Best Monitor or TV for a duel Xbox PS3 (DC, PS1/2, PC, Gen)

[Gingerzilla]

Hello All,
I'm moving my gaming system off the main house TV to a smaller setup (but better as there is no Mrs to kick me off it for desperate housewives)
I will be setting up a nice table with pull out trays for arcade sticks etc etc.. that will house the following consols

Main System
PS3 JAP NTSC
XBox360 JAP NTSC
DC JAP NTSC

Coming Soon
PC
Neo Geo X

Secondary (although perhaps not)
PS2 & PS1 ASIAN PAL
NGC PAL

Anyway I now have to get a TV or a Monitor here in Japan where I live and I want something good.
I was thinking up to 40" if it was a TV but less if it was a Monitor.
I want to be able to turn the screen on a simple swivel for Shmups. and be able to easily shift it back when needed.
If a monitor I would like sound built in. I will be sitting about 2 meters from it at maximin.

I would appreciate any advice on what I should get.

Cheers
Gingerzilla

[Ji-L87]

If a monitor I would like sound built in. I will be sitting about 2 meters from it at maximin.

Nooooooooooo. Nope. no.
Joking aside, flat monitors doesn't really offer good sound at all. There's at least 3 options that wouldn't need much space but would give a much more pleasing experience:

1) Since you're not too far away, investing in a pair of headphones (even cheap ones!) might be a good idea.
2) Try and get a hold of an old, smaller compact stereo - the kind that has inputs for external audio sources and route your systems through that, using an RCA switch if necessary.
3) Computer speakers. Stereo or 2.1 sets where all you need to connect it to your TV is to use the 3,5mm headphone connector. This does actually work surprisingly well. For the longest time, I used a small Logitech 2.1 speaker set with a small sub and even smaller satellite speakers to get decent sound from my flat panel display.

None of these will need to cost you much at all and will certainly improve your gaming experience.

[shmuppyLove]

I'd look for a 24" LCD monitor with HDMI and VGA, with a pivoting stand if you can find one. If not, you can buy a stand seperately easily enough.

HDMI will do you for 360, PS3, PC and the Neo Geo X, and the VGA you can use with the VGA box for Dreamcast.

PS2, PS1 and NGC will be trickier. You would need a scan converter to get their output to a computer monitor.

There are also some "multifunction" LCD monitors that might have s-video or composite video input, and possibly even a TV tuner, which is kind of cool. Samsung used to make a 22" and 24" model of these, but I don't know if they do any more. And also they probably don't look very good when tate'd, I think you need an IPS panel to avoid the viewing angle issues (someone please correct me if I'm wrong).