WG D9200 Purchase Angst

[bkindt]

Hi, long time lurker here....

I'm on the verge of finally putting together the dream cabinet, and the common question of which display to pick is on my mind.  I had pretty much been sold on the WG D9200, until I've heard all of the tales of bad chips, board failures, less than expected quality.... all at the high price of the monitor plus shipping.

My questions are:

Is the reliability / quality track record for this monitor really bad or are these a few, rare isolated bad apples?

Is it really worth the cost (vs. a TV or PC monitor)?


I'm sure this is a very open ended, subjective inquiry, but I'd appreciate any constructive feedback.

Thanks

Ben

[matt888]

well bud, mine just went after 4 days of use, so I'm very worried!     Looks like even after they fix it (or whatever they decide to do) it's going to turn into a 450 dollar paper weight eventually....probably after a few more days of the "fix".  

I'm wondering if it has to do with the 800 x 600 resolution.  Folks are trying to decide that on here.  My MK series wouln't play at any less resolution than that, so it's a no win situation I guess.

[KevSteele]

I just updated my review of the monitor with my feelings on the situation:

http://retroblast.com/reviews.html

I'm disappointed that my unit failed so soon, but the tech support from WG was fantastic, and the replacement board set works like a charm -- the picture is even better.

You definitely cannot get as good of a picture in that size range with any other solution under $1000. I can't comment on the long term reliability, but I feel I was treated well by Wells-Gardner.

Kevin

[Byte Knight]

What about the Vision Pro 27" monitor from Happ Controls?  It states that it supports 800 X 600 and 640 X 480 resolutions.  It's also considerably cheaper at $433.25.  Has anyone tried this monitor?

[RandyT]

You definitely cannot get as good of a picture in that size range with any other solution under $1000.

I'm not sure how much exposure you've had to other monitors, but that's quite a definitive statement you made there.

The specs on the D9200 lead me to believe that it is basically a multi-frequency version of a standard-res arcade monitor.  Picture quality at equal resolutions should be pretty much the same.  And if you are driving it with an ArcadeVGA card, the resolutions you would probably be most interested in will be common to the standard res monitor.

Now if vector graphics are your bag, and you have the D9200 utility for non-interlaced operation at 800x600, then I might agree with you.....but only at that size.  Real PC monitors do vector MUCH better, even if they do top out at 21".

The D9200 has one major thing going for it, and that's versatility.  But stating "You definitely cannot get as good of a picture in that size range with any other solution under $1000." goes well beyond "stretching it".

BTW, asking an untrained person to do a chassis swap where lethal voltages can be present is not my idea of "being treated well".

Good customer service is what I experienced with Xerox once.  They cross shipped photocopiers *twice*, with virtually next day delivery to remedy a warranty problem I had.  They picked up all shipping charges, which meant they lost money.  Companies willing to lose money to protect their customers (and their reputation) have good customer service.

But if you are happy, that's cool .  I can tell you that I wouldn't be.

RandyT

[Frostillicus]

Well, to answer the original poster - I wouldn't let a few negative cases swing you in the 'don't buy' direction.  Bottom line is there are a lot of happy customers out there - and a few bad ones.  I don't know the actual stats, but people tend to post the bad experiences, and not the good ones.  Maybe we should have a poll on what kind of monitor you use....? Hmm... I might just do that...

[KevSteele]

Randy,

Whew, did I step on a favorite nit?

My statement about the best picture was meant to include the versatility aspect of being able to run 640x480 & 800x600 non-interlaced at 27", something you can't do with other arcade monitors.

There are commercial computer monitors (such as from Monivision) that offer 800x600 in 27" or greater sizes, but they cost well over $1000.  That was the point of my statement.

I didn't mind the board swap -- the D9200 isn't a consumer product, really -- it's a component, not a product you'd pick up at Walmart. In that regards I didn't mind having to do a board swap, especially considering the shipping costs involved.

Would I have preferred that my unit didn't fail? Yup. Would I have liked a new unit? Yes. Did WG do right by me anyway? IMO, yes.

Kevin

[shmokes]

  Kevsteele,

You only say that because you aren't dead from electrocution

[Gromet]

I have the D9200 and I couldn't be happier.   The picture is incredable, and playing all my favorites on itreally brings you back.  Everyones that comes over just is in awe of the screen (The entire cab to be honest, but the monitor gets lots of respect).  

I say go for it, had mine a few months now, and haven't had any probs (Knocks on wood)...

Good luck.

[matt888]

It's only fair that i post when I'M WRONG too.  I called American Gaming and described the green/grey screen.  They said it would have to come back and be fixed or replaced.  After several hours of fustration and just seconds before taking the monitor out, I looked on here and printed the "Hidden Menu" for the 9200.  I know it says don't mess with the CB settings, but I felt I had nothing to lose at that point because changing R, G, B did nothing.
WHALA!!!!  I jacked the CB value from 33 up to around 90 and it was beautiful again.  I did have to take some green out too.  Bottom line is that I believe I had the power chord for the light too close a few nights ago and I really messed up the monitor settings with magnetic fields.  It's all I can think of.  I saved the hidden values and the screen looks beautiful again.  So I must apologize again.  I'm not pleased that everyone at American Gaming said..."Geeez it's broken", but I'm very greatful for those that posted the Hidden Menu instructions- and DON"T be afraid to change those taboo options if all else fails!!!!!!