Differences in quality between the later 600 line 20" PVMs

[andykara2003]

Hi - does anyone know if there are any differences in the picture quality between the later-produced 600 line 20" PVMs?

I think these are the 20M2E, the 20L2, the 20M2 and the 20L2MD (medical version of the 20L2 I think). Are there any I've missed from that later generation?

I realise that in a way they should be quite similar, all being 600 line monitors but I'm wondering if there are other PQ factors that differentiate them.

Cheers...

[22point8]

The medical ones have an extra zoom setting and 2 sets of inputs for rgb/component. I'm not sure if the medical versions have a 16:9 mode.

[nissling]

My PVM-14M2MDE didn't have any widescreen mode. Black levels were terrific however.

[andykara2003]

I might avoid the medical ones - I don't know if I could live with the white colour of the enclosure :/

I've just seen that there's a PVM-20N1E/U as well. I wonder how all these monitors tie in...

The hours on the tube makes all the difference as well. I'm guessing you could pick up basically any one of them & as long as they have low hours you'd be fine. Do the 600 line PVMs have a log of the hours in the OSD like the BVMs?

[Ed Oscuro]

No zoom settings, and you can't see the sides during gameplay...the white color is a non-issue for me. If anything it shows up rough handling better, which can be a good thing...

[22point8]

The N series were cheap CCTV monitors they don't do component, most don't even do RGB, the N6 has RGB.

[Guspaz]

I've got a stack of N5 at home (three of 'em), how I wish they did RGB... I'll probably validate that they're reasonably well calibrated and then donate them to a local convention who would probably not buy RGB cables in the first place and will be happy to have a better way to display their composite and s-video consoles.

[andykara2003]

Ahh perhaps I'll avoid the N models then.

Maybe I'm too quick to rule out the medical models actually. The fact is that a low-ish use tube beats all other factors by a good margin. I can't see that there's a method of homing down on a low-use model apart from just evaluating them until I run into a good one. Any hints on identifying and finding models with low-ish hours?

[roachie]

I've got a PVM-20M2MDE & also a 20M4E.

Strangely I think I prefer the look of the medical one, although that may just be 'cause my M4 went through the mill in transit! It's got an off-white/grey overall vibe if anything that reminds me of old computers & consoles. People say the medical ones have generally had an easier life than the studio monitors. Probably tested/calibrated more often too?

I need to repair the M4E so I can't tell you how they compare, but I love the picture on the M2MDE. It was made in April 2000 & it doesn't have an hours counter.

[andykara2003]

Thanks for that Roachie - I didn't know that the MD monitors had an easier life - interesting. I've heard people say that they're overly soft. I expect they're comparing them to 800 line or above monitors. Would you say the 20M2MDe is significantly sharper than a very low-use consumer Sony TV of the same size?

[BazookaBen]

I have a couple 20M2MD's and one L2MD, so I can compare those two. The picture is basically identical as far as I can tell.

The only difference, and this might be more the luck of the draw than a difference between models, is that my M2's are more compatible with the "faux 240p" from an Extron RGB running in ADSP mode.

[andykara2003]

Thanks v. much for that - that says a lot, I have a strong suspicion that all these late 600 TVL are all probably basically the same in terms of PQ - leaving the main factor to be hours/year of manufacture.

Anyone in Europe want to sell one?