Help me pick my monitor

[coasternuts]

I have a choice:

1)  19" Daewoo Tv
2)  20" SGI/Trinitron Monitor
3)  27" Sony TV

Pros and Cons

1) The cabinet will easily fit through doors and it's much cheaper to replace if ever it goes bad.

2) Bigger picture, nicer in Windows.  If it goes bad, much more costly to replace.  But the dimensions will hold a 19" tv with no problem so this is not too big an issue.

3) The dimensions I believe will make it so the cabinet is too big to fit through doors.  Also, if it goes bad, it's not cheap to replace.  Also, replacing it with 19"  tv/monitor will look goofy with all that space in between.    But, those vertical games would look sweet.

I am not intereseted in an arcade monitor and I like the idea of using a tv for cable/dvd as well as the more authentic "arcade" look.  I don't have accurate measurements of the units so my biggest concern is that I decide to use 3) and I'm off by 1/2" and it doesn't fit through doors and/or the tv doesn't fit in the cabinet and I have to use the smaller ones. 

If I can decide this, I can finish my design.

Thanks for any help/advice in advance.

[Sephroth57]

im biased to PC monitors personally, i think theyre the best solution for home built MAME cabinets. This has been debated many times though.. try searching for "MAME TV"

[pointdablame]

I'm not going to be able to tell you what to use, but I just wanted to add one thing:

You should have no problems creating a cab with a 27" monitor that will fit through a door.  A 27" screen is only an inch or so wider than a 25" monitor IIRC, and that leaves plenty of room to fit through a doorway for most cab designs.

This may require you to decase the TV however, since many TVs today have a very large plastic shell, and/or speakers on the sides of the actual tube.

[coasternuts]

I am looking for people to persuade me one way or the other.   

I have read/searched through the forums and I'm still not sure as to the "basic width" of the cab. 

I personally have no experience in the TV/Electronics area, and I most certainly will shock myself if I decase the TV.  Thanks for a suggestion though.  My tv does not have side mounted speakers.  I am sure I don't have an accurate measurement, and the width of the cabinet to house it  is dangerously close to what would fit through the door.  I measured the tv at 26.5" and if you add 3/4 to each side, you get 28 which is EXACTLY the width I want to be at or under.  So if I'm off by a hair.....

Well, tonight I am going to hook up the computer to the 19" TV and try a couple of games, I may not even like what I see there.

[IMMark]

I would give my preference to computer monitor as well...great picture, easy to hook up, prices are down, small in size (not speakers attached etc.), ...
I know that some people want the real look of arcade monitors, but for my money, computer monitor is the way to go...
Having said that, if you really want big 25", 27"......
then TV would be the choice.....arcade monitors too offer the size, but at big $$$ compared to TVs
For what it's worth...that's my two cents.

[coasternuts]

I tried the 19" TV.