Anyone ever use a CGA to VGA converter?

[ediblegod]

I can't seem to find any feedback from anyone that has one.
Anyone experimented with a CGA to VGA converter. They sound like a really nice alternative when restoring cabs...

[paigeoliver]

Why would you do that? A good decent used 19" arcade monitor isn't that expensive (particularly since the gambling industry has started switching over to flat tube and LCD monitors, thus creating a glut of used 19" monitors on the market).

No computer monitor ever actually fits the bezel or mounting points in an arcade monitor, thus they are not appropriate for a restoration.

I can't seem to find any feedback from anyone that has one.
Anyone experimented with a CGA to VGA converter. They sound like a really nice alternative when restoring cabs...

[Ummon]

New standard 19" arcade monitors are pretty well priced.

[ediblegod]

Why would you do that? A good decent used 19" arcade monitor isn't that expensive (particularly since the gambling industry has started switching over to flat tube and LCD monitors, thus creating a glut of used 19" monitors on the market).

No computer monitor ever actually fits the bezel or mounting points in an arcade monitor, thus they are not appropriate for a restoration.

Where can I find a cheap arcade monitor? Everywhere I look they aren't that cheap.
 I can pick up a used 19" lcd flat screen for about $100 and one of these so called converters for about $80. That is about the same cost as a used arcade monitor. Plus there's no burn in and you get a crystal clear picture... that is if these things actually work good.
but I can't seem to find any reviews or anyone that has used one.

I'm more curious than anything. If I could find a nice arcade monitor for about $100 I'd totally go that route.

[paigeoliver]

Well you can get BRAND NEW 19" monitor for just under $200 shipped. Several vendors sell them at this price point. It took me several seconds of searching to find these.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-ARCADE-MONITOR-19-VISION-PRO-BRAND-169-99_W0QQitemZ360046563572QQihZ023QQcategoryZ13718QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Entire games with nice 19" monitors in them sell for $100 all the time. It isn't that tough to find a used 19" arcade monitor for $100.

[ediblegod]

appreciate the link...
I've actually come across that auction quite a bit lately. I would have considered this if I could have picked one up. Seems Florida has the arcade monitor market on ebay dominated.
I'm kind of thinking if I'm gonna spend around $200 why not go LCD. I have a mame cab with a betson 27" and one with a 19" LCD and a lot of people seem to be fond of the LCD. But it doesn't seem to be very popular for dedicated cabs.

[paigeoliver]

LCDs have a lot of downsides that make them less than ideal for gaming. Particularly a used one you might pick up for $100. They might be superior for staring at in Microsoft word, but they are not the best gaming display.

Here is what would be happening with that 19" LCD monitor, game outputs CGA, your convertor scales that up to 640x480, which cause image degradation, your monitor then upscales that to its native resolution (probably 1600x1200) and you lose a LOT more image quality.

[ark_ader]

Hi,

Yes I have used a CGA to VGA converter box and it works very well.  I bought the MagicVGA converter and it converts it very well.  Paigeoliver is right though - the image suffers and looks washed out, but playable on a LCD.

I would opt for a RGB monitor or composite TV instead.  Both are much cheaper than the MagicVGA and the image would look so much better.

[ediblegod]

Thanks for the info guys.
I knew there must have been a reason there wasn't more of these things available.
Arcade monitor it is!