Dell 2001FP's video inputs and the PS2

K

Kongar

Gawd
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Oct 25, 2004
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I bought a Dell 2001FP - very nice monitor. Ghosting is not detectable to my eye, it has two dead subpixels that are only visible on a fully black screen (but they aren't bad at all), color is great, and I'm just loving this monitor for use with my computer.

However, I'm more than a bit disapointed with the other inputs. One of the selling features of this monitor was the ability to accept a super video or composite video signal. I thought this was a great option as I had always wanted to move my playstation off the main TV in our house. My wife likes to watch primetime TV, and I don't have the heart to interrupt her shows just to play a PS2 game.

I figured the sound input to the soundcard was going to be the biggest pain, and I thought the video signal would be a snap. Contrary to that, the exact opposite happened. It first started when I tried to plug the super video cable into the monitor - it simply wouldn't go in. I thought I had bent a pin or something, but that wasn't it. I finally realized that there's a bump on the super video cable, and the monitor does not have the corresponding notch - thus the cable won't go in. I went around looking at my TV's and even went over to my dad's house to look at his - they all have this notch, my 2001FP does not /boggle.

OK, so I switch PS2 cables and use the default video cable. Plugs in easily to the monitor. I fire up the PS2, sound works perfectly, switch video inputs on the 2001FP - and I'm greeted with the UGLIEST picture I've ever seen in my life. Fuzzy, blocky, and just plain craptacular. I played around with every setting, sharpness helped a little, the other settings didn't do much else. I can get a better picture with a 30 year old TV.

The thing I don't get is why such a crappy picture? If I run a game from my video card in any low resolution, this monitor does a pretty good job of keeping the pixelation to a minimum. So, I guess I'm asking a few questions:

1) What's with the different super video cable input minus the notch? Can I file the bump off and use the cable? In my personal experience, notches not lining up means you shouldn't be plugging that cable into that hole :)
2) Aren't TV's interlaced (whatever that means) - maybe the monitor isn't? However, I would expect this monitor's video inputs to accept the identical signals as my TV would. What else would I possibly use those inputs for besides devices that are meant to be used with a TV?
3) Why the crappy picture? Low resolutions work fine from the video card.
4) Am I missing something? Maybe a piece of thrid party hardware to make the two compatable? Again, seems stupid if I have to do this - what the heck else would I use that input for?

In a nutshell, I'm VERY disapointed with the 2001FP's ability to accept a video signal from any device other than a video card.

I'm waiting to be educated :) Thanks guys.

Kongar
 
IIRC it's because the PS2 is outputting the signal in the NTSC format, which is only like 525 lines of resolution. Your monitor is used to a FAR HIGHER resolution. To do this you would need a "VGA Adapter". HTH
 
Hmm,

This bothers me. Blocky pixelated images due to a lower rez I can understand. I actually expected a crisper image - one that would show how bad TV resolution is.

I wasn't expecting to buy another piece of hardware however, just so I could use the inputs that are a feature of the monitor. If Dell was going to put a composite video input on the monitor, they should have included whatever signal conditioners were necessary to display an acceptable image from a television-related device. Somebody name one thing that you would plug into that port and NOT have this problem. And the super video notch thing is quite annoying as well.

I know I'm probably being a noob, but I feel ripped off. By simply having these inputs on the monitor, it's advertising functionality it cannot do.
 
things like deinterlacers and video filters cost money... things that cost the manufacturer money cost the end-user even more money... it's a manufacturing decision to decide between lowering overall cost or adding a feature that few people would use. garunteed, it'd be a lot cheaper to buy a vga adapter separate than paying the additional cost to have one already installed in the monitor. plus, the vga adapters are specific to the signal being produced. for instance, an ps2 (at least the original ones) didn't have high definition capability and could use a simpler vga converter than an xbox which supports standard def on top of HD resolutions from 480p-1080i

hope that helps
 
Yup, that helps. Doesn't make me feel better though :D

I'd rather have Dell produce the 2001FP with no composite input, no super video input, no PIP, and pass along the cost savings to me. I'm just bitter because I feel slightly mislead :)
 
Theres nothing wrong with your 2001FP.

A couple things.. any low resolution image will look like crap on a high resolution monitor. Try watching analog cable on a HD Set. Looks like crap. Some have upscanning capability to help smooth out the singal a bit but in the end its still pretty crappy.

Your PS2 looks fine on a regular analog set because the resolutions are matched and your analog TV does a better job hiding the defficiences in the image.

Even 640X480 is going to look better than an image from a PS2.

Oh...and my Xbox's Svideo cables had no issues connecting to the Svideo port in the 2001FP.
 
Ya, I was posting in another forum, and that comment came up as well. The xbox outputs a better video signal and looks better from what people say. /shrug
 
XGPU > *. Scary how Geforce 3 technology in a Geforce2MX package still reigns in the console market isn't it? Xbox2 is gonna be scary.....
 
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