Sure, CRT TVs are all well and good, and highly discussed, but what about CRT PC monitors? I emulate heavily (NES-PS1 mainly, with some PS2 and GC/Wii), so I was wondering if a CRT monitor is a worthwhile investment. I can't cope with a 220lb. WEGA in my life anyway, and having an extra monitor on the desk wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.
I've read up on the difference of PC CRTs and TVs a bit, and it seems you give up scanlines in exchange for a larger set of resolutions up to HD in some cases, and customization and tweaking options, (probably due to the finicky nature of PC software vs. smooth broadcast streams). I don't see a downside.
I see color-corrected monitors like the Mitsubishi Diamond and some Trinitron Sony tubes going for $100-200 on the bay, but other monitors, including some that are respectable 17"@1280x1024 are going for much less, sans shipping. I imagine that my USB converters and the software itself introduces some input lag, so I don't know if that's a gain with a PC CRT, but I may be wrong. I'd like 21" HD if possible, but that seems pretty rare, especially in a not-used-to-death state.
So guys, should I just stick with NTSC and TV filters on my LED, or go out for a real CRT monitor? If so, do you guys have any solid recommendations?
[I wasn't sure whether to put this in Emulation, PC, or Technical Help, so I decided to play it safe and post in General. Please forgive the intrusion if this wasn't proper]
Recommended CRT Monitors?
-
Exhuminator
- Next-Gen
- Posts: 11573
- Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2013 8:24 am
- Contact:
Re: Recommended CRT Monitors?
I still keep a CRT PC monitor around for gaming purposes myself. My advice is whatever monitor you get, try to get one that has hardware controls for adjusting color saturation at least. When you're running consoles directly into the monitor you can end up with really bad bleeding, and without an actual computer to desaturate the input you can be stuck with a non-optimal image.
You may want to look at getting an old CRT broadcast reference monitor. They often have better image quality than standard CRT TVs do. And are more friendly towards accepting video inputs outside just say VGA.
You may want to look at getting an old CRT broadcast reference monitor. They often have better image quality than standard CRT TVs do. And are more friendly towards accepting video inputs outside just say VGA.
PLAY KING'S FIELD.
Re: Recommended CRT Monitors?
Personally I would rather game on the big screen instead of sitting at a desk for console gaming. My choice is the over 200 pound WEGA HD CRT.
Thru your PC emulation there really is not that much difference between the LCD versus CRT VGA monitor since the PC handles all the upscale internally. Although a 4:3 sized screen (older LCDs and most CRTs) would be a better choice for most of the older games which would have to be stretched on widescreen monitors. However the Dreamcast console does have a VGA adapter which also allows use of a Lightgun with a CRT VGA monitor. House Of The Dead in 640x480 VGA!
Thru your PC emulation there really is not that much difference between the LCD versus CRT VGA monitor since the PC handles all the upscale internally. Although a 4:3 sized screen (older LCDs and most CRTs) would be a better choice for most of the older games which would have to be stretched on widescreen monitors. However the Dreamcast console does have a VGA adapter which also allows use of a Lightgun with a CRT VGA monitor. House Of The Dead in 640x480 VGA!
CRT vs LCD - Hardware Mods - HDAdvance - Custom Controllers - Game Storage - Wii Gamecube and other Guides:
CRTGAMER Guides in Board Guides Index: http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopi ... 5#p1109425
Re: Recommended CRT Monitors?
My buddy had a 24" flat-screen CRT made by Sony. I think it had FD Trinitron written on it. It was the best 1200P capable display I've ever seen. It did the low resolutions very well with great scanlines as well. Next time I talk to him I'll see if he can recall any details. He even replaced the caps to keep it going for a bit longer before he switched to an LCD.
I have set up 2 SD CRTs to accept outputs from PC video cards @ 15khz. Both for MAME and emu cabinets. For one I used an ArcadeVGA card and made a VGA to SCART cable. For the other one I used an old Nvidia card, soft15khz, some stuff from Arcadeforge and an RGB to Component transcoder. For emulation and anything up to 480i both setups worked out incredibly well. The second setup is looking awesome on a 34" TV that was going to be thrown away. Aside from labor, the hardware expense of the cabinet was under $200 since the main stuff (pc included) were free and the rest was spare hardware from my first build. We really only bought the wood, vinyl wrap, buttons and joysticks. Given that big-screen SD televisions are being given away all the time it's a great solution if you're willing to tweak the video modes for the games you want to play.
I have set up 2 SD CRTs to accept outputs from PC video cards @ 15khz. Both for MAME and emu cabinets. For one I used an ArcadeVGA card and made a VGA to SCART cable. For the other one I used an old Nvidia card, soft15khz, some stuff from Arcadeforge and an RGB to Component transcoder. For emulation and anything up to 480i both setups worked out incredibly well. The second setup is looking awesome on a 34" TV that was going to be thrown away. Aside from labor, the hardware expense of the cabinet was under $200 since the main stuff (pc included) were free and the rest was spare hardware from my first build. We really only bought the wood, vinyl wrap, buttons and joysticks. Given that big-screen SD televisions are being given away all the time it's a great solution if you're willing to tweak the video modes for the games you want to play.
