Where do you stand on replacing original displays with Color DMD's? Let's take price and install out of the equation (assume color displays are free and take no work to install). Is color always better?
All comments welcome!
Where do you stand on replacing original displays with Color DMD's? Let's take price and install out of the equation (assume color displays are free and take no work to install). Is color always better?
All comments welcome!
Depends. Some games really loses their charm with colors. Other times colors really improve the game.
I put an LED color display in south park. Being a cartoon related show. It makes the game pop! Those orange dots look so plain now.
Yes. I've replaced every single one. Color dots (Dots XL or LED) are beautiful. There's not one that looks better in Orange.
...as long as there all Orange lol There's a point where you just have to give up and get with new technology just as long as it doesn't break the spirit of the game, i.e.~Led's, Rottendog Stuff & MAME.
Love the colour dots... If the there is no colourization of the game , it's nice to able to change the dots from time to time ... See you at YEGpin
Quoted from Baiter:Colored dots are better than not in nearly all cases. They are a must on games with muddy video (IM/SM/Avatar). They are a very nice upgrade for games with already great custom dots (XM/MET).
I did the opposite on my Avatar.
I looked at the color samples of the game and said all that money for what?
I put in a blue one because I thought that looked better w the color theme of the game.
No question ColorDMD is the way to go. I have replaced the traditional DMD on several of my games and love them. When I look at and play the games I have not converted, they look a little awkward now. ColorDMD is not a cheap upgrade, but I think it gives the games a more contemporary look.
The colorizations have all been so good that there's no reason not to upgrade them, they really pop. What I don't like is when people apply the smearing effect, so all the dots blob together. Let the dots be dots!
Is ColorDMD always better than original dots? I think so. When ColorDMD first came out, I saw it on an AFM at a pinball show. I thought it was an expensive novelty I would never own. Eventually I got one. And another... and another... Now all my games have Color DMDs. Even on games where full ColorDMD colorization isn't available, it can be an improvement over the original dots. For example, the original red dots in Ghostbusters are, well, horrible once you've seen a green ColorDMD display in that game.... IMHO.
Agreed. On some games it may add something, but definitely not worthed the price. Orange is like b&w for cinema: more abstract, more poetry and charm.
Quoted from pinbuoy:I did the opposite on my Avatar.
I looked at the color samples of the game and said all that money for what?
I put in a blue one because I thought that looked better w the color theme of the game.
I agree. Same goes for Tron. In most cases color is the way to go, but not always
Quoted from o-din:Too much money. Don't need it.
He is asking : assume color displays are free and take no work to install
I got all Color dmd's for my games MetallicaLe Acdc Luci + Tspp they really are Insanly awesome but Spiderman is still a great upgrade but less popping because of the mini clip from the movie.
I love the Color dmd's, Best mod ever by far !
Quoted from spinal:Where do you stand on replacing original displays with Color DMD's? Let's take price and install out of the equation (assume color displays are free and take no work to install). Is color always better?
All comments welcome!
By the way,install is really not a problem : if i can do it pretty easy then everyone can
and Randy (at Color dmd) is Great with Helping if needed, when i sent a email questions he answered
within an 1hour
Quoted from pinbuoy:I did the opposite on my Avatar.
I looked at the color samples of the game and said all that money for what?
I put in a blue one because I thought that looked better w the color theme of the game.
What display did you go with please?
Quoted from IdahoRealtor:I agree. Same goes for Tron. In most cases color is the way to go, but not always
Tron looks AMAZING with the LED ColorDMD (and the contrast turned up by 2). It was a little dull with the LCD...but LED is gorgeous. Avatar might benefit from the LED display as well.
I'd love to see a video of Avatar in dots mode instead of smear mode. I think that lunch video in smear only is doing the display a disservice.
I like ColorDMD and will one day have one in every game I own
but, with some games, the original animations just are not great, and even the best coloring does not improve the look very much
There are exactly zero games that look better with monochrome orange or red dots. Now you can argue they're better time capsules for originality, and I respect that, but it doesn't actually look better, just original.
