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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: sturulez on June 11, 2015, 08:04:23 PM

Title: New Amiga monitor
Post by: sturulez on June 11, 2015, 08:04:23 PM
Hello

I am looking at replacing my commodore 1084s monitor as it has appeared to of died.

Instead of buying another CRT monitor I am looking at getting a LCD monitor.

Can someone please advise what adapters I will need and what sort of LCD monitor I will need to get.

Thanks
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: trekiej on June 11, 2015, 09:06:43 PM
An Amiga Survival Guide book is a project for some one.
I hope you find a good monitor.
I have a 19 inch Vizio with composite/component, RGB, HDMI, and Coax for PC,etc.
A converter could be a good idea to convert RGB to SVGA.
There is a dealer on Ebay UK that sells one.
I do not know how good it is.
Happy hunting.
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: sturulez on June 11, 2015, 09:32:26 PM
Thanks for the reply.

Is there a brand or a specific monitor I should get or would I be better at getting a LCD TV?

I just use the Amiga for Games. I'm looking for a screen that is about the same size as my commodore 1084s

I've seen there a few adapters on eBay. Can anyone recommend any?

Thanks
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: sturulez on June 11, 2015, 10:38:47 PM
I've seen Amiga kit do SCART to Amiga cable.

Is the the picture quality of SCART better than S video output?
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: Rob on June 11, 2015, 11:01:43 PM
Yes SCART is better quality because it carried RGB signals separatley.  I think all UK TVs have still have SCART and probably will for some years to come.  Some LCD TVs will even eliminate the flicker in interlaced modes.

You might even be able to test your Amiga with TVs at the one of the shops to see what works best.  If they say no, play them off against each other and say Currys or whichever are happy to let you test it out.  Most sales people won't want you buying it from a competitor.
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: orb85750 on June 11, 2015, 11:08:19 PM
You might be disappointed on the picture quality if you don't know exactly what to look for.  I watched a youtube comparison some time ago that clearly concluded the CRT monitor had a better picture for Amiga than a modern LCD -- but I don't recall the specific set-up used.  Don't just grab any converter from ebay and expect it to look up to par with the 1084.
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: tonyvdb on June 11, 2015, 11:19:32 PM
Why not just get one of these Indivision AGA adapters and use what ever LCD monitor you like.

http://amigakit.leamancomputing.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1148
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: Rob on June 11, 2015, 11:38:04 PM
@orb85750 and tonyvdb

You don't need a converter box or Indivision to up an Amiga to a UK TV and he can get an LCD TV for the about the same price as an Indivision.  Only trouble I think he'll have is getting something of similar size to the 1084.  The smallest TV advertised on Tesco's site is 22 inch.
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: paul1981 on June 12, 2015, 12:30:29 AM
Don't buy a tv from Currys, ever (or buy anything from PC World). Their customer service sucks, and if you change your mind and want to return your purchased goods for whatever reason then you're out of luck...they will not accept returns or refunds or even an exchange for a different model, unless you purchased from them online (they have to abide by distance selling regulations in this case). Stay well away.
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: Oldsmobile_Mike on June 12, 2015, 04:31:46 AM
I've posted it before and I'll post it again.  If I had an Amiga 1200, I would do this:

(http://kipper2k.com/amigahdmi/hdmi800.jpg)

Indivision AGA + Kipper2K HDMI adapter.  It's not the cheapest solution, but it is darn sure snazzy.  ;)
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: RobertB on June 12, 2015, 06:14:26 AM
See the monitor discussion at

http://www.amibay.com/showthread.php?72457-BenQ-BL702A-perfect-monitor-for-amigas

and the related discussion at

http://www.amibay.com/showthread.php?72625-Amiga-VIDEO-VGA-(DSUB)-Adapter

Thinking of buying one of those monitors myself,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm
July 18-19 Commodore Vegas Expo v11 2015 -
http://www.portcommodore.com/commvex
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: orange on June 12, 2015, 06:35:55 AM
I'd get a MVA panel LCD TV.
or, perhaps, small plasma TV.
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: AmiDude on June 12, 2015, 10:42:18 AM
@ Sturulez

Just buy the 17" BenQ BL702A or19" BenQ BL912 LED monitor. They produce crisp screens. Don't hack your system with an internal scandoubler/flickerfixer. Many heat related problems (lock ups and such) are due to that SF/FF crap.
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: sturulez on June 12, 2015, 04:27:22 PM
Quote from: AmiDude;791010
@ Sturulez

Just buy the 17" BenQ BL702A or19" BenQ BL912 LED monitor. They produce crisp screens. Don't hack your system with an internal scandoubler/flickerfixer. Many heat related problems (lock ups and such) are due to that SF/FF crap.


