New to this, few Q. Why is 1 monitor better than the other? What to look for?

[SephYuyX]

Yay my account was finally activated. During this time of waiting I probably went through half the forum, so im not 'completly' uninformed, but I still have a couple questions.

Hello all, I plan on building my first MAME Cab, and ive a design all planned out, however ive not yet set on a width due to the sizes of monitors. I took a look at actual aracade monitors, but for the price, I couldnt justify it, so I decided to go the path of CRT TVs. Along with playing arcade games, I do want to play various video games via emulators (no physical systems aside from the PC), maybe up to the PS1/N64/DC generation.

Im having a tough time trying to decide on what TV to get. Granted ill most likely buy a TV from craigslist because getting a 25"~27" for 50$ is too hard to pass up. But with this comes a limited selection. I know minimally to go with S-Vid, component would be nice of course, but when it comes down to a few TVs all with S-Vid, what sets each apart? Is there anything else I should be looking for? I plan to use Soft15k with the tv as well if thats a factor at all.

If I select any old CRT TV with SVid/Component will it be just as good as the next TV with SVid/Component? Id love to get an EDTV for 480p, but those seem few and far between. On the topic of finding TVs for sale, I mentioned craigslist, is there any other place that can macth those prices? I plan on calling a few tv/electronic repair places to see if theyve have any lying around, or know of any places, but is there a website or anything that just sells cheap tvs? Is 25"~27" 'too' big? I know usually bigger the better when it comes to TVs, but when youre smack right up against it, is maybe a 20~23" better? One other thing to have is it must retain settings after a hard power down. Meaning if you unplug the TV while it's on, and after being plugged back in, it turns back on automatically and returns to the same channel. Correct?

Thanks, I hope to become a productive member of this site.

[Jack Burton]

If the TV's are in good condition then the video quality differences in the different brands and models will be negligible.  

25" seems to be about the best size for a horizontal monitor.  Use a 19" if you're going to do vertical orientation.  

I have read a few builders accounts here on the forum who say that they feel 29" is just a little too big.  I have played on candies that use 29" and I agree.

I don't know much about the power on off stuff, but I do know that if you can leave the sensor for the remote exposed the remote can turn the TV on through glass.

To be perfectly honest, I think PC CRT's make better beginner/budget monitors.  They are dead simple to work with, super cheap, super reliable, and have a very good image.

Pros of 19" PC CRT

-RGB connection for maximum signal quality
-High resolution capability.  
-Easiest to connect to a computer.  
-Easiest to install.  Just build a shelf for it.
-Cheapest.  These can very frequently be found on craigslist for around $20.
-Durability.  I personally believe these are more likely to be in good shape than a used TV.
-Image quality.  Progressive resolutions, and even higher resolutions can make games look pretty good.
-Can be set to turn on automatically with the computer power switch.
-Easy to access a menu and adjust image size
-Easy to navigate windows in high resolutions.

And last, but hardly least.
-Potential for native resolution display.  If you're really lucky you will find a way to display games exactly as they are shown on an arcade monitor.

Cons

-Size.  They rarely go above 20"
-flexibility.  If you want to connect consoles you will need adapters.  All the new consoles have VGA adapters, and the old ones are emulated near perfectly.
-image quality.  A PC CRT monitor has a fine dot pitch that older TV's and arcade monitors don't  have.  Some say TV's are closer to arcade monitors in this regard.


Pros of a 25" TV

-Size.  Bigger images are more pleasing and visually stimulating.
-easy to hook up consoles
-you can forgo speakers and just let the tv audio come out of the cab.  But I don't recommend this.
-coarse dot pitch of the screen is closer to an arcade monitor.  Also the same for tube

Cons

-inferior signal quality through S-video.  Component is highly recommended.
-harder to set up.  Requires a TV out video card and some way to turn it on.
-will probably need to go into service menu and change pictures size
-harder to navigate windows in low resolutions

[Blanka]

Cons

-Size.  They rarely go above 20"

22 inch was a very common size in the last years of CRT. Try find an IIYama Vision master for example. They even run 1080p over VGA!

