monitor for A1200?!
8 messages in this thread
I have a new Amiga 1200 and was tossing about the idea of a monitor that can
utilize all of this machine's capabilities. I suppose that the most obvious
choice would be Commodore's 1960 monitor. But how good is this thing? Does it
have stereo audio? Also, does it handle higher scan rates, specifically, 66.7
Hz vertically, and 35 Khz horizontally? I figure that if I'm going to have to
spend the $$, it might as well be Mac II compatible as well.
I'm also definitely thinking of NEC's 3D. But how about Sony? I see listings in
Amiga mags for the 1302A and 1304S monitors. I know what a 1302 is (kind of big
and awkward looking, no?), but what's the "-A" for? And what about the 1304S? I
read a review in a Mac mag about it's predecessor, the 1304, and this one did
NOT handle the lower Amiga scanning rates. Does this newer one fix this?
Any comments concerning overall satisfaction, quirkiness, etc would be
welcomed. Monitors, like modems and printers, are not things I really enjoy
buying, and would just as soon do it right then forget about it.
I heard that Commodore is going to ship 1942 monitors that would
handle all the Amiga modes, but nothing's definate yet.
I've yet to see a monitor (I'm no monitor expert, have only looked at
a half dozen or so) that gives a decent image with an Amiga. All
monitors I've seen that will fill the display area (specifically
1950s and 1960s) have a tremendous loss of brightness just to give
you the fill of those black borders. I like brightness, contrast,
and saturated colors. The best display I've seen is what I've got on
my 3000 — a SVGA monitor. On my 4000 I've got a 1960 — visually,
it's a total washout compared to the SVGA. Unfortunately, the SVGA
will only work in Productivity mode on my 4000, the AGA "no flicker"
modes are in the 29kHz range and the monitor won't sync to that.
-sja
Your monitor tastes sound similar to mine. I think the only one
you would be satisfied with is the Sony GVM-1311Q. It does 15-36kHz
with no borders and has the typical excellent Sony image. Now the bad
news. It sells at a discount for $1000.00 plus the price of a cable
and another $50.00 extra for the swivel base that comes standard on
all of their other monitors. I've been using a Sony 1304S, that I
adjusted to eliminate the borders, with my A1200 and it scans down to
28kHz so I can use DblNTSC and Productivity modes. I'd like to have
the Super72 & 15kHz modes but if I had to choose between having them
but being stuck with a monitor like the 1960 or doing without them
and keeping the Sony I'd have to choose the latter.
Steve,
Have you seen the Idek 5017 and 5021 monitors? They also handle all Amiga
modes, and they look *real* nice.
//Jonathan,
\\//via AutoPilot
Thanks Mike. I suppose it's just as well that I'm not holding my
breath for a new monitor from Commodore then, eh? As it turned out, I
lucked out and located a secondhand NEC Multisynch 3D monitor. As
soon as I make a suitable adaptor cable, I'll start fussing with
those higher-res modes! Suppose I'll miss the convenience of built-in
speakers, though maybe not enough to make me want to pay extra $$ for
a brand-new monitor.
Jeff,
Why mess around with making your own cable when all you need is a 15-23
adapter sold by C= thru most dealers.
Gary
"Why mess around with making your own cable when all you need is a 15-23
adapter sold by C= thru most dealers."
NOW he tells me 🙂 Too late now–I risked eyestrain and completed the adaptor
last night. Those high density 15-pin connectors are nearly as tricky as
mini-DIN 8s! I'll console myself with the knowledge that (1) my new adaptor
cable cost a grand total of $10 plus labor and (2) the sole Amiga dealer is
sufficiently inconvenient that I might make visits an annual pilgrimage.