NeXT support

[cbrunschen]

Hi,

I don’t know if this is at all feasible: It would be great to be able to convert video from a NeXTcube, NeXTstation (mono or colour) or NeXTdimension board to HDMI or similar, to allow NeXT hardware with failing monitors to continue to be used with modern displays.

NeXT, for all their hardware, had essentially a single video format, IIRC: 1120×832 @ 68 Hz frame rate (certainly the resolution (1120×832) is the same across all their machines, though I’m less certain about the frame rate). NeXTcube and NeXTstation (mono) machines generate 2-bit-per-pixel grayscale output, NeXTstation (color) generated 12-bit-per-pixel (4R, 4G, 4B) output; and the NeXTdimension card generated full 24-bit-per-pixel color output.

Alas, NeXT’s monitors – especially the monochrome ones – are dying. And compatible LCD displays are getting scarcer as well, since they’d need to accept this rather unusual resolution & frame rate as well as sync-on-green.

Something like OSSC seems like it would be a great potential solution, though I’m aware that with standard firmware it supports input up to 720p, which 1120×832@68Hz exceeds by a fair bit, though not disastrously so, which suggests that the hardware at least might well support this.

Is this something that might be possibly with the current hardware, possibly with bespoke firmware for the FPGA? (for a bonus, possibly even with options to quantize the input colours to 2-bit-per-pixel grayscale or 4-bit-per-channel RGB, to give a pristine digital version of the input.)

Best wishes

// Christian Brunschen

[paulb_nl]

The OSSC supports digitization up to 1920×1080 so that resolution should be no problem. You just need need a monitor that supports that resolution and framerate but there are monitors for sale that support even 240Hz so it shouldn’t be much of a problem.

[NaCl]

Did you ever get this to to work? I’ve gotten _zero_ responses to my request. Was hoping you had something. I tried to direct message you to avoid the exhumation herein, but no such provision and desperate times and all.

Thanks!

Hi,

I don’t know if this is at all feasible: It would be great to be able to convert video from a NeXTcube, NeXTstation (mono or colour) or NeXTdimension board to HDMI or similar, to allow NeXT hardware with failing monitors to continue to be used with modern displays.

NeXT, for all their hardware, had essentially a single video format, IIRC: 1120×832 @ 68 Hz frame rate (certainly the resolution (1120×832) is the same across all their machines, though I’m less certain about the frame rate). NeXTcube and NeXTstation (mono) machines generate 2-bit-per-pixel grayscale output, NeXTstation (color) generated 12-bit-per-pixel (4R, 4G, 4B) output; and the NeXTdimension card generated full 24-bit-per-pixel color output.

Alas, NeXT’s monitors – especially the monochrome ones – are dying. And compatible LCD displays are getting scarcer as well, since they’d need to accept this rather unusual resolution & frame rate as well as sync-on-green.

Something like OSSC seems like it would be a great potential solution, though I’m aware that with standard firmware it supports input up to 720p, which 1120×832@68Hz exceeds by a fair bit, though not disastrously so, which suggests that the hardware at least might well support this.

Is this something that might be possibly with the current hardware, possibly with bespoke firmware for the FPGA? (for a bonus, possibly even with options to quantize the input colours to 2-bit-per-pixel grayscale or 4-bit-per-channel RGB, to give a pristine digital version of the input.)

Best wishes

// Christian Brunschen

[cbrunschen]

I haven’t tried it myself, but it seems to work according to several posts on the nextcomputers.org forums.

(I would post links, but then this forum software thinks I’m trying to post spam …)

[Author]

Posts