Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Monitor/Video Forum => Topic started by: NOkontrol on September 30, 2009, 12:28:28 pm
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I'm looking at a Toshiba 27A41 and a Sony Wega (both 27") on Craigslist, definitely going with a TV in my cab this time around....(first time around).
They both have power return and component inputs..the sony has a flat screen which I know isn't authentic, but I'm just after the better picture quality.
They want more for the sony but that's to be expected.
Any help on which is the better option?
Thanks!
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Does teh sony have the two lines across the screen?
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I wouldn't know, I haven't gone to look at them yet. Are you talking about letterbox bars or some kind of picture fault?
The sony is model KV-27FS100
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I have a Toshiba 27AF42 hooked up via component in my vert cab. I presume the F in designation refers to flat screen, since that's what it is. Pics are kind of old (from when I was building) but here's how it looks.
TV remembers last input and comes back on automatically when power is removed/restored.
(http://tok.home.comcast.net/~tok/dynamo/bezeldonpachi1.jpg)
(http://tok.home.comcast.net/~tok/dynamo/gunsmoke.jpg)
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Nice, the picture looks great there.
I kind of like the look of the flat screen honestly...
I'm going to pick one up tomorrow, I just need to decide.
I read something here about the Sony Wega CRT's not being able to handle certain arcade frequencies, is this only an issue when trying to hook it directly to a JAMMA board or will I have trouble with certain games via MAME?
Thanks for any other input.
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I don't think you'll get any TV to sync directly to an arcade board, you'll need some type of converter.
Depending on the input you use, the TV will accept a variety of resolutions. My Toshiba will handle nearly anything you throw at it via S-Video up to 800x600. The picture doesn't look that great though. Component is much fussier (I'm running it 640x432) but looks excellent. Colors are much more vivid compared to S-Vid.
If you can find a card that will handle component out, thats the route I'd go. Older ATI 9xxxx series cards seem to be the least fussy. I'm using an ATI 9550. There are lots of threads about this, but you might need to dig a little bit.
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The S-Video outputs from PCs include a scaler that will crunch everything back down to 640x480i, that's why you can go up to 800x600 (some cards allow 1024x768) on the S-Video output and still have it work. It's also why it looks so fuzzy.
The component outputs most PC cards use attempts to pass the output through unaltered aside from converting colorspaces to YPbPr. That's why it's picky about resolution and timing. 640x432 interlaced at 60Hz is about the closest you'll get to NTSC compatible video. Anything with ~525 total lines (not all of them are visible!), enough blanking/sync times, and 59.9-60Hz should be readily compatible.
The Sony WEGA series does have a reputation for being picky about refresh rate. This is mostly noticed by people attempting to play PAL games using the component inputs (since component nullifies the difference between color encodings, the standards are compatible aside from resolution differences). The WEGAs apparently don't like anything below about 55Hz, while many TVs are just fine all the way down to 49-50. This would cause problems attempting to run certain games natively such as MK2 which runs at 53Hz.
The horizontal lines referred to are what hold the aperature grille up. They are very, very fine black lines that run across the entire screen. They might bug you, though.
If you want to hook an arcade board up to a TV, there are several converters out there that will accept standard res RGB inputs and output YPbPr component or S-Video. Quality varies, and component is not necessarily any better than S-Video, especially with good televisions like a WEGA. Note that these devices require standard res timed input; they will not convert resolutions or framerates for you.
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Sorry for the confusion, I'm not interested in running JAMMA's only mame. I was just wondering what the limitations of the Sony might be.
"The Sony WEGA series does have a reputation for being picky about refresh rate. This is mostly noticed by people attempting to play PAL games using the component inputs (since component nullifies the difference between color encodings, the standards are compatible aside from resolution differences). The WEGAs apparently don't like anything below about 55Hz, while many TVs are just fine all the way down to 49-50. This would cause problems attempting to run certain games natively such as MK2 which runs at 53Hz."
So I would I be able to run MKII and PAL games just in a non native resolution? That's what you're saying right?
Better non-native MK2 than no MK2 is what I always say ;)
Ah well, either will work and get me started..