Opinions Needed: Sony BVM-D14H5U w/BKM-129X

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Shelcoof
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Opinions Needed: Sony BVM-D14H5U w/BKM-129X

Post by Shelcoof »

Hey guys

Just wanted some opinions feedback on the situation. Was browsing the local ads and I came across a listing for a Sony BVM.

Here's what the specs are according to the listing:

"Sony BVM-D14H5U w/BKM-129X
Up for sale is a Sony BVM-D14H5U! This unit is in perfect working condition but has a couple scratches on the top. Other than that, everything works and looks stellar. The D14H5U is among the absolute best 14 inch professional monitors out there. With 800 TV lines for razor-sharp scanlines, 240p-1080i signal handling and all the input cards you’ll need, this monitor is perfect for retro gaming. This model has 3 input cards: BKM-129X (RGB and YPbPr) BKM-120D (SDI ans HD-SDI) BKM-127W (Composite and S-Video) This model was one of the last D14H5Us built, as it was assembled in 2005. So far, it has clocked 39451 hours of operation time, but it has spent the vast majority of its life on standby. It has been looked well after, living in the CBC offices and then with me. I am asking $500 for the monitor, and I will include BNC to RCA adapters and BNC terminators."

Seller is asking about 500$ CAD that roughly translate to 375$USD/334EUR/287GBP

Been sitting on it for a few days now and I thought hey... maybe I'd like to go check it out. But before I do I'd love to hear back what you guys have to say about it first.

I have a number of set-ups at home already. I own a few awesome Sony WEGA SD TVs including a Sony WEGA HD TV with Super Fine Pitch tube. I also have a few PC CRT monitors hooked up to the OSSC for gaming as well.

I'm actually really curious to see how much better a PVM/BVM would perform. You read all the hype on the internet and you want to experience it first hand.

Consoles I plan to use on BVM:
Wii [Component][Emulating retro consoles]
PS2 [Component]
Dreamcast [VGA/Scart]
XBox 360 [VGA/Component]
PS3 [Component]

Other Equipment I own:
Scanline Generator
OSSC

My current PC Monitor set up does the job alright. Especially paired up with my scanline generator.. it does the job really well. The only gripe I have is that my PC Monitors aren't as bright as I would like them to be.. especially when scanlines are turned on. Some of them have an Ultra Bright feature that helps though.

When I game on the Sony SD TVs they look pretty nice and bright though. The only problem with the SD TV is that its limited to max 480i resolution. So gaming on the 360/PS3 isn't ideal.

To be honest I'd be happy playing on an HD TV or an HD PC Monitor but the biggest issue I have is the response time. I'm very sensitive to blur and a CRT does not have any of that. 2nd would be input lag but gaming monitors pretty much have fixed that issue.

The only concern I have with the BVM is the amount of hours racked up its close to 40k hours. That and I wouldn't know how to service one if anything ever happened. That includes calibrating the image and replacing caps. Hell I don't even know if I'd need to buy anymore equipment to get my current systems working with the BVM.

Well with that said... what do you guys think? Am I already getting the best picture from my current set up or is there something better out there for me to try out?
Dochartaigh
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Re: Opinions Needed: Sony BVM-D14H5U w/BKM-129X

Post by Dochartaigh »

I've had bad luck with D9's and D14's (which are very similar models, and MUCH different than the D20/D24/D32 models of the same series). And I'm not talking about a sample size of 1, or 2, or 3 of these D9/D14's....quite a few more.

They have similar sync issues that the BVM A-Series has, and some Ikegami and JVC monitors. It seems to be random as well - same exact system and cables will work on one monitor but not the other - really makes zero logical sense. Highest hour count I had was something like 10k (lowest 2K I think) so these are later-produced low-use examples. One I picked up for $75 with 4K hours literally wouldn't work on the guys 3 different 240p systems he just had hooked up to his other monitor - this was using my known-working BKM-129x, and my SCART to BNC cables....brought it home and it worked on all of my identical systems...so weird.

They also like to simply stop responding on occasion for no reason. No picture. No OSD menu...but it's still on. Usually does this after it doesn't like the sync of something. Come back ~5-10 minutes later and it'll work again.

...so needless to say I do not like these and do not recommend them if it's going to be your sole PVM/BVM. ALL the other Sony PVM/BVM's I've owned (maybe ~30 different models) have always been near-perfect with ALL consoles (slight top skew on some systems like DC or Wii, but nothing a $15 Extron RGB interface can't fix). Extron 580xi might help with some of these sync issues I later found out, but haven't found another D9/D14 to test with since I picked up a 580xi for cheap to confirm this.

The BKM-129X card it comes with is worth $150-200 USD by itself fyi (127 is worth something too) - so at least there's that. And there are MANY systems (the majority) which work just fine on them, and a 800 TVL BVM is very nice. Just be forewarned about some of those quirks above which drove me nuts.

40K hours, if it's still in good shape (I've seen HORRIBLE ones with less hours, and near-perfect with more hours...so it's all about condition), is just fine. General rule of thumb is these monitors should have their tubes changed every 30K hours, but that's just to keep super accurate color. For our use that's fine and will still look great. The chassis itself should last a LOT longer than that 30K. These also don't count up hours (at least the D20/D24/D32 don't) when in standby mode, so it truly has seen 40K hours of actual use.
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Shelcoof
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Location: Canada

Re: Opinions Needed: Sony BVM-D14H5U w/BKM-129X

Post by Shelcoof »

That's some great info right there. Thanks so much

The only reason why I'm tempted is because the seller is a drive distance away.

The 500$ CAD asking price seems reasonable considering if I'd ever want to order one online it would cost me at least double that not to mention whatever I get in the mail could easily be in terrible condition.

At least in person I can check out the quality myself.

If I was to buy this... it would definitely be my only PVM/BVM. I've given up hunting down these old monitors ages ago but for some reason the BVM just showed up in my search the other day and I clicked.
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