Running an emulator in perfect 50 Hz on a FreeSync/G-Sync monitor

All information relating to connecting your ST to a modern TV/monitor.
Post Reply
User avatar
sandord
Posts: 673
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 10:08 pm
Location: The Netherlands
Contact:

Running an emulator in perfect 50 Hz on a FreeSync/G-Sync monitor

Post by sandord »

I've just figured out how to run STeem in perfect 50 Hz on my FreeSync compatible monitor, which supports 49-60 Hz.

Normally, Windows won't let me select anything but 60 Hz and 30 Hz but by using the following trick in my NVidia Control Panel it could set up a Windows resolution for 50 Hz.

This results in a much smoother experience since normally, 50 Hz to 60 Hz conversion is done and that generally looks quite bad (think of how bad watching US soccer in the EU looks on the tele). However, please take into account that most LCD displays are not able to display perceived motion as smooth as a CRT. See https://blurbusters.com/faq/lcd-motion-artifacts/ for more details.

So you'll just need a cheap FreeSync compatible monitor that does 50-60 Hz (no need for higher refresh rates).

Just go check if your current monitor (if it isn't too old) is FreeSync compatible (or even GSync compatible). Mine did and it wasn't an expensive buy at all. Really recommended!

Untitled1.png
Untitled1.png (131.06 KiB) Viewed 12303 times
Untitled2.png
Untitled2.png (64.96 KiB) Viewed 12303 times
Untitled3.png
Untitled3.png (106.51 KiB) Viewed 12303 times
Untitled4.png
Untitled4.png (106.49 KiB) Viewed 12303 times
Untitled5.png
Untitled5.png (67.5 KiB) Viewed 12303 times

And proof that the monitor really runs in 50 Hz:

Untitled6.png
Untitled6.png (253.02 KiB) Viewed 12303 times

Finally, I had to turn on VSync in the emulator.

Untitled7.png
Untitled7.png (125.25 KiB) Viewed 12303 times
User avatar
sandord
Posts: 673
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 10:08 pm
Location: The Netherlands
Contact:

Re: Running an emulator in perfect 50 Hz on a FreeSync/G-Sync monitor

Post by sandord »

I wonder if there would be a way to run a real ST through a scan converter (like the Open Source Scan Converter (OSSC)) on a FreeSync monitor @50 Hz.
User avatar
alexh
Posts: 690
Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2017 4:51 pm
Location: Oxfordshire

Re: Running an emulator in perfect 50 Hz on a FreeSync/G-Sync monitor

Post by alexh »

You don't need to have a FreeSync/G-Sync monitor to do this if your monitor has a HDMI input. The spec mandates 50Hz input refresh rate and for close to a decade now I've been sending native panel resolution, 50Hz, vsync'd output to my monitors which have HDMI. Just follow the same guide here to add a 50Hz video mode.

This doesn't work via VGA input on most of my monitors which are limited to 60Hz minimum refresh via analog.
Principal ASIC Engineer - SystemVerilog, VHDL
Thalion Webshrine - http://thalion.atari.org
STf,STfm,STe,MegaST,MegaSTe,Falcon060
A500+,A600,A4000/060,CD32,CDTV
User avatar
sandord
Posts: 673
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 10:08 pm
Location: The Netherlands
Contact:

Re: Running an emulator in perfect 50 Hz on a FreeSync/G-Sync monitor

Post by sandord »

alexh wrote: Tue Dec 29, 2020 10:16 pm You don't need to have a FreeSync/G-Sync monitor to do this if your monitor has a HDMI input. The spec mandates 50Hz input refresh rate and for close to a decade now I've been sending native panel resolution, 50Hz, vsync'd output to my monitors which have HDMI. Just follow the same guide here to add a 50Hz video mode.

This doesn't work via VGA input on most of my monitors which are limited to 60Hz minimum refresh via analog.
Great, I didn't know that! My first monitor that has had HDMI is also this FreeSync monitor. This means that an OSSC would run at 50Hz everywhere.
Post Reply

Return to “DISPLAYS & CONVERTERS”