Author Topic: Monocrome DMD Vs LCD Vs RGB (Colour) DMD  (Read 1271 times)

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Offline Brunswick Brawler

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Monocrome DMD Vs LCD Vs RGB (Colour) DMD
« on: June 19, 2015, 08:16:30 PM »
What would you prefer on new pinball machines:

1. Monochrome DMD
Stern and Spooky up to now are using monochrome DMD.  Cheap all round.

2. High Resolution Colour LCD
Hieghway Pinball and JJP are using high resolution colour LCD displays.  They look advanced, but come with an added cost in both purchase price of a new pin, and future maintenance cost.  Hardware costs aside, software development costs are for a new pin are increased.

3. RGB (Colour) DMD,
RGB DMDs are now available.  I'm not sure if there are made to the same resolution as current monochrome DMDs, but if not, that is only a mater of time.  Cost should be somewhere in-between high resolution LCD and monochrome DMD.  Have a look at the photo and link below.



http://www2.electronicproducts.com/RGB_dot_matrix_LED_display_delivers_improved_performance-article-hlap02-nov2006-html.aspx

My View:
A few years ago I was all for high resolution colour LCDs but soon realised that I only looked at the DMD to see the score.  Even watching others play, I never give it a glance.  Is the upfront and ongoing cost of high resolution LCDs worth it?  

I still want colour but don't want to see prices rise.    Instead I am now waiting for manufactures to get on to RGB DMDs.  

Pinball is about mechanical gameplay, not video games.  I no longer think high resolution animations add anything to the game.

What is your view?
« Last Edit: June 19, 2015, 08:23:34 PM by Brunswick Brawler »

Offline McKie1

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Re: Monocrome DMD Vs LCD Vs RGB (Colour) DMD
« Reply #1 on: June 19, 2015, 10:59:40 PM »
I personally like the colordmd offering for the backbox but something in the playfield might be interesting (alien/full throttle style).

Offline Pop Bumper Pete

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Re: Monocrome DMD Vs LCD Vs RGB (Colour) DMD
« Reply #2 on: June 20, 2015, 02:59:58 AM »
Must move forward

I am sure the old guys got upset when score reels were introduced
I am sure that em guys thought that solid state was just a fad
I could imagine the uproar (if the internet existed) when alpha numeric was replaced by DMD

DMD has been around for 20+ years, longer than any other display method
Time to move on

Offline robm

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Re:
« Reply #3 on: June 20, 2015, 04:46:04 AM »
Agree 100% with what Pete says above

Offline pinnies4me

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Re: Monocrome DMD Vs LCD Vs RGB (Colour) DMD
« Reply #4 on: June 20, 2015, 08:01:00 AM »
Must move forward
...

DMD has been around for 20+ years, longer than any other display method
Time to move on

Isn't that the fault of Stern's lack of innovation?

Less than ten years after the introduction of DMD, Williams introduced the next generation display in P2000. When Williams went, Stern kept doing the same old, and in fact to this day 16 years later.

It took JJP to move on (not that I like the whole TV in a back box thing) and some independents to create ColorDMD.

Very debatable whether or not we really need more than a monochrome screen to give us the score information (and they allow a lot more feedback to the player with other information), but seems silly to keep on with plasma units when LCD panels are so cheap, and using their capabilities with colour a sensible byproduct.
“If you wanna escape, go up to a pinball machine. There’s a magic button on the front that takes you to a world under the glass and makes the the rest of the universe disappear.”

Offline Pop Bumper Pete

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Re: Monocrome DMD Vs LCD Vs RGB (Colour) DMD
« Reply #5 on: June 20, 2015, 08:31:34 AM »
At the risk of derailing the thread, I wonder if Williams had not closed the pinball division , if they would have stayed with the pin2000 platform

They are ugly, no space for a backglass, only the player can see what is happening, required a whole new way of designing the gameplay

Offline pinnies4me

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Re: Monocrome DMD Vs LCD Vs RGB (Colour) DMD
« Reply #6 on: June 20, 2015, 08:41:06 AM »
Agree very much Pete, p2k may not have been the answer, but it was an attempt to move on from old tech.
“If you wanna escape, go up to a pinball machine. There’s a magic button on the front that takes you to a world under the glass and makes the the rest of the universe disappear.”

