DREAMCAST VGA QUESTIONS! come here for everything VGA w/ DC.

[gtmtnbiker]

I bought a Madness Advantage DC VGA box off Ebay. I tried it with an old Samsung 15" LCD (2001) which supports VGA mode. I also tried it with a 17" crt monitor at work. I don't get any picture and the monitor says to check the connection.

I read through the entire thread. It's possible that the two monitors I tried are still not compatible with 60 Hz VGA. I'll see if I can find an older one. I plan to try the s-video output to see if it's the box that's the problem.

My question has to do with the red led light on the box. When is it supposed to be on? If I just have it plugged into the dreamcast with nothing plugged into the adapter, will it turn on?

The light on mine does not turn on. It will very briefly turn on but goes out.

The other question I have is what I should be able to see on the VGA monitor? Should I see the bootup sequence plus the configuration screen on the VGA monitor?

[gtmtnbiker]

The light on mine does not turn on. It will very briefly turn on but goes out.

The other question I have is what I should be able to see on the VGA monitor? Should I see the bootup sequence plus the configuration screen on the VGA monitor?

I've come to the conclusion that the vga box is defective. I go back to the ebay ad which says "not tested, no returns" which equates "it's busted". Of course I didn't see it in the ad since it's in small print.

I'll still complain to the seller and paypal. It's not like the guy offered it for $1 with you taking the risk. The starting price was $10 and it was bidded up to $12 + S/H. Rip off.

I tried the box in S-Video mode on my TV. No difference. I tried it with a second DC unit. Same thing.

[PhilExile]

Hello,

I just got my VGA cable from the RacketBoy store and its awesome! I had one problem, my HDTV doesn't have a VGA input, just HDMI and component. Unfortunately, the TV doesn't support RGB via the component either, so the VGA to component cords I tried didn't work.

Rather than get a VGA to component transcoder, I decided to pickup an VGA to HDMI converter, since I wasn't using the HDMI input yet. I went to monoprice.com and picked up this model for about $40:

VGA & R/L Stereo Audio to HDMI Converter w/ DC Adapter

I just wanted to report that it works GREAT! I thought it might look a little janky because its no-name electronics from China, but its really awesome. Anyway, just wanted people to know in case they run into the same problem.

[racketboy]

Hello,

I just got my VGA cable from the RacketBoy store and its awesome! I had one problem, my HDTV doesn't have a VGA input, just HDMI and component. Unfortunately, the TV doesn't support RGB via the component either, so the VGA to component cords I tried didn't work.

Rather than get a VGA to component transcoder, I decided to pickup an VGA to HDMI converter, since I wasn't using the HDMI input yet. I went to monoprice.com and picked up this model for about $40:

VGA & R/L Stereo Audio to HDMI Converter w/ DC Adapter

I just wanted to report that it works GREAT! I thought it might look a little janky because its no-name electronics from China, but its really awesome. Anyway, just wanted people to know in case they run into the same problem.

Sweet! Have a link to the product? I'd like to have something to recommend

[PhilExile]

I don't think Monoprice allows deep links, but here you go:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/produ ... 1&format=2

Doing a search for "VGA to HDMI" without the quotes brings it up as the first hit. The product ID is 4629.

Hope that helps.

[Mindflux]

I wonder if that properly adjusts the signal or if it's just a simple adapter? I want the benefits of the VGA graphics, not just the ability to plug it into an HDMI port.

[racketboy]

I wonder if that properly adjusts the signal or if it's just a simple adapter? I want the benefits of the VGA graphics, not just the ability to plug it into an HDMI port.

Unless its a crappy adapter, it should keep the VGA quality. I'd be surprised if it actually downsamples the signal. It's not like it's trying to convert Composite to HDMI and expecting VGA quality.

[mikespit1]

Hi guys,

I've been using a cheapo non-Rackboy VGA cable (not box) for a while. But I've noticed that some games do not work while others do. I suspect that it has to do with my Vizio 32" LCD not supporting 640 x480, although I'm not sure since it carried 480i/p over component just fine. The games that work fine are Soul Calibur, Shenmue, Ready2Rumble 2 and a few others, but NFL Blitz 2K and 18 Wheeler do not. Is it possibly a problem with my TV? Would another VGA box help or not matter? Should I bother trying other boot discs as Utopia 1.1 and 1.2 would not display.

[racketboy]

I may be wrong, but don't all Dreamcast games run at the same resolution in VGA mode?
And there are some games that aren't VGA compatible, but those should be fine (I can't review the list at work)

Does it actually give you a "VGA mode" error on those games?

[mikespit1]

I may be wrong, but don't all Dreamcast games run at the same resolution in VGA mode?
And there are some games that aren't VGA compatible, but those should be fine (I can't review the list at work)

Does it actually give you a "VGA mode" error on those games?

I don't exactly know if all VGA games run at the same resolution, all the games I was able to get running were in 720 x 480 widescreen. From my research, it appears that Blitz and 18 Wheeler are VGA compatible, but I'd have to look at the cases when I get home to be sure. You think it's worth it to try a couple of other boot discs or to buy another VGA box?

Edit, it depends on the game. Usually, I just get the message stating the that AV cable is not supported. Sometimes with boot disc I get sound and a blank screen.