Small Virtual Pinball Tables?

[slapaham]

Have the opportunity of buying a HD LCD 22" TV for a decent price - but couldn't find many examples of virtual pinball tables of this kind of size... I'm not sure whether it would just look a little shite... or whether it might just work! Can anyone offer any examples or feedback on this... don't want to fork out for it unnecessarily but at the same time, I can't afford anything more than this!

[Franco B]

Take a look at [Dizzles 23" vPin]. Its nice 

I play a crap load of pinball on my PSP so if that's good enough then I'm sure 22" is plenty for a small table.

Alternatively it would make a nice back glass for a larger table 

You buying it off someone or is it on offer somewhere?

[billpa]

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=91235.0

Although that was a 24" monitor.

Here is a list of all the pin cab projects finished or in-progress at the HyperPin forums.

http://www.hyperspin-fe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5082

[slapaham]

Thanks guys...

What do you think would be better - a monitor or a TV for this kind of project?

[slapaham]

OK... The options (I can afford! ) are as follows -

Hitachi 22" LCD TV - 2XHDMI, Scart, VGA £129.99



Samsung 22" LCD TFT Monitor - VGA - £94.99



As I see it, both have their advantages and disadvantages... I want to build the pinball table so that I don't have to modify the screen or take it to pieces or anything... this was it can always be recycled or if things go wrong, re-used...

The TV - Advantages - Has a lot more uses than the monitor
Disadvantages - Quite a bit more expensive
Not the best brand
Refurb
Bad shape for pinball by the looks of it!

The Monitor - Advantages - Good brand
Very good shape for pinball
Cheaper - with the cash saved I could easily buy a 15" LCD to go as the back monitor
Disadvantages - Not as many uses if re-used

Opinions please people!

Both are 22" - opinions on prices as well please!

 

[Dizzle]

Do you know what the resolution/response times/viewing angles on those two sets are?  Those are the main things I would take into consideration when deciding.

[slapaham]

Here's the spec for the monitor -

Category:   Monitor
Brand:   Samsung
Screen size:   22''
Aspect ratio:   Widescreen
Technology:   TFT active matrix
Brightness:    300 cd/m²
Contrast ratio:    1000:1
Dot pitch:    0.28mm
Average response time:   5ms
Maximum resolution:   1680 x 1050
Maximum refresh rate:    75Hz
Interface:   VGA (HD-15) , Digital (DVI-D)
Max Horizontal viewing angle:    170°
Max Vertical viewing angle:    160°
Audio output:    No audio output
Width:    51.1cm
Height:    41.7cm
Depth :    21.7cm
Weight:    4.9kg

Is this any good for a pin?

[slapaham]

And here's the TV's -

Screen Size in Inches      22
Type of Screen      LCD
HD TV      HD Ready
Built-in Disc Player      No
HDMI Interface      2
Number of Scart Interfaces      1
Frequency (Hz)      50
Contrast Ratio (X:1)      1000
Screen Resolution (pixels)      1050i
Reflection Angle      178
Screen Format      8:5
Brightness in Candela per square metre      300
PC Interface      Yes
USB Port      No
Electronic Program Guide (EPG)      No
Picture in Picture (PIP)      No
Energy Savings Trust Feature      No
Freeview      Yes
FreeSat Tuner      No
Sound System    Nicam Stereo
Colour      Black


Could someone give me some guidance please!

[Neverending Project]

One thing to think about - especially if you don't decase the screen - is that your pinball body will need to be wider if you use the TV. You will want the screen centered in your playfield body, which means you will need extra bezel on both sides of the TV to accommodate for the speakers under the TV.

If you use the other one, it has a nice, even frame all the way around. IMO, the less bezel around the playfield, the better it looks.

[slapaham]

That was definitely what I was thinking...

Think I may opt for the PC monitor... as long as I'm careful with it I should be able to case it up nicely without actually modding/damaging it...

Been looking out for cheap-ish buy-it-now TVs of a bigger size on ebay but by the looks of it, that's not a good idea... many of the ones that might just be affordable tend not to have vga connection...

Need to do a few more measurements before I decide on the Samsung... still a little hesitant that it might be a bit too small.

[billpa]

Its going to be small compared to a full size table. But, it should be fine for playing. Also, if you ever want to go big in the future, you can use the 22" as a backglass monitor.

[slapaham]

Purchased the Samsung... 

The worst that can happen is I just end up using it for a PC display - considering I'm a designer it wouldn't be the end of the world... the price seemed decent for £94.99.