TVs or Monitors to look out for

[BrianC]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I'm looking for suggestions on a good CRT TV or old school monitor. I have a NEC 12" Monitor that I had set up in the TV room, but I have to fiddle with it to get a picture to show and it now has screen flipping issues on games that didn't have a problem before. Mainly looking for something under 20", but I have room for a slightly bigger TV. I heard Sony's Trinitron line is good, but I would like a better idea of what to look out for when I go to Goodwill or yard sales.

[Ed Oscuro]

Anything that's recent from a decent brand (Sony, Mitsubishi if you can find it, NEC probably, some others). The main thing to watch out for is geometry on flat TVs; some people will prefer slightly older Trinitrons with a curved screens to most of their flat line. I think the very last CRTs started to get this under control, but pretty much everybody with a ~2006 Wega fs120 has reported nearly uncorrectable dips in the screen, which aren't a problem for many games but can drive you nuts in sidescrollers.

[BrianC]

Thanks for the info. I'm getting frustrated looking for TVs on ebay. I set it up to show only things shipping to my zip code and most of the things that show up are local pickup only.

Should I look into having my NEC JC-1215MA Monitor fixed (if possible)? It seemed to be a decent monitor when it was working correctly. My dad has some knowledge of repairing electronics.

[broken harbour]

Sony Wega's are a dime a dozen on Kijiji/Craigslist in most cities. At least whenever I look, and they tend to be fantastic flat CRT's for retro gaming, I used one for 8 years or so.

[BrianC]

I might look into a WEGA, but I have an HD TV in the same room (the TV room) and would rather have a non-HD for the older gaming TV. I have a Sanyo CRT in my bedroom. Not sure if it's the best model, but I like the picture for older games, though I'm not a fan of the overscan.

edit: Doh. It's a Sansui, not a Sanyo, though I used to have a Sanyo a long time ago.

[broken harbour]

I might look into a WEGA, but I have an HD TV in the same room (the TV room) and would rather have a non-HD for the older gaming TV. I have a Sanyo CRT in my bedroom. Not sure if it's the best model, but I like the picture for older games, though I'm not a fan of the overscan.

The Wega I owned from 2000-2009 was a 4:3 SD CRT. Like this:

[BrianC]

oh cool.

[Sid]

More often, people want 20" and up. That means, location depending, that you should be able to find a 14" pro monitor for next to nothing in cost thanks to less demand.

The focus is largely on Sony, but that can leave others like the JVCs ripe for the picking. Admittedly, they often come without the rgb input card, but I'd take s-video to my JVC vs a consumer set running component or rgb. I was lucky enough to find one with the rgb inputs anyway though. The other thing about the JVCs is that they were made until relatively recently, and are still available brand new even - and their freshness shows, both in clarity and black levels.

Something like a TMH150C would be ideal for your situation I'd imagine.

[FinalBaton]

If I were you I would look specifically for a Sony Trinitron (Wega) KV-xxFV300, or better yet a KV-xxFV310. (where "xx" is the screen size)

My researches on different forum tells me that these are amongst the very best SD CRT consumer models ever made. Don't know if true, but I've seen this mentionned a couple of times. And owning a FV300, I can tell you that they're very nice.

They can be found regularly on kijiji for $40 or so (well at least it's the case here in Quebec. can't speak for elsewhere).

If not then it looks like the fs120 are good as well

[Ed Oscuro]

Kijiji isn't going to be a realistic option for somebody in MD, USA, I think (?) I live in MI but the closest Canadian listings off kijiji would still be many hours of travel away, and MD would likely be a couple days' trip. There are some jokers in Toronto offering a HD Ikegami monitor for $5K+ on eBay (last I checked, anyway).

eBay is alright as a place to search for local deals, but like I say in other TV hunting threads: Some thrift stores still have them. Look up auctions, like government auctions (publicsurplus.com is a place a few great monitors and TVs have shown up on the cheap), Craigslist, even classifieds and local tech recyclers (many of these have gotten 20" monitors recently). Some people have even tried cold calling local universities, hospitals, broadcasters, and other businesses that might still have old CRTs and might be upgrading soon.