If I was to purchase one of the above. What would I use in connecting it to my Amiga 1200?
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: AndyFC on June 12, 2015, 06:32:54 PM
I have a Technika (Tesco own brand) LCD19B-M3 connected using the RGB > Scart cable form Amikit. The picture is great, even up to super hi-res-laced. Because the Amiga output is 4:3, there are black borders either side of the picture and I don;t have the remote so there MIGHT be an option to stretch the picture.
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: paul1981 on June 12, 2015, 08:05:24 PM
Quote from: AndyFC;791032
I have a Technika (Tesco own brand) LCD19B-M3 connected using the RGB > Scart cable form Amikit. The picture is great, even up to super hi-res-laced. Because the Amiga output is 4:3, there are black borders either side of the picture and I don;t have the remote so there MIGHT be an option to stretch the picture.


Why would you want to stretch the picture? Drives me crazy when I see other peoples tv's / games with everything squashed vertically because they want to fill the screen (most people oddly enough).
A stretched screen is totally wrong for 4:3 games for another reason too - moving the joystick or mouse along x-axis results in an unnatural increase in perceived speed...so that things feel wrong as well as look wrong.
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: AndyFC on June 12, 2015, 08:41:43 PM
I don't, but I thought it would be worth pointing out that the image doesn't fill the screen.
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: paul1981 on June 12, 2015, 08:43:47 PM
Quote from: AndyFC;791039
I don't, but I thought it would be worth pointing out that the image doesn't fill the screen.


Thanks, might buy one myself. :)
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: AndyFC on June 12, 2015, 09:06:19 PM
p.s. it has a digital TV tuner and a DVD player built in.
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: Oldsmobile_Mike on June 12, 2015, 09:42:36 PM
Quote from: paul1981;791037
A stretched screen is totally wrong for 4:3 games for another reason too - moving the joystick or mouse along x-axis results in an unnatural increase in perceived speed...so that things feel wrong as well as look wrong.

In general I hate it, but this effect this is kind of awesome in games like Ruff'n'Tumble, and probably also in Sonic/Zool-style games.  Zoom-zoom!  ;)
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: sturulez on June 12, 2015, 09:51:57 PM
Thanks everyone for your input.

Im still sitting on the fence deciding weather to get a LCD TV or a LCD Monitor. I suppose with LCD TV the setup is easier as all you need is a SCART converter cable?

If I was to purchase a monitor I would only need the following?



Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: orb85750 on June 12, 2015, 11:06:25 PM
This guy says to go with a CRT for Amiga gaming.  His
YouTube vid might be worth a watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3SZkjF1RDI

(problems may or may not be specific to his own setup)
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: sturulez on June 12, 2015, 11:46:32 PM
Yeh I suppose CRT would be the better option.

Then again if I purchase a second hand CRT amiga monitor there is no saying how long it will last. Taking into consideration of the age of the monitor.
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: Rob on June 13, 2015, 02:55:23 AM
So how do Amiga games look on an LCD TV if you use RF or composite?
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: AmiDude on June 13, 2015, 11:00:45 AM
Quote from: sturulez;791045
Thanks everyone for your input.

Im still sitting on the fence deciding weather to get a LCD TV or a LCD Monitor. I suppose with LCD TV the setup is easier as all you need is a SCART converter cable?

If I was to purchase a monitor I would only need the following?



  •             Amiga RGB to VGA Monitor Adapter
  • Dual Phono To Stereo 3.5mm Socket Audio Cable


Yes, that's correct, you only need those two for sound and vision.
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: AmiDude on June 13, 2015, 11:12:06 AM
Quote from: sturulez;791054
Yeh I suppose CRT would be the better option.

Then again if I purchase a second hand CRT amiga monitor there is no saying how long it will last. Taking into consideration of the age of the monitor.


Don't worry about the quality of playing games on the BenQ LED monitor (yes, it's a LED - NOT LCD!). The horizontal and vertical scrolling in games is just as smooth as on a CRT monitor. The only thing is that you can't fill the whole screen (except for overscanning the Workbench screen with the "Overscan prefs"). But because it's a 17" inch screen, the games are displayed as 15''. Just like you're old Amiga CRT monitor.
If you buy the 19'' BenQ, the display is even bigger!
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: AmiDude on June 13, 2015, 11:16:33 AM
Quote from: Rob;791058
So how do Amiga games look on an LCD TV if you use RF or composite?


