Need RGB? Ever thought of using arcade monitors?

So I've been trying to find a good CRT tube set for use with my consoles for RGB. Seems the only way is to either find a euro set and a power converter or go with a Sony PVM. I've only been able to find a Sony PVM up to 20" and that's too small since my current Toshiba set is a 24" or possibly even 25". Not only that but my TV is a flat screen CRT model and I love that feature. Most of the PVM stuff I see is curved screen. I was about ready to give up on finding something suitable when I found this. Seems that an arcade monitor is right up my alley. This model is a 29" flat face CRT with a 27" viewable area. Even better is the fact it takes CGA (analog 15K RGB), EGA, and best yet, VGA. It has resolution up to 640x480. Anyone have experience with this thing? Any good or bad thoughts? Need to know before saving my pennies to get it.

Only problem is the price. Worth it in my opinion if it is good quality picture. Build a case for it from plywood and include a SCART switcher for my consoles. Audio would be handled by a decent 2.1 setup.

SO?

 

What are you going to mount it in, though? That's an open chassis, and has tens of thousands of volts in certain areas. You don't want to use it without proper housing. And you need a PSU, too.

There's absolutely no benefit in spending that much on an arcade monitor when you only need 15kHz. Get a broadcast monitor. A 20" isn't small at all, but you can get 29" easily from a used broadcast equipment dealer or often on eBay.

 

It comes ready to plug into a 120V AC outlet no isolation transformer needed and I plan to make a wood housing. Should be enough to block the current from the flyback. I just want something new without a bunch of extra stuff in it like the extra modes of operation PVM models usually have. Plus it has VGA for my Dreamcast and Xbox once I make a cable up and swap BIOS out. Enough for me.

Besides, I have yet to see one of those with a flat face whereas this thing has that. That is a big thing for me.

 

Flat face CRTs can have a lot of geometry problems inherent in the design, even with a good DSP to compensate for it. I'd seriously want to try it for a while before sinking $500 on it.

PVMs generally have a cylindrical face instead of spherical like a garden variety TV. They're not perfectly flat, but they're flatter.

 

I also have never seen a flat tube with a "perfect" image.
Some of them often have some pink color in a corner. I remember a lot of discussions and they answered "It's a characteristic of the product" to the customers.
You are not really getting "the best" with a flat tube. I hope I'm wrong, though.

 

It's mainly due to the phosphors not being equidistant from the electron gun. In a flat CRT, the corners are further away from the electron gun, and the beam doesn't land perpendicular to the phosphor site.

 

That makes sense. For the geometry issues but for the color I'm not sure. It should not be static if it was the case, and change with color perhaps.
But thinking about it, I'm not sure if the "pink region" thing is due to the flat screens or those narrower "slim tubes". I don't remember.

Enthusiasts should have made an info hub about the differences of the tubes.
Progressive-able tubes (are there non-lat HD tubes?)
Conventional tubes
Flat screen tubes
Slim tubes (are there non-flat slim tubes?)

 

My PVM has a virtually flat face. It's not perfectly flat, but flatter than most TVs of the time. My computer monitor is flat, and it doesn't have any geometry or color problems that I'm aware of. I considered getting an arcade monitor at one point, but it'd be a lot of work to build a chassis for it and wire it up properly. Also, unless you're really good at building stuff, it wouldn't look as good as a PVM or standard TV (externally, I mean).

 

I can't say I've seen colour problems on any of my flat CRTs either.

A deeper (front to back) tube can offset the geometric problems, and in tandem with a fast, high-quality DSP can deliver excellent results. A good quality computer monitor (like a Sony G520) will have these features.

 

Those models are sold by Happ. They've had a lot of criticism for issues in 15kHz.

I have to agree, I wouldn't really want one.... not only because of the issues, but because CRT gaming was all about having a curved screen.

 

I just want CRT for light gun games. Otherwise I'd go LCD...