsure of.

Thanks for your time!

PS: Just to make sure... I DO NOT have a million dollars.

Tongueman · Joined: 12 Dec 2003 Posts: 39 Location: Japan

This is my assumption, but it could by all means be correct. Yes, the Genesis' video processor is generating that border. But that doesn't mean it has a higher resolution, since it can't fit actual graphics in those borders (somebody correct me if I'm wrong.), just a solid band of colour.

Yuan · Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 11

I understand your point, and agree that it is out of the range of the system to place graphics there, but the funny thing's that the MD/Gen's border changes color according to one of the backgrounds. Why isn't it black?

Maybe the system has two resolutions: the 'true' effective resolution (which would be 320*224), and a display resolution which would be a little higher (plus border).

How many pixels is that border?

Another question: when running in 'low' resolution, does the MD/Gen change the resolution or fit it in the standard 320*224? The lousy composite signal makes it hard to tell.

Tongueman · Joined: 12 Dec 2003 Posts: 39 Location: Japan

Yuan · Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 11

Yeah, but the border is digital and it's a pixel count. It is NOT an analog fitting. A machine like the Dreamcast can control the border (digitally as well), but not the MD/Gen.

Actually, the border has to be the color of layer2 or 3 (not sure), and if they change color so will the border as the game progresses. (And looks way bad, so it was MEANT to be hidden).

I don't mean any specific TV, I reffer to the WHOLE NTSC (Never twice the same color!),PAL, SECAM, or even RGB signal and its complete display lines (which most TVs can't display).

I asked about the fitting because when you use an RGB output you can tell that on the MD/Gens's low resolution some pixels are doubled, which means that the system doesn't change resolutions, but rather stretch the image ala Paintbrush to make the ratio correct (horizontally, obviously), still in 320*224. The extra pixels columns are added without dithering, or anything. Though I'm not sure if all system models fit the resolution, or if there are some that change it.

Think I'll talk to an emulator programmer about this. I think I recall a similar border on early emulators that later dissappeared. Maybe they found it unnecessary and annoying in a computer monitor and rewrote the screensize to display only the 'important' part. I think that's what made ZSNES miss about two rows of pixels.

Well, if I find any exact answers I'll let you know (if it interests anyone out there, that is!).