I would be wary of any "deal" that you can't see working in person, or that is going to be shipped to you. Even in person it's possible to miss that chip or scratch in the glass that'd drive you crazy once it got home, but it's a lot better to be able to look at things running in person before committing to bringing e-waste into your home.

[BrianC]

Thanks for the tips on the Wega. I didn't realize there were SD models and I'll keep my eyes peeled for one. I think I'll leave the NEC with my dad to see if he can repair it, but I don't have really high hopes. It did have a nice picture when it was working correctly and it doesn't seem to be too common, so I don't want to get rid of it jest yet.

[bobrocks95]

If I were you I would look specifically for a Sony Trinitron (Wega) KV-xxFV300, or better yet a KV-xxFV310. (where "xx" is the screen size)

My researches on different forum tells me that these are amongst the very best SD CRT consumer models ever made. Don't know if true, but I've seen this mentionned a couple of times. And owning a FV300, I can tell you that they're very nice.

They can be found regularly on kijiji for $40 or so (well at least it's the case here in Quebec. can't speak for elsewhere).

If not then it looks like the fs120 are good as well

The FV-310 is indeed the best consumer set assuming you like flat CRTs. That said, it took me about 6 months to find mine- I saw them a lot in large cities like Boston, L.A., and some places in southern Florida, but other than that it will take some hunting, though YMMV. I ended up asking everybody on Craigslist the model number on their Trinitron until I lucked out and found it (then proceeded to beat the shit out of it trying to get it in my car, which haunts me to this day). The person was baffled I cared at all about the specific model.

[FinalBaton]

Kijiji isn't going to be a realistic option for somebody in MD, USA, I think (?) I live in MI but the closest Canadian listings off kijiji would still be many hours of travel away, and MD would likely be a couple days' trip. There are some jokers in Toronto offering a HD Ikegami monitor for $5K+ on eBay (last I checked, anyway).

eBay is alright as a place to search for local deals, but like I say in other TV hunting threads: Some thrift stores still have them. Look up auctions, like government auctions (publicsurplus.com is a place a few great monitors and TVs have shown up on the cheap), Craigslist, even classifieds and local tech recyclers (many of these have gotten 20" monitors recently). Some people have even tried cold calling local universities, hospitals, broadcasters, and other businesses that might still have old CRTs and might be upgrading soon.

I would be wary of any "deal" that you can't see working in person, or that is going to be shipped to you. Even in person it's possible to miss that chip or scratch in the glass that'd drive you crazy once it got home, but it's a lot better to be able to look at things running in person before committing to bringing e-waste into your home.

Obviously Craigslist is gonna be the US equivalent of Kijiji here.

[Xyga]

For the curved Trinitrons the KV-**X1* were among the last produced by Sony.

KV-21X1B, KV-25X1B, KV29X1B for instance.
The last letter is a region code, can be A, B, U, K, L, R, U.

Much less geometry issues and less bulky/heavy of course.
But those are older than the FD (flat) Trinitons and maybe a bit harder to find.

[creamygarlicdip]

I have a toshiba toshiba 27af43 at home, its a great little set. 27", 240p signal via s-video from my sega saturn quite looks great with scanlines intact. Mine is 12 years old with no problems.

these later toshiba 4:3 crts are quite nice, also have component inputs up to 480i. I have another 32" one i gave to my mom its got a great display quality too.

[Einzelherz]

In my locale, Craigslist and local Goodwill shops are the best place. I've seen some very nice Wegas but they were all much larger than I want.

[bobrocks95]

For the curved Trinitrons the KV-**X1* were among the last produced by Sony.

KV-21X1B, KV-25X1B, KV29X1B for instance.
The last letter is a region code, can be A, B, U, K, L, R, U.

Much less geometry issues and less bulky/heavy of course.
But those are older than the FD (flat) Trinitons and maybe a bit harder to find.

Doesn't look like we got that model in the states, all the service manuals start with a similar cover page:

[Xyga]

^ I think you did, maybe the 'A' or 'U' model I'm not sure but if I recall I've seen a pic of one of those without a scart input.
It's possible that generation was commercialized as a slightly different series in America, but I highly doubt it never made it there.

EDIT maybe the KV-**C1* variant ?