The Amiga video connector is a 23-pin male
D-subminiature
The D-subminiature or D-sub is a common type of electrical connector. They are named for their characteristic D-shaped metal shield. When they were introduced, D-subs were among the smallest connectors used on computer systems.
Description, no ...
connector fitted to all personal computers in the Amiga range produced by
Commodore International
Commodore International (other names include Commodore International Limited) was an American home computer and electronics manufacturer founded by Jack Tramiel. Commodore International (CI), along with its subsidiary Commodore Business Mac ...
from 1985 to 1994, and by Escom from 1995 to 1996. The connector carries signals for analogue and digital RGB, RGB intensity, and genlocking as well as power. Default Amiga screenmodes are directly compatible with TVs in the region in which the computer was sold, so that the user could connect the computer to a common TV if no monitor was available. In the
PAL
Phase Alternating Line (PAL) is a colour encoding system for analogue television. It was one of three major analogue colour television standards, the others being NTSC and SECAM. In most countries it was broadcast at 625 lines, 50 fields (25 ...
region, the Amiga could be connected directly to the standardized SCART RGB connector on the TV via an adapter cable sold by Commodore, providing superior image quality. Alternatively, Commodore sold an adapter (the A520), that attached to the Amiga video connector and provided
composite and
RF outputs appropriate to the region in which it was sold. Commodore also sold a range of monitors, which were compatible with the TV signals of the region in which they were sold, and in the PAL region many even had SCART inputs so that not only Amigas, but also other SCART-compatible equipment (such as VCRs) could be attached to them.
While most 1st and 2nd generation Amigas (with the original and the enhanced
graphics
Graphics () are visual images or designs on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, screen, paper, or stone, to inform, illustrate, or entertain. In contemporary usage, it includes a pictorial representation of data, as in design and manufacture, ...
chipset
In a computer system, a chipset is a set of electronic components in one or more integrated circuits known as a "Data Flow Management System" that manages the data flow between the processor, memory and peripherals. It is usually found on t ...
s) only could output TV compatible screenmodes (15 kHz horizontal refresh rate), the
Amiga 3000
The Commodore Amiga 3000, or A3000, is a personal computer released by Commodore in June 1990. It features improved processing speed, improved graphics rendering, and a new revision of the operating system. It is the successor to the Amiga 2000 ...
also featured a connector for
VGA type monitors, providing 30 kHz refresh rate. The 3rd (and last) generation of Amiga computers (with the
Advanced Graphics Array chipset) could output a wide range of resolutions and refresh rates, and Commodore introduced a line of
multisync monitors to accommodate this. These computers could also output directly to the VGA monitors that by then had become commonplace, provided they were configured to output in a VGA compatible resolution and refresh rate. To enable this, Commodore sold an adapter which, like the A520, attached to the video connector to provide a standard VGA connector.
See also
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Amiga
Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore International, Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and sign ...
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List of video connectors
External links
BigBookOfAmigaHardware.com Commodore A520 RF modulator
References
Amiga
Analog video connectors
Audiovisual connectors
Film and video technology
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