arcade & and pc montior both 19" inches is there noticible a size difference ?

[rlemmon]

I know PC monitors are a little smaller due to the case but my 19 inch flat screen PC monitor looks mighty small compared to a arcade game w/ a 19 inch monitor i was looking at. It looked 2 - 3 inches bigger.  Would I gain a pretty good amount of space by switching to a arcade monitor ?

What do you think guys ?

[NoOne=NBA=]

I would go with a 21" PC monitor if you have a choice.
Those two are almost identical in size.
The main driving force for me in that choice is vector games.
They look GREAT on a PC monitor, and passable at best on an arcade monitor.

[FrizzleFried]

They look GREAT on a PC monitor, and passable at best on an arcade monitor.

You must have your priorities in order when you make your decision.  If you go with a PC monitor,  YES,  vector games will look better.   You will also have an easier time setting things up.   But you WILL NOT GET AN AUTHENTIC LOOK with 95% of the games out there (any standard res game will not look authentic...even with the scan line trickery that MAME can produce).   Yes,  as indicated above,  Vector games will look substantially better...Medium and Hi-Res games will look much better (no interlacing),  but since the vast majority of MAME ROM's are standard res,  this is something to think about.

I disagree that Vector games look "passable at best" on an arcade monitor.   I play Tempest nonstop on my arcade monitor and it looks pretty damn spiffy....though NOT as smooth as a standard PC monitor would display of course...but my Donkey Kong looks 100% authentic!

[Crowquill]

As mentioned, a 21" PC monitor is almost identical in size to a 19" arcade monitor.

I was actually going to use an arcade monitor, but then I ran across a 21" monitor at Goodwill. I haven't regretted using the PC monitor, but there are a few factors to consider:

How authentic do you want your arcade experience to be?

How difficult will it be to mount the PC monitor? Many 21" monitors don't have detachable bases, and some cabinets may make it difficult to get it mounted at a the correct angle to the front.

[u_rebelscum]

I know PC monitors are a little smaller due to the case but my 19 inch flat screen PC monitor looks mighty small compared to a arcade game w/ a 19 inch monitor i was looking at. It looked 2 - 3 inches bigger.  Would I gain a pretty good amount of space by switching to a arcade monitor ?

TVs and arcade monitors are sized by the viewable diagonal.  PC CRT monitors are sized by the tube's total diagonal, even though you "loose" about 2 inches with the cover (depending on CRT type).  Now, some PC CRTs do include a viewable size; use this when comparing against TV or arcade sizes.

[rlemmon]

Very helpfull, Thanks guys ! 

[whatzcrackn]

Happs has a 19" Vision Pro for 149.00.  I have one and love it.  My kids and I love the arcade games.  It is a console cab and Xbox and PS2 games still looks good, Even when the Wifey watches DVD's.  I think it was a good choice for me.  I have not looked back.

[CheffoJeffo]

They look GREAT on a PC monitor, and passable at best on an arcade monitor.

You must have your priorities in order when you make your decision.  If you go with a PC monitor,  YES,  vector games will look better.   You will also have an easier time setting things up.   But you WILL NOT GET AN AUTHENTIC LOOK with 95% of the games out there (any standard res game will not look authentic...even with the scan line trickery that MAME can produce).   Yes,  as indicated above,  Vector games will look substantially better...Medium and Hi-Res games will look much better (no interlacing),  but since the vast majority of MAME ROM's are standard res,  this is something to think about.

I disagree that Vector games look "passable at best" on an arcade monitor.   I play Tempest nonstop on my arcade monitor and it looks pretty damn spiffy....though NOT as smooth as a standard PC monitor would display of course...but my Donkey Kong looks 100% authentic!

Have a look an an authentic vector game side-by-side with your std res raster monitor and then come "raise your voice" about authentic looks.

I think NoOne=NBA= was being charitable with his characterization ... vectors on std res rasters ain't passable in my books.

I agree about priorities ... pick a monitor that is best for what you want to play. For some people, vectors are important and vector monitors are becoming increasingly scarce.

Cheers

[BamBam]

Saint has a nice explanation of this in his book and even has some colour pics of all types of monitors on the included CD-ROM.
I personally have a Samsung Syncmaster 19" as it was already laying around.  I have been gaming since the seventies and it does not make a difference to me.  The 19"  monitor from Happs seems like a good deal, but watch the shipping as these bad boys are heavy.

John

[tranq]

I played a Star Wars conversion (not sure what it used to be) and it had a raster monitor (likely std res).  It was blech.

