Video: full border view feature

[Michael Huth]

Currently the amount of border visible is limited and can only be reduced but not increased.
Here is a capture with more border from a real C64 with including the two prominent grey dot features appearing in the last scanline.

I propose that the border control setting of 0 should be “full borders” and a reasonable good value for default. Currently 0 seems still cutting off border area.

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[PiCiJi]

I wouldn’t have thought so much scanlines are visible. The grey dot is a good hint. I will add more lines.

[Michael Huth]

Correction: the prominent grey dot features in the last line appear also with the new VIC-II.

[Michael Huth]

Here is a photo from a 1084S-P showing the starting grey dot at the left start of each scanline (old VIC-II, S-Video):

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[PiCiJi]

ok the grey dot is a good hint to define the maximum visible dimension and of course this will be the new maximum border for the free cropping feature.

[PiCiJi]

it seems the vertical left line is a VIC-II anomaly, which happens when some VICs reach 40-50 C. This line is in overscan area, means too far left to be visible in normal monitor adjustment. I think it’s useless to emulate this, because the line can break down partially by cooling the VIC. Emulating of temperature dependant stuff can never be authentic.

user experiences

Next I will check for more scanlines in top/bottom portion of screen

[PiCiJi]

the two prominent grey dots are not part of border area. border color doesn’t change in basic screen. it seems the capture card catches hblank/vblank area too. so it seems the grey dots are a VIC anomaly in blanking area (or caused by capture card?). i don’t see any benefit by displaying blanking area too, only by showing these 2 dots. nothing more is possible in this area and CRT can’t show this area either.

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[Michael Huth]

Grey dots forming a line on the very left:
So according the the fourth post in the thread you linked:

• some VIC2 start showing this at higher temperature
• some show it always
• some don’t show it at all.

I am pretty sure I have one C64 myself that shows the grey vertical line always.

As for the lower grey dots, I have to agree that the capture card catches the blanking area.

It is ok, if you say that you don’t emulate any feature happening in the blanking area.

[PiCiJi]

ok i will emulate the left vertical line in first border pixel but user can only switch it on/off (default). The temperature dependency differs (from a practical term of usage) only between on/off, because nobody cools down the VIC while running. Is this line solid from beginning for you or starts forming from thin to wide with blinking dots?

2 grey dots in blanking area: Could you please try out some games and check if the artifacts in blanking area vary. I wonder if the graphic mode and the used border color influence this anomaly.

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[PiCiJi]

the full visible border is already visible. the displayed grey dot anomaly belongs to blanking area. i don't have a capture card to investigate into it further and finding out if the VIC produces more anomalies in blanking area while changing the register values. the vertical line anomaly in overscan area is emulatd now.