CRT Fetish Thread

[aaronmjr]

Has RF, good to go bro

 

[Skips]

Time for another monitor review! I got this one in the mail today.

Model: Sony PVM-14L5

Specifications/Manual: http://www.manualslib.com/manual/782068/Sony-Trinitron-Pvm-14l5.html?page=5#manual

Review:

The PVM-14L5 is pretty much just a 14 inch version of the Sony PVM-20L5. At 800 lines it boasts an extremely sharp picture which eclipses that of most the other PVM models that came before it. Picture quality wise it is on par with the 800 line BVM's of similar size and its scan lines are just as thick too. The colors are excellent (Although not quite as vibrant as the BT-H1390YN, but slightly more accurate) and pretty spot on as far as accuracy goes. The monitor is equipped with composite, S-Video, Component, and RGBS inputs and outputs. One of the monitors most attractive features though is in addition to having amazing video quality with 240p/480i sources the 14L5 will also display in 480P, 720P, and 1080I. This makes it not only an excellent choice for your old game systems but your slightly newer ones as well (Gamecube, Wii, Xbox, and WiiU). In the rear of the monitor you will also find two expansion ports which will allow you to add in additional input cards so you can have multiple inputs besides the stock ones. Each input card will save its configuration settings separately as long as you do the configuration through the service menu instead of the basic setup menu. This will allow you to set different RGB, contrast, brightness, and chroma levels separately which is a big plus.

This monitor however is not without its faults. One of the more glaring (but not bothersome) issues is that it and its 20 inch counterpart both have visible dampening wires on screen that are a tad bit more noticeable than the previous PVM models. The 14L5 has one near the bottom of the CRT and becomes slightly visible when colors such as white or light blue are on the screen. Most the time you will not see the dampening wire so although its one of its bigger faults it is not an end of the world issue or a reason to overlook this monitor. The second problem I had with this monitor is that its control panels are off to the side which causes it to sit very low compared to other PVM's As you can see from the pictures below I had to prop mine up on books to make it a bit less irritating.

Overall I would place this monitor above the BT-H1390YN I reviewed previously. It is sharper and the scan lines are just slightly thicker and more uniform from the edges to the middle of the screen. The addition of the input cards and HD capability also make it a much more robust monitor when it comes to meeting your retro gaming needs.

In Short:

Pros:

• Amazing Picture Quality
• Ultra Sharp Picture
• Thick Scan Lines
• Input Card Capabilities
• Seperate Picture Settings Per Input Card
• Accurate Colors
• HD and SD CRT

Cons:

• Visible Dampening Wire
• Sits A Bit Too Low

Pictures:

Sorry but my cell phone was being a total dick today. It does look better than the monitor in my last review but my Jew of a camera would not cooperate. Pictures taken on my newly modded RGB original Famicom.

 

[3rdStrikeMike]

Good shit yet again Skips! I really hope you keep doing the monitor reviews. You always have great shots of them in action. You provide us with the real deal info that is perfect in length and hits all the bases. Keep up the good work

 

[Skips]

Good shit yet again Skips! I really hope you keep doing the monitor reviews. You always have great shots of them in action. You provide us with the real deal info that is perfect in length and hits all the bases. Keep up the good work

Well as long as this one stays working it will be the last one i buy for a good long while unless i can snipe them at a ridiculously low price. I do enjoy trying out new CRT's but not at the price most are demanding these days. Maybe I'll pic up an 8 inch PVM for shits and giggles.

 

[Jibbajaba]

It might be kind of neat to make a website that could be a database for these broadcast monitors, geared towards gamers picking them up on the used market. With specs, reviews, manuals, etc. Or maybe that would be stupid...

 

[Pretty Amy]

Model: Sony PVM-14L5

...

Overall I would place this monitor above the BT-H1390YN I reviewed previously.

Urge to buy more monitors is rising...

In your opinion, how much of an upgrade is there running compatible consoles in 480p on the 14L5 versus just running it in 480i?

 

[Skips]

Urge to buy more monitors is rising...

In your opinion, how much of an upgrade is there running compatible consoles in 480p on the 14L5 versus just running it in 480i?

Significant. With my Wii the games look a crapton better in 480p than 480i. Xbox also is a significant difference as well.

 

[GeePM]

Has anybody ever run RetroArch on a PVM before? I'm getting some screen tearing issues and im not sure if its RetroArch or some weird setting I'm missing.

 

[Pasky]

Is there a VSYNC option? If so try enabling it. I haven't used any new versions, I'm still using the very old ones that did have it.

