A death in my computer family / CRT vs Flat Screen

[deadmeow]

My 21" ViewSonic CRT monitor seems to have finally died. I bought it in 2003, refurbished in super condition for 150 + 50 shipping in about 2003, off of Ebay. This was the best monitor for gaming, and emulation. I have a 19" flat screen monitor, which is very nice, but the CRT monitor displays such a bright and crisp picture.

 

The worst problem I noticed with the flat screen monitors, is that there is a very slight delay during gaming. The only time that bothered me was during our Sega Genesis NHL online leagues. So I always used the 21" for netplay. At this point, I don't think I will replace the CRT monitor, because I have been too sick to play or host any Genesis leagues. Otherwise the 19" flat screen is decent enough for most gaming and emulation.

 

What do you guys prefer for Classic gaming/emulation? Flat screen, or CRT monitors?

Edited February 28, 2007 by deadmeow

[Breakpack]

My 21" ViewSonic CRT monitor seems to have finally died. I bought it in 2003, refurbished in super condition for 150 + 50 shipping in about 2003, off of Ebay. This was the best monitor for gaming, and emulation. I have a 19" flat screen monitor, which is very nice, but the CRT monitor displays such a bright and crisp picture.

 

The worst problem I noticed with the flat screen monitors, is that there is a very slight delay during gaming. The only time that bothered me was during our Sega Genesis NHL online leagues. So I always used the 21" for netplay. At this point, I don't think I will replace the CRT monitor, because I have been too sick to play or host any Genesis leagues. Otherwise the 19" flat screen is decent enough for most gaming and emulation.

 

What do you guys prefer for Classic gaming/emulation? Flat screen, or CRT monitors?

 

I got a CRT.I don't like the blurriness of the flat screens I've seen in action

[guitarmas]

My 21" ViewSonic CRT monitor seems to have finally died. I bought it in 2003, refurbished in super condition for 150 + 50 shipping in about 2003, off of Ebay. This was the best monitor for gaming, and emulation. I have a 19" flat screen monitor, which is very nice, but the CRT monitor displays such a bright and crisp picture.

 

The worst problem I noticed with the flat screen monitors, is that there is a very slight delay during gaming. The only time that bothered me was during our Sega Genesis NHL online leagues. So I always used the 21" for netplay. At this point, I don't think I will replace the CRT monitor, because I have been too sick to play or host any Genesis leagues. Otherwise the 19" flat screen is decent enough for most gaming and emulation.

 

What do you guys prefer for Classic gaming/emulation? Flat screen, or CRT monitors?

 

I got a CRT.I don't like the blurriness of the flat screens I've seen in action

 

Yeah I think CRT monitors are better than anything out there. They're just not as portable.

[Albert]

I personally prefer LCD panels over CRTs for many reasons:

 

1. They are much easier on the eyes

2. Pixel-sharp text--no blurry text or lines that you have to contend with on CRTs.

3. High resolutions s

4. Widescreen displays--great for games and movies, and more window real estate.

5. They use less electricity

6. They don't generate as much heat (good when you have a room full of computers and monitors)

7. They are lighter and thus easier to move around

8. They take up significantly less desk space, especially for larger monitors.

 

LCD panels have gotten much better in terms of refresh rates and a good quality panel is fine for fast action (such as for games and watching movies). I've been using LCDs exclusively for several years now and don't regret it one bit.

 

..Al

[Breakpack]

I personally prefer LCD panels over CRTs for many reasons:

 

1. They are much easier on the eyes

2. Pixel-sharp text--no blurry text or lines that you have to contend with on CRTs.

3. High resolutions s

4. Widescreen displays--great for games and movies, and more window real estate.

5. They use less electricity

6. They don't generate as much heat (good when you have a room full of computers and monitors)

7. They are lighter and thus easier to move around

8. They take up significantly less desk space, especially for larger monitors.

 

LCD panels have gotten much better in terms of refresh rates and a good quality panel is fine for fast action (such as for games and watching movies). I've been using LCDs exclusively for several years now and don't regret it one bit.