And regarding monitor size, I just can't play anything that isn't at least 19" viewable....although, what really confuses me is the lot of you who were, say, like I was, between 7 and 13 and want it to be authentic.  To me, authentic means it's the same size as when I was that age.  You'll notice original cabs were made for shorter, smaller people - hence, a cab now MUST be larger.  And so if the monitor ain't at least 25", it ain't big enough.  Anything else is just settling.

[Level42]

Well if it's an orignal cab, it should be the original size. I agree abou the sizes thoug, I was so surprised when I was at Funspot and playyed all those classics, that cabs like Pac Man, Galaxian etc. were so small.But they're still the same size, it's me who's bigger now....

Another thing: in 1980, a 19" monitor was freaking large !!! Home TV's didn't have the sizes they have now, and also computer screens were tiny. I started with a very tiny B/W tv as my monitor for my Atari 600XL. Through the years, we've grown used to bigger and bigger screens....that's why a 19" seems so small today, while it was huge in 1980...

[CheffoJeffo]

You'll notice original cabs were made for shorter, smaller people - hence, a cab now MUST be larger.  And so if the monitor ain't at least 25", it ain't big enough.  Anything else is just settling.

MUST ?!? 

Full grown adults used to play arcade games and cabs were fine for them.

MUST ?!? 

Lots of full grown arcade fans play the exact same cabinets today without problem.

MUST ?!? 

Anything more than a 19" monitor in a classic cabinet just looks wrong.

Besides, everybody knows that it is how you use it that counts! 

Cheers

[tranq]

MUST.  The part of the experience that sticks in my mind is spatial.  Besides, I always felt there was a huge disparity between the themes of the games, and the side art and cab designs - the former often being too ornate, the lattter being so square and goofy (like, this is the 80s, yo, not space 1999 - with wood).  I can admire nice wood working and such, but I'm a total poly-molded-curve ---stingray---.....and even then I'm hella picky.

[CheffoJeffo]

Let me see if I understand ...  the part of the experience that sticks in your mind is being dwarfed by big goofy boxes with overly ornate artwork, so your position is that cabinets today should be bigger, with poly-molded-curves and big monitors. 

OK, that is one opinion.

It doesn't warrant a 'MUST', even though we already know that you think you have good ideas! 

I, for one, (and I suspect I am not alone ... I have heard that there are actually people who restore those goofy boxes) love the clean lines of the classic cabinets. There are very few cabinets I find as beautiful as a Joust cocktail. The agressive, angular stance of Asteroids compared to the laid-back curves of Pac Man. The way a Tron cabinet draws you inside. 

You see goofy boxes ... I see someone who doesn't get it ... and there isn't anything wrong with that, so long as you leave the 'MUST' and 'Anything else is just settling' nonsense at home.

Cheers

[miles2912]

CheffoJeffo - Amen and Amen. 

As far as the monitor thing is concerned.. most of the arcade monitors that are 19" are vertical.  Makes them look bigger.  A 19" PC monitor in a cab would be on the small side for me personally.  A 27" hybrid looks so nice and if you have to save up for one I highly recommend doing so.


Don

[97thruhiker]

Well if it's an orignal cab, it should be the original size. I agree abou the sizes thoug, I was so surprised when I was at Funspot and playyed all those classics, that cabs like Pac Man, Galaxian etc. were so small.But they're still the same size, it's me who's bigger now....

Another thing: in 1980, a 19" monitor was freaking large !!! Home TV's didn't have the sizes they have now, and also computer screens were tiny. I started with a very tiny B/W tv as my monitor for my Atari 600XL. Through the years, we've grown used to bigger and bigger screens....that's why a 19" seems so small today, while it was huge in 1980...

No doubt on that.  I remember the family TV back in the late seventies early eighties was a whopping 19 inches.  I see a 19 inch tv now and it looks tiny.

[saint]

OK, time to try again without all the silliness.

[Fozzy The Bear]

OK, time to try again without all the silliness.

Thank you Saint.... 

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[Chris]

This might be a good time to note that canadamonitors.com still has the Cornerstone 1500 21" PC monitor for $89 + 15 shipping (CDN... it'll be less in USD).

[shardian]

Hey, I was on topic...mostly.

A 21" pc monitor is roughly the same size diagonally as a 19" arcade monitor.However, the pc monitor is much deeper front to back than an arcade monitor, so it may stick out the back of your cabinet. Also, the curvature of the tube face is different, so arcade bezels will not fit right.

[Chris]

That Cornerstone is a short-neck monitor.  Mine's a hair over 19" front to back.