Amiga A1200 display options

[Dradd]

Hello all,

Firstly apologies for posting a topic which has no doubt been done to death over the years, but having read pretty much every post about what displays to use with a real Amiga on here, and trawled through 15khz.net, I'm still at a loss for firm, realistic options.

Let me explain. Currently my A1200 sits in the lounge and is connected via SCART to our 42" Sony LCD. It works well.
However, I need to re-locate the Amiga to the spare room, so will need a smaller television or LCD monitor for it.

CRT's are not an option due to space constraints, so I need a flatscreen solution.

I was looking some time ago at the BENQ BL702A but missed out on getting a new one so now search eBay for a decent 2nd hand one. My concern with them is that they don't store display settings and I'm concerned having to set the display up each time I want to use the Amiga will be a pain.

Could I use a flatscreen tv, something small (say 20" or under) and connect the Amiga to it via SCART?
Failing that, what other LCD monitor options are there realistically, in terms of availability, as I appreciate some options are just a case of waiting for something to crop up for sale on eBay and the like?

Thanks in advance for any advice.
Cheers.
Keith

[xcom]

I assume your request is for 15Khz LCD monitors which can be connected via RGB to VGA adapter because SCART connection is rare for smaller LCDs especially recent models
There is a list with such LCDs, funny that they list my Dell U2311H as non-compatible (in Rumor category) so go for Confirmed ones.

[PortuguesePilot]

SCART works just fine and provides a MUCH better image quality than the usual RF cable that people used with the A520 modulator into TVs back in the day. With CRT TVs, the image looks just like it did on a dedicated monitor (like the ubiquitous 1084S) and even on more modern LCD displays, the image looks very good. Just use an RCA->SCART adapter or a dedicated Amiga RGB->SCART cable and it will work. I have two of my Amigas plugged into TVs that way. If you prefer a monitor, you'll need an Amiga RGB->VGA adaptor. Not all modern monitors are capable of 15kHz of horizontal frequency, thus a scan-doubler might be needed. IMO, a TV is a safer bet because ALL TVs are able to output at 15kHz horizontally.

Two issues, though:

1) LCDs lack the pixel charm of CRTs and don't produce some of the "artefacts" that made the games look the way they did. Some older LCDs are prone to "ghosting". I know CRT is not an option for you, but be mindful of this fact.

2) Mind the aspect ratio. Get a 4:3 LCD TV, maximum 5:4. Anything else will stretch the image too much. I know that some people don't care about this, but IMO it de-virtues the retro experience.

[Lord Aga]

Originally Posted by Dradd

Could I use a flatscreen tv, something small (say 20" or under) and connect the Amiga to it via SCART?

This would be your best option. TVs assure PAL compatibility (50Hz). Most monitors have some kind of quirks, be it jerky scrolling, picture banding, constant fiddling with with settings, or something else.

Try to get a 20 or a 21 incher, and go for 800x600 or higher resolution panels.

[lilwshu]

If you are happy with the image quality on a 42" TV then you will probably be happy with it on a smaller one - I have found that old 4:3 TVs have terrible display and input lag so you end up with a blurry mess.

I got hold of a 24" Panasonic widescreen TV fairly recently and it worked OK when you switched game mode on - you ended up with about a 19" diagonal image when put into 4:3 mode. I am fussy about image quality and it looked awful compared a CRT which I can still just about get away with using so I went back to that.

Make sure you use a proper RGB SCART cable if you can as an RCA-SCART adapter will give a blurry composite video image, which seems to look even worse on LCDs than it did on CRTs.

[dodke]

I suppose it's possible there are different firmware versions or something but the BenQ BL702A I have does remember display settings. It does forget them if you shuffle through too many different video modes but I think it remembers at least about 10.

[Dradd]

Thanks for your input folks. It has all given me some things to think about.

[Dradd]

Originally Posted by xcom

I assume your request is for 15Khz LCD monitors which can be connected via RGB to VGA adapter because SCART connection is rare for smaller LCDs especially recent models
There is a list with such LCDs, funny that they list my Dell U2311H as non-compatible (in Rumor category) so go for Confirmed ones.

Ah that's a list I've not seen before. Many thanks for sharing.

[Dradd]

Originally Posted by dodke

I suppose it's possible there are different firmware versions or something but the BenQ BL702A I have does remember display settings. It does forget them if you shuffle through too many different video modes but I think it remembers at least about 10.

Very interesting. Can anyone else confirm this? All the lists I see say it can't remember screen position.

[idrougge]

Mine also remembers screen positions, several of them in fact.