VGA Box Dilemma Advice Needed

[retrogamer]

I was wondering if anyone could offer a solution to make using the VGA box a bit less of a hassle to use. My box like the many others on the market does not have a pass through feature. I only have one monitor that my computer uses so cable swappping is getting to be a real major pain. Can anyone recommend a good switching unit that wont degrade the signal so I can have both my PC and the DC hooked up at once.

[Mozgus]

I was wondering if anyone could offer a solution to make using the VGA box a bit less of a hassle to use. My box like the many others on the market does not have a pass through feature. I only have one monitor that my computer uses so cable swappping is getting to be a real major pain. Can anyone recommend a good switching unit that wont degrade the signal so I can have both my PC and the DC hooked up at once.

In my experience, any cheap device that has a vga passthough or a switch, will ALWAYS degrade the quality. I lost a lot of money trying different products. I just cant stand looking at a VGA signal with all that ghosting. It's nasty. I suggest you just buy another CRT monitor for real cheap at a garage sale or something.

I did hear that VGA switch boxes which plug into an A/C outlet, do not have any signal loss, but I wouldn't get my hopes up.

[racketboy]

Yeah I initially wanted something similar, but I just went for what was simple

[retrogamer]

I agree with the both of you. I think I'll stick to the cable swapping with the hopes of picking up a second monitor in the future. All of the switches I read about would seriously defeat the purpose of VGA due to signal loss which would probably be no better than an S-Video connection. It reminds me of a friend of mine who bought very expensive Component Monster Cables for all of his consoles that were able to use them (XBOX 360, XBOX, PS2, GC) and then used over 15 splitters to join everything together because his TV had only one set of component inputs. Kind of defeats the purpose.

[racketboy]

Just as a follow-up, I strongly recommend an LCD like my Dell that has DVI, VGA, S-Video, and Composite inputs.
Not only can I have my PC going to DVI and my Dreamcast to VGA without swapping cables, but can also plug my Saturn and Genesis in with no problem.
I'm getting a simple switchbox for the RCA audio to go to my speakers.

[metaleggman]

I think if you're looking for a product, just make sure it's powered. This means that most likely it's got active circuitry instead of passive circuitry, which can help a little depending on the application. I know my Coaxial splitter that makes it so can watch digital cable and use cable internet works much better with a powered splitter than with a passive one. The only difference is that VGA has a lot more stuff going through, so you'd have to get a really expensive professional product to get quality. Racketboy's solution is the simplest and best in the long run. Then again, Mozgus's solution may be a better route, just in case you prefer the look of CRTs for DC gaming. I personally prefer CRTs for NES and Saturn gaming.

For example, something like this may work nicely, but it costs $35. This may seem like a lot, but it may work out nicely if you want to go this route. Then again, I can't guarantee this is a good product. Over all, it's your safest bet to getting quality video, so if you have the money to spare, you may as well try it out. It looks like a professional product, considering the non-flashy metal exterior, so it may just be a winner.

[Yackom]

I wanted to find something similar but I eneded up just using vga gender changers to connect 2 vga cables together for quick disconnect. Making sure not to connecting/disconnecting from the machines them selfs to prevent wear on the machines vga sockets.