Computers use a specification called VGA (or at the higher end - SVGA) to display video. Televisions use NTSC (PAL in Europe). These formats are incompatible. This article talks about the reverse conversion from what you were asking, but has a lot of details on the technical differences (interlaced vs. non-interlaced as well as varying scan rates). This product is cheap, and claims to do the NTSC -> VGA conversion that would be necessary to convert video signals (like from cable or a VCR) into the VGA format necessary to view them on a computer monitor.
If I recall correctly, ATI made a computer graphics board called the All-in-Wonder that came with this ability. I'd think though that you get what you pay for, and any computer monitor that was significantly cheaper than a cheap TV would be ill suited for any sort of viewing. Still, I'd be curious if you try to get something like this working.
Here's more.
I used to have an old Commador monitor hooked up to my vcr. It was great, I'd love to find another, I scan junk shops and salvation armys when I think of it but never with any luck, bet you can find one on eBay though
Mine's a Pioneer video monitor--a 25-inch picture tube, with brightness and color controls and little else (it still works, but takes about ten minutes to warm up). I bought it in 1986 at a stereo place. The next year my brother tried to find one at an appliance shop in Houston and the salesman says "Oh yeah, we have monitors," then takes him to a bunch of TVs and starts giving him the hard sell. After a few minutes, my brother says, "I asked for a monitor, not a receiver" and the salesman lamely says, "This is a monitor...a monitor/receiver." The logic of having a picture tube that doesn't duplicate everything in your VCR was too impeccable for the consumer electronics biz, I guess.
Or maybe it's more that at mass production levels, the cost of adding in the tuner (just a few integrated circuits really) is very minimal. Maybe it would save you $5 - $10 bucks or something (if that.) Probably not the sort of savings you are looking for.
On the other hand, I do have a monitor sitting here on my desk (from my video editing phase.) It's a Sony. Quite a bit more expensive than a regular TV (monitor/receiver) but I guess that's because it's aimed at the professional market. The picture and colors are pretty good, and there are tons of connector options (mulitple inputs each for coax, RCA, plus separete R, G, and B connectors, plus some other thing (V/C?) that I don't even know what it is.) Still, no receiver, for that I'd have to pay way more, so I guess they get you either way.
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If I recall correctly, ATI made a computer graphics board called the All-in-Wonder that came with this ability. I'd think though that you get what you pay for, and any computer monitor that was significantly cheaper than a cheap TV would be ill suited for any sort of viewing. Still, I'd be curious if you try to get something like this working.
- jim 4-26-2001 6:50 pm
Here's more.
- jim 4-26-2001 9:52 pm [add a comment]
I used to have an old Commador monitor hooked up to my vcr. It was great, I'd love to find another, I scan junk shops and salvation armys when I think of it but never with any luck, bet you can find one on eBay though
- steve 4-27-2001 6:40 am [add a comment]
Mine's a Pioneer video monitor--a 25-inch picture tube, with brightness and color controls and little else (it still works, but takes about ten minutes to warm up). I bought it in 1986 at a stereo place. The next year my brother tried to find one at an appliance shop in Houston and the salesman says "Oh yeah, we have monitors," then takes him to a bunch of TVs and starts giving him the hard sell. After a few minutes, my brother says, "I asked for a monitor, not a receiver" and the salesman lamely says, "This is a monitor...a monitor/receiver." The logic of having a picture tube that doesn't duplicate everything in your VCR was too impeccable for the consumer electronics biz, I guess.
- Tom Moody 4-27-2001 9:24 am [add a comment]
Or maybe it's more that at mass production levels, the cost of adding in the tuner (just a few integrated circuits really) is very minimal. Maybe it would save you $5 - $10 bucks or something (if that.) Probably not the sort of savings you are looking for.
On the other hand, I do have a monitor sitting here on my desk (from my video editing phase.) It's a Sony. Quite a bit more expensive than a regular TV (monitor/receiver) but I guess that's because it's aimed at the professional market. The picture and colors are pretty good, and there are tons of connector options (mulitple inputs each for coax, RCA, plus separete R, G, and B connectors, plus some other thing (V/C?) that I don't even know what it is.) Still, no receiver, for that I'd have to pay way more, so I guess they get you either way.
- jim 4-27-2001 5:00 pm [add a comment]