MAME box video card / TV adapter issues

[Shagger]

I am building a MAME box, I plan on using a TNT2 32MB card. This card only has a VGA port though. I need to connect it to the TV I plan on using. The TV has only RCA plugs in for video and sound. Does anyone know of an adapter to go from VGA to a video-in RCA plug?

 

[Matthias99]

No. There's no such adapter (at least not a cheap one). Just get a low-end card with a TV-out, like a RADEON 9200 or a GeForce 5200. You can find used cards that fit the bill (like a RADEON 7500 or GeForce2MX) really cheap as well.

 

[asm0deus]

its called a scan converter, it converts vga into rca/svideo. matthias is probably right though, for the same price you could get a much better video card, i would only get a pocket scan converter if I NEEDED to keep that video card in that PC.

 

[Shagger]

What about something like this?

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: Shagger
What about something like this?

I can't get a good look at the adapter (their "large" picture is still way too small), but I strongly doubt this will do what you want. You can't go from VGA to composite/S-Video with just an adapter cable; you need some sort of active converter.

 

[Shagger]

Why? Isn't it just a matter of matching pinouts? or is there some megahertz that need to be massaged?

 

[JackBurton]

Seriously dude, drop the big $36 for a new video card.

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: Shagger
Why? Isn't it just a matter of matching pinouts? or is there some megahertz that need to be massaged?

They're completely different types of video output. VGA uses separate channels for each of the red, green, and blue signals, with digital timing and information embedded, whereas composite transmits a raw analog feed with luminance and chroma combined (S-Video splits luminance and chroma into two feeds for better signal quality), with a different timing spec. VGA also comes in variable resolutions, whereas S-Video/Composite are always 480i.

It's NOT just a matter of matching pinouts, like DVI-I->VGA is. You need a scan converter, as described above, or a frickin' $20-30 video card with S-Video out.

 

[Shagger]

Originally posted by: JackBurton
Seriously dude, drop the big $36 for a new video card.

Yeah I hear ya, I was just trying to build this hog using all my spare parts vs. buying anything. Maybe I am on a budget, did you ever think of that? Maybe I am on foodstamps and can't afford $36? Maybe I am surfing at the library wrting this? Maybe I am building this for the homeless shelter I stay at, so the other bums and I can play a few games to get our minds off of our problems and I am using only the quarters I collect by panhandling. Since the dotcom bubble burst I have been out of work for a while and I don't have much spending money. My wife left me and took most of my things and hasn't made contact in a few years so I've got that working for me...But hey thanks for the suggestion...

 

[Shagger]

Originally posted by: Matthias99

Originally posted by: Shagger
Why? Isn't it just a matter of matching pinouts? or is there some megahertz that need to be massaged?

They're completely different types of video output. VGA uses separate channels for each of the red, green, and blue signals, with digital timing and information embedded, whereas composite transmits a raw analog feed with luminance and chroma combined (S-Video splits luminance and chroma into two feeds for better signal quality), with a different timing spec. VGA also comes in variable resolutions, whereas S-Video/Composite are always 480i.

It's NOT just a matter of matching pinouts, like DVI-I->VGA is. You need a scan converter, as described above, or a frickin' $20-30 video card with S-Video out.

Don't have a conniption fit man, I was asking merely for my own edification. I didn't know, so I asked. I don't know that much about the video signals so I was interested. Thanks for the help.