It looks like crap! NEVER use RF or composite.
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: Speelgoedmannetje on June 13, 2015, 11:54:09 AM
Quote from: sturulez;791045
Thanks everyone for your input.

Im still sitting on the fence deciding weather to get a LCD TV or a LCD Monitor. I suppose with LCD TV the setup is easier as all you need is a SCART converter cable?

If I was to purchase a monitor I would only need the following?



  •             Amiga RGB to VGA Monitor Adapter
  • Dual Phono To Stereo 3.5mm Socket Audio Cable

Go for a good crt monitor/tv with rgb (scart) input if you want to play games on it, otherwise it's gonna be very expensive to get a decent picture.
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: AmiDude on June 13, 2015, 12:56:45 PM
Quote from: Speelgoedmannetje;791067
Go for a good crt monitor/tv with rgb (scart) input if you want to play games on it, otherwise it's gonna be very expensive to get a decent picture.


The Benq BL702A LED monitor cost only about 81BP (113 Euro) by Amazon UK.
Maybe he can afford it!  ;)
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: sturulez on June 13, 2015, 03:28:12 PM
Quote from: AmiDude;791069
The Benq BL702A LED monitor cost only about 81BP (113 Euro) by Amazon UK.
Maybe he can afford it!  ;)



Ive seen the LED monitors on Amazon and looks a pretty decent price to pay for replacement. I have seen someone selling a Philips CM8833 colour monitor for under 100BP. Which I think is a quite good.

Would anyone else in my position go for a philips CRT over a LED monitor? :)
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: danwood on June 13, 2015, 05:48:31 PM
Quote from: orb85750;791050
This guy says to go with a CRT for Amiga gaming.  His
YouTube vid might be worth a watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3SZkjF1RDI

(problems may or may not be specific to his own setup)


Yeah that's my video.  Not sure if I mentioned it, but the Samsung wasn't the first display I tried either.

I had a 15" ALBA LCD before it, being a cheap display, as you can imagine it looked crap, it didn't even flicker fix interlace modes.

I replaced that with a 19" 4:3 Sony, but never liked the way it looked, I then tried that 22" Samsung, and again was just never satisfied.  

Amigas (especially games) just do not look "right" on LCD screens imho.

Now I have my Amiga 4000 hooked up to a 19" Mitsubishi Diamondtron via Picasso IV and my A600/CD32 is on the Philips CM8833-II.  Both look streets ahead of any LCD I've tried for the Amiga.
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: orb85750 on June 13, 2015, 07:39:55 PM
Quote from: sturulez;790964
Hello

I am looking at replacing my commodore 1084s monitor as it has appeared to of died.

Thanks


Maybe a fuse was blown and the picture tube is still perfectly fine?
Do you get any power at all, or completely dead?
Of couse, fuses usually blow for a reason (like something went wrong
with the monitor's power supply) but that's more promising to fix
than the tube.
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: sturulez on June 13, 2015, 09:33:22 PM
Quote from: orb85750;791082
Maybe a fuse was blown and the picture tube is still perfectly fine?
Do you get any power at all, or completely dead?
Of couse, fuses usually blow for a reason (like something went wrong
with the monitor's power supply) but that's more promising to fix
than the tube.


When I turn the monitor on the red power LED comes on. Sound works fine when trying to to load a game from floppy disk. There is no image on the screen. I have also touched the screen after turning it on and off a few times, and found no static on the screen.
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: broken on June 13, 2015, 09:51:56 PM
For anyone with the Benq BL702A, how does it handle the 4x3 picture from the Amiga?

I know this is a 5x4 monitor and wondering if it displays 4x3 content correctly or if it slightly stretches it to 5x4.

I have a newer'ish Dell 5x4 that stretches 4x3 content with no ability to override it.
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: orb85750 on June 14, 2015, 03:43:40 AM
Quote from: sturulez;791084
When I turn the monitor on the red power LED comes on. Sound works fine when trying to to load a game from floppy disk. There is no image on the screen. I have also touched the screen after turning it on and off a few times, and found no static on the screen.


