The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls

Main => Monitor/Video Forum => Topic started by: hedge on March 13, 2003, 07:37:41 am

Title: Visual Pinball / VPMAME on a TV ??
Post by: hedge on March 13, 2003, 07:37:41 am
After considering the WG9200 or a 19" monitor, I'm now learning toward getting a 25" TV for my soon-to-be-built cabinet.

But I want to add a couple flipper buttons and use VPMAME as well as MAME in the cabinet.  Can someone tell me if pinball will look good on a 25" TV?  (I'll be using an ATI card with s-video out)

Thanks.
Title: Re:Visual Pinball / VPMAME on a TV ??
Post by: mkdevo on March 13, 2003, 08:51:17 am
pinball is tough with a tv...

unlike MAME, you *want* high-res when you're playing pinball. you want the table to be as crystal clear as possible. thus, IMO, pinball looks best on a computer monitor. it's a lot harder to make stuff out on the tables on a tv screen.

that said, don't let it stop you from putting your pinball buttons in. i plan on doing the same, with a 27-inch tv.. maybe one day i'll have a tv cab and a monitor cab, but MAME is my #1 priority right now, and PINMAME is strictly secondary..
Title: Re:Visual Pinball / VPMAME on a TV ??
Post by: hedge on March 14, 2003, 08:18:48 pm
Thanks.  That's what I was afraid of.  Of course now I'm so unsure I'll probably end up delaying my cab indefinitely.   ???

Seriously, I think I learning toward a computer monitor now.  But it will have to be at least 21" and I think they are still pretty expensive.  Crap, now I'm unsure again...
Title: Re:Visual Pinball / VPMAME on a TV ??
Post by: mkdevo on March 17, 2003, 02:47:49 pm
prices on 21-inch CRT monitors have come down quite a bit... check out pricewatch.com.. you can get a 21-inch trinitron for $329.
Title: Re:Visual Pinball / VPMAME on a TV ??
Post by: unclet on March 17, 2003, 05:28:00 pm
I have Visual Pinball installed on my mame cabinet with  27" television and think everything works great.  It obviously is not "crystal" clear like a computer monitor, but I am not complaining.   I would rather have a 27" TV for $250 than a 21" computer monitor, but that is just me.  

Note: Arcade games in Mame look better (in my opinion) on a television than a computer monitor.
Title: Re:Visual Pinball / VPMAME on a TV ??
Post by: hedge on March 19, 2003, 11:48:09 pm
I decided to go with the 21" computer monitor.  Picked up a used Hitachi SuperScan for $199 CDN.  

Looks great.  The display actually generates some wavy lines that looks very similar to the scan lines everyone is trying to get.  Would prob be considered a defect to most, but a bonus to me.  Can't wait to start working on the cab this weekend!