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CHAPTER 5: What to Expect from Converted Computer Images
We have included this section to give
you some insight into what you can
and should expect computer images
to look like once they are converted
to standard video. People are some-
times surprised that computer
images converted to video do not
look as sharp and vivid as they do
on the computer monitor. Although
this may be somewhat disappointing,
it should come as no surprise.
Color TV and video monitors, and
the conventional video standards
they use (NTSC and PAL), have
been with us since the 1940s and 50s.
When high-resolution computer-
graphics standards such as VGA or
Mac II were introduced less than a
decade ago, new display technologies
had been developed to achieve
higher detail and sharper colors.
Although many design improve-
ments have been made to TV
monitors and VCRs, they are still
limited to basic technologies that
are 40 years old.
Scan converters like the Dual System
Video Converter were created to
bridge the gap between the
dissimilar standards of computer
video and conventional video
equipment. They work, but the
trade-off is that you are taking
computer images whose sharpness
and detail are clearly visible on
today’s monitors and displaying them
on TVs, or recording them on VCRs,
that do not have comparable quality.
There are a few things you can do to
get the best image possible on your
TV/monitor or recorded on video
tape. The tips that follow will all
contribute to improved quality of
your display and/or VCR recording.
• In the world of video, black, white,
and all the shades of gray are not
processed the same way as “real
colors.” TVs and VCRs process
these shades with a minimum of
distortion. When it’s possible,
consider using grayscale images,
because they’ll be much sharper
than the equivalent colored
images.
• The “Christmas Effect” occurs
with computer images created by
artists who really like the green
and red color combination.
Nothing looks worse on a TV.
Try to avoid saturated colors.
5. What to Expect from Converted
Computer Images
