[game_preservation] Fwd: End of the arcade CRT monitor

[Henry Lowood]

Generally speaking, history of technology follows the first option, or 
none at all. Working original artifacts of most any historical 
technology are not generally available, even to scholars. Recreations, 
models, etc., yes, and in a limited number of locations, but working 
originals are generally not that accessible, which is one reason why it 
is such a treat to experience them.  Note that I am not saying that the 
artifacts have disappeared, just that working, original models are not 
easily accessible.

It is not easy for us to think about the preservation problem with most 
digital media and electronic artifacts. First, they are not as old 
chronologically as they seem to be experientially, for want of a better 
word.  We have digital technologies today that are obsolete for 15-year 
olds but remembered (and even still used) by 30-year olds.  Also, many 
digital artifacts were produced as commodities. This means that many of 
them are still around (with some exceptions), which makes it more 
difficult to think of their disappearance -- on this topic, btw, see 
James Newman's new book.

The point is that it is difficult for us to accept that hardware 
preservation is probably not going to happen -- other than at the level 
of static artifacts for display (not use) in museums.  It is unlikely 
that original hardware and media will be the basis for historical 
experiences of, say, digital games.  That's difficult for us to wrap our 
heads around, but it is probably going to be the fact of life in a few 
decades.  This isn't a death sentence for historians and others 
interested in the history of these artifacts. With apologies for making 
an academic point here: The idea of experiencing a historical game as 
people experienced it originally is kind of a dead end.  We experience 
it as we experience it.  There probably was no single historical 
experience of anything like that, etc., etc. Realizing this is a good 
thing, because it pushes us to bring in documentation to supplement what 
we can experience (say, through emulations) and we can fairly accept the 
challenge of re-creating experiences with updated hardware, as long as 
we have an informed idea of what we are after -- which is why 
documentation is so important.

With these points in mind, I expect that all of the options Devin brings 
up will be deployed to some degree, but I expect it is likely that the 
re-deployment/re-creation options will eventually be more frequently 
used than preservation for use.

An interesting case study for thinking about these issues might be 
automobile preservation, as it is carried out say at the REVS Institute 
in Florida.  This case study would probably lead to a better prognosis 
for hardware preservation, because they are doing amazing things with 
artifact preservation and documentation, and they are beginning to work 
with Stanford researchers to study the "experience" of driving vintage 
cars.  Just to say that I have an open mind about these things!

Henry


On 7/16/2012 3:03 PM, Devin Monnens wrote:

>> Whether or not you think that's important is irrelevant; it's what is true

>> and authentic.

>

> Then doesn't that leave us with only about four options for the long-term?

>

> -Preserve the technology that allows us to recreate the original monitors.

> -Recreate the original monitors using some new manufacturing process.

> -Create new technology that will accurately replicate the performance of

> the original monitor.

>

> The fourth is, of course, to continue to recycle and repair old monitors,

> but without having any figures, it's difficult to tell how long original

> working/repairable parts will be around. However, I think it might be

> possible given current data (and interviews with arcades around the

> country) to guesstimate how long this will be a viable solution.

>

> With regards to the first option, this is essentially what they have at the

> Science Museum in the UK. There are experts there in tools and technology

> of the 1800s who they have on-hand to repair tools or build new display

> artifacts, such as the Difference Engine. It seems to me there will be a

> need for people like this who can understand electronics 100 years from now

> as well. Obviously not many, but there will still be a need. This would

> probably be very expensive to do.

>

> A second option is that it might be possible to recreate the original parts

> by using an advanced form of 3D printer. Since these can create 3D objects,

> I don't think it would be too far off to suggest that in 20 or 30 years,

> we'll have technology to do a working 3D print of a 6502 chip - especially

> since we now have the blueprints. This type of low-level imaging -

> recording structural components as well as circuit diagrams - is something

> that we would might be able to test and perfect with simpler hardware.

> Basically, it's a replicator from Star Trek :) While this is impossible to

> do now (and there is no guarantee the manufactured pieces would be as

> durable or feel the same), I think the technology could be developed within

> a couple decades (and would be a lucrative business because it would

> completely transform the way objects are made). What it also means though

> is an added level of preservation is required - understanding the

> structural component of each piece of hardware, as well as the legalities

> behind preserving the blueprints and reproducing the hardware.

>

> The third option might be a form of 'hardware emulation', a device that can

> look and feel like different antique forms of display technology and can

> accurately reproduce the visual effects of multiple technologies. For

> instance, it would have an option where you can switch from CRT to LCD or

> Vector. That seems the most difficult and sci-fi (silly?) of the options.

>

> Does that all make sense? I personally like Option 2 :)

>

>

> On Mon, Jul 16, 2012 at 5:41 PM, Martin Goldberg <wgungfu at gmail.com> wrote:

>

>> It's not just the brightness, it's the crispness of the lines. There's

>> of course no rasters, so there's no jaggedness. You might consider

>> investing in a Vectrex for the class to demonstrate that.

