Hi, is there a difference at all in the animations? Or is it simply a case of a better quality display on color DMD?
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Pin2dmd vs colour DMD
- Thread starter Supersprint
- Start date
I believe the colourisation is different. Which game in particular are you thinking about?
Both . Some games are excellent with pin2dmd but others need the colordmd lcd IMHO flintstones ghostbusters simpsons party
OP
OP
Ghostbusters, I may be wrong but it seem the color dmd animations are different? Or is that my imagination? Are both files simply coloring the dmd? Or completely reworked?I believe the colourisation is different. Which game in particular are you thinking about?
The animations are coloured, they don't create new ones.
My Ghostbusters came with a ColorDMD. I'm not sure how well the Pin2DMD one has been done.
ColorDMD also comes in two versions, LCD using a screen and LED dots like an original DMD and the Pin2DMD.
Which one you want may also depend on if there are colourisation's available for the game you want to put it in, i.e. there may be a colour file for a game available for colorDMD that isnt available for Pin2DMD and vice versa as they use different formats, I believe there is a way to convert them but not seen it done myself and some people actively dont want their work converting for use on the alternative device.
Which one you want may also depend on if there are colourisation's available for the game you want to put it in, i.e. there may be a colour file for a game available for colorDMD that isnt available for Pin2DMD and vice versa as they use different formats, I believe there is a way to convert them but not seen it done myself and some people actively dont want their work converting for use on the alternative device.
The main difference is Pin2dmd colourisation files are done by enthusiasts. As people said above some of the files are excellent and I’d happily have them in my pins but others are not great. Colourdmd files are produced in house and are all done to a high standard. I’ve never had one I’ve been disappointed with.
For ghostbusters specifically I originally had the colourdmd version and then put in an XL Pin2dmd so had that version. The comparison was huge. The colourdmd version was far more polished and better in my opinion. Some of the scenes in the Pin2dmd didn’t seem finished in terms of detail. Obviously in the standard size it is more than double the price but worth it on this game if you have the extra £250
For ghostbusters specifically I originally had the colourdmd version and then put in an XL Pin2dmd so had that version. The comparison was huge. The colourdmd version was far more polished and better in my opinion. Some of the scenes in the Pin2dmd didn’t seem finished in terms of detail. Obviously in the standard size it is more than double the price but worth it on this game if you have the extra £250
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The same enthusiasts are employed by colordmd.
OP
OP
Thanks, you’ve confirmed that on GB the color dmd is superior.
If you pay for private healthcare, you get the same expert consultant doctors and surgeons and anaesthetists, the same drugs, and the same nursing care. The only difference is there is no waiting around and you will get a comfy private room with a massive telly with all the channels on and a great menu.
Those same doctors and surgeons and anaesthetists also work for the NHS. in fact, when things go wrong in private healthcare, as inevitably they occasionally do, you get transfer back to an NHS ITU (paid for by the NHS).
ColorDMD and Pin2DMD both want to employ the best people with the most experience. It makes total sense that the same individuals get to pick and choose and overlap and set their own fees - you pay for quality.
NHS and private health are not competing, probably the complete opposite.
Pin2dmd does not employ anyone either. I don’t believe for a second colorDMD would be happy paying artists to colour there games just to go work on a competitors product who there product is in direct competition with.
And if by some miracle this is going on…. They need someone else in charge!!!
One of the early artists Malenko was approached by ColorDMD to colour a game, LW3 I think, but it fell through precisely because of his involvement in the PIN2DMD scene and he ended up out of pocket having bought the machine in order to do the work. He ended up colouring it for PIN2DMD instead, somewhat out of spite I think.
No one from ColorDMD has ever approached me, chance would be a fine thing!
EDIT: Malenko posted the details of this incident himself here: https://vpuniverse.com/files/file/5851-lethal-weapon-3-pin2dmd-for-virtual-machine-160/
No one from ColorDMD has ever approached me, chance would be a fine thing!
EDIT: Malenko posted the details of this incident himself here: https://vpuniverse.com/files/file/5851-lethal-weapon-3-pin2dmd-for-virtual-machine-160/
There seems to be way too much drama in these niche hobby product scenes. Saw the same in the Mister/FPGA gaming scene, is it all down to oversized ego's?
Its a shame as there could be likely so much better progress made if everyone could just get along and collaborate peacefully.
Its a shame as there could be likely so much better progress made if everyone could just get along and collaborate peacefully.
Will never happen when money is involved.
It always boils down to sex, power and money. I might be mistaken but I don't think sex is a factor in this scenario
.Not what Iv heard…. LololIt always boils down to sex, power and money. I might be mistaken but I don't think sex is a factor in this scenario
Well it sounds like at least one person got a shafting.
