1) is this the best choice
For me it was. Others may have different priorities, but for me the price was right, it had all the features I wanted.
2) is anyone unhappy
At first I was a bit disappointed that it only goes up to 800x600 resolution and it also has trouble with certain resolutions below 800x600, but the reason It has trouble is due more to my video card than the monitor. The monitor has a maximum scan rate 36kHz (# rows * v sync rate). If your video card tries to scan at a rate higher than 36kHz the monitor blanks out and gives you an out of sync error message.
However, with a bit of configuration (90% of the games work fine) those games that dont sync can be adjusted to a higher resolution and they work fine. AdvanceMame lets you control sync rates and resolutions to an even higher degree.
3) wish list
I wish it had linearity controls. In testing mine I found that the display is not perfectly linear near the edges, but this is super picky...
4) Weight
no clue... It takes 2 people to safely lift it. It cost me a lot to ship it freight... but it was worth it.
5) is it really easy?
Yeah, pretty much. It has a VGA connector and a power cord. Plug it in and it works, as long as you keep your system below 36kHz scan rate (ie 800x600 and 60Hz). 60Hz sounds like a really low sync rate compared to PC monitors, but I dont see any flicker.
6) geometry controls:
yes. it has a 4 button control pad and an on-screen menu that you can use to adjust:
- brightness, contrast
- H/V size and position
- Trapezoid and Pincussion
- RGB color temperature
- Degaus
Some things a PC monitor would have, but the D9200 does not have are:
rotation
parallelogram
whatever that )#) shape is called
convergence
7) chances of killing yourself
As with any really big monitor with absolutely no plastic between you and it, I would treat it like a live rattlesnake. Handle it gently and keep a safe distance from its fangs... That would be the rubber nipple on the back of the tube and the big flyback transformer it is attached to. I would not touch anything on the circuit board at all just to be safe.
The first thing I did was buy some heavy black plastic screen material (its used for cross-stitching or some ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---) from an art supply shop and attach it to the metal back frame using plastic zip ties. It covers the top, back and sides and prevents any stray fingers from getting too near the dangerous stuff when the cabinet is open.
8) Other advice.
The 29" monitor Bezel at HappControls.com is a perfect fit. For my screen I cut a piece of Lexan and the bezel to the right size for the front if my cabinet. Then I bought a plastic 1'x3' picture frame kit from the same art supply store. You know the kind. Its a cheap piece of card board with black plastic edge molding around it. That edge molding is perfect for clipping your bezel and front lexan together along the edges.
And as far as cabinet designs go, I have only three words:
Aluminum angle Iron!
That stuff saved me so much time I never would have completed my cabinet without it.
-Dan G.