Systems performing differently on a monitor--some good, some terrible?

[+GoldenWheels]

I was looking through some computer stuff to clean out recently and found an older 4:3 DELL monitor with a speaker bar, and a signal converter box (S Video/Composite to VGA). I thought well I can toss this all/donate to dump trade-in table or throw it into the retro cabinet for a laugh. (I knew the games would not look super but thought it would be neat to mount it on an arm and be able to play games with a baseball game or a movie on the big tv, whatever, and it cost me zippo).

 

Well I was surprised at how decent it does look (I mean, it's not GOOD, especially sharpness wise, but it's better than I expected) but I noticed some odd perfomance stuff between games. I have a Generation NEX clone system in this setup. Most of the NES games look damn decent (Punch Out, Metroid, etc) with no tearing. A few however have horizontal tearing to the point where they are completely unplayable. Mega Man 6, for example, the srceen is about to rip apart! It seems to me this should affect all games on this system and not some? Any ideas? (this does NOT occur on my normal TV with ANY games)

 

I also thought it was odd that my TG-16 (rf running through a VCR to convert to composite) was REALLY wavy. Not tearing but wavy. I figured well the signal is being converted twice, maybe it is just too much. But I have a 7800 on the exact same set up (RF to composite via VCR to VGA via converter)...and it looks rock solid, if washed out. That doesn't make sense to me either. Just a case of dif machines reacting differently to things?

 

I'll also note that my Master System (On composite out, not RF) looks really wavy as well.

 

Genesis, SNES, N64, all perform fine (best of all of them actuallty, N64 actually looks GOOD imo). Atari XE works too. I can't seem to find any common thread about what does't perform well vs what does. RF, age of system, 16 bit vs 8 bit, etc. Nothing is adding up for me but then I don't know a ton about the way these systems display. Any ideas/explanations appreciated!

Edited June 24, 2013 by GoldenWheels

[ApolloBoy]

Sounds like a cheapo converter to me.

[+GoldenWheels]

Sounds like a cheapo converter to me.

 

I honestly can't vouch for how good or not it is....been years since I used the thing/bought it. But it isn't an issue for many of the systems games and it is for others. That seems unlikely to relate to the converter no?

 

I noticed to that, say with Mega Man 6...I could turn off everything and restart the whole process....and it seems to be ok. Thought it might be related to whatever order I was turning stuff on in but haven't been able to make that work either.

 

I guess it doesn't matter as the monitor died two nights ago.....I guess I have an idea why I wasn't using it...or maybe it didn't like 5 years in a closet.