CRT Fetish Thread

MtothaJ

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Kind of hard to describe but with the smaller models (approx. 14" screen size) you tend to sit closer to the screen and they really suck you in in terms of the gameplay, the image is also really crisp and its kind of more like a proper arcade experience.
 

racer445

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Here is my current retro setup monitor. Being in the US it's really hard to find RGB capable displays, most PVM/BVM monitors are too small for my taste and people around here want crazy money for them. I took a chance a few years ago and picked up a 27" Mitsubishi AM-2751A for $50 off some really nerdy middle aged dude on craigslist who looked like he was stuck in the 80s. The MFG date is May 1990 and yet the tube condition is nearly brand new. It'll do 15khz all the way up to 800x600, albeit somewhat poorly. Still--impressive for 1990!

It really needs a recap but there's like 4 boards and a zillion caps in this thing for whatever reason and I don't feel like it. I tuned the adjustments when I got it but I was never happy with it, and the color/geometry pots were loose, so rotating the monitor a while back screwed up my adjustments. I had some time the other day to open it up and fix most of the issues with it. The geometry isn't perfect but it's good enough, corner convergence is decent, the color is good now as is the purity (fridge magnets!) and all adjustment pots have small hot glue dots holding them in place. I think it looks nice, despite being an old shadow mask tube. Very arcade-like.

IMG_0883.jpg

IMG_0885.jpg

1505446_10151719822236116_1226425509_n.jpg


240p (thick scanlines, looks great with bold colors)
pic1 pic2 pic3 pic4 pic5 pic6 pic7 pic8 pic9

480p performance (nothing amazing, but decent enough)
pic1 pic2 pic3 pic4
 
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K-2

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That Mitsu looks like a solid display for the money. You've got the magic Fantasy Zone II tester to boot. Nice work!
 

MtothaJ

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For the US users, just wondering whether your CRT TV's can't be modded for RGB - perhaps the TV's have the necesary hardware inside but its simply a case that the actual socket is not in place? Maybe there is some encoder chip or something to which you could simply solder a few wires and connect those to a female Scart socket? Any insight?
 

Stellarola

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To PVM owners:

I came across a thread on racketboy.com, stating that the picture on these monitors aren't that bright. I know the Sony PVM is used mainly as reference for color accuracy, so that may be the reason the brightness isn't what you'd see on a consumer CRT. Any thoughts? I'm looking to pickup a 19" PVM this weekend, any knowledge would be helpful. Thanks!

Here's a link to the thread I'm referencing: http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=40174

-Stell
 

skate323k137

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His probably was worn out or improperly set up. I can get the picture blindingly bright on mine if I want to.
 

Yodd

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A lot of these monitors have HEAVY mileage on them plus many are from the late 80's and early 90's.

Adjusting the monitor and possibly recapping it should bring it back up to snuff.

I would say most built in the late 90's to early 2000's should be fine, but again depends on how much it was used.

No different than an arcade monitor or any other CRT.
 

Stellarola

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A lot of these monitors have HEAVY mileage on them plus many are from the late 80's and early 90's.

Adjusting the monitor and possibly recapping it should bring it back up to snuff.

I would say most built in the late 90's to early 2000's should be fine, but again depends on how much it was used.

No different than an arcade monitor or any other CRT.

Do most PVMs offer RGB tweaking via the OSD (on-screen display) or would I most likely need to adjust internal pots?

EDIT: RGB convergence tweaking
 
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skate323k137

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It depends on the model. My 1943MD has no on-screen adustments, but RGB gain and bias are adjustable via screws on the front panel (no disassembly needed). Geometry and such though you're out of luck without disassembly

On the other hand my 20M2MDU and 20M4U both have nice on-screen service menus for color and geometry adjustments.
 

Xian Xi

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I usually have my picture brightness all the way down except by one step and that's bright enough for me.
 

skate323k137

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I vary my brightness depending on the console or PCB. Even with resistors/pots some boards are a bit brighter than others. A lot of stuff I can run most of the way turned down and it looks good, but some consoles I have to leave it at 50% or so to get all the details.

FWIW the 20M4U and M2MDU both have extra brightness and contrast settings (SUB-BRIGHT and SUB-CONTRAST I think) in the service menus for the RGB inputs that take effect before the adjustments on the front panel. I leave those at 50 iirc which is the stock setting, but you can turn them down or up so that you have a better baseline before ajdusting the knob on the front. One of the monitors I got the previous owner had cranked the sub brightness and until I figured that out I though the monitor was just way too bright.
 

