Consensus best 19" LCD for a cocktail cabinet?

[cmoses]

I know there are a bunch of threads about the differences between a 19" 5:4 aspect ratio screen and a 20" or 21" 4:3 aspect ratio screen.  I have done a lot of searching and reading.  In most cases the tendency is to point to the 20" or 21" 4:3 and say that they have some features that typically make them a better choice.  Having IPS or PVA screens, good viewing angles and good refresh rates.  Also I think most people are looking to put these in a standard upright so going 20" or 21" is a preferable choice.   

Well I am working on a cocktail cabinet and I will be using a 19" LCD.  I am currently using a 19" Dell for the building and testing.  It was an old monitor that I had lying around so I figured I would start with that.  Now that I am making some progress I really want to nail down what monitor I will be using so I can make some final decisions.  The Dell has a TFT screen as with all 19" monitors, it has some very good viewing angles 170 degrees and looks good at the angles I have tested it at.  The response time though is a little slow at 20ms.  I looked at a Viewsonic VA903b monitor as a comparison, it had a worse viewing angle, 160 degrees, but a better response time of 8ms.  I looked at some specs of other 19" monitors and saw the same things, usually one spec is not that good.   

I was wondering if there is a consensus best or best couple of 19" monitors out there to use?  There seems to be about three 20"/21" monitors that always get recommended but I was wondering if there was some 19" monitors that garnered the same status.  If you have used a 19" monitor in a cabinet, especially a cocktail, that you can recommend or just know of one that has overall good  viewing angles, response time, etc.  I would take any info or advice. 

Thanks

[chopperthedog]

I used the 15" version of one of these on a table and like it. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=198270&CatId=170


good day.

[Mental]

I was doing a little research last week and the best affordable option I found was this one:

http://www.necdisplay.com/p/desktop-monitors/ea192m-bk

A few places had refurbs for half the retail price. It should arrive in the next week or so and I'll post how it looks. It should be ok though, PVA panel with over 170 degree viewing angles.

If you were in Canada, I'd suggest Rick Nieman. His arcade LCDs are very nice.

[Unstupid]

I have been hunting high and low for a good monitor for a cocktail cabinet...   I have been through 4 or 5 monitors before finally ponying up for a decent PVA panel.  I ended up with the NEC EA191M PVA monitor (http://www.necdisplay.com/p/desktop-monitors/ea191m-bk).  I got it from newegg for about $400 shipped (to hawaii) but it's worth every penny.  Everything else I looked at was crap in comparison, even the EA192M mentioned in the previous post, it is a TN panel.  If you find a 19" 5x4 IPS panel let me know, I'd be willing to check that out!

[cmoses]

Unstupid,

Do you have a project page for your cocktail cabinet? Some pictures of the display?  Did you decease it to put in your cabinet?


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[Unstupid]

Do you have a project page for your cocktail cabinet?

Yes, in my signature.

Some pictures of the display?

I have a picture of a Dell 1907 and a NEC AS192.... Since trying those monitors I have also tried the NEC ES192, the 19" "arcade monitor" from Holland Computers (worst of the bunch), and finally the NEC EA191 PVA monitor.

Did you decease it to put in your cabinet?

Yes.

You may be able to use a regular TN panel with your setup and just point the lower (bad) side of the TN panel towards the hinges on the cocktail table and put the cocktail table against the wall.  Since no one can look from the bad side it is not a problem.  Now this is not a problem if you are using a mame setup or a 60-in-1 board that will allow you to rotate the screen.  My problem is that I'm using an ArcadeSD board and it doesnt allow for screen rotation, so I'm forced to put the bad side of the panel towards the coin door side of the cabinet which looks crappy for anyone watching people play. 

[Mental]

...the EA192M mentioned in the previous post, it is a TN panel.

I stand corrected. The 191 is indeed a TN, but seems to have decent viewing angles on spec. May I ask what differences you notice between the 191 and 192?

Regarding the orientation issue with the ArcadeSD, can I ask, what side do you put player one on (left or right, when facing the coin door)? I'm looking for something for the ArcadeSD as well.

*EDIT: I noticed on your project page that you have player one on the right side. I have it on the left so should be ok in that regard.

[cmoses]

Typically most of the Bally Midway cocktails had player 1 on he left when you were looking at the machine facing the coin door. I am not familiar with the arcadesd setup. MAME can be rotated but sometimes you have only one option with a front end.




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[Mental]

Bumping this thread as the EA192M finally arrived. It has some real nice features, but a few cons as well:

Pros:

- It's a very affordable monitor. You can pick them up refurbished from NEC for ~$120.
- The LED backlights are really nice. They give you a lot of control over the brightness, and the blacks are really nice and black.
- Viewing angles are quite exceptional. 178x170
- Nice vivid colours.
- Easy to decase, except, if you are using the VESA mounts, you only have the two top ones left. The two bottom ones are built into the plastic case. [EDIT: if you leave the back half of the housing on, you still have all four mounts]

Cons:

- The number one issue is the lack of a V-Size adjustment. It's nice to be able to squeeze the width in a little so you don't lose any image under the bezel.
- Doesn't sync very well with the 640x480 I'm sending from an ArcadeSD board. With an SLG3000 scan line generator in line it won't detect at all. It will just say 'out of range'. I had to solder +5V onto the SLG to get it to work. Never had to do that before. [EDIT: this seems to have been an isolated case. I've since tried three more of these monitors without issues]
- You have to count to ten before turning your machine back on if you've turned it off or the display won't come back on. Not a biggie but it can be confusing/frustrating.

Would I buy one again? I'm not sure. If it had the V-Size adjustment I would say no question. Without it, I'm not so sure. Although, not very many monitors include that adjustment anymore since everything is gone digital, so I'm not sure what is better, especially in that price range. It's hard to beat $120.

[cmoses]

Can you post some pictures on the screen with the SLG 3000 running?  Curious to see some images.


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[Mental]

Sorry for the delay, and for the crappy camera phone pic... but it gives the idea. In my opinion, the scanline generator is worth every penny.

[cmoses]

Thanks for the picture. Looks good. Does the SLG3000 increase the brightness on the monitor when used?  What was the cost of the SLG3000?  I have seen it on the German site but never figured out the cost conversion or the shipping to the US.

Thanks


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[Mental]

Thanks for the picture. Looks good. Does the SLG3000 increase the brightness on the monitor when used?  What was the cost of the SLG3000?  I have seen it on the German site but never figured out the cost conversion or the shipping to the US.

No, it doesn't increase brightness. What it does is put a black overlay on every other line. Their opacity is adjustable from 0% to 100% with a knob on the board. The cost is about $75. Don't forget to throw in one of his gender changing adapters to use to plug it into the ArcadeSD. He custom makes them and they are much nicer than others you'll find. There are two dip switches and with the ArcadeSD, you need to set them to off/off.

Again, I highly recommend buying one of these if you are using an LCD. They really help give a more classic look.