Classic Amiga Monitors - To Use or Not to Use?

[danwood]

Yeah, really :p


Obviously it depends on the size A 17 inch CRT doesn't take up a lot of space at all.

I think they're worth the space, I tried about 5 different LCDs but was never happy with how the Amiga looked on them.  Often you forget how a CRT looked when you haven't used one for years, and you get surprised when you see them again just how nice they look for standard definition content.

Don't get me wrong, I use my modern systems on LCDs, but for 8/16-bit machines, they look so much more authentic and how I remember on a CRT.  If I was going to use an LCD I may as well just use an emulator, as the display is one of the biggest parts of the "real hardware" experience.

[danwood]

While I can appreciate your point of view, I threw out the CRTs a few years ago and even with 8 bit systems I stick with LCDs.
Must be my poor eyesight, but I can't see any real difference, except for a great savings in space.

Real hardware experience?
Obviously, as my current Amiga focus is on NG, this is not an issue with me.
If it runs better, thebthen I couldn't care less what it run on.

Ah yeah for "NG" systems then LCD all the way, I use a 22" LCD on my MorphOS G5 system, makes sense as I'm running much higher screenmodes that match the monitor's native resolution.  But for my Amiga 4000 and CD32 it's CRT all the way.  A 19" Mitsubishi Diamondtron (based on Trinitron technology) on the 4000 via Picasso IV, and a Philips CM8833-II for my CD32/Mega Drive/3DO and other retro consoles.

[danwood]

Sure, but I use an SVGA monitor with VGA dongle on my A1200. This looks nothing like a 1084. It also doesn't sync below 30khz.

This is true, but it still looks a hell of a lot nicer than an LCD, which will only look decent if you run at the panel's native resolution.  CRT does not have this problem.

For gaming, the CM8833-II cannot be beaten imho though, I made a video showing the stark difference between it and a Samsung LCD:

https://youtu.be/v3SZkjF1RDI?t=5m30s

I think Amiga games look awful on HDTVs, some of them to the point of being unplayable, not to mention systems like the Nintendo 64 which look a blocky, blurry mess on an LCD.

[danwood]

Absolutely, I think for me it just doesn't look "right" on an LCD.  I get that some people prefer the overly-sharp and clear image they give, but for me I prefer it how I always remember it looking and only CRT gives me that authentic feel.