Consumer CRTs vs professional CRTs

[slai50]

Currently I am playing all my retro systems on 24 inch sony wega trinitron with RGB cables and am pretty happy with the picture quality. I have a chance to obtain a sony PVM 2530. My question is if I end up getting the sony PVM 2530 will I notice that much of an improvement in picture quality over my sony wega? Are the professional CRTs really that much better than consumer CRTs? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thanks
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[Ed Oscuro]

I wouldn't bother. Scanlines might end up looking too sterile and screens too PC- or emulator-like. There are upsides to the pro units (think they all have a more stable voltage regulator of a kind not seen on any Wegas but the highest end XBRs, and only on few models) but nothing that seems likely to transform day-to-day playing.

I would feel better about turning a PVM on its side, perhaps, if you want to do that.

[fagin]

I would suggest you'll notice a difference in "quality" instantly.

Whether that difference is worth changing is a totally subjective opinion, based on the individuals wants and needs.

How the scanlines are displayed is not really anything to do with "quality" per se, as that is normally down to the chassis and CRT combination / specification.

[Einzelherz]

I'd say the only reason to get into a professional is for the plethora of connection types, that is, if you already have a very good consumer tv. I have an 06 philips flat screen that gets the job done ok, but I can see areas it could be better, for instance.

[beatsgo]

It's a nice option to have on hand, plus professional CRTs are built like tanks to be reliable and durable. In terms of maintenance and service, is either easy to fix picture quality?

[slai50]

guess I will have to bring my supergun and consoles to test the PVM 2530 with and see for myself. Does anyone know if this particular monitor has problems being tated?

[leonk]

It's a nice option to have on hand, plus professional CRTs are built like tanks to be reliable and durable. In terms of maintenance and service, is either easy to fix picture quality?

Pro CRT's also have pro features .. like ability to tune (digitally) features that consumer CRTs don't allow you. They also tend to support all video standards, where consumer tubes only support your neck of the woods (PAL vs NTSC ..)

[Xyga]

Consumer vs. pro ? Do we still have the luxury to think about that ?

I'd say the best crt is one in good shape with reasonably low mileage (a rare find in this age), or one that's been properly serviced by competent hands.

Really I'd take any cheap consumer tv in great shape over 10 ruined broadcast monitors.

[bobrocks95]

Does it bother you that your TV may not have perfect geometry or convergence? Do you want to avoid opening it to fix those (potential) minor issues since the service menu isn't cutting it any more? Those are the main advantages I see for a P/BVM. I'm not sure that all of them have full geometry/convergence control but I'd assume most do.

I wouldn't bother. Scanlines might end up looking too sterile and screens too PC- or emulator-like. There are upsides to the pro units (think they all have a more stable voltage regulator of a kind not seen on any Wegas but the highest end XBRs, and only on few models) but nothing that seems likely to transform day-to-day playing.

I don't know about its stability or anything, but I have a Sony KV-32FV310 and it has what Sony called a "high voltage regulator" in it that prevents whites and other bright colors from blooming out. I still see slight shakiness say in Rockman and Forte where giant white text bubbles slowly fade in and out above characters, but for the most part it doesn't look like anything's moving or distorting at all.

[Xyga]

Does it bother you that your TV may not have perfect geometry or convergence? Do you want to avoid opening it to fix those (potential) minor issues since the service menu isn't cutting it any more? Those are the main advantages I see for a P/BVM. I'm not sure that all of them have full geometry/convergence control but I'd assume most do.

Over the years I've seen enough people fighting long battles with their PVMs to get a decent picture, the geometry controls don't help much when the machine has been used to death and needs several components to be replaced.
Just saying, it's pretty common to see broadcast monitors with crazy mileage.

[bobrocks95]

Over the years I've seen enough people fighting long battles with their PVMs to get a decent picture, the geometry controls don't help much when the machine has been used to death and needs several components to be replaced.
Just saying, it's pretty common to see broadcast monitors with crazy mileage.

Oh definitely. PVM's were used in hospitals and as security monitors, and probably a bunch of other professional environments hence the name. My assumption would be that places wouldn't get rid of these incredibly expensive monitors unless they had been worn down to nothing anyway. A lot harder to justify an upgrade when they cost you several thousand dollars each.

