The Perfect Retro Monitor Files

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

I have a 1080S monitor that my Apple // is hooked up to. For some reason it loses the picture after a bit.

It is mostly the perfect retro monitor. It has RCA plus. I can plug my Apple // and Amiga into it, and have done so. I can probably do the same with the Gamecube and N64. In fact, I'll try it after this.

Is it the BEST retro monitor? Well, no, even before it started losing a picture it had a flakey connector. I should fix it. What else is out there?

This thread will explore that idea. We want a crisp picture, a 13" or so size, an actual CRT involved and also RCA plugs for sound.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

Other contenders:

Sony KV-13FS100 - this seems to have all the hook ups we are looking for. These appear to go for $100 - $300 plus shipping on eBay.

[Jizaboz]

I'm a fan of Sony CRTs as well. My GF had a 32 inch one from the late 1990s but it died years ago. I'd like to score a Sony PVM-14M2U one day but they are getting quite pricey. I find "non-smart" LCD screens OK to play old games on usually though in the meantime.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

A Sony Trinitron PVM-8044Q is for sale with an asking price of $275 locally. The desk space needed seems to be enormous.

[Casual Observer]

CRT's are great cuz you can throw a remote at them and they don't break.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

I appreciate that joke.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

The Sony listed above apparently sold.

I think 13" is the sweet spot for the display.

[Flack]

Those PVM monitors seem to be the Swiss Army Knife of monitors for retro enthusiasts. The thing's got 47 inputs and they're built like a tank.

13" sounds small but it's pretty authentic. I can tell you it's easy to go too big on these things. I bought a 32" flatscreen on sale for my office and there was no place I could put it. Put it too close and you can't read anything; put it too far away and it's a pain for keyboards and cables. I ended up moving that to a bedroom and bought a 24" off of Craigslist for $5. Way happier with the size, considering the distance (it's about 4' away). It has HDMI and composite inputs.

Sony is one of the few "modern" monitors that can handle the Amiga's 15Khz frequency. I lugged a Trinitron around for years for that single application. It would be nice to see a real Amiga connected to a CRT once again.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

A pvm-8041Q was listed with an asking price of 250 bucks OBO. Those have an 8 inch screen......... that's small.