PC, arcade, TV, or hybrid monitor???

[MrBond]

I'm looking for a monitor for my MAME upright cabinet.  I have the cabinet (originally a Frogger turned Time Pilot '84), made the control panel (including I-PAC), hacked a mouse for my trackball + buttons, but I only have a 17" PC monitor.  Now, I could get by with this, but from what I've heard, 17 inchers just don't cut it for gaming/maming.  I have limited funds though.  I know the general consensus is to go with an arcade monitor for authenticity, but I want to go through windows and have USB support.  (And I'm also running 3D-Arcade and Lazarus   thanks )p( and Howard!)  I've heard of hybrid monitors (arcade look but VGA connection with no problem running windows), but someone said they aren't so hot.  I could also go with a TV because my Geforce4 card has Svid out.  So what are the pros/cons of having a PC monitor, TV, arcade monitor, or hybrid?  What brand do you suggest?  And where is the best place to buy it?  I basically want the most bang for my buck.  Thanks for your help!

[SNAAAKE]

Mr bond...

there is nothing wrong with hybrid monitors ..take it this way..its even better then the real arcade monitor..friendly to your eyes...if you have NO and mean no  no other choice and very very limited fund then you can go with a s-video tv BUT i highly highly recomand hybrid vga arcade monitors..its just plain good thats all...only way you will ever know what i am talking about is to see it with your own eyes.look for 19" if fund is the problem here..i bought one from ebay for $175 shiped once and it is the best $175 ever spent.good luck and thank me when you get your monitor.

[MrBond]

Do expect me to talk...no Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!

Thanks Snaaake.  Didn't think about the eye strain problem  .  If I'm going to be playing this thing for hours (heh heh...maybe on weekends + holidays!) than I'm going to need something that's not going to kill my eyesight.  Looking at a TV that close can't be good, and an arcade monitor, well, I know they can give you a headache after you've spent your sack of quarters!  So hybrid arcade/vga is the way to go...Thanks for the input!

[SNAAAKE]

not a problem .Show us pics of which one you get..19" eygo would do the trick but good luck finding one(took me ages to hunt one down)

[MrBond]

What are some other brand name vga arcade monitors to keep my eyes out for?

[SNAAAKE]

wells gardners clearly the best looking onces...other wise..i only seen

19" wells
27" cga/ega/vga wells
27" eygo
19" eygo

all looks very good for mamers.

[CM]

I am using a 27inch Toshiba TV with S-video out and love it.    (of course it was free so its hard to argue pros/cons with that)  

[MrBond]

Lucky you!  Any more free TV's out there?  he he.

[Dartful Dodger]

I wanted to get a tv for my cabinet, but was worried about it being bad for my eyes, so I started looking into it as a health issue.  I wasn't able to find any real health webpage warning against this, but I did find some pages that said this was a myth.

one of these pages was...
http://www.netasia.net/users/truehealth/Eye%20Care%20Myths.htm

^It

[android]

I wasn't able to find any real health webpage warning against this, but I did find some pages that said this was a myth.

I can only talk about my own experience: I used to be a systems administrator and always had close to a 20/20 vision. However, after 2 years of constantly staring at a computer monitor for 6/8 hours a day, I started to experience eyesight fatigue. It got so bad that I had to get prescription eyeglasses. Then I switched jobs and worked exclusively with LCD screens; amazingly, I don't wear eyeglasses anymore. Don't know if my vision healed before permanent damage occured or if it was just a transient effect of working with CRT's. So in a nutshell, watching a CRT from a close distance *HAS* an effect. Whether it is transient or permanent, that's another question.

[zr5-2002]

Another piece of evidence from me....I've worn glasses or contacts for 8 years or so now (I'm 20, btw).  Last year I went in for my annual eye exam at the end of the summer and my eyes were better than they had been in 2-3 years (they improved rather than stay the same or get worse).  The doctor said "oh, it must be since you aren't using your eyes to focus much since it's the summer" and I said no way, I'm working 50 hours a week in front of a computer screen plus hobby stuff at home so if anything I get more eye strain during the summer than when I'm in school.

I think everyone's mileage varies.

[SNAAAKE]

changed my MIND..i just bought a brand new wells k7400...and OUCH...the thing look amezing when ran through scan converter...LOVE IT .SOOO REAL

second choice is hybrid monitors.

[Silverwind]

changed my MIND..i just bought a brand new wells k7400...and OUCH...the thing look amezing when ran through scan converter...LOVE IT .SOOO REAL

second choice is hybrid monitors.

sweet.. what size K7400?  Let us know how you like it after a couple days use