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  #1  
Old 04-28-2016, 08:53 AM
RCAZenith RCAZenith is offline
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Favorite TV/Monitor for gaming

My favorite gaming set is a RCA Colortrak 27" Console from 1997. It is model # G27304DT and uses a version of the CTC177 chassis. Yes, it has the dreaded tuner-on-board but I use the RCA jacks primarily as it is my gaming TV. The tuner still works on channels 3 and 4 and I assume would work on the rest if we still had analog tv. I got this set last summer in like-new condition.

I know that it is from the "Black Plastic Crap" Era, but for a Gaming rig, I believe it is more or less perfect. These tvs made in 1998 and later apparently came with S-video inputs, but component is good enough for me.

Unless I could find an old Colortrak 2000 console, or high-end Zenith, this will remain my go-to set.


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1987 Zenith 19" V3912W
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Old 04-28-2016, 10:40 AM
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Dubis7 Dubis7 is offline
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As far as picture quality, I love the 1981 10" monitor for the TI-99. I believe the OEM was Panasonic. The colors are sharp and bright, and the controls are easily accessible under a door in the front. My only complaint is the jacks are non-standard; the video is RCA, and the audio is a quarter inch jack. That's easy enough to get past with an adapter, but not everyone has that kind of adapter on hand.
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Old 04-28-2016, 10:52 AM
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1976-78 23" Zenith CCII vertical chassis, sharp bright picture, good convergence, long lived easily repairable chassis, nearly immortal CRT. PS2 and Xbox original are my newest consoles.

I may try out my early 70's 25" flatchassis Zenith Avanti after I adjust the convergence...
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Old 04-28-2016, 11:16 AM
WISCOJIM WISCOJIM is offline
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Samsung GXTV. Gotta love the audio!

Prior to that, the Commodore 1702 monitor.

.
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  #5  
Old 04-28-2016, 01:28 PM
RCAZenith RCAZenith is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dubis7 View Post
As far as picture quality, I love the 1981 10" monitor for the TI-99. I believe the OEM was Panasonic. The colors are sharp and bright, and the controls are easily accessible under a door in the front. My only complaint is the jacks are non-standard; the video is RCA, and the audio is a quarter inch jack. That's easy enough to get past with an adapter, but not everyone has that kind of adapter on hand.


I imagine you have to sit quite close to the screen to see that. I have 20/20 vision but prefer a 19"+ set.
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Old 04-28-2016, 09:19 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RCAZenith View Post
I imagine you have to sit quite close to the screen to see that. I have 20/20 vision but prefer a 19"+ set.
It's really designed with a compact desk setup in mind, yeah. I wouldn't recommend it for living or bedroom setting.
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Old 04-28-2016, 01:29 PM
RCAZenith RCAZenith is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Electronic M View Post
1976-78 23" Zenith CCII vertical chassis, sharp bright picture, good convergence, long lived easily repairable chassis, nearly immortal CRT. PS2 and Xbox original are my newest consoles.

I may try out my early 70's 25" flatchassis Zenith Avanti after I adjust the convergence...


Is the 23" a console set? I also stopped at the Ps2/Xbox/GameCube generation. The GameCube is the only one I'm currently into.
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1987 Zenith 19" V3912W
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  #8  
Old 04-28-2016, 04:47 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RCAZenith View Post
Is the 23" a console set? I also stopped at the Ps2/Xbox/GameCube generation. The GameCube is the only one I'm currently into.
My 76 23" is a metal table set with rolling stand, and my nearly identical 78 is a compact console. I love CCII SS Zeniths....I try not to buy them or let them take up space (that tube and tube-SS hybrid sets could use), but I keep finding free or cheap ones and reluctantly saving them as parts sets/spare CRT sources, but they always run so well that I don't have the heart to kill them...And so they end up as gaming, work bench, etc. sets so I can justify retaining them.... I'll have 5 until Saturday when one gets sold.
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  #9  
Old 04-28-2016, 09:59 PM
MRX37 MRX37 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RCAZenith View Post
Unless I could find an old Colortrak 2000 console, or high-end Zenith, this will remain my go-to set.
I had a 1991 Colortrak 2000 and it was my favorite gaming TV because it had loads of inputs, inclusing S-Video which looked freakin' sweet! Sharpest picture out of all my TV's at the time.