[Jack Burton]

Even better then.   

I wish I had one of those for my desktop.

[SephYuyX]

Thanks for the tips.

I know there is a quality difference btwn SVid and Component, but is it really that big of a difference?

No luck on finding any 20+" monitors on CL in my area, all 17 and below, and the ones ive seen online that are 20 or 22, go for oer 300$, ouch. Seems like it's a challenge to find a smaller TV with component too. In general it seems like 20~25" TVs dont even exsist. lol

But at least it makes the decision a bit easier knowing there is no huge quality difference between various brands with similiar inputs. I suppose I will give it a few more days. Id like to keep the cabient width down to 25" as that's big enough as it is.

I sort of put PC CRT monitors out of the question for a reason I dont even remember now, but now I know it's a more 'acceptable' means of display, ill keep a look out. Been finidng plenty of TVs for sale, but of course none that fits the bill, ill start trying repair shops tomorrow.

[Jack Burton]

What is your location?   I'll help out with the search, I know a few other places.

[SephYuyX]

Hebron, KY. I use Cincinnati for CL, so anywhere in the tri-state area of KY/IN/OH. I also use Indianapolis and Louisville.
Thanks.

[Jack Burton]

These might be of interest:

Computer monitors

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/sys/1456547847.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/sys/1456771531.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/sys/1455420918.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/sys/1458097869.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/sys/1458097869.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/sys/1447009820.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/sys/1443349704.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/sys/1415835302.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/sys/1441741520.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/sys/1432621418.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/sys/1427022781.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/zip/1426608467.html (This one looks old.  It might support 15khz!)
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/sys/1423941219.html (this is very nice, would also make a great desktop monitor)
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/sys/1422940977.html (also super nice)
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/sys/1422415324.html ($5!)
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/sys/1417304265.html

Televisions

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/ele/1458580149.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/ele/1458423961.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/ele/1458087896.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/fuo/1457930132.html (this might have S-video and is a good size at 25"  It comes out of the console.)
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/app/1457250547.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/ele/1457143141.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/ele/1456818679.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/ele/1455972566.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/for/1455904394.html (This is the best one so far.  It will definitely have component inputs and is a good price.  It might be too wide though.)
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/zip/1455651191.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/for/1455090893.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/for/1452101261.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/bar/1452034909.html (this one has component)
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/ele/1451432633.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/zip/1451062842.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/for/1450838603.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/ele/1450868023.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/ele/1448621546.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/ele/1448332999.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/ele/1447304802.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/ele/1447202829.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/ele/1447153215.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/ele/1446787904.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/ele/1446482475.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/ele/1445438788.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/ele/1444693486.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/ele/1444582758.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/ele/1443502192.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/ele/1443305796.html

Most of these TV's will be coax and composite only.  The ones that are near to you and in your price range you will want to call or email about and see if they have S-video.

The Sony Trinitrons are very nice, but they usually have the speakers on the side, and I'm not sure if they are narrow enough for your purposes.  If they will fit I would use one of them.

These listings all come from Cincinatti.  I didn't even look at Indianapolis or Louisville.  If you are willing to go that far then you need to find a studio monitor like a Sony PVM 2530.  Those would be perfect for what you are doing.

[Erik]

geez that's service 

[Jack Burton]

It took me about 10 minutes I guess.  I've gotten craigslist scanning down to an art.   

[SephYuyX]

Hey thanks a bunch, you caught a lot that I didnt catch.
What do you search for? TV, Television, Monitor, Component? Anything else?

[Jack Burton]

I searched monitor and TV.  Then I waded through 1000 results.  Generally the more specific you are less you will find.

[SephYuyX]

And it doesnt help that CL posters are never detailed :p