Would this be a good Dreamcast VGA monitor?

[StevieC]

Here? I'm trying to decide whether it'd be worth plunking down the money for it. It doesn't include speakers but I have a good speaker set already. Any suggestions?

[dudex77]

Looks fine as long as it works. The DC's highest resolution is 640 480 anyway isn't it? If not just get yourself a small tft computer monitor

[Mozgus]

It's 12 years old. Don't buy it unless you can try it first. Picture on CRTs tend to age pretty fast.

[Ivo]

Stevie, if you want to play some DC shooters, you may want to have a TFT that swivels. Just something for you to have in mind (and if it swivels both ways, it's better, because I tried once on a TFT that only swivels one way with Ikaruga and it was the opposite from playing in vertical mode).

Ivo.

[lordofduct]

It's 12 years old. Don't buy it unless you can try it first. Picture on CRTs tend to age pretty fast.

agreed

and 300 dollars is a LOT for a monitor (despite the size)... let alone the fact the shipping is going to be insane.

[racketboy]

It's 12 years old. Don't buy it unless you can try it first. Picture on CRTs tend to age pretty fast.

That old already?

I remember seeing those in College. I thought it was amazing to have a big screen monitor like that and be able to play games and watch videos.
But of course, I'd rather have my current setup now -- even if its a 27"

[d123456]

Regardless of what is said here, don't go the tft route. It will be an upscaled mess. crt is the way to go. Even if it is inpractical. get an vga crt monitor like the one you linked. But it can also be a higher resolution, as long as it supports 640X480.
The one you linked is indeed old and very expensive.
I am sure you can find better deals locally. take your dreamcast with you and test it out for yourself. Then talk some few bucks off the monitor and you'll have the best Dreamcast experience possible.

[lordofduct]

oh come on... go out and get yourself a really nice big screen HDTV... DLP screens are very affordable and look AMAZING.

I play my Dreamcast on a Samsung HLS5087w 50 inch 1080p DLP screen via VGA:


looks really nice... and for 50 inches of glory I paid only 850 bucks. Who can beat that!? (not assuming you have 9 bills to throw down on a TV... but you ARE looking at 300 dollar 12 year old CRT monitors).


[edit]
Oh just a quick comment on the TV I said I own... I've read several reviews about it on the internet (before and after buying it). I personally love my TV, and lots of people out there agree... for the price it's awesome. But there are lots of people out there who say their TV sucks due to what is usually cooling issues and colour wheel issues.

I've also noticed a good deal of these complaints come from people who purchased their TV off the internet.

I bring this up for ANYONE considering purchasing any video display off the internet and having it mailed to them. It is a BAD idea. Most types of screens, especially large ones, do not take shipping very well. CRT fairs ok because they are fairly robust devices that can take a beating. But DLP on the other hand can't even be tipped on its side let alone upside down... they have certain parts in them that when slid out of place will severely damage your television.

On top of that, any large screen weighs a lot, and runs HIGH risk in being dropped by what ever postal carrier you use!

The largest of screens I've ever purchased over the internet is 19 inch LCD panels... low weight, in manufacturers packaging (as they package with shipment in mind), and low risk of damage.

There's the thing... of course all Video Displays get shipped at some point because the factory is no where near the store. But the store and manufacturer have ways to deal with damaged products and eat the costs. You as the consumer don't get this priviledge... you can't just eat costs over 100 dollars. (less you're some millionaire I guess). And a lot of online dealers deliver TVs and Large screen displays "as is" upon delivery.

[d123456]

Agreed, Dreamcast through VGA looks great on my 50" Sony RP LCD.
BUT, my set has trouble with VGA, my tv can't process the vga information fast enough, so you get nasty effects. Be sure to check out in personal if it doesn't stutter. The image should be as smooth as hell.
But I thought you were looking for a small and cheap set up. Since onlyvery few Dreamcast games have 16:9 modes and there are lots of tate shmups I wtill recommend a cheap CRT computer monitor of a big size. There are also crt used by production video companies or the like. Hantarex seems a good brand. Search for that.

Ferrari F355 has VGA support and 16:9, just not at the same time
Either a blurry 16:9 RGB or a stretched, but crisp 4:3 VGA.

[StevieC]

well I got a chance to play my Dreamcast hooked up to a Gateway Destination monitor at my community college and it was amazing. Ever since I've been imagining what it'd be like to get the top-of-the-line monitor (the 36 inch VGA CRT) put into an arcade cabinet or cockpit for playing Dreamcast games. Currently I'm using an Antec 17" CRT, and when it comes to using flat panels or DLP with the Dreamcast, I've had SERIOUS issues with lag at times with DLP's and most of the LCD's I can afford don't have a good response time. I'm not spending $300 on that Gateway CRT though, I'm waiting until the 36 incher is available at $100 or less. If it's a refurbished one I might pay $200+ for it.