CRT or LCD suggestions??

LaserFan

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Ok,

I finally got my DAPHNE (laser games) cab built. Just need to add a couple more items...

Just curious if anyone out there is running DAPHNE on a LCD or are you just using an old CRT monitor??

Which do you guys recommend?? I have a nice Viewsonic 19" Flat Screen CRT...but also can get my hands on a 22" Sony LCD. The Sony is not a TV. It doesnt have a tuner. It is a computer monitor that was being used for AutoCad and some other graphics stuff...its pretty nice..

So...any opinions? Which might look better? I know the LCD is lighter and probably will be easier to mount...but I am not sure how good the games will look..

Thanks for the suggestions!!

Take it easy!

Jess
 
Personally, I would go with a CRT as it'll better capture it in its original glory (and likely its original resolution if its a multisync monitor.)

I have DAPHNE running w/ an LCD, and frankly, it's not the same due to the fixed resolution of the LCD (1280x1024 in my case.)
 
What aspect is the LCD? If it's not 4:3 you're gonna get a stretched picture or waste a lot of space. Even 5:4 will make it look kinda crap.

You may get a better picture from a 4:3 LCD with good scaling, but if you want authenticity, get the CRT and take the time to make the games run in their native resolution (hint: Linux+X11 and modeline generators, doublescan are your friends).

LCD also has the advantage that you can mount it on a swivel, and very easily switch between horizontal/vertical games. But check your viewing angle first!
 
What aspect is the LCD? If it's not 4:3 you're gonna get a stretched picture or waste a lot of space. Even 5:4 will make it look kinda crap.

Good point. I've never seen a computer LCD that's 4:3 and larger than 19". Above that, it all seems like widescreen.
 
Good point. I've never seen a computer LCD that's 4:3 and larger than 19". Above that, it all seems like widescreen.

Exactly.

That said, if it's a nice LCD and a good deal, pick it up anyway, and use it for something else. If you're still tootling along on a CRT on your PC, hook up the LCD. Once you have the native res locked in, the difference will blow you away -- especially if you use DVI.
 
Thanks..

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions:

The 19" CRT I have is a Viewsonic Flat Screen Multisync....it does not have DVI though...I do have a 19" LCD that is 4:3 and has DVI...maybe I will just hook both of them up and see which one I like more...LOL...

The other LCD is widescreen....and not any type of multisync

Thanks again!

Jess
 
Thanks for the feedback and suggestions:

The 19" CRT I have is a Viewsonic Flat Screen Multisync....it does not have DVI though...I do have a 19" LCD that is 4:3 and has DVI...maybe I will just hook both of them up and see which one I like more...LOL...

The other LCD is widescreen....and not any type of multisync

Thanks again!

Jess

DVI is really primarily for digital displays (mostly just anything of the "pixel array" format including LCD, Plasma, LCoS, etc.) as it's a digital bitstream connection to a display that's inherently digital, at least in terms of pixel addressing. CRTs and some forms of projection (e.g. laser) might take DVI/HDMI but you won't see as pronounced a difference as they have to convert it into an analog signal anyway. (Unless you're running over long distances that is, then digital wins out every time -- or doesn't get there at all.)

DVI is commonly seen in really new games that ship with LCD or plasma displays, but on anything with a CRT, analog R/G/B/H/V via an HD15 connector (colloquially called "VGA") reigns supreme. Though a lot of these newer games with CRTs, after you do an LCD conversion, the computer has a DVI port to get that extra bit of fidelity -- and if you resolution-match the panel to the game's output signal, it'll beat the CRT, hands down.

There's no such thing as "multisync" for LCDs. For that matter, there isn't even a "sync" once the signal gets past the controller and goes into the actual panel -- the sync signals are used by the monitor only to differentiate between pixels/rows/frames in the input signal -- every individual pixel in the panel is independently driven and they can be changed completely asynchronously and in any order. (The downside is that the resolution is set in stone -- to display a signal in a different resolution, a processor somewhere needs to rescale the image to the panel's actual resolution, be that processor your CPU, your GPU, or most commonly, a dedicated-purpose processor embedded in the monitor itself.) CRT and LCD technology are apples-and-steak different -- the similarities end at the input signal.
 
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