MiSTer FPGA Forum

i posted this on the issues page of github, but wanted to ask here as well
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i have noticed, for quite a while, the intro chime in both super mario world and link to the past sometimes doesnt play.
or, the chime will play, but the intro image/screen is still blank on my screen. if i reset the game after the game is loaded, the intro image/screen will show sometimes, but never the first time the game is loaded from the mister menu.

im running my mister over HDMI, low lag mode, integer scale .25, with everything up to date.
i have not tested on a CRT, but the analogue super NT does not have this issue over HDMI in low lag mode.
i have tested on the mister with "sync to core" option, instead of low lag mode, and this does fix the issue.
however, i have no interest in playing with sync to core option enabled, due to the games i play on the mister (kaizo SMW romhacks).
tested on 2 different screens - samsung QLED, and an acer gaming PC monitor. both have the same error.

my thought is that there is a sync/refresh switch happening when the game is first loaded, or something is re-syncing/refreshing once a game is loaded.

is there any way to correct this?
perhaps having an option to delay the start of the ROM by a couple seconds, giving the screen time to sync/refresh?
can someone try compiling a version of the core that implements a lock on the refresh rate or the above option to start the ROM a few seconds later to give the screen time to "catch up"?
is this just a problem with using low lag mode over HDMI? does anyone else experience this error?

Do you use a soundbar? I see audio delays (not with MISTER specifically) where if there is no audio (which there isnt on mister menu) the moment audio starts it kinda "wakes up" the soundbar. So you will miss a tiny bit.

sounds like a issue local to you - I use the snes core daily and they are 2 of my favorite game and they are flawless... id check your connections!

gamesfan wrote: ↑Mon Sep 06, 2021 1:45 pm Do you use a soundbar? I see audio delays (not with MISTER specifically) where if there is no audio (which there isnt on mister menu) the moment audio starts it kinda "wakes up" the soundbar. So you will miss a tiny bit.

no, no soundbar with my setup. its hdmi in to the TV, and digital out to an amp/speakers

lordoftime79 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 06, 2021 3:39 pm sounds like a issue local to you - I use the snes core daily and they are 2 of my favorite game and they are flawless... id check your connections!

are you playing over HDMI in low lag?
could you advise about what your ini looks like if you are using HDMI? (video_mode, vsync_adjust, vscale_mode)
the issue does go away with my setup, if i set the vsync_adjust to "match core frequency", but the added frame/s of input lag are a no go for me.

and to be specific, this is the brief image/sound that im talking about at the very beginning of boot sequence in super mario world.
after this screen everything is fine, but sometimes this screen does not show up when im playing over HDMI with low lag

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wejcLMtvntw

im now wondering if a custom 1920x1080 modeline, with adjusted blanking and synchro times, would correct this?

PikWik wrote: ↑Mon Sep 06, 2021 5:28 pm

gamesfan wrote: ↑Mon Sep 06, 2021 1:45 pm Do you use a soundbar? I see audio delays (not with MISTER specifically) where if there is no audio (which there isnt on mister menu) the moment audio starts it kinda "wakes up" the soundbar. So you will miss a tiny bit.

no, no soundbar with my setup. its hdmi in to the TV, and digital out to an amp/speakers

lordoftime79 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 06, 2021 3:39 pm sounds like a issue local to you - I use the snes core daily and they are 2 of my favorite game and they are flawless... id check your connections!

are you playing over HDMI in low lag?
could you advise about what your ini looks like if you are using HDMI? (video_mode, vsync_adjust, vscale_mode)
the issue does go away with my setup, if i set the vsync_adjust to "match core frequency", but the added frame/s of input lag are a no go for me.

and to be specific, this is the brief image/sound that im talking about at the very beginning of boot sequence in super mario world.
after this screen everything is fine, but sometimes this screen does not show up when im playing over HDMI with low lag

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wejcLMtvntw

To chime in I have exactly the same type of issue with my new fast gaming monitor, Samsung Odyssey G7. For whatever reasons some displays just don't like none standard low lag settings. My older TN panel none gaming Samsung monitor (2014 vintage) has no issues whatsoever.

Set to vsync_adjust=2 it is unusable on the G7, set to 1 it still doesn't work great with moments where the monitor will drop out and sync back up every now and again. Sounds like your tested displays just don't like it.

PikWik wrote: ↑Mon Sep 06, 2021 6:08 pm im now wondering if a custom 1920x1080 modeline, with adjusted blanking and synchro times, would correct this?

It's worth a try but the whole point of vsync_adjust=2 is that it follows the pixel clocks and refresh rates of the original machines to give the lowest possible latency, that would likely still upset the display even if you put in a custom modeline. I know with mine it just didn't help.

If the HDMI output supported variable refresh rate we'd be onto a winner.

hmm, thats kind of what i was thinking too. probably a display issue at this point
oh well, it is just that first brief intro piece of the boot sequence, and it is a minor issue. the screen/core works fine past that point in low lag.

i was hoping there could be a custom core setting to allow for an additional second or two after loading a ROM, where the SNES core could send the 60.08hz signal for 2 seconds before loading the ROM, to allow the game to sync to the display before actually starting the game.

that seems easy enough to add if someone was more knowledgable in core dev than i

I experienced this on my Samsung TV, when Main Resolution and Core Resolution were not the same, so my TV needed a few moments to switch so I missed the chime. Maybe it‘s just that?

yes, that makes sense, and is what i had discovered as well.
some HDTVs respond quicker to resolution/refresh changes, and others take a couple seconds to change

which lead me to ask if a custom core option could be implemented, where we could set a certain amount of seconds to wait to load the ROM,
so that the resolution and 60.08hz signal can update the TV, allowing the HDTV screen to change, and then start the ROM

but again, its not a huge issue.
i notice it particularly with super mario world ROM hacks, where people will customize that nintendo intro and the intro chime with other sounds/screens, so it would be nice to hear/see those in low lag mode over HDMI

Edited: Not the same issue.

Every flat panel screen I've ever used on MiSTer will take a moment to sync to any signal that isn't exactly 60hz. I'm pretty sure the only current way to make sure you can see the first fractions of a second when loading a ROM is to use vsync_adjust=0 or to play on a CRT. If you enjoy playing Kaizo hacks and other games which require frame perfection it would probably be worth it to you to use a CRT.

I’m playing on a PVM and I also miss both these chimes. Glad it’s not just me.

If you really must you can simply hit the reset to see the entirety of the boot up.