[vcf-midatlantic] Ian on The Verge!

[Ethan]

>> I can't imagine what that's referring to (the $2,000)
> Probably the 40" 400 lb. monster Sony display referenced in the article. If
> I had the space and the cash I'd love that thing.

Sony PVM monitors (pro video monitors) and BVM series (Broadcast video 
monitors) are *HOT* with the retro gaming community. They oogle over the 
RGB inputs, and higher attention to quality on the sets over the consumer 
models. Part of it is probably the hunt, that I'm sure many of the classic 
computer collector folks can relate to.

That picture of the guy in the shop with the cube TV. That Cube TV makes 
me drool! It's a PVM-2530 or something. It's just so cool looking with the 
frame around the back of the TV making it perfectly square. I will be 
getting a 20" version of it that does not work in a few weeks to repair. I 
used to own the 25" version but sold it, it had arcing flyback or some 
other issue that I didn't understand at the time.

Over in arcade land, it's actually not that hard to find people that are 
repairing the 19" - 25" 15khz arcade monitors. China reproduces flybacks 
for the popular sets like the Sanyo 20EZ, Wells Gardner K7000 series and 
Electrohome G07s. People swap picture tubes with curb find TVs when the 
tubes are bad or have massive burn in.

The BIG arcade issue is the later arcades that used medium res (25khz) and 
VGA (31khz) monitors that were of poor quality. There aren't the 
replacement parts, the control systems were custom ICs and often time 
readable schematics aren't available. Those are failing left and right. 
China doesn't make 4:3 ratio LCDs and the services that cut LCD panels 
down are expensive and the drive electronics from 16:9 sets where the 
panel is physically cut are unlikely to be able to place the image 
properly on the cut screen. These are the machines that will suffer the 
most I think.

I think my friend who comes with me to VCF has one of these. Holy crap, 
that's like half a bitcoin... here are your high dollar Sony TVs (these 
are Sold listings... )

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-BVM-D24E1WU-Trinitron-Color-Video-Monitor/173105585345?hash=item284de59cc1:g:b1gAAOSwmwtaPpNz

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-BVM-A20F1U-Trinitron-Color-Video-Monitor-w-BKM-15R-Monitor-Control-Unit/112701718616?hash=item1a3d8bc058:g:jZMAAOSwZW5aOqtV

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-24-BVM-D24E1WU-Low-Hours-Retro-Gaming-Broadcast-CRT-Monitor-SD-HD-SDI/112676100664?hash=item1a3c04da38:g:EUQAAOSwVqlaKBbF