DC VGA off center

[z0de]

I've just started using my dreamcast vga cable and it works but the screen is always off center to the right cutting off a strip with a black bar on the right. Ive adjusted the screen to move the image over as much as it can go and theirs still a bit off. Whats really frustrating is that when it first loads the dreamcast screen which shows when you first switch the dc on its perfectly centered.

Is there anything i can do?

[metaleggman]

what did you use to move the picture? The monitor? Did you try looking for a menu in the game to reposition the game? Sometimes they have those.

[Mozgus]

The DC boot screens are perfectly centered for you? Measure. It's actually not. The only reason you're not seeing the black bar on the side is because the boot screens display picture throughout the entire screen area, whereas most games don't usually display all the way to those far off edges which TVs never display (probably to improve performance).

I have the same problem as you with my Samsung 740b LCD. I was very sad about this because it's the reason why I opted for this model, with it's dual inputs. I have another thread around here somewhere detailing what I found. Unfortunately, if your monitor doesn't have a secret control panel with advanced options, or internal adjustment dials, you're probably out of luck. The vast majority of games which have their own positioning settings, actually don't position the whole screen. For example, if you set the games to display more to the left, so you don't have that bar, the game screen with just go UNDER that black bar. Soul Calibur is the only game I've found which has a true positioning setting.

http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopi ... hlight=vga

http://dcemulation.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=865051

[z0de]

Just measured the dreamcast logo and your right its still off but sets the black bar to white.

Ive got a Samsung SyncMaster 730BF and i used the OSD buttons to move the image over but it got to its limit leaving the black bar. Ive read the links you posted and that matches my problem exactly, I see you didn't find a solution but did you ever have ago at reprogramming the games?

Also i did do a search but i must of missed that post, thanks for the links.

[Mozgus]

I see you didn't find a solution but did you ever have ago at reprogramming the games?

Nah, I didn't go that far. Don't think it's worth it. I'm just using the DC on a regular TV again, since I have 5 or so games that aren't VGA compatible anyway.

Anyway, this guy had the luck I wish I had:

http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopi ... =7383#7383

Isn't that just beautiful? Perfectly centered, totally sharp. I'm sure it's brigher and more colorful than the camera shows. You would think when you go with a name brand like Samsung, that you're buying a quality product. I guess I should be happy I didn't get dead pixels.

I still think there HAS to be a way to adjust the h-hold by manipulating the h-position wire. I just don't want to risk screwing my VGA box up. You would think a tiny resistor or something on the h-hold wire would shift the picture over one way or the other.

Anyways, try Soul Calibur. Tell me if it lets you set the screen right.

I also wanted to add that it's a monitor issue and definitely not a Dreamcast or VGA Cable/Box issue. I've tried multiple cables and boxes and Dreamcasts and they all have the same result on my monitor. So, I just wanted to throw that out there.

[racketboy]

I just tried it out with my new Dell LCD and everything is as perfect as can be.
It must be some LCDs just have problems with the DC.

[z0de]

Mozgus: I just tried Soul Caliber and it worked once i used the in game options to center it.

Racketboy: I think you should add this issue to the website and start to comply a compatibility list.

All: I'm going to look in to this further, theres got to be a solution. After all its only the H-position.

[Mozgus]

Another game that has true screen adjustment: San Francisco Rush 2049. The game doesn't use the entire vertical resolution however, so you will have small bars on the top and bottom. No biggie. At least everything can be fit on screen.

I also forgot to mention that you can usually squish a picture horizontally on your LCD with a "coarse" setting, but that's a bad idea. Your auto setting button will usually determine the proper width so that every 2 horizontal pixels on your monitor are representing 1 horizontal Dreamcast pixel. If you adjust the coarse setting, this causes half the jagged edges to become blurry, and also seems to incorporate a shaded transparent checkered pattern over my entire screen.

[racketboy]

Racketboy: I think you should add this issue to the website and start to comply a compatibility list.

Well, it kinda already has on this thread
We can just post the issues here and if it becomes large, I can clean it up some.

If we have enough VGA users here, we can also start a list of monitors and how compatible they are.

[metaleggman]

Well, have you guys tried it on a CRT? usually CRTs deal better with weird resolutions and fixing the screen geometry. Plus, the CRT will prolly make it look better since most LCDs are pretty subpar compared to an average cathode ray tube.