Need help ...please..tv/vedio card

[IMMark]

OK I am confused. ..so let me ask a few initial questions.
First I have built a Mame with computer monitor...works great and is easy to do.  I want to try one with a TV now.  The reason..money, big TV screen...low cost.  Also I think it will work with Mame and an Act Lab usb gun? 

I have a gForce FX5200/128 with s-video out.  So for some questions.
Does the TV size make a difference?  (32" is too big, etc.)
Does the TV need to have certain resolution?
Is it just Mame that will look good...or will Windows XP desktop look good too.  (right now mine does not)
Does it matter what version of Mame you use..Advance Mame only?
Are there settings within Mame that I must change?

I guess that is it for now....hope that someone can point me in the right direction.  Thanks in advance for thoughts and comments

[Tritoch84]

Search! Please search, these questions have been answered before, so go to the main forum. Click on the FAQ link, and there is all you need!

Size of the TV depends on you, 640x480 is the best to send to your tv, any other res will have to use interlacing, the TV res is not 640x480, but I can't remember right now, I've heard on flat screen light guns won't work on the bottom of them, I also heard that a component setup won't work with light guns, S-Vid is ok.

Your video out will make windows text VERY blurry. However, a computer monitor has alot more detail then the standered arcade monitor. The amount of blur withen some games sometimes even helps "smooth" over the very obvious pixels you can see on your computer monitor.

TV's are not made to handle still images, anything moving looks fine.  Advance mame is in no way needed for a TV video out setup, but if you had a arcade monitor, advance mame is a godsend.

Now, that being said, Go seach! please!

[IMMark]

OK...I do oh a big apology for committing the FAQ sin, after doing searches and reading posts for hours on end..and still being totally lost, I forgot all about the FAQ's.  I normally do use them, and even try to answer questions when I can, to give back to the community.
With that thanks too for your answers, never knew that about still images. 
Now I swear I could not find this in FAQ's, but it seems that the lowest I can set my resolution is 800x600, how do you get it to 640x480?
Thanks again. 

[IMMark]

OK, I have found the answer on another site...I will give a quick description, in case others need the info.  This is to change resolution, down to 640x480, in XP. 
Under Display Properties (you can get here by RIGHT clicking the desktop) choose the Settings Tab.  Then click Advanced, then click the Adapter Tab, and click List All Modes...from this window, highlight the resolution that you want (640x480 will be present) and click OK.

Hope it helps someone..