Path: chuka.playstation.co.uk!news
From: Developer Support <ps_yaroze@interactive.sony.com>
Newsgroups: scee.yaroze.freetalk.english
Subject: Re: I can't use PAL
Date: Mon, 12 May 1997 09:22:51 +0100
Organization: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
Lines: 37
Message-ID: <3376D35B.159B@interactive.sony.com>
References: <01bc5cf0$2f114a60$2d91b8cd@mannynaj>
NNTP-Posting-Host: 194.203.13.10
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01 (Win95; I)

Manny Najera wrote:
> 
> I've just recently been able to access SCEE's yaroze site, and I have been
> downloading all the programs that you guys have made.  The only problem is,
> they are made for PAL, and all I see on my tv is a black and white mess.
> 
> I think that -everyone- should include both NTSC and PAL versions of their
> Yaroze programs, so everyone can share in the chewy goodness.
> 
> I'm still new to the Yaroze... so are there any major differences between
> NTSC and PAL that would make a conversion somewhat bothersome?
> 
> Manny Najera



You are right that all Yaroze programs should work equally
happily under both PAL and NTSC.

The simplest way to achieve this in programming code:

(1) Detect (not set) what the current mode is, using GetVideoMode
(2) Hence set ScreenWidth, ScreenHeight (these depend only
on desired resolution and video mode)
(3) For all game timing that relies on hsyncs/scan lines,
use the fact that 260 hsyncs is roughly the 60fps cutoff point
for NTSC games, for PAL the 50fps cutoff point is around 280 hsyncs.
Games can quite easily detect their own hysnc count (look at the
return value from VSync(0)) and hence infer the way to maximise
their frame rate and sync it with other things.

There is a document in the manual additions section of the website,
and more sample code to be released soon will include a 
simple C module (.c and .h file) which will easily enable 
everyone to ensure that their programs work under both modes.

Lewis