>>

>> As for things like multicade, I completely agree. It's a constant

>> argument I've ad with younger generations who's only experience with

>> older arcade games are game roms and collections on modern console.

>> I.E. the commoditization of 'retro games.' Why do they need to play a

>> single game in a dedicated cabinet when they can simply play all the

>> games like that they want in an emulator. My answer is not much

>> different than why some people still prefer their LPs and their

>> packaging over cds and the like, the experience is much different. The

>> cabinet design and control scheme is just as much a part of the

>> experience as the game itself, and in many cases was meant to enhance

>> the experience. Battlezone is just not the same without stepping up to

>> those goggles. Pac-Man's cabinet is instantly recognizable to those in

>> our generation. Space Invaders in it's giant EM cabinet with overlays

>> on the screen is just not the same in an emulator. Then you have

>> completely unique cabinets and control schemes like Wacko, Kozmik

>> Krooz'r, and Tron.

>>

>> What killed a lot of that uniqueness was the adoption of the JAMMA

>> standard in the second half of the 80's. When you have plug and play

>> cabinets and a standard 'joystick with rows of buttons' control

>> scheme, you're not really offering much for the experience over what

>> the home was moving towards. Which is why I don't completely blame the

>> younger generations for not getting it, they're in generations where

>> the coin-op industry's importance is all but gone now even the

>> platform is becoming less important (iOS, Android device over

>> consoles).

>>

>> I take heart in getting these people to come to the Midwest Gaming

>> Cassic every year and walk away with wide eyes at the experience. We

>> have a living museum of about 300 coin-ops every year (think it was

>> over that this past year.) Video, pinball, and traditional EM. The

>> experience for them is far different than what they expected, even

>> just being in a more traditional arcade setting than what passes for

>> 'arcdes' now.

>>

>>

>> On Mon, Jul 16, 2012 at 3:34 PM, Devin Monnens <dmonnens at gmail.com> wrote:

>>> Vector is also not something that can be emulated. You can have the

>> visuals,

>>> but you'll never get that same amount of brightness! I always tell this

>> to

>>> my students: you have to see an actual Asteroids machine and play it to

>>> understand what is so important with vector graphics.

>>>

>>> With regards to the monitors, I was talking putting filters or something

>>> into the monitor so you're still running off the arcade machine (rather

>> than

>>> MAME), but it looks close enough to a CRT to still work.

>>>

>>> I guess the real question here is not so much longevity of the original

>>> hardware (by recycling, making new, or 'faking') or emulation, but

>>> identifying what are the key components of the game/s in question and

>>> ensuring that these properties can be preserved.

>>>

>>> For instance, while we have a multicade machine in the office with about

>> a

>>> hundred games on it, I can tell you that playing 1942 on the multicade is

>>> not the same as playing it on the actual hardware due to the placement of

>>> the joystick and the play on the joystick, not even counting how poor the

>>> monitor is on this machine. I think if we want to look at arcade

>>> preservation, just going by a little bit of experience, I think having

>>> players who are experts on the games describe what are the key

>> properties of

>>> the games to a preservationist can help us determine what is important

>> about

>>> a particular machine.

>>>

>>>

>>> On Mon, Jul 16, 2012 at 4:27 PM, Martin Goldberg <wgungfu at gmail.com>

>> wrote:

>>>> We need to clarify the terminology here - you guys are talking more

>>>> about video monitors than CRTs in general. CRT != video, a CRT can be

>>>> either an XY or a raster (video) display, and both use very different

>>>> display technology. Scanlines and the artificating you're talking

>>>> about refers to raster/video displays.

>>>>

>>>> Scanlines, artifacting and the like are already simulated in emulators

>>>> like MAME and various computer and console emulators. Simulation those

>>>> effects are always decent but never the same as the real thing.

>>>>

>>>> And while video CRTs may eventually be scarce (they're nowhere near

>>>> that right now), XY or vector monitors are currently very scarce.

>>>>

>>>>

>>>> On Mon, Jul 16, 2012 at 3:11 PM, István Fábián <if at caps-project.org>

>>>> wrote:

>>>>> It is possible to simulate CRT artefacts with sufficiently powerful

>>>>> graphics

>>>>> cards, for an example see micro64, the c64 emulator.

>>>>>

>>>>> Sent from Samsung Mobile

>>>>>

>>>>>

>>>>>

>>>>> Devin Monnens <dmonnens at gmail.com> wrote:

>>>>>

>>>>>

>>>>> Ok, so they are harvesting CRTs, which will work for some time, but is

>>>>> obviously not sustainable.

>>>>>

>>>>> Do you think this is something where we can modify an LCD monitor to

>>>>> "emulate" CRT display (basically look like a CRT monitor) or should

>> this

>>>>> be

>>>>> something where instead we look at having blueprints/manufacturing

>>>>> information for the technology so a preservation/restoration group can

>>>>> produce new ones. Because what it sounds like is there won't be too

>> many

>>>>> left in another 10 years.

