Flat screen CRTs

[ButtonMasher2099]

I'm gonna try to pick up a CRT to use in an arcade cab this weekend and found a few in the size I'm looking for that just happened to be flat screens. One is a Samsung the the others are Sony Triniton Wega models. I can't speak for the Samsung but I remember the Sony Wega being a pretty nice set when I had one years ago and had almost every input you could think of. Has anyone tried these in a cab and are there and disadvantages versus a traditional curved CRT for gaming?

[Ya Dad]

Flat screen CRTs tend to have a bend in the picture near the top of the screen. The bigger the TV is, the more noticeable the bend is. I have a Sony Trinitron KV-36FV26, and the bend is there, but it doesn't really bother me.

[lilshawn]

getting good linearity is almost impossible without a good CPU controlled deflection circuit. there is almost always some wobble to the edge.

[nitrogen_widget]

Flat screen CRTs tend to have a bend in the picture near the top of the screen. The bigger the TV is, the more noticeable the bend is. I have a Sony Trinitron KV-36FV26, and the bend is there, but it doesn't really bother me.

I've noticed this on one of my 20" flat CRT's.
Is this a geometry issue you can fix in the service menu or flyback pots (if you can get to either) ?

[Howard_Casto]

You probably already know this, but just in case:  Flat crt's will NOT work with lightguns.  So keep that in mind. 

[ButtonMasher2099]

Not going to be using light guns on this cab so no worries there. From what I've read so far it seems that I should stay away from any HD models due to some known image processing problems, but I don't think all flat screens are HD... or am I wrong there? Any recommendations for Tvs with really good looking picture, provided there are needed inputs, or is it " crt is a crt" in terms of brand/ picture?

[lilshawn]

lcd/plasma screens use a lot of post-processing to the received image frame before it actually gets displayed (sometimes up to 200ms of delay.) de interlacing, deblocking...etc. not so much with computer monitors than you do with TV's

you want to enable any kind of "gaming" mode your TV/monitor may have. this eliminates most of the processing and just shoves out the video frame.

if you want to see what kind of delay i'm talking about... "Y" and audio signal from a DVD player and feed one to your TV and the other to your hifi system. run the video straight out. you will notice a considerable amount of echo and delay going on between the TV and the audio hifi system... this is because the audio on the TV is delayed slightly while the system gets the video ready. to keep the audio and video synced they hold the audio data in a buffer and feed it out as the frames are ready.

this would also be why you feed your audio out from the TV and into the hifi, so the proper delay in the audio is retained.

[Ya Dad]

You probably already know this, but just in case:  Flat crt's will NOT work with lightguns.  So keep that in mind.

My Trinitron is a flat-screen CRT, and my NES Zapper works fine with it. Where did you read this information from?

is it " crt is a crt" in terms of brand/ picture?

No. Like with most products where multiple companies take a crack at it, they vary in quality. Late-model Sony Trinitrons with YPbPr component inputs are said to be among the best consumer-grade CRTs you can get, while the PVM-BVM range is capable of RGB input via BNC cables along with other medical and broadcast monitors.

Flat screen CRTs tend to have a bend in the picture near the top of the screen. The bigger the TV is, the more noticeable the bend is. I have a Sony Trinitron KV-36FV26, and the bend is there, but it doesn't really bother me.

I've noticed this on one of my 20" flat CRT's.
Is this a geometry issue you can fix in the service menu or flyback pots (if you can get to either) ?

Adjusting it via the service menu depends on the brand of CRT you're using. With the Sony Wegas/late model Trinitrons using the special remote combination, you may try adjusting the VSIZ or VSCO, but I've heard you can damage your CRT this way if you force it too far out of spec.

As far as I know, adjusting the flyback pots messes around with the focus. I don't think it will fix the bend.

I've come to accept the bend as a natural flaw of CRT monitors. All good. At least we can bask in near-zero input lag and ghosting, natural 4:3 aspect ratio with overscan, and lightgun compatibility =)