Hooking mame up to a tv with composite video - would I hate it?

[nitz]

I'm currently using an lcd because I wanted a rotating monitor, but I'm seriously thinking of not rotating because I feel being able to pull a rope on the back of the cab and spin the monitor around, while it is cool, takes away a bit from the illusion of it being a real cab. Plus I'm playing vertical classics way more often than horizontal games anyway, so I figure mount it vertical.

I like the lcd, but since I'm not rotating, I feel like I should use a crt tv - dirt cheap and closer to an arcade monitor. But I'm thinking of going with one in the neighborhood of 19 to 21 inches as I want to preserve that Pacman/Galaga/Donkey Kong et al monitor size. I doubt I'll find a tv that size with S-Video, so I'd be looking at composite. I've heard a few people say that composite sucks for mame though, so what do you guys think? I know it's not gonna be as good as S-Video, but I'm not quite as picky about picture quality as most people anyway. Would it look a lot worse than an old arcade monitor? I don't wanna buy a tv and a new video card if I'm not gonna be happy with it.

[MonMotha]

Composite video with computer/game graphics is going to look pretty horrible compared to even an old arcade monitor in need of some repair.  Composite video smears the heck out of color edges and also results in colors appearing where they shouldn't (mostly reds appearing on "tweed" type patterns).  S-video is a lot better in both of these regards and can be pretty much the same as YPbPr component or RGB at 480i (SDTV) on a quality set.

There will also be overscan issues you'll have to address, probably by crushing the image down to fit on the PC's TV out scaler which will just make everything look softer yet.  This will be true of all TVs with all input connections.  An arcade monitor has adjustable geometry so that you can eliminate overscan issues, though if you have access to service mode on the TV, you can probably make similar adjustments.

[nitz]

OK, that's kinda what I thought, but it's nice to get some specifics on it.

Composite video smears the heck out of color edges and also results in colors appearing where they shouldn't (mostly reds appearing on "tweed" type patterns).

Is this true for anytime you use composite, or does this have something to do with using a PC? I'm asking because I've never used anything but composite to play all my console systems (nes, snes, n64, psx, gamecube) and it's always looked just fine to me. So am I just really not very discerning when it comes to image quality, or is there a difference between PCs and consoles in that regard for some reason?

[MonMotha]

It's the fundamental nature of composite.  Old school consoles were so low res (and the graphics designed to account for the composite video artifacting whenever possible) that you don't notice a ton...until you hack it up and get S-Video, or some form of component out of it.  Comparing an NES on composite to a Playchoice (exact same game and hardware, just RGB video to a quality monitor) can be pretty amazing.

The arcade games themselves will probably look "OK".  Not good, but maybe at least "OK".  They won't look nearly as sharp as an arcade monitor or even S-Video will.  Your desktop and anything else with fine graphics (such as a MAME frontend) will generally look smeared to heck and back.

[gazz292]

i'd say you'll hate composite,

if you'd not been using the computer on the lcd first, and it was your first mame cab, haddnt been to an arcade for years, you may think composite was ok, but as soon as you compare it to anything else, youll realise just how naff it is.

the arcade games were designed for rgb connections, so going to the absolute lowest signal standard and trying to cram all the info down a single wire will be sure to make it look bad,

i personaly dont even like s-video, sure it's miles better than composite, but no where near as good as proper rgb,

[nitz]

Sounds like I should just stick with my lcd then. An arcade monitor would be sweet, but don't think I want the added expense and hassle as a well tweaked lcd looks nearly as good to me.

Thanks guys, this is why I love this forum, lots of people always willing to give detailed explanations.

[BurgerKingDiamond]

s-video is very good though, so I would say that it wouldn't hurt to go to a pawn shop at least look. I found a 27" with s-video and component inputs for only $40. You could get lucky.