I doubt it's the CRT itself, unless you were noticing some trouble with the picture before this happened.  However, when one of my 1084 monitors died, it was the power supply and I had no power whatsoever, a much different situation.
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: som99 on June 14, 2015, 08:57:31 AM
Quote from: AmiDude;791065
Don't worry about the quality of playing games on the BenQ LED monitor (yes, it's a LED - NOT LCD!).

Uhm it is a LCD monitor, it's just backlit by LED but it's still a LCD monitor.
What you ment was that your LCD monitor is LED backlit instead of CCFL.
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: AmiDude on June 14, 2015, 10:48:17 AM
Quote from: som99;791097
Uhm it is a LCD monitor, it's just backlit by LED but it's still a LCD monitor.
What you ment was that your LCD monitor is LED backlit instead of CCFL.


Of course, everybody knows that! ;)
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: AmiDude on June 14, 2015, 11:14:03 AM
Quote from: danwood;791078
Yeah that's my video.  Not sure if I mentioned it, but the Samsung wasn't the first display I tried either.

I had a 15" ALBA LCD before it, being a cheap display, as you can imagine it looked crap, it didn't even flicker fix interlace modes.

I replaced that with a 19" 4:3 Sony, but never liked the way it looked, I then tried that 22" Samsung, and again was just never satisfied.  

Amigas (especially games) just do not look "right" on LCD screens imho.

Now I have my Amiga 4000 hooked up to a 19" Mitsubishi Diamondtron via Picasso IV and my A600/CD32 is on the Philips CM8833-II.  Both look streets ahead of any LCD I've tried for the Amiga.


Unfortunatly, you've picked the wrong monitors. The BenQ BL702A is a decent monitor for a reasonable price that outputs a crisp screen without any distortion or ghosting. Take a look at this thread:
http://www.amibay.com/showthread.php?72625-Amiga-VIDEO-VGA-(DSUB)-Adapter&highlight=benq
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: sturulez on June 17, 2015, 11:11:49 PM
Has anybody ever had a old amiga monitor repaired? If so is it a heafty price worth paying for?

The problem with my current commodore 1084s is.

The monitor powers up
Red LED comes on
Sound works okay
No picture just a blank screen.
No static appearing on screen.
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: tonyvdb on June 18, 2015, 01:48:33 AM
It's usually the fly back transformer that goes and "if" you can still get them for that model having someone fix it would cost roughly $200
On the 1960 monitors it was almost always a bad solder joint that fails on the back of the high voltage sender on the tube. That monitor suffered from really bad cold solders all over the circuit board.
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: sturulez on June 21, 2015, 08:13:11 PM
Thanks for everyones input. I managed to get the monitor fixed from a local TV repairman.

Turns out there was a cracked circuit board somewhere near the flyback transformer. Didnt cost too much to repair. Thought it would be worth it in the long run. Will consider connecting a LCD monitor and see what output I prefer. :-D
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: RobertB on June 22, 2015, 01:32:15 AM
Quote from: sturulez;791297
Has anybody ever had a old amiga monitor repaired?

I've had many monitors repaired by Ray Carlsen, who charges reasonable prices.

Returned from Back in Time Live 2015 in Brighton, England,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm
July 18-19 Commodore Vegas Expo v11 2015 -
http://www.portcommodore.com/commvex
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: RobertB on August 05, 2015, 05:25:26 AM
Quote from: me;790998
See the monitor discussion at

http://www.amibay.com/showthread.php?72457-BenQ-BL702A-perfect-monitor-for-amigas

and the related discussion at

http://www.amibay.com/showthread.php?72625-Amiga-VIDEO-VGA-(DSUB)-Adapter

Thinking of buying one of those monitors myself...
I finally bought the BenQ BL912, and I am very pleased that it can handle the usual Amiga screenmodes I use.

A wise buy,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm
Title: Re: New Amiga monitor
Post by: mechy on August 05, 2015, 02:41:15 PM
Quote from: tonyvdb;791307
It's usually the fly back transformer that goes and "if" you can still get them for that model having someone fix it would cost roughly $200
On the 1960 monitors it was almost always a bad solder joint that fails on the back of the high voltage sender on the tube. That monitor suffered from really bad cold solders all over the circuit board.

i have a 1960 i got from a guy who ran it so long the power transistor around the middle of the board literally burned a 1/4" hole thru the board, when i went to take the transistor out it crumbled to powder and all that was left were the leads.. i did fix the monitor however.  Turns out he was smacking the thing to make it work for years when all it would of took was resolder the transistor.