Offline Retropin

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Re: Monocrome DMD Vs LCD Vs RGB (Colour) DMD
« Reply #7 on: June 20, 2015, 09:46:44 AM »
LCD all the way... its pretty much the standard now and is in everyones pocket already due to mobile phones..

DMD both single colour and RGB  has a very low pixel rate for the size it is. These things work  better on a much larger scale and from a distance. You can see large LED displays with a pitch of 5mm done on a huge scale in every city... it works well.
Transfer that to 1 metre away from you on a pinball machine and its all very 80's with its squared off characters.
Personally, ive always found the DMD at the bottom of the translite to be a really ugly design and much prefer what was done with CV.
I think Heighway Pinball are on the right track and their product looks fresh and a step forward. In fact, I like everything about their machine other than the theme.

If you are looking for innovation from Stern, then forget it. They are like a government in power and will be dragged kicking and screaming towards any real changes. The whole design of modern pinball is stuck in solid mud. It always makes me laugh when I pull the head of an EM to move the machine yet I cant do that with anything post 85ish. In fact as technology made things smaller, the machines got bigger.
Look at the latest Sterns... inside the head is the new SAM system ( or whatever its called)... tiny little board in a whopping great timber box... what a waste of real estate. The head is no longer designed so the technology fits in... in fact, its no longer designed at all.
Either fill the thing up with some features related to game play or get rid of it and go back to something like this..


A low profile  LCD along the top of the cabinet would look good with the 30's design pinball. SMD technology makes this the way pinball should be going, instead its still churning out early 1990's products.
The fact that we are debating wether the DMD should stay or not is a testament to the lack of change... it should have gone years ago!

Offline Pop Bumper Pete

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Re: Monocrome DMD Vs LCD Vs RGB (Colour) DMD
« Reply #8 on: June 20, 2015, 10:02:01 AM »
@retropin
I agree
With nothing in the back box I am surprised that stern has not filled the backbox of KISS choc full of LEDs, and pyt on a light show worthy of the band

Offline delarge

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Re:
« Reply #9 on: June 20, 2015, 11:26:07 AM »
LCD please....and worrying about rising pinball prices...isn't that a certainty now?

Offline Cursed

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Re: Monocrome DMD Vs LCD Vs RGB (Colour) DMD
« Reply #10 on: June 20, 2015, 01:36:49 PM »
I must admit I quite like my line up of pins all having (roughly) the same size back box.

Not sure I would want a tiny back box......

Offline Strangeways

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Re: Monocrome DMD Vs LCD Vs RGB (Colour) DMD
« Reply #11 on: June 20, 2015, 05:12:43 PM »
Personally, score reels, score displays, DMDs all did the same thing - displayed the SCORE with some animation. The player's eyes should be on the playfield, and gaze at the playfield only during modes, or to find out the scores. I'm not a fan of P2K display or the JJP projector screen.

Maybe look at an LCD colour DMD which is the best of both worlds ? Better resolution and in colour - but not overbearing ?
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Offline pinball god

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Re: Monocrome DMD Vs LCD Vs RGB (Colour) DMD
« Reply #12 on: June 20, 2015, 08:02:36 PM »
Cv had the right idea for both easily seeing the dmd and playfield
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Offline pinnies4me

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Re: Monocrome DMD Vs LCD Vs RGB (Colour) DMD
« Reply #13 on: June 20, 2015, 08:53:24 PM »
Cv had the right idea for both easily seeing the dmd and playfield

CV had the right idea copying Capcom's idea!
“If you wanna escape, go up to a pinball machine. There’s a magic button on the front that takes you to a world under the glass and makes the the rest of the universe disappear.”

Offline Retropin

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Re: Monocrome DMD Vs LCD Vs RGB (Colour) DMD
« Reply #14 on: June 20, 2015, 08:56:12 PM »
Cv had the right idea for both easily seeing the dmd and playfield

CV had the right idea copying Capcom's idea!

Doesn't matter.. it ended there and I feel that is a real design fault.. love the balance of CV