 

..Al

 

What brand names are you using?I might have to check into this

[Video]

I assume you mean flat screen as in liquid crystal type monitors, and not flat screen CRT's.

 

I'd always pick a CRT over an LCD personally. LCD"s have gotten up to speed where they can do 60hz images (that used to be the deciding factor between CRT and LCD) but they still don't have the range of color that a CRT does. The Blacks are Blacker on CRT, and the Whites are Whiter.

 

LCD's are nice, don't get me wrong, and I replaced my monitor with one, but it is because of space problems, more than anything, and while it looks good, it simply doesn't do as good a picture as my CRT did.

[+remowilliams]

What do you guys prefer for Classic gaming/emulation? Flat screen, or CRT monitors?

Classic gaming i.e. old low res systems and their composite or svideo (preferred) sources, I use CRTs almost always. As a matter of fact my favorite classic machine gaming displays are the Commodore 1084x series CRTs.

 

Emulation is done on LCDs (my primary PC monitors) or on HDTV (such as with my super emulation XBOX ).

 

I personally prefer LCD panels over CRTs for many reasons:

 

..

 

LCD panels have gotten much better in terms of refresh rates and a good quality panel is fine for fast action (such as for games and watching movies). I've been using LCDs exclusively for several years now and don't regret it one bit.

I agree with your views on LCDs. I only switched my main computer monitors over to LCD though when they finally came up to par in terms of response rate and scaling capability. For me it was my Dell FPW that finally ended the reign of the CRT here. All LCDs are not equally made though

[Albert]

What brand names are you using?I might have to check into this

The nicest displays I have are from Apple and Dell. I've also had good luck with Samsung, except for one particular Samsung display that has a weird burn-in problem (which apparently is quite common with that particular display). I've had backlights burn out on two displays--a Philips display and a Viewsonic display. The Viewsonic one was replaced under warranty, the Philips one was beyond the warranty. I have a second Philips display of the same type (older 17" display) and it's much dimmer than it was when I bought it new.

 

At present for my primary displays I use a 23" Dell and a 20" Gateway, both widescreen displays, 1920x1200 and 1680x1050 pixels respectively. The Gateway monitor sometimes locks up when I power it up, requiring me to actually unplug the power connector and plug it back in. That doesn't happen often, though, as it's usually on most of the time (in standby mode). I'd love to have two of the Apple 30" displays, but those are quite expensive.

 

..Al

[+Random Terrain]

Is it still true that you can't use a light gun (zapper gun) with an LCD monitor?

[Albert]

Is it still true that you can't use a light gun (zapper gun) with an LCD monitor?

Never tried that. For classic game systems I still use a television or a Commodore 1702. Outside of emulation, which works fine on the LCD panels.

 

..Al

[+remowilliams]

Is it still true that you can't use a light gun (zapper gun) with an LCD monitor?

Classic light guns will not work with LCDs, DLPs or Plasmas due to the inherent differences in display generation. They wont work with HD CRTs for that matter either.

 

There are 'light guns' made for modern use (PCs usually) that can be used with those types of displays. They usually utilize LED sensor strips to determine gun position, instead of photo optic type circuits.

Edited February 28, 2007 by remowilliams

[Room 34]

If you think an LCD is blurry, then you've got it set to the wrong resolution. An LCD only really works at its default resolution, but I don't know why you'd want to go lower anyway!

 

Personally I have managed to go 100% LCD and I will NEVER go back to CRT. I spent nearly a decade staring at a CRT for 8 hours a day and I have the increasingly thick glasses to prove it. CRTs are bad bad BAD for the eyes. I haven't owned a CRT at home for over 5 years, and finally last year I got an LCD at work. I am VERY happy with the LCDs. I will admit that the color is still a problem (although they've gotten MUCH better), but the clarity of the image and the lack of flickering refresh are more than enough to make up for any shortcomings in the color balance.

[RIVER]

I have the 21" ViewSonic CRT monitor, and love it, it died on me about 1 1/2 years ago and i got it refurbed for $75 and still love it today. Its been lonely lately cause i got a brand new laptop and my desktop hasnt got much time lately.

