Alternate Amiga monitors

[Olecranon]

I'm hoping someone knows the answer to this question.  I'd like to get a new monitor for my Amiga, but would like something with a little better quality than the used commodore monitors that pop up on ebay.

Would it be possible to get RGB from the amiga to this particular monitor?

SONY  PVM-14M4U

My thought was taking an Amiga monitor cable, and hacking the monitor connector off.  Then connecting BNC connectors to the appropriate wires/pins.  

I know these monitors are 15kHz, but I'm not sure if the amiga RGB signal is compatible.  It would be awesome if it would work though.  I've seen these sony monitors in 19"/21" sizes with the same connectors.

Any thoughts?

[steve30]

As they are video monitors, I think they should be compatible with Amigas.

The connectors look like they would be compatible with both the RGB output and the composite output.

Hope that helps
Steve

[melange]

Looks like a very high quality monitor, it would probably work providing you wire it up correctly.  I would be more concerned at it's age.  I would also be concerned as to how much work it's done.  However, if you can get it cheap enough then go for it.  If it dosen't work, you have a really high quality screen, that would probably be good for another application.  I found sites selling them for over $1200 US.

Not the most aesthetically pleasing unit though.

[Olecranon]

They use these monitors in the medical field, so that might explain the high prices.  They do vary quite a bit, but shipping is a killer because they are built like a tank. I'm hoping to find someone who has done this before I pay $100 to have one shipped.  At that price I might be better off going for a scandoubler/FF.

[Framiga]

i have one of these for video editing porposes.. mine is a quad standard version (it is not the medical version)

It is perfectly Amiga compatible via RGB-Sync.

An excellent monitor

[CLS2086]

Hi,
yes i can be use for your Amiga, but you'll have to adapte a RGB Scart/Péritel cable to BNC connector, some tips were on aminet.
It seems to be able to switch to 50Hz mode, so nice for European demos/SW. ;-)

[Olecranon]

Framiga wrote:
i have one of these for video editing porposes.. mine is a quad standard version (it is not the medical version)

It is perfectly Amiga compatible via RGB-Sync.

An excellent monitor

Thanks for the reply!

So any of these professional video editing monitors that have the R G B and external SYNC connectors should be able to work with an an Amiga's RGB signal?

I would only need to use pins 3(R), 4(G), 5(B), 10(composite sync)?  No need for the ground wire?

Time to start looking for a 19"/21" hehe

[Olecranon]

CLS2086 wrote:
Hi,
yes i can be use for your Amiga, but you'll have to adapte a RGB Scart/Péritel cable to BNC connector, some tips were on aminet.
It seems to be able to switch to 50Hz mode, so nice for European demos/SW. ;-)

I looked on Aminet but couldn't find anything.  Happen to know the link?  :idea:

[Framiga]

"So any of these professional video editing monitors that have the R G B and external SYNC connectors should be able to work with an an Amiga's RGB signal?"

yep

"I would only need to use pins 3(R), 4(G), 5(B), 10(composite sync)? No need for the ground wire?"

yes you need the GNDs also. (pins 16-17-18-19-20 of the Amiga RGB port... don't use pin 13 thats a digital gnd)

A quick solution is to use an Amiga to Scart cable with an additional Scart (female) to RGB+Sync BNC cable.

Or do it yourself an Amiga RGB 23 pins socket to RGB+Sync BNC. (single shielded RGB wires if possible)

[Olecranon]

Framiga wrote:

"I would only need to use pins 3(R), 4(G), 5(B), 10(composite sync)? No need for the ground wire?"

yes you need the GNDs also. (pins 16-17-18-19-20 of the Amiga RGB port... don't use pin 13 thats a digital gnd)

A quick solution is to use an Amiga to Scart cable with an additional Scart (female) to RGB+Sync BNC cable.

Or do it yourself an Amiga RGB 23 pins socket to RGB+Sync BNC. (single shielded RGB wires if possible)

I'm not sure where all those ground lines would connect up.  The monitor only has a four BNC inputs.  It's got an R,G,B, and SYNC.

Also, I checked for SCART cables and they are $$$.  I live in the US so that might have something to do with it.  One cable I saw had SCART on one side and four BNC connectors on the other.  Brilliant!  Except it was $120, hehe.  Not a very cost effective solution.

The cheapest solution would be for me to buy a cheap amiga monitor cable, hack off the monitor connection and solder the 4 BNC connectors to the other side.

I guess I need to know if

A) Is this possible without any extra electronics between the Amiga and the monitor?

B) What would the pinouts be.  On the monitor side I only have four connection points.  It seems logical the I would use the three RGB pins and the composite sync pin.  No clue where all those grounds would connect on the monitor side.

[jkonstan]

In the USA, is it possible to purchase a LCD monitor with a VGA input and a SCART 15khz analog RGB input ?
:-)

[Olecranon]

I've never seen anything with SCART here in the states.

[Hyperspeed]

Yeah, unusual that the US doesn't use the SCART/Euro peritel cables (the rectangular socket/plug with loads of pins in it).

In the US it's all S-Video/SVHS and composite.

That monitor doesn't appear to offer anything useful for the average Amiga user that a good Amiga branded Microvitec 1438, 1538 or 1764 wouldn't.

If there's any owners of a 14", 15" or 17" Microvitec out there please sell me yours! I'll trade my kidneys!

[koaftder]

If you buy that monitor, you are insane. Right now, total is over 300 dollars to do NTSC/PAL, cmon. It's 6 years old, and these types of equipment always degrade in quality with time. You would do better to spend 300 dollars on a new CRT television set.

[DamageX]

No clue where all those grounds would connect on the monitor side.

...to the shield of each BNC cable of course

And yes, $300 is too much for a 14" standard def. monitor. I got a 19" RGB monitor on ebay last year, shipped for $65. For that price you'd do better with one of these http://www.wellsgardner.com/products/details.asp?iCat=3&iSubCat=2

I also ran across this http://www.massystems.com/RGBMonitor.html which is expensive but includes a housing and 24KHz support (IIRC that would be the "Super72" monitor under Workbench)