What is "more better" about the colours on ColorDMD that justifies a 3x price increase over Pin2DMD? 
In terms of (LED) display the hardware is essentially the same. LCD hardware obviously different and will introduce a cost difference, but the underlying colourisations are the same. Red is red, ColorDMD red is not redder than PIN2DMD red 
When you buy a ColorDMD you also buy access to their entire library of projects which has no doubt undergone hours of focused QA testing (debatable!); you can swap the display freely from one game to another and download the new project from their library, free of charge, very plug and play. It's very easy and you can be sure of the results.
The PIN2DMD library is spread across multiple artists with varying degrees of quality and testing; you lose the ability to seamlessly swap from one machine to another, you will need to source different files from somewhere else, you might have to pay £20 for them, they might not be very good etc etc. It's more effort and results may vary.
So with ColorDMD, bar minor differences between LED/LCD hardware, really what you are paying for with the additional cost IMO is the access to and creation of that library; it is not necessarily better - more consistent, sure - but it is much fuller and already there.
When you buy a ColorDMD you also buy access to their entire library of projects which has no doubt undergone hours of focused QA testing (debatable!); you can swap the display freely from one game to another and download the new project from their library, free of charge, very plug and play. It's very easy and you can be sure of the results.
The PIN2DMD library is spread across multiple artists with varying degrees of quality and testing; you lose the ability to seamlessly swap from one machine to another, you will need to source different files from somewhere else, you might have to pay £20 for them, they might not be very good etc etc. It's more effort and results may vary.
So with ColorDMD, bar minor differences between LED/LCD hardware, really what you are paying for with the additional cost IMO is the access to and creation of that library; it is not necessarily better - more consistent, sure - but it is much fuller and already there.
Plus, folks like @slippifishi, who has done a few of the machines I have, is here as a forum member and part of our community. As are a lot of the colourists. 
@slippifishi I noticed on the large pin2dmd screen for Cftbl I worked on the screen will often get stuck entering the menu from the coin door. I suspect it's to do with the new scenes you wrote for your colour files or maybe the code version of the game I'm on? (LX3).
For me this is the main difference between ColorDMD and Pin2dmd. Some colour artists build for the Vpins and not the physical machine and colours just stop or the menu doesn't work at all, an example is royal rumble.
Not trying to knock your work as most would argue you did a better job at the colour files, it's just for me I don't get glitches like this on ColorDMD.
For me this is the main difference between ColorDMD and Pin2dmd. Some colour artists build for the Vpins and not the physical machine and colours just stop or the menu doesn't work at all, an example is royal rumble.
Not trying to knock your work as most would argue you did a better job at the colour files, it's just for me I don't get glitches like this on ColorDMD.
I am going to say this straight up, because there is room to insult with any response.
30 year old machines are unlikely to be perfect, their code is not perfect, their mechs are not perfect. Some people spend a lot of time trying to dial their machines to perfection, fair play to them, but unless they hand craft a lot of parts, there will be imperfections that a machine made up of mass produced parts with variable or inconsistent quality will inevitable have.
For those who play the machine, and want to freshen up their display with colour, then Pin2DMD will be fine for most machines. For many people, they will not see any value in paying more money for something that is so similar in output. If you are a person who need perfection, simple plug and play, or who watch the screen all the time, pay the money for a ColorDMD.
30 year old machines are unlikely to be perfect, their code is not perfect, their mechs are not perfect. Some people spend a lot of time trying to dial their machines to perfection, fair play to them, but unless they hand craft a lot of parts, there will be imperfections that a machine made up of mass produced parts with variable or inconsistent quality will inevitable have.
For those who play the machine, and want to freshen up their display with colour, then Pin2DMD will be fine for most machines. For many people, they will not see any value in paying more money for something that is so similar in output. If you are a person who need perfection, simple plug and play, or who watch the screen all the time, pay the money for a ColorDMD.
Like most things in life you get what you pay for….
I think a lot of us are saying we don’t think you get double the value.
And both views can be right, because we are not all the same person and we value different things. So let’s stop urinating on other people’s chips.
And both views can be right, because we are not all the same person and we value different things. So let’s stop urinating on other people’s chips.
Ah but where PIN2DMD now excels vs ColorDMD is I am here less than 3 hours after your report to offer to fix said bug - check your DMs! ColorDMD don't do that
I know the project you are talking about, unfortunately that artist moved on and either lost or wouldn't share his project files. It is an easy fix too, it is just a problem with the default palette but no way to replace it that I know of. He did SP too and we eventually got a new 64 colour version for that, so maybe we will get one for Royal Rumble one day
For the record and kind of for the OPs benefit - I am a PIN2DMD advocate and artist, but the proud owner of ColorDMD in my GB.