a couple of question for those who use tv's as monitors

[rlemmon]

Hi. I was at walmart and i saw that they have 20 inch TVs with s video jacks. I think they were made by Emerson. Wouldn't it hurt your eyes using a TV being that your only 2 feet away from it? I have heard that some people have a issue with flickering. What is  the reason for this ? I'm currently using a geforce 6800 card. I like to keep my cab running during the day and shut it down at night. Wouldn't it be bad to leave a TV running that much especially in a cab? 

any info would be greatly appreciated

thanks

[rlemmon]

Anybody out there 

[CheffoJeffo]

Anybody out there 

I'm here ... I just don't use a TV in my cabinet ... sorry ...

Cheers.

[NoOne=NBA=]

I have heard that some people have a issue with flickering. What is  the reason for this ?

The main reason you see warnings on video games, is that certain flashing in video games can (in rare cases) trigger epileptic seizures.
It's not actually the flickering on the display that causes it, IIRC.

Wouldn't it be bad to leave a TV running that much especially in a cab? 

It will definitely accelerate wear on it, but shouldn't hurt it.
If you think about all the TV's that are left on 18 hrs. a day at bars and such, you'll probably be a little less worried.

[mahuti]

I have had a TV going in my cabinet all the time. No problem. It's not any worse on my eyes than a computer monitor, and it makes the pixel edges a little softer and nicer when playing games. It's a good compromise between a monitor and an arcade monitor as far as I'm concerned, though that varies from person to person. As for damaging it. Nah. TVs are meant to be used over many, many hours.

One thing I would suggest is... get a TV with an auto on after power off feature. Makes it much easier to start up and shut down the cab.

[KDOG]

heck i leave a  tv weeks at a time. no problem with mine

[mccoy178]

I have a 27" flat panel and it is great.  Not as crisp as a monitor, but I am very happy with the looks.  Three factors I considered were, 1) total width of t.v. so it would fit in my cab okay, 2) Auto on after power off so it would work with my power strip, and 3rd) it had to have s video, it makes a big difference over composite.  Doesn't hurt my eyes at all, other than trying to read fine print 

[Q*Bert_OP]

I have a 27'' tv that I use with a mame cab setup running windows, and the pixels on the tv are so big, you cant see the text....also in games like Pac man, the maze flickers alot 

[vornar]

I have a 27" TV with S-Video and i think it looks great. For those on a budget it is the most realistic picture. The only problem with mine is that it will auto power on when the power is applied but it always goes back to the t.v. channels instead of the S-Video channel

[toolaa]

In my MAME cab I use a 24" Sony which has Component Inputs.  All games are running at 640x432 15Hz refresh.  When I compare this display with a Medium Res Wells Garner I can say that they look almost identical.  Maybe the monitor in my SuperSprint is old but the TV is actually brighter and has more contrast. 

The bad thing is that 640x432 is almost useless for windows XP Gui.  You'll need a standard VGA monitor or connect the TV to S-VIDEO to use windows during maintenance or setup.

[rlemmon]

thanks for the help guys

[jcroach]

One thing I would suggest is... get a TV with an auto on after power off feature. Makes it much easier to start up and shut down the cab.

I have a 27" TV with S-Video and i think it looks great. For those on a budget it is the most realistic picture. The only problem with mine is that it will auto power on when the power is applied but it always goes back to the t.v. channels instead of the S-Video channel

Hey guys, what models or manufacturers support "auto on after power off"?

[Sensei]

I have always used a tv.

I have a 27" Prima television with s-video.

I couldn't find a television with BOTH auto-on/off AND remebering the last channel.  So either way I would have to grab the remote.

So I opted for the cheaper television with just remembering the last channel. (for the s-video input).

I have been very pleased.  A friend of mine has a 19" CRT monitor in his arcade cab and I personally like the larger size of the television.   His front-end is easier to read (but mine is still quite usuable) but the games dont present much differently....other than of course... smaller

[MustardTent]

I have a Sansui (cheap brand) 27".  It does not auto-on, but it does remember to always power-on to S-video.

Looks pretty good, although it displays some classic color bleeding problems (mostly with reds).

[kickngas]

I have a 27" ESA from Circuit City and it powers up with my cabinet(Smart Strip), also remembers to go to S-Video.  Love the size, but I have to make the windows font huge in order to read. Most games really look great...close to original arcade monitors.  Also, some colors, especially blue, in vector games are not too clear.  I am looking for a 24 or 27" presentation monitor to replace the TV.  Can't beat the TV for price, but I personally like the clarity of a monitor.

[pcates]

Powering on/off is not really a big deal. I just keep the remote on top of the cab and turn it on when I want to use it, and off when I am done. Takes 2 extra seconds. I leave the computer on all  the time.

As far as quality, I have the TV running side by side with a Comp monitor and you can see huge differences in the windows environment/text, but in game play the tv looks great.

Patrick

[Extreme8]

Durabrand from walmart does both. It remembers it's last power state when power is removed, and also stays on the svideo input. Mine is dedicated to my cab and has been so reliable that I don't even know where the remote is anymore.
It's made by Sansui I belive, tube is curved for that "old school" feel, and the price is right - my 27" was $168 US.

[Scoobie]

The Toshiba 27" is a good bet.

[ahofle]

Not to change the subject, but how much better is component input than S-Video?

[darktemp]

I have a Sansui (cheap brand) 27".  It does not auto-on, but it does remember to always power-on to S-video.

Looks pretty good, although it displays some classic color bleeding problems (mostly with reds).

Mine has the same color bleeding but it's mostly with blues.  Does anyone know if this can be fixed?

[jhanson]

I have a 20" Panasonic TV in my cabinet.  It uses s-video.  I think it looks very good, and have never had any complaints.  Very small text is a bit hard to read, but that's about it.  You can see pics of my cabinet here.

[Scoobie]

Not to change the subject, but how much better is component input than S-Video?

Component is significantly sharper than s-video, however you will need a dongle (at least that's the way I needed to go) if you have an ATI video card.

Keep in mind that a standard def tv (even with component) won't look as clear as a computer monitor or HDTV, but still better than s-video.

[Sensei]

Not to change the subject, but how much better is component input than S-Video?

I think perhaps you mean composite as opposed to component.

Going from worst to best it goes:

coaxial -> composite (or RCA) -> s-video -> component (where you have an input for each primary video color) -> digital (like VGA or HDMI)

I find going from composite (or RCA) to s-video the picture is slightly sharper with less color bleedin and a lot less interference.  Sometimes you wont notice it (say with fast moving game images) but where you'll notice it is when there is high contrast (say with a lot of black on the screen).  You may notice interference (looks like faint lines waving in the black color) or bleeding (usually dark colors will cross over into light color areas).

Most recent video cards have s-video as an output option as do most relatively new tv's.  I say if you have the option do it.   

Hey every little bit helps.

[Scoobie]

Since component gives a better picture than composite and s-video, I think ahofle was asking about component...