 

[GeePM]

Is there a VSYNC option? If so try enabling it. I haven't used any new versions, I'm still using the very old ones that did have it.

See, it seems like it doesn't make a difference if I have it on or off. I'm trying to use one of the nightly builds since I was having issues the newer stable build in XP.
Are you running a Windows build? I'd really just like to get something that just works.

 

[ballzdeepx]

You mentioned you were using soft15khz, any reason you didn't go with the newer better supported crtemudriver?
That combined with VMaker & Arcade_OSD might help out, but then again the main purpose is to use with groovymame.

Might be worth a shot.

See, it seems like it doesn't make a difference if I have it on or off. I'm trying to use one of the nightly builds since I was having issues the newer stable build in XP.
Are you running a Windows build? I'd really just like to get something that just works.

 

[MidnightMonkey]

Nice writeup Skips! I wish all my tubes were PVM flavor, but alas, there is only 1.

 

[statix138]

I really regret go through this thread. I was on the fence on getting a nice Sony PVM but now I must own one.

 

[andy251203]

Cons:

• Visible Dampening Wire
• Sits A Bit Too Low

Unfortunately the dampening wire is a necessary thing for all aperture grill tubes. Without them, the individual vertical wires would vibrate and screw up the colors. The worst part is the finer the pitch, the more visible the wire is. Ever look at a Trinitron PC monitor? They have two wires 1/3 and 2/3 across the screen and are extremely visible.

 

[GohanX]

I always wondered what caused that. I used to sell PC stuff at Best Buy and the Trinitron monitors were the best we had. However, I got to the point where I had to point the line out to everyone interested as I had several returned as defective because of it.

 

[skate323k137]

well no shit... I always noticed that on my 20" trinitrons but I never knew why. Doesn't really bother me that much though.

 

[aaronmjr]

I've never noticed it, and am mad now that it got brought up, lol. Oh well.

 

[GeePM]

You mentioned you were using soft15khz, any reason you didn't go with the newer better supported crtemudriver?
That combined with VMaker & Arcade_OSD might help out, but then again the main purpose is to use with groovymame.

Might be worth a shot.

Well, I do have those programs so it might be worth a shot to simply uninstall soft15khz and try those instead.

 

[Skips]

Unfortunately the dampening wire is a necessary thing for all aperture grill tubes. Without them, the individual vertical wires would vibrate and screw up the colors. The worst part is the finer the pitch, the more visible the wire is. Ever look at a Trinitron PC monitor? They have two wires 1/3 and 2/3 across the screen and are extremely visible.

Yup I am well aware of this however the 14L5/20L5's dampening wires are much more visible than most other PVM models. That is why I mentioned it.

 

[Pasky]

Example of this? I noticed a Bright yellow on the bottom of my 20DF1U when pure white was over it. It was only a small area though.

 

[NERDtendo]

I have a few CRT TVs so I can hook up all my different systems on their own set for game nights. Most of them are just freebie TVs I have acquired. My favorite, that holds me over until the day I can acquire a nice PVM, is my Commodore 1702. I really like that it is very boxy so I can set it on it's side for the vertical games. I have an adapter for the back of the monitor so I can connect S-Video to the Luma/Chroma inputs. The speaker on the monitor is bad so I hook up computer speakers to it or when I am feeling especially old school I run the sound through my Lasonic TRC-935 boombox. I don't know how you guys can get such nice pictures of games in action on the screen, but here is the best I could take of mine...

 

[Tempest]

The 1702 is a really nice monitor. I used one with my C64 and other systems that supported only composite and S-Video until I got some 13" PVMs to replace it. I still keep a spare around for emergencies.

 

[GohanX]

Yup, I'll probably never get rid of my 1702, it's rad.

 

[wataru330]

Unfortunately the dampening wire is a necessary thing for all aperture grill tubes. Without them, the individual vertical wires would vibrate and screw up the colors. The worst part is the finer the pitch, the more visible the wire is. Ever look at a Trinitron PC monitor? They have two wires 1/3 and 2/3 across the screen and are extremely visible.

The wires are my only gripe w/ my G520.

 

[2050-Z]

Time for another monitor review! I got this one in the mail today.

Model: Sony PVM-14L5

In the rear of the monitor you will also find two expansion ports which will allow you to add in additional input cards so you can have multiple inputs besides the stock ones.

Do any of these expansion ports allow for VGA input? Any other cool uses for the expansion ports, besides adding additional RGB inputs?