[+Random Terrain]

Thanks for the light gun info. Whenever I can buy a new computer, it will come with an LCD monitor whether I want one or not.

 

(This time I'm going to get 2 gigabytes of RAM so I can do more than one thing at a time without gumming up my computer.)

[Zonie]

 

What do you guys prefer for Classic gaming/emulation? Flat screen, or CRT monitors?

 

My 40" Mitsubishi CRT. I will keep it forever!

[Albert]

 

What do you guys prefer for Classic gaming/emulation? Flat screen, or CRT monitors?

 

My 40" Mitsubishi CRT. I will keep it forever!

I sold a 35" Sony XBR CRT before moving. That thing weighed 5,000 pounds and required a lot of floor space so it was nice to get rid of it. I use a projector at about 80" for my normal television viewing / console game playing now.

 

..Al

[Markimus of K.]

I switched from a Sony 17" monitor that had shrunk on the sides, and I thought it looked pretty much ok.

 

I then got a 19" NEC LCD monitor (paid $450CND for it) I have never looked back, wow, what a difference!

 

no problem here, take your tube monitor and stick it in the past where it belongs gentlemen.

 

Markimus of K.

[supercat]

3. High resolutions s

 

Although I normally tend to use 1280x1024, it's nice to be able to boost my CRT resolution up to 1600x1200, 1920x1200 (letterboxed), or even 2048x1536. Not exactly pixel-perfect clarity, but better than any reasonably-priced LCD could manage.

 

CRTs have a much better ability to use multiple resolutions than LCDs. Although I usually use lower resolutions because some annoying web pages are otherwise too small and can't be resized (is there any way to force Firefox to 2x expand everything including pictures and other items sized in pixels?) there are times that higher resolutions are useful.

[Albert]

3. High resolutions s

 

Although I normally tend to use 1280x1024, it's nice to be able to boost my CRT resolution up to 1600x1200, 1920x1200 (letterboxed), or even 2048x1536. Not exactly pixel-perfect clarity, but better than any reasonably-priced LCD could manage.

 

CRTs have a much better ability to use multiple resolutions than LCDs. Although I usually use lower resolutions because some annoying web pages are otherwise too small and can't be resized (is there any way to force Firefox to 2x expand everything including pictures and other items sized in pixels?) there are times that higher resolutions are useful.

I don't agree, but this is going to be a matter of personal preference, obviously. Even at a CRT's "recommended" maximum resolution, the text is not as clear as it is on an LCD panel. You can buy a widescreen 22" LCD panel that does 1680 x 1050 resolution for only $300 these days and for less than $700 you can get a 24" panel that does 1920 x 1200. I remember paying $1200 for a Nanao T2-17 Trinitron-based 17" monitor that you could drive at 1600x1200, but it sure wasn't fun at that resolution (I think I typically used it at 1280x1024).

 

..Al

[JB]

Is it still true that you can't use a light gun (zapper gun) with an LCD monitor?

Classic light guns will not work with LCDs, DLPs or Plasmas due to the inherent differences in display generation. They wont work with HD CRTs for that matter either.

Actually depends on the gun.

A Zapper-type gun relies purely on brightness. It's only with the Super Scope and Menacer that display scan first became an issue.

 

Basically, if you pull the trigger and the game tries to induce a seizure, the gun will work on a bright enough display. If the display DOESN'T try to induce a seizure, odds are good that it won't work on anything other than a NTSC CRT(or non-doubled PAL, if you're into that sort of thing).

 

If you think an LCD is blurry, then you've got it set to the wrong resolution. An LCD only really works at its default resolution, but I don't know why you'd want to go lower anyway!

Because you play games? A lot of older computer games won't allow you to set a resolution(or a high enough one to match your display), and newer ones may easily tax your hardware beyond what it can playably render at an LCD's native resolution.

 

Consoles, of course, don't even HAVE user-selectable resolutions in most cases.

