Which type of Monitor question

[mark6437]

I have built 3 cabs. One with a PC monitor and two with Tv'S. The problem I ran into with using TV's is that when I want to use windows, to either work on ROMS or configure stuff, I have to hook up a PC monitor so I can see windows clearly. If I don't hook one up then windows is VERY blurry on the TV and I cannot see what I am doing.
Is there some type of monitor that will do both, give me an authentic look when playing games, still cheap, but will allow me to see windows clearly when i need to work on the arcade? I know there are real arcade monitors but I am not sure they will be clear when displaying windows and they are pretty exepnsive and from what I can tell hard to hook up to a regular VGA card.

Thx
Mark
Hou TX

[ahofle]

Do a search for multi-sync arcade monitors.  They go up to 800x600 natively (so it won't be blurry and interlaced) as well as down to authentic arcade resolutions.  They are pricy though.

[ChicagoDave]

You can also connect to your arcade remotely with something like VNC.  This way you can sit at your computer and see your arcades display on your PC's screen and it won't be blurry.

[severdhed]

i have a PC LCD monitor in mine so i dont have that problem, but second the VNC idea.  My main PC is on the second floor of my house, the arcade is in the basement, VNC makes it nice because i can sit here at my desk and do all of the customization that i need to remotely.  windows XP's remote desktop connection works very well also.

[ArtMAME]

I am using a JVC AV-27530 with component inputs.  Brand new 27" TV for $190, maybe less now.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=55015.msg539585#msg539585

The image looks awesome for old-school  and new-school games.  Plus it is clear enough that I can do basic admin and edit the configuration files for MAME and MAMEWah. 

If you use S-Video or composite...forget it  ...unless you enlarge the font to where you can see the text more clearly  . 

You could try to get a presentation monitor for cheap.  They can be found anywhere from $50 to $250.  I have an NEC 29" monitor that will do 1024x768 so I would have no problems using it for Windows.  These are huge and heavy though.  You may have trouble fitting it in your cabinet unless you build one around the monitor dimensions.  Huib1 has one that he put in his cab, which I believe is a standard Lusid's cabinet.  I have a large Midway-style cab (Williams High Impact Football) but the NEC does not fit in there. I am currently building a Midway-style cab to house the NEC 29" monitor.  I had to add about 4.5 inches to the overall depth of the cab to fit the monitor at the correct angle.

Hope this info helps.  Good luck 

[ahofle]

I didn't realize you were limited to 640x480 with component input.  Does this mean you can't play vertical games like toobin which have 512 lines?  I also like my desktop at 800x600 even though it's a little fuzzy (a lot of windows non-resizable dialogs are too big at 640x480). 

[mark6437]

Is there an arcade monitor that will just plug into a pc video card via vga cable rather than messing with all the complicated wires?

Mark

[ChicagoDave]

Is there an arcade monitor that will just plug into a pc video card via vga cable rather than messing with all the complicated wires?

Mark

Yes, look at the Wells Gardner D9200 and the Happ Vision Pro 27".  Both have standard VGA inputs. 

[ArtMAME]

I didn't realize you were limited to 640x480 with component input.  Does this mean you can't play vertical games like toobin which have 512 lines?  I also like my desktop at 800x600 even though it's a little fuzzy (a lot of windows non-resizable dialogs are too big at 640x480). 

So far all the Vertical games I have tried look fine.  I just tried Toobin' and it looks fine also.
 
I know what you mean with the non-resizable dialogs, sometimes you make a change and you can not reach the APPLY or the OK buttons.  On my setup, I moved the Taskbar to the Right side of the screen and I am able to click most of the APPLY and OK buttons in the dialogs. 

Also, If you use the ATI CATALIST Control Center, I have a pretty recent version and I am able to do the simple Wizard to change resolutions and settings with no problems.  On another PC I have an older version and it is a pain if you are in the lower resolutions.  MAME32 is much harder to use at the lower resolutions because of all the dialog boxes.

Fortunately, I have my settings pretty well established so I don't have to mess with them very much.