Quoted from thunderking50:Can not wait to see TWD in Color dmd
That will be my first color dmd
Quoted from Aurich:There are exactly zero games that look better with monochrome orange or red dots. Now you can argue they're better time capsules for originality, and I respect that, but it doesn't actually look better, just original.
I just saw the new BSD color DMD. For me, BSD is cool becuase of that misty, dark, edgy vibes. The monochrome reminds me b&w, it adds to that dreamy feeling and gothic atmospheres. The new color DMD makes it look like more childish and immature. Or anyway it turns the theme into something more shallow. I have the same feeling for other titles. IMHO.
Quoted from Luppin:I just saw the new BSD color DMD. For me, BSD is cool becuase of that misty, dark, edgy vibes. The monochrome reminds me b&w, it adds to that dreamy feeling and gothic atmospheres. The new color DMD makes it look like more childish and immature. Or anyway it turns the theme into something more shallow. I have the same feeling for other titles. IMHO.
I'm obviously being hyperbolic, it's all opinion. Yours just happens to be wrong.
I've yet to play a game where full color dots were not better than orange. I don't really care about color vs. orange (red blue whatever), but the color adds legibility if nothing else.
Given the increased emphasis on screen oriented technology these days, definitely yes.
It is as much about attracting new players in the vicinity of the machine now as it is about conveying information to the current player on the machine.
Red/orange screens just can't compete with a colour display, much like a Nokia 3210 can't compete with an iPhone7.
I don't care about the display much myself. I only look up there briefly to see shots needed, score, etc...I'm usually watching the ball. I actually took a color DMD out of my Medieval Madness and Tron (went with a blue Xpin). I've also moved around color DMDs from various games...for example I don't really care for the color DMD on Addams Family, Indiana Jones, ACDC and other games with a dominant color scheme (ex: orange/yellow for IJ). But on a game like Monster Bash, No Good Gofers, or South Park as someone else mentioned, it fits better IMO. I'm not going to rush out and buy a new color DMD for any game like that but if I have one floating around already, sure. I've sold many pins with color DMDs to pinball newbies and I'd say it's pretty split between "oh yeah it has to have the color display" and "eh, I don't care about that, especially if it lowers the price by $100". Not many that would trade back to a regular plasma DMD without incentive though.
Quoted from Rarehero:Tron looks AMAZING with the LED ColorDMD (and the contrast turned up by 2). It was a little dull with the LCD...but LED is gorgeous.
That may be the best example of the advantage of LED since display colors are fairly dark (blue/brown).
Quoted from Lethal_Inc:What display did you go with please?
It's a used Blue Xpin, w the extra blue plexi.
I heard about the blue displays, saw a few pictures, put an ad out,
got 2 offers and took one of them.
Quoted from Luppin:I just saw the new BSD color DMD. For me, BSD is cool becuase of that misty, dark, edgy vibes. The monochrome reminds me b&w, it adds to that dreamy feeling and gothic atmospheres. The new color DMD makes it look like more childish and immature. Or anyway it turns the theme into something more shallow. I have the same feeling for other titles. IMHO.
I just put an LED ColorDMD in my BSD. Even with just sigma red it looks better than the original red filter. If I take my BSD to Louisville I might leave it on red for awhile to see if anyone notices and then switch it over to full color.
Quoted from o-din:Too much money. Don't need it.
Agreed, but like my mom always said need and want are two very different things. The "want" factor has put 4 of them in my gameroom so far. We don't need pinball machines either, and plenty of them are in the "too much" category.
What do you guys do with your old ones? Is there a market for these used dmd's or you just throw them away?
Quoted from AlexSMendes:What do you guys do with your old ones? Is there a market for these used dmd's or you just throw them away?
I don't know about everyone else but I never throw anything away.
Sell of keep the DMDs, they still have value.
Quoted from AlexSMendes:What do you guys do with your old ones? Is there a market for these used dmd's or you just throw them away?
Um, er, yeah, if someone wants to come over and install free Color DMDs in all my games, I won't stop them!
Quoted from dmbjunky:I don't know about everyone else but I never throw anything away.
Yes, my hoard of spare parts seems to have grown along with my collection of machines. It has come in handy when not only on my machines but when a need pops up on a buddy's as well.
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