 

 

Personally I have managed to go 100% LCD and I will NEVER go back to CRT. I spent nearly a decade staring at a CRT for 8 hours a day and I have the increasingly thick glasses to prove it. CRTs are bad bad BAD for the eyes.

And yet my glasses have been stable for quite some time.

Staring at any fixed location for long periods is bad for your eyes. There's nothing special about CRTs in that regard.

 

I haven't owned a CRT at home for over 5 years, and finally last year I got an LCD at work. I am VERY happy with the LCDs. I will admit that the color is still a problem (although they've gotten MUCH better), but the clarity of the image and the lack of flickering refresh are more than enough to make up for any shortcomings in the color balance.

If your CRT was flickering, you needed to turn the refresh rate up.

 

CRT TVs have enough phospher persistence that it isn't an issue, because they're designed exclusively for 60Hz refresh rates(or 50, but there's not a phosphor in the world that can help THAT).

Many PC monitors suck at that rate, though. Which is a pity since it's the default.

[Bruce Tomlin]

I sold a 35" Sony XBR CRT before moving. That thing weighed 5,000 pounds and required a lot of floor space so it was nice to get rid of it. I use a projector at about 80" for my normal television viewing / console game playing now.

Ouch. I've got a 32" HD-ready Sony, the model below the VVega, and it weighs like 180 pounds. These things are very much two-man-lift. It was a stop-gap until HD gets settled in, and it's the last monster CRT that I plan to ever own. The main reason I like it is that I have a PC hooked up via DVI at 640x480 resolution for playing anime fansubs, adjusted for minimum overscan, except at the top where it refuses to display the first few scan lines. It blows away the picture quality of the previous S-video hookup, where many times subtitles were unreadable. And the official Sony stand can hold at least six video game systems. I also got it in April or so (4 years ago?) when they had it discounted to get ready for the next models.

 

The main problem I've had with LCD is when they won't sync to classic systems. I have a 17" Magnavox with very picky scan conversion. It doesn't like the video output of the Sega Genesis or ColecoVision, and only some 2600 games and all 7800 games work. I also have a 7" grip-mount that has chroma problems. The CC2 menu screen is slightly rainbow-colored. I'm thinking that when I decide to get another one, I should bring a Sega Nomad and video cable.

 

But really, the main reason I don't have many LCD monitors is that I'm still waiting for the CRTs to die. I have a 15" VGA monitor that I got new with a 386 PC that has 1024x768x60Hz scan but the shadow mask isn't quite that good, which I use as my roving monitor when building PCs. And I have a 17" monitor from about 2000 or so that I got with a Blue & White G3 at the Goodwill computer store, just in time to replace another CRT that was getting pink flashes. I use that with a KVM on four Macs of various vintage. I just can't justify getting an LCD until that monitor dies, and I mostly use its computers over SSH and VLC from a laptop anyhow.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

When switching to an LCD for gaming make sure the panel is "accelerated" with a fast grey-to-grey response time.

 

And don't believe the manufactures marketing values, they are almost all more or less completely irrelvant. Better study some objective tests before.

[Godzilla]

nothing i've ever seen beats a tiny ol amiga 1080 type (magnavox made a non branded one also,) rgb monitor for richness of blacks, brightness of whites (and all colors,) and speed of response. silky smooth gameplay.

[cyberfluxor]

For my main computer I have dual 22" HP LCDs that were $400 a piece with 20% off through a purchase program. It's spectacular to have large dual monitors for added desktop space for other devices and nice wide display for RTS gaming. Since they have source switches on them I can change over to other systems whenever for shared use and there's another 19" LCD floating around for other computers. All of my VGA CRT monitors are in closets in case of emergency.

 

I don't do much emulation anymore so all my consoles are hooked up to a couple of CRT TVs with switches for S-Video, AVI and IR ports.

[Albert]

Just took two pictures of the monitors I have setup in my office. The first picture shows a Dell 23" panel and a Gateway 20" panel.

 

 

The second picture also includes an older Apple 20" display that I use with my MacBook..

 

 

..Al