Path: utzoo!dptcdc!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!unmvax!pprg.unm.edu!hc!ames!elroy!gryphon!richard
From: richard@gryphon.COM (Richard Sexton)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Color survey - my sys-config (interlace)
Summary: no, really..
Message-ID: <14868@gryphon.COM>
Date: 19 Apr 89 01:59:53 GMT
Reply-To: richard@gryphon.COM (Richard Sexton)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Trailing Edge Technology, Redondo Beach, CA
Lines: 83

In article <756@cord.UUCP> nsw@cord.UUCP (Neil Weinstock) writes:
>
>Just giving the numeric values for the colors might be a bit simpler for all 
>these various color combinations, though I'm not convinced it's all that 
>useful.  A while back, Richard Sexton posted his "colors which don't flicker 
>in interlace mode" and I, excited as could be, went to try them out.  Flicker
>city.  In fact, it was substantially worse than some other combinations I
>had played with.  Moral?  Different monitors flicker differently.  I have a
>Taxan Multi Vision 770 Plus (gosh, wish they'd add some more words to the name)
>which I'm sure is not the same as Richard was using (wild guess).
>
>Posting colors is of limited value.  But if you're going to do it, at least 
>say what kind of monitor you're using!!


Well, there is a sort of elitism here. These colours don't flicker for
*me* - they may flicker for you.

When I say thet dont flicker for me, I mean it. Zero flicker. But, you
have to understand I have nearly ideal conditions. First, here are
the colours I use:

colour 0 - background  (13, 12, 9) Grey/beige
colour 1 - text        (5, 5, 5)   Dark gray/blackish
colour 2 -             (15, 15, 2) Screaming yellow
colour 3 -             (14, 9, 0)  Fire engine red

What causes flicker ? A high contrast between the darkest and brightest
colour, and the shorter the persistence of the phosphor, the worse
the flicker will be.

So, to pick colours which will tend to flicker less, minimize the
contrast, in this case a relativly medium beige, and a dark gray,
very dark, but defiitly not black.

I have a sony monitor. This seems to make a big difference also.

I use my computer in a room with weak incandescent lighting.

I use my computer almost exclusivly at night, or at day with 
the draoes drawn. This enable me to turn the ``picture'' control
(which I think is really _contrast_) down quite a bit.

So under these conditions, no flicker.

The only time ti do get flicker is when I run preferences,
and it draws one pixel ``black'' lines over all that yellow
background. THAT flickers, but normal text in interlace (which
I use exclusivly) doesnt.

I believe the incandescent light may be a greater factor in
this than most people would believe.

At work I have a (pardon the language) IBMPCCLONE386THINGWITHANEGA
and a Sony CPD 1302 multisync monitor. It's taking a noninterlaced
video signal from the EGA card, yet I find that ANY background
colour besides pure black, flickers! I was rather apalled. First
at having to use a PC , and second that the beige I like to use
on my Amiga in interlace mode, when in use on the PC flickers
like all getout. This, of course, is beat interference with
the ghastly flourescent lights in my office.

The notion that non-interlaced video flickers worse than
ionterlaced video is an amusing one, you'll have to admit.

So in conclusion:

1) If you Don't have Sony monitor, you bought the wrong one. Take
it back and get a Sony. 

2) Pick colours with a minimum of contrast.

3) Nix the flourescent light. They are for aquariums.

4) Keep the monitor brightness and contrast controls
as low as you can get away with. The monitor/tube
will last longer this way, too.


-- 
       ``But why are you taking your money out of a solvent bank ?''  - Me
          ``Because you can't get it out of an insolvent one'' - Him
richard@gryphon.COM  decwrl!gryphon!richard   gryphon!richard@elroy.jpl.NASA.GOV