[Ed Oscuro]

So the suggestion for the OP does change when superguns are mentioned - arcade games are meant to be played via RGB. While perhaps you can get a more "arcade game-like" picture by going to a consumer set with RGB (typically not possible in the US), or using an RGB to YPbPr component converter, using an RGB monitor is certainly straightforward. Of course, there are options here, too: You can get a real arcade monitor or you can get a pro monitor. Personally, I wouldn't bother with the arcade monitor unless it was "consolized" or installed in a cabinet; the professional / broadcast RGB monitors are generally more flexible.

Usage cases matter, though: A tri-sync arcade monitor might be your only real bet for 24KHz sources, while the pro RGB monitors are going to serve you well if you have a mixture of RGB and YPbPr component inputs.

I don't know about its stability or anything, but I have a Sony KV-32FV310 and it has what Sony called a "high voltage regulator" in it that prevents whites and other bright colors from blooming out. I still see slight shakiness say in Rockman and Forte where giant white text bubbles slowly fade in and out above characters, but for the most part it doesn't look like anything's moving or distorting at all.

Yes, this is what I'm talking about. Lucky you, you have basically the best Sony consumer set! It's just too bad that it doesn't support any kind of progressive display beyond 480i (i.e., 240p).

PVM's were used in hospitals and as security monitors, and probably a bunch of other professional environments hence the name. My assumption would be that places wouldn't get rid of these incredibly expensive monitors unless they had been worn down to nothing anyway. A lot harder to justify an upgrade when they cost you several thousand dollars each.

Not exactly true. Even within the PVM line there were distinct ranges. I would be incredibly surprised if any hospitals used the PVM 20L5 series, let alone security camera stations. Many (most?) security camera installations probably did just fine with the composite / Y-C only models. This isn't to say that PVMs weren't used to death over the years by professionals (for editing movies and photography) but these are slightly different usage cases. I wouldn't be surprised if some PVMs actually got nicer treatment than BVMs, if BVMs were always on for 24/7 news production, though the downside of shorter usage scenarios is additional power cycles. I'm not sure if that matters much here though.

[bobrocks95]

Yes, this is what I'm talking about. Lucky you, you have basically the best Sony consumer set! It's just too bad that it doesn't support any kind of progressive display beyond 480i (i.e., 240p).

480p stuff is reserved for my EDTV plasma.
And don't be too jealous or anything, I beat the sh*t out of its chassis dollying it down the steps of the woman I bought it from, and I have no clue if you can really repair the plastic of it. I knew it would be heavy but I really was nowhere near prepared, I'll honestly have to hire someone if I ever need to move it any long distance again.

Not exactly true. Even within the PVM line there were distinct ranges. I would be incredibly surprised if any hospitals used the PVM 20L5 series, let alone security camera stations. Many (most?) security camera installations probably did just fine with the composite / Y-C only models. This isn't to say that PVMs weren't used to death over the years by professionals (for editing movies and photography) but these are slightly different usage cases. I wouldn't be surprised if some PVMs actually got nicer treatment than BVMs, if BVMs were always on for 24/7 news production, though the downside of shorter usage scenarios is additional power cycles. I'm not sure if that matters much here though.

Informative stuff. I'm not exactly an expert on them, just kind of guessing that most of them will have seen lots of use compared to most consumer sets (and of course they're designed to withstand more use so things may even out in the end).

[Ed Oscuro]

Informative stuff. I'm not exactly an expert on them, just kind of guessing that most of them will have seen lots of use compared to most consumer sets (and of course they're designed to withstand more use so things may even out in the end).

Yep, that's a good first approximation. You do find the random consumer set that was on for literally 12 hours a day (or at least a story about this happening); impossible sometimes to tell which is which, but rare. The pro monitors being used for a long time to depreciate out the useful value is a given, in a way that isn't necessarily true for consumer sets.

[leonk]

I got my pvm from a local university from their film and broadcast department. Very low hours and in excellent condition. They were happy to let it got for 50$.

[Ed Oscuro]

I got my pvm from a local university from their film and broadcast department. Very low hours and in excellent condition. They were happy to let it got for 50$.

I oughta look into that...