Unfortunately I don't have it anymore because of all things a Nichicon cap near the flyback started leaking and I tore apart the chassis beyond repair before finding it. Didn't think to check it first because come on, it was a Nichicon! Those are like TOTL caps!

Lesson learned.
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Old 04-29-2016, 01:45 PM
RCAZenith RCAZenith is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MRX37 View Post
I had a 1991 Colortrak 2000 and it was my favorite gaming TV because it had loads of inputs, inclusing S-Video which looked freakin' sweet! Sharpest picture out of all my TV's at the time.

Unfortunately I don't have it anymore because of all things a Nichicon cap near the flyback started leaking and I tore apart the chassis beyond repair before finding it. Didn't think to check it first because come on, it was a Nichicon! Those are like TOTL caps!

Lesson learned.


Sadness... I wonder if I could mod a s-video or composite input into my colortrak? Seems doable. My employer has 2 or 3 colortrak 2000 sets (table tops) sitting around. I may just take all of them if they get ready to toss them.
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1987 Zenith 19" V3912W
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  #11  
Old 06-21-2016, 01:15 PM
slatton86 slatton86 is offline
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I currently can not decide between RCA Colortrak ('99) and Sony Trinitron. For years I have used a Deawoo I bought new back in '01 or so. I don't know anything about that one, it does have a great picture, but it is flat CRT and I decided that "90's Living Room" is not the place for it. It is about to go to my 7 year old for his Xbox 360.

Oh yeah, I have noticed that the ColorTrak will hold a PAL picture very stable, but B&W. Not that useful, but I have been glad to have it when building my RUGM's (Retro Ultimate Gaming Machine) sometime the S-Video on the graphics card will be stuck in PAL.

Last edited by slatton86; 06-21-2016 at 01:22 PM.
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  #12  
Old 08-06-2016, 01:00 PM
crt89 crt89 is offline
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Really I guess it depends on the console. Mostly I just play video games in the bedroom on my 2007 Sylvania (Funai) 19". It has a pretty good picture and has the input jacks for my Wii. I've played Atari on it, with a converter to make the twin leads to coax, but the picture always has interference. Same with Atari 400. We used to have a 13" RCA from 1996 and I liked playing NES games on that, it had a great picture, and being they were RF output only worked just fine.

I don't think I've ever played a video game on a flat panel TV. When I played with friends we played on a projector on the wall and that was pretty good but the picture wasn't quite as good it seemed to me.
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  #13  
Old 08-08-2016, 07:30 AM
RCAZenith RCAZenith is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crt89 View Post
Really I guess it depends on the console. Mostly I just play video games in the bedroom on my 2007 Sylvania (Funai) 19". It has a pretty good picture and has the input jacks for my Wii. I've played Atari on it, with a converter to make the twin leads to coax, but the picture always has interference. Same with Atari 400. We used to have a 13" RCA from 1996 and I liked playing NES games on that, it had a great picture, and being they were RF output only worked just fine.

I don't think I've ever played a video game on a flat panel TV. When I played with friends we played on a projector on the wall and that was pretty good but the picture wasn't quite as good it seemed to me.


Projectors are gonna look fuzzy. You are taking a picture and making it 4-10x larger than it was ever intended to be. Flat panel tvs are TERRIBLE for old school gaming. I refuse to have one other than the one in the living room. Anything made up to and including the PS2, GameCube and XBOX Original looks good on a CRT and nothing else.

Funais are better tvs than they are given credit for. I have one I paid $20 for 6-7 years ago and it still runs like a champ. (Made 2001). I have had several tv/VCRs that died due to VCR failure, not tv problems. If you can get them for cheap they are not terrible. However an RCA or older Zenith would be superior in every way...


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Game Room TV's:

1997 RCA Colortrak 27" Console
1987 Zenith 19" V3912W
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  #14  
Old 08-12-2016, 12:21 PM
centralradio centralradio is offline
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More likely too small for me now but those Commodore 1700 series monitors I have here were great for games with composite video output in the days when I could see better with younger eyes. .

Heres a great website on them that I just found.Loaded with alot of info.

http://gona.mactar.hu/Commodore/moni...s_by_time.html
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  #15  
Old 12-20-2016, 04:16 PM
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lnx64 lnx64 is offline
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Depends on the console I am using. If I am using Atari to NES, I'll use the TV in my avatar.

If however I am using something with RGB capabilities, I use my PVM or a 27" Sharp using RGB to Y/Pr/Pb conversion.
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