READERS' FEEDBACK

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64 Video Glitches
I'm disappointed with the quality of the Commodore 64 video display. For example, when selecting black characters on a blue background, every other character is badly smeared. Also, when executing a program, small "birdies" appear randomly all over the screen. These are about one pixel in height, three to eight pixels in width, and appear in the same color as the characters.
    Is there a fix for these problems?

Some colors don't seem to work well together on the Commodore 64; you might try combinations of foreground and background colors to see what works best on your machine.
    If you are using a TV set, look for solid connections (try wiggling things gently) and make sure your TV/COMPUTER slide switch is firmly over to the COMPUTER side. Try rearranging the cable which connects the computer to the TV set: sometimes interference is picked up along the way. Even moving the computer can often help.
    On the other hand, if you are using a monitor rather than a TV set, there are other things for you to keep in mind. Commodore will soon be announcing a new interface - and a new monitor - that should significantly improve picture quality. Still on the subject of monitor interfaces, some users find that they can get better character definition by a variation in the wiring of the interface. Normally, pin 4 of the video connector is used for video out on the Commodore 64: some users like the improved contrast that may be achieved by connecting pin 1 (luminance) to pin 4 and then feeding the composite signal to their monitor.
    We understand that the screen hash that you call "birdies" can be eliminated completely by the addition of a small capacitor to the video circuitry of the Commo dore 64. Contact your dealer for further information.