Yodd

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Same here.

I generally keep my brightness down well below 50% for most console stuff.

Cranked up brightness and contrast leads to more wear and tear on the CRT tube.
 

Skips

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Same here.

I generally keep my brightness down well below 50% for most console stuff.

Cranked up brightness and contrast leads to more wear and tear on the CRT tube.

When I had my BVM-20F1U I only kept the brightness high enough to properly see the backgrounds in SNES games. I think that was around 700 or so (it goes to 2000 if I remember right).
 

Tiako

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I have a Sony Wega.. Are some crt screens better than others for old video games?
 

andy251203

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Anyone in this thread coming to MAGfest and want a PVM monitor?? PM me before midnight 12/31 and I will bring some with me to MAGfest for pickup.

I have PVM-14M2U and PVM-14N2U models. The M's are $50 each and the N's are $35 each. Also have a very nice BVM-20F1U with 4 RGB/component inputs for $300...

20130807_194016_zpsc5b97857.jpg
 

Nyder

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Anyone in this thread coming to MAGfest and want a PVM monitor?? PM me before midnight 12/31 and I will bring some with me to MAGfest for pickup.

I have PVM-14M2U and PVM-14N2U models. The M's are $50 each and the N's are $35 each. Also have a very nice BVM-20F1U with 4 RGB/component inputs for $300...

20130807_194016_zpsc5b97857.jpg

Wow, nice PVM collection!

Whats the main difference between the PVM-14M2U and PVM-14N2U?
I thought the M stood for medical so it had better shielding or something.

Is that a 2530/2030 on the far left?

Cheers.
 

andy251203

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The M has higher quality components from Japan. The N is built in the UK. Both models have the same picture tube and similar picture quality. The M has adjustment knobs whereas the N model is adjusted via the on screen menu.

The monitor on the far left is a PVM-2950Q.
 

Pretty Amy

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I'll be at Magfest, but I can't fit one in my suitcase for the flight back. ;)

If you're interested in getting rid of them and don't mind selling to non-forum members, I might be able to scrounge up a few buyers for you amongst my friends. PM me if you're interested.
 

Ninjainspandex

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I'll be at Magfest, but I can't fit one in my suitcase for the flight back. ;)

If you're interested in getting rid of them and don't mind selling to non-forum members, I might be able to scrounge up a few buyers for you amongst my friends. PM me if you're interested.
lol I wonder if they would let you sit with it on your lap on the flight back, I'd love to see peoples reactions. Also would of to see TSA reaction when you try putting it through the xray machine.:lolz:
 

Pretty Amy

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My RGB-to-BNC cables showed up today! I took some truly awful photos to compare my PVM with my Trinitron.

PVM: https://picasaweb.go...gCI6V5trh08i9Uw
Trinitron: https://picasaweb.go...CKHW2ICBvL6DtQE

The best example I could find where I could see a difference between the 2 was from the Streets of Rage intro:

Dithering_zps7b2910b6.png


You can see the dithering of the highlighted section of the sky on the PVM whereas it is a solid color on the Trinitron. I went back and verified that this isn't just an artifact from the photos. Neato!

P.S. Sorry for the lack of Neo photos. I've been waiting 3.5 months for my AI CMVS to show up. :angry:
 
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MtothaJ

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My RGB-to-BNC cables showed up today! I took some truly awful photos to compare my PVM with my Trinitron.

You can see the dithering of the highlighted section of the sky on the PVM whereas it is a solid color on the Trinitron. I went back and verified that this isn't just an artifact from the photos. Neato!

I am assuming you are connected via component on the Trinitron?
 

skate323k137

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Hey skate do you notice much image quality difference between the 20M2MDU and 20M4U?

They're damn close quality wise, if I had to pick one I'd say the 20M4U has a little sharper image. I think the 20M2MDU is 600 vertical TV lines and the M4U is 800 (like the BVMs). I'd highly recommend either one.
 
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Yeah I was just curious if you could tell much of a difference between the two with the games we use them for.

I have a bvm and was curious if the image from a 20M2 would pale in comparison. Sounds like they are close but I think I will hold out for a 4.

By the way I watched gremlins 2 the other night for the first time in 20 years and there are hundreds of various pvm's shown in the backround through the movie. It was funny to see so many.
 
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