What Tv?

[leeluther252]

Im building my first arcade and needed some advice..
I'm using a UAII and everything is put together and my pc is ready to go.  The only thing left is a screen.  I wanted to go the tv route but I dont know what tv to choose.  I did alot of searching but all the tv's that I see mentioned are on old threads and those tv's arent made any more.  I've searched craigs list and pawnshops for a shile now and cant find a tv that remembers inputs and has power return.  So I was hoping some of you guys would know of some 27'' tv's that I could get and where I could get them that would work for me.
 Thanks

[leeluther252]

anyone???

[phishpac]

I'm in the same boat.  I've searched craigslist / pawn shops... can't find what I need.

[alienware32]

try walmart

[TAG]

I think that Craigslist and eBay are the best ways to go about finding a set that will work.  Those methods, of course, can take a bit of patience.  I had several eBay searches saved that ran for several weeks with no luck, but then I tried Craigslist and finally found one (after about a month) that had all the features I needed -- the JVC AV27320.  I was holding out for the Toshiba one that's so often mentioned, but my patience only lasts so long. 

[phishpac]

well I have been persistent.  I check craigslist every single day.  I just brought home a real winner today.

24" flat screen tv with s-video and input recall.  not sure about power return.. i will find out later tonight.

It's 25and3/4" wide, so it will fit perfectly in the 26" space on the project arcade plans

$70

[phishpac]

It's got power return too!  woo hoo!

[red_johnny]

I am looking for one also but in the 32-34 size.  I dont think I need the return as this is a arcade project and not a mame.  So I bought a converter card to transfer the signal to RCA.  My issue is will taking the TV out of its case cause damage?

[qrz]

be gentle , and u should be ok .  note: opening the cabinet will void ALL warranties.

make sure to have proper mounts for the tube , and help.  crts over 27" start getting heavy  !!

qrz

[ivwshane]

well I have been persistent.  I check craigslist every single day.  I just brought home a real winner today.

24" flat screen tv with s-video and input recall.  not sure about power return.. i will find out later tonight.

It's 25and3/4" wide, so it will fit perfectly in the 26" space on the project arcade plans

$70

So what was the brand and model?

[red_johnny]

be gentle , and u should be ok .  note: opening the cabinet will void ALL warranties.

make sure to have proper mounts for the tube , and help.  crts over 27" start getting heavy  !!

qrz

Where would I get proper mounts from?  Thanks!

[SavannahLion]

be gentle , and u should be ok .  note: opening the cabinet will void ALL warranties.

I'd imagine that wouldn't much of a problem with a TV found via Craigs or eBay.

With a Wally World TV, just preserve the parts until you're happy with the installation. It's not like Wally people go looking for seals or whatever.

[RetroGreg]

What is input recall and power return? I may be using a tv for a cabinet I plan to build but have not heard of these terms yet. Thanks for any help!!

[phishpac]

input recall is when you turn the television back on, and it remembers what input you used last.  for instance.. if I was using the video 1 input, if I turn my tv back on and it starts up on cable 3, then it doesn't have input recall.

if power to a television is cut while it's on, then it is restored (unplugged, power strip turned off, etc) and the tv starts itself back up, that is power return.

does that make sense?

the reason people want these in a MAME television is so that they can power up the whole setup with one button.

[RetroGreg]

Thanks for the info! You explained it perfectly. 

[phishpac]

happy to help... i read my post after writing it.. and realized how poorly written it was.  i was at work and had to run before I could edit it

[metahacker]

i had good results with a (decased) Samsung SlimFit

in the hidden service menu i could enable auto power on
and it stayed on the same input (i think there was a menu option for default input)

i could even set the input name for component input to "Game" ;-)

plus it looks good at 640x480,800x600 & 1024x768 over component.. 

its flat which i thought was bad at first but seemed to actually be better.

it didnt have 100% perfect convergence around some of the edges i think due to the flatness and slimness
but it was nothing that really made any important difference after doing the service menu adjustments
and im pretty damn picky

[phishpac]

so s-video is inferior to component?

[ivwshane]

i had good results with a (decased) Samsung SlimFit

in the hidden service menu i could enable auto power on
and it stayed on the same input (i think there was a menu option for default input)

i could even set the input name for component input to "Game" ;-)

plus it looks good at 640x480,800x600 & 1024x768 over component.. 

its flat which i thought was bad at first but seemed to actually be better.

it didnt have 100% perfect convergence around some of the edges i think due to the flatness and slimness
but it was nothing that really made any important difference after doing the service menu adjustments
and im pretty damn picky

Where you able to remove the tv's casing?

http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/productDetail.do?oid=177542&WT.mc_n=67&WT.mc_t=U&cm_ven=COMPARISON%20SHOPPING&cm_cat=PRICEGRABBER&cm_pla=DATAFEED-%3EPRODUCTS&cm_ite=1%20PRODUCT&cm_keycode=67#prodspecs

[TimmyB]

i had good results with a (decased) Samsung SlimFit

in the hidden service menu i could enable auto power on
and it stayed on the same input (i think there was a menu option for default input)

i could even set the input name for component input to "Game" ;-)

plus it looks good at 640x480,800x600 & 1024x768 over component.. 

its flat which i thought was bad at first but seemed to actually be better.

it didnt have 100% perfect convergence around some of the edges i think due to the flatness and slimness
but it was nothing that really made any important difference after doing the service menu adjustments
and im pretty damn picky

Excellent work!  Exactly the route I was looking at taking.

I would love to hear more about your decasing of the Samsung Slimfit.

1.  Which model was it?  TXT2782 or TXT2793H? Guessing the latter.
2.  How involved was the decasing process, just a bunch of unscrewing, or did you have to break out a Dremel and do some cutting?
3.  Did you happen to measure the decased final product.  I can handle up to 25" wide monitor for my project.  Would hate to buy the set, decase it then find out it didn't fit LOL

I think that this set could be one of the new standards for MAMEing, depending on the decasing effort.

[ArtMAME]

so s-video is inferior to component?

Component does have a noticeable improvement over S-Video.  It has better color separation and more vibrant colors.

Classic 80s games look a lot better on Component inputs.  But 90s games are hard to tell apart when using S-video or Component inputs.

If you can find a TV with Component input, that is preferable, plus TVs with Component are usually also equipped with S-video.  You will need a nicer graphics card in your PC to use Components, but for me this was worth the extra expense.  If you don't want to do Component, it is still good to have it in case you want to upgrade in the future.

[phishpac]

well.. I just did some wikipedia'ing and realized that I have been confused!  I have been confusing composite and component thinking they were one in the same.  I took a look at the tv I bought, and it also component and s-video.  Now i'm excited!  I've seen component inputs before and never realized what I was looking at.

Thanks!

[ArtMAME]

Hey it happens to the best of us. 

Composite consists of a single RCA connector, Component consists of 3 RCA connectors (red, blue, and green).

Glad you got Component input.  They really make the classic 80s games look awesome!!!