Main > Monitor/Video Forum
Buy this TV? Or one just like it?
badhairday:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/123823470277?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&fromMakeTrack=true
Link leads to a SONY 36" FD Trinitron WEGA Flat Screen. For sale for $150.
I would like my monitor to have the same look as those from 1980-1982. Think: Galaxian, Defender, Dig Dug, Joust, Tron, Zaxxon.
Weight isn't a factor (the cabinet will never move after it's built) and I have a gimbal that will allow me to rotate the screen from horizontal to vertical orientation. It is meant for a CRT between 35 and 40 inches, and I don't see why I shouldn't use it. My budget allows a few to several hundred on the monitor. Naturally, I want to buy something in good working condition, but I have a good back up plan- my dad was a technician for IBM in the 70's, 80's and 90's. He can repair pretty much any issue on any CRT monitor. I'm not going to buy a cheap monitor and then ask him to refurbish it, but if I buy a good working monitor and some component fails, he will be able to fix it. He can also help me with any technical issues in setting up a new computer issuing a video signal to a 15KHz monitor.
I don't have his knowledge, but I understand some (most?) of the specifications for monitors. But my question is pretty straightforward at this point:
Is that KV-36HS500 the right monitor for what I am looking for? If not, why not and what should I be looking for?
Thanks. BHD
Mike A:
If you are building a cab to play arcade games from the early 80's, that is the wrong choice. Go get a 19 inch arcade CRT. The games you listed were all played on an arcade monitor. If you need a bigger screen then go with a 25 inch arcade CRT.
The TV you linked to weighs 230 pounds. That weight IS a factor. I can't imagine a practical way to build a cab with a 230 pound rotating monitor.
badhairday:
I have the gimbal. I can take the shell off the TV and assemble the gimbal around the TV before mounting it into the (heavy duty) cabinet. I didn't say it was going to be easy, but I can assure you: weight isn't an issue.
I want a thirty-some inch screen for another reason as well. Scaling. A twelve year old in 1983 was only 80% the height of the cabinet. When I finish this (hopefully the summer of 2020, but if it's the summer of 2021 I'm okay with that) then I should still be 80% of the height of the cabinet. And since I have the gimbal, it's just inviting me to scale up the size of the monitor as well.
pbj:
Offer him $50, He’ll take it
Mike A:
Good luck with your build.