Monitor/Cabinet Angle

[Ren Hoek]

I am probably going to use a 19" computer monitor, and was wondering whether the maximum tilt/angle on the monitor would provide a decent angle for playing (the monitor would sit on a flat base as opposed to an angled base within the cabinet).

Furthermore, has anyone tried using a flat/thin monitor (the new ones that are only a few inches deep)?  Would this enable the cabinet to be considerably shorter in depth, making it a space saver and a lot less heavy (although I know these monitors are quite pricey).

What is the quality of arcade gaming on a computer monitor (a good quality one, even an LCD one)?  Console games look 10 times better on an LCD screen, would the same apply to arcade games?

[paigeoliver]

Computer LCD screens are like fried ass for gaming. Games look worse, not better.

No one is going to be able to tell you the proper angle to put your screen at without being able to see your cabinet. Standard 19" uprights can have the monitor anywhere from straight up and down (Williams games, and many others), to almost flat (ATW minis, some Exidy uprights, and many others).

I have always used VGA monitors for my Mame projects, they are cheap and easy to use. I tried TV in the past, and it was too problematic. And as far as REAL arcade monitors go, any nice REAL arcade monitors I get are going into real games, I am not going to waste them on Mame cabinets.

[Sasquatch!]

WTF, that's not Ren Hoek in your avatar!

Seriously though, MAME looks like complete ass on an LCD monitor.  If you read this board for a while, "monitor authenticity" is a big issue.  The problem with CRT PC monitors is that the picture is too "good - it doesn't look like it did in the arcade.  A genuine arcade monitor is the best looking / most authentic choice.  A TV comes pretty darn close to an arcade monitor (some people will vehemently disagree with this, but some people agree).  But to answer your original question, I've played MAME on an LCD monitor, and it was POO.

To answer your question about angle, it depends a lot on the height and distance of the monitor from you, as well as the overall shape of the cabinet.  Some cabinets have a +/- 10-degree angle on the monitor, some are straight vertical, some (like Midway-style cabinets) have a 45-degree angle on them.  If you're building from scratch, just see what looks and feels comfortable to ya.