Delayed controls

[Aerron]

I've got a 7800, and a few 2600's. And ever since getting a HD flatscreen tv, there is a lag with the controls. It makes games hard to play, some like Montezumas Revenge impossible to play because it requires precise jumps.

Anybody else have this problem?

And find a way to fix it?

 

 

[DiscoDr.Bones]

Hi Aerron,

 

It is actually a pretty common issue with modern HDTV's, which can take a lot of time to upscale and process the picture before actually displaying it. Have you looked into seeing if it has a "Gaming" mode? That would be the first thing I would check...

[Trebor]

The issue is not with the controls, rather a delay in displaying the screen output. Up-converting the resolution, filter passes, and whatever else your HDTV is doing to the native console video signal is causing the delays.

 

Some HDTVs have a game mode to minimize if not completely eliminate any noticeable lag.

 

If this is not an option, unfortunately there is not many other options, outside of utilizing another display, or perhaps using an up-convert box that may process the (up) conversion from analog to digital and or resolution faster than what your television is performing.

[+save2600]

Game Mode if your TV has it, else you're screwed. This excess processing garbage even affects modern stuff (HDMI capable gaming system to HDMI TV), yet you hardly hear anybody ever talk about it. I've got a "top of the line", "high end" front HDTV/3D projector that STILL has a delay when running games through it. Needless to say, The Pinball Arcade is barely playable. <sigh>

 

CRT's *still* offer the absolute best gaming experience, especially for classic/vintage systems such as Atari, etc.

[+xucaen]

I wonder how does xbox one and ps4 solve the HD tv delay?

[Atariman]

They don't. If the TV does some signal processing that results in lag, the only fix is to turn on Game Mode (if it has it). My TV does the same when in 'normal' mode regardless of the input.

[Trebor]

I wonder how does xbox one and ps4 solve the HD tv delay?

They don't. If the TV does some signal processing that results in lag, the only fix is to turn on Game Mode (if it has it). My TV does the same when in 'normal' mode regardless of the input.

 

Atariman pretty much nailed it regarding modern consoles.

 

Remember too, there's less processing layer(s) involved connecting a digital (HDMI/DVI) signal from a modern console that utilizes the native resolution (i.e. 1080p/i, 720p) of the display, as opposed to an analog (RF/Composite) signal at the much lower resolution (i.e. 240p) of a classic console.

[78001987]

Game Mode if your TV has it, else you're screwed. This excess processing garbage even affects modern stuff (HDMI capable gaming system to HDMI TV), yet you hardly hear anybody ever talk about it. I've got a "top of the line", "high end" front HDTV/3D projector that STILL has a delay when running games through it. Needless to say, The Pinball Arcade is barely playable. <sigh>

 

CRT's *still* offer the absolute best gaming experience, especially for classic/vintage systems such as Atari, etc.

 

eh, it really depends on the tv, and brand. I have a CRT for classic 8bit systems specifically because the SMS 3D games and all system light gun games dont work on digital tvs.

 

But I have my Sega Genesis 32x on the same digital LCD Samsung tv as my Sony PS2 and PS3. I wouldnt dream of trying to play them on a CRT because the flicker, blur, Image loss from curved corners,and unreadable text would make me go blind. Even on the Sega Genesis and MAME pc I have connected to my Sammy LCD, ive never noticed any lag and its not a top ofthe line model at all, its a cheapie. Same with the giant Mitsubishi DLP I have in my home theater.

 

The secret is to turn all the unnecessary picture processing off. No edge enhancement, no artificial contrast/black level, no noise reduction. Natural image, not bright or brilliant setting.you can use game mode if the tv has it, but that is usually the same as turning all other processing off, but also shows an artificial interlaced picture, which can look really terrible on most games. Modern tvs are designed for native progressive scan resolutions 480p and up, so even game mode is doing some level of processing to display non-native interlaced resolutions.

 

I also find turning off all the processing makes bluray an hd cable content look much better and is the recommended setting by home theater experts over at AVSforums. Things like edge enhancement and artificial black levels are gimmicks they use on the showroom floor to make tvs look "better" when you see the for 2 minutes under bright big box store floodlights. They actually do more harm to most content be it movies, tv shows, or video games.