Need advice re: tv or monitor for MAME project??

[stargate]

hello everyone. need some help here.

I am putting together a Mame set up in a spare room. I can't build a Mame cab just yet so this will have to do. It's basically a PC and a monitor and an X-arcade controller. I was wondering, if I get a video card with a tv out, would it be better than just running a standard pc monitor? I have no experience using a tv out video card, but can probably pick one up for cheap. I just wasn't sure if the video quality would suffer. Meaning, is a standard CRT monitor plugged into a pc with a monitor cable a better picture than getting a tv out card with a standard tv??

thanks for any input !!

[Flack]

A TV will give you a less crisp picture, which is exactly what you want. The tube in a television is much closer to an arcade monitor's than a PC monitor. In fact, MAME has multiple settings that will artificially make a game look interlaced, to make it look more like an actual television tube. For a more authentic arcade experience, I'd go with a television.

[stargate]

So, what would you recommend for the connection? S-video?

[Flack]

So, what would you recommend for the connection? S-video?
S-video may look will look better than composite, but it would be tough to tell the difference without having them side by side. The bottom line is, a television has scan lines (like a real arcade monitor) where a monitor uses RGB, a completely different technique. So either method of going to a TV is going to look more authentic.

[stargate]

S-video may look will look better than composite, but it would be tough to tell the difference without having them side by side. The bottom line is, a television has scan lines (like a real arcade monitor) where a monitor uses RGB, a completely different technique. So either method of going to a TV is going to look more authentic.

cool. thank you. I'm still not completely sold on the whole "crappier picture is better" theory, but I do understand that it is more authentic.

[Flack]

Check out this link that compares Spy Hunter on lots of different types of monitors and televisions.

It's not really a "crappier is better" theory, but "crappier is more authentic". For arcade games, computer monitors look too crisp and show too much detail. You'll notice a lot of games have sharp edges, versus ones on arcade monitors and televisions that blur the image a bit.

http://www.oscarcontrols.com/monitors.shtml

Don't only look at the car; check out the bushes and the edge of the road. That will give you an idea of what I'm talking about.

[stargate]

cool. very interesting. thank you !