>>>>>

>>>>> On Mon, Jul 16, 2012 at 3:29 PM, Jim Leonard <trixter at oldskool.org>

>>>>> wrote:

>>>>>> I visited again yesterday and had another opportunity to meet the

>> owner

>>>>>> (especially after I broke the arcade's high score for Track and Field

>>>>>> ;-)

>>>>>> and he mentioned that he has very strong feelings about arcade repair

>>>>>> and

>>>>>> has been replacing LCDs with CRTs where he can find them, and has

>> also

>>>>>> been

>>>>>> buying broken cabinets where the CRT is working but little else is,

>>>>>> just to

>>>>>> get the CRT.  He mentioned that sometimes existing CRTs can be

>> repaired

>>>>>> due

>>>>>> to something simple, so some repair is attempted. Also, he makes a

>>>>>> decision

>>>>>> on how bad a CRT is before he scraps it -- some burn-in is allowed,

>>>>>> some

>>>>>> gamma shift is allowed.  So the basic answer to the question is

>>>>>> "harvesting".  He harvests CRTs whenever he can.  He feels very

>>>>>> strongly

>>>>>> that the machines were meant to be experienced with as much original

>>>>>> hardware as possible, something I wholeheartedly endorse.

>>>>>>

>>>>>> I asked him about how easy it was to retrofit traditional TV tubes

>> into

>>>>>> arcade cabinets and he said that his experience with doing that was

>> not

>>>>>> very

>>>>>> successful.  He only seeks out tubes that have been used in an arcade

>>>>>> setting.

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>> On 7/6/2012 4:14 PM, Andrew Armstrong wrote:

>>>>>>> If it helps we (at the museum in the UK) need TV's for our old

>>>>>>> computers

>>>>>>> (authenticity as you are both saying!). We luckily have now got a TV

>>>>>>> repair man (or someone who knows enough), and luckily no need for

>>>>>>> buying

>>>>>>> in expensive parts for kit like arcade machines as such though, just

>>>>>>> portable and normal TV's right now.

>>>>>>>

>>>>>>> I'd say good luck to those guys fixing them, going to be harder and

>>>>>>> harder now :(

>>>>>>>

>>>>>>> Andrew

>>>>>>>

>>>>>>> On 06/07/2012 22:08, Jim Leonard wrote:

>>>>>>>> On 7/3/2012 12:19 AM, Jim Leonard wrote:

>>>>>>>>> I'm going to Galloping Ghost Arcade tomorrow, and I'd be happy to

>>>>>>>>> ask

>>>>>>>>> and report back.  (They have over 300+ functioning coin-ops.)

>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>> Unfortunately the owners were not in so I was unable to gather any

>>>>>>>> significantly useful information.  The one person who was there

>>>>>>>> mentioned that they take broken CRTs to "a local repair guy" where

>>>>>>>> they are repaired, so I'm led to believe that they are repairing

>> the

>>>>>>>> tubes as well as trying to find replacements at a local recycling

>>>>>>>> center.

>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>

>>>>>>> _______________________________________________

>>>>>>> game_preservation mailing list

>>>>>>> game_preservation at igda.org

>>>>>>> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/game_preservation

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>> --

>>>>>> Jim Leonard (trixter at oldskool.org)

>> http://www.oldskool.org/

>>>>>> Check out some trippy MindCandy at

>> http://www.mindcandydvd.com/

>>>>>> A child borne of the home computer wars:

>> http://trixter.oldskool.org/

>>>>>>

>>>>>> _______________________________________________

>>>>>> game_preservation mailing list

>>>>>> game_preservation at igda.org

>>>>>> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/game_preservation

>>>>>

>>>>>

>>>>>

>>>>> --

>>>>> Devin Monnens

>>>>> www.deserthat.com

>>>>>

>>>>> The sleep of Reason produces monsters.

>>>>>

>>>>> _______________________________________________

>>>>> game_preservation mailing list

>>>>> game_preservation at igda.org

>>>>> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/game_preservation

>>>>>

>>>>

>>>>

>>>> --

>>>> Marty

>>>> _______________________________________________

>>>> game_preservation mailing list

>>>> game_preservation at igda.org

>>>> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/game_preservation

>>>

>>>

>>>

>>> --

>>> Devin Monnens

>>> www.deserthat.com

>>>

>>> The sleep of Reason produces monsters.

>>>

>>> _______________________________________________

>>> game_preservation mailing list

>>> game_preservation at igda.org

>>> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/game_preservation

>>>

>>

>>

>> --

>> Marty

>> _______________________________________________

>> game_preservation mailing list

>> game_preservation at igda.org

>> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/game_preservation

>>

>

>

>

>

> _______________________________________________

> game_preservation mailing list

> game_preservation at igda.org

> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/game_preservation


-- 
Henry Lowood
Curator for History of Science & Technology Collections;
   Film & Media Collections
HSSG, Green Library, 557 Escondido Mall
Stanford University Libraries, Stanford CA 94305-6004
650-723-4602; lowood at stanford.edu; http://www.stanford.edu/~lowood



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