Amiga monitors

[Unknown_K]

Whats better for an A2000 a 1080 or a 1084 Commodore Monitor? What is the difference between the two anyway?

You can find some info here:

http://www.amiga-hardware.com/

[Unknown_K]

Originally Posted by bad-taste

You can find some info here:

http://www.amiga-hardware.com/

I already checked there and the section on the 1080 is 2 lines. I wanted to hear from people,who actualy used both monitors.

[Chuckles]

I have one of each, and as far as I'm concerned, there isn't any appreciable difference between the two. The displays for both can handle either composite or RGB, and the display quality seems to me to be the same. The 1080 of course has the nifty Amiga check logo, as opposed to the more generic Commodore labeling on the 1084, for what little that matters. Apparently there were a number of variations of the 1084 though, and among those there were some variations in what controls any given 1084 might have. If you pick up a 1084, you'll want to make sure to get one that has adjustment knobs for both the horizontal and vertical width/height - it has come to my attention in another thread here that not all 1084's have them. If you're picking up a monitor for use on an NTSC machine (which Ohio would suggest), then you'll need these (especially the vertical one) if your machine is capable of being switched into PAL mode in order to allow the full display to be seen with some PAL software. I believe that all of the 1080's had these controls, but I'm not 100% sure. I use my 1084 most frequently since it is on my A2000, while my 1080 is on my A1000, so it has been a long time since I've fiddled with the controls on the 1080. I'll try to remember to verify that the 1080 has them when I get home this evening and then I'll post a follow up, unless someone else beats me to it.

[Unknown_K]

Well I won an 1080 on ebay the other day and wanted to know how it compared to the 1084 I already have (it is connected to my C128 and A2000 at the moment). My A1200 has a NEC 3DS connected to it.

I am in the process of getting a 2.04 rom for the 2000 and will reinstall my GVP 030/40 into that machine when I do get it finished. My A500 (1.3 kick) that is collecting dust will take the spot of the 2000 connected to the 1084. Too many machines and not enough space, which is why my A2000 is moving to its own desk.

Finding Amiga compatible monitors in the US for under $50 shipped is very hard to do these days. So I am happy I found one for $26 shipped with cable (asuming it gets here in one piece).

[redblade]

well good luck with the screen. when ever i buy a 2nd hand one, they don't last long, and they end up blowing up, but then I guess it has been 10+ years.

[Overdoc]

Well, I have used both monitors and I'd say:

The 1080/1081 is the better of the two It's tube is very dark and the picture is a little bit shiny, while the 1084's tube is not as dark (more grey), but the 1084 picture is more matt. Some 1084 monitors therefore look a little bit pale.

This is ofcourse just my own opinion. Generally, both monitors are VERY GOOD !!
Only downside of the 1080/1081 is that these are older ( from 1986/87 ) than the 1084 models and the 1080/81 is also very well known for it's loose solder connections. So, when you don't get a picture then resolder the flyback ( line transformer ) Happens also on the 1084, but not as often, and also the 1084s are younger ( were built until '92 I think )

Originally Posted by Overdoc

Happens also on the 1084, but not as often, and also the 1084s are younger ( were built until '92 I think )

Happened with two of my three 1084s monitors I've used so far. One came fixed by previous owner. None of these monitors are good IMO, image may be sharp but it's not healthy to look at a 50/60hz screen and you have to do that closely because these monitors are small.

[dkovacs]

I just won an 1080 on ebay too - it's a huge improvement over the Commodore 1702 I was using. Does anyone know of any companies making new RGB compatible monitors still?

[Unknown_K]

Originally Posted by pxscroll

Happened with two of my three 1084s monitors I've used so far. One came fixed by previous owner. None of these monitors are good IMO, image may be sharp but it's not healthy to look at a 50/60hz screen and you have to do that closely because these monitors are small.

TV's are 60Hz here and recent studies say that sitting close to one realy does not have a bad affect on you like people said previously.

Anyway the monitor should show up any minute now since the UPS site has it out on the truck for delivery (have to love web tracking of packages).

That's funny. TVs are 50 hz here and anything below 85 is enough to turn my eyes red after a while. I'm not saying the effects are fatal but you can't say you don't feel the difference between refresh rates. Otherwise we would all use the cheapest monitors and 100hz televisions wouldn't be marketed with this feature.

[Chuckles]

60 Hz here too, and the refresh rate has never been noticeable for me, so I suspect that individual sensitivity to such things must play a factor.

At least at one time, many of the 1084 monitors that were being produced had a nasty tendency to "pop" fairly frequently. As I recall the popping was due to arcing somewhere in the bottom of the case, and there was supposed to be a relatively simple fix for it. Mine was one of those affected by the popping, but it was only a minor annoyance to me, so I never had it fixed. Somewhere along the line, the problem simply went away on its own though, and it hasn't "popped" in years. If you happen to pick up a 1084 at some point though and hear an occasional "pop", that's the problem.

[Unknown_K]

The monitor arrived and it looks better then new physically and in use (made in 1985). I can't see a single scuff, discoloration, or dirt anywhere plus the screen looks fabulous with all the knobs still in the middle position. I guess this monitor was never used much. I think the video looks better then on my 1084.

The 60Hz refresh is not an issue untill the resolution goes up above TV resolution. Trying to read 80 column text (something you dont do on a TV) would cause major eyestrain. I used to have my eyes glued to the screen at the arcades for many hours without having eyestrain because of the low resolution (large dots).

[Galaxy]

What about in the sound department? 1084s is stereo. Don't know about 1080/1081/1083/1084/1085 monitors.

Oh and it is worth pointing out that there are quite a few variants of the 1084S (I can think of at least 4), some with power switch on front, some with it on the back. At least one with a monochrome button on the front etc. Myself - I have about 6 of these that are all of the newer varieties (1084S-P1 and 1084S-D2)

[Unknown_K]

Both my 1080 and 1084 are mono, which does not bother me since I use seperate speakers for sound anyway (except for my C128 that uses the built in 1084 speaker because that machine is mono anyway).

[Jope]

Also remember, that monitors that display TV frequencies have slower phosphors than modern SVGA monitors..

Lots less flicker.

If you view a 50Hz picture on an SVGA tube (through a SD or FF), the flicker will be quite painful in comparison to a real 108x.

The 108x-P models are made by Philips and the -D models are Daewoo, IIRC.

For the -P models, there is always a Philips badged model available too. The Philips 8833 is the most common of these, but there were others.