I’m currently on the lookout for a CRT monitor. I’ve already got an LCD-screen that has fine picture quality, but it’s just not the same as the good old CRT ones. There is something special about running classic games on old-fashioned TV’s for example. It brings forth a nostalgic feeling, but most importantly.. the games looks right.
The new monitor will primarily be used with my Amiga 1200 (and Amiga 500 when I’m finished restoring and upgrading it), but if I’m lucky enough to find a 1084(S) from Commodore, it will be perfect for consoles as well. Have you seen that particular series of monitors in action by the way? They are pure excellence. After what I’ve heard and seen these boxes seldom breaks down. Units from the late 80’s are still rocking even today! The picture quality is also very good.
I found a picture of the Commodore 1084S on the Amiga History site. Check it out:
In the past I had an 14″ multisync monitor from Amiga International (got it from my parents for Christmas back in 1995 – I thought that it was the BEST Christmas ever! ;)). It was released by Escom and Amiga International as the official Amiga monitor. This monitor was produced by Microvitec, a company known for creating quality screens. It served me well for many years, but did eventually break down. I’m a bit tempted getting one of those once more, but since I don’t have any need for a multisync on the old-school machines, the one from Commodore is on the top of the list. 😉
How about you? I know that there are plenty of retro gamers out there, but I’m very interested to learn whether you use CRT’s or LCD’s for your older stuff? Looking forward to hear from you! 🙂 Thanks in advance for your input.
Old School Game Blog 
I totally agree with you. I’ve got multiple 1084S monitors for my Amigas and C64s and can testify that they are indeed wonderful monitors but tend to be too small for my console needs. For my old consoles, I’m trying to find a nice 32″ or 36″ CRT television. It will go in my game room and be the primary display for the older systems. 🙂
For my MAME arcade cabinet, I went with a 32″ CRT because the games just don’t look right on a LCD.
Good luck in your search!
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Thank you, Heather. 🙂 You are lucky to own several 1084S monitors! Good to hear that you are enjoying them.
A 32″ or 36″ TV sounds great. I recently played Mario Kart on the Gamecube on a larger CRT and it rocked. Looked awesome!
You can be sure that I’ll be looking closely on Amibay for a suitable monitor. 😉
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I wouldn’t retro game on anything else – I have a very nice 29″ Hitachi CRT with composite, s-video and component input, with all my RGB devices handled via a RGB to component video transcoder. There’s something about using a CRT for old gaming that just *works*.
The strangest thing for me, though, is playing the C64 on it in s-video. When we were kids in the 80s, the family C64 was played via RF on a little 14″ TV (or possibly smaller). So playing that now in s-video on a good quality CRT (and having the audio hooked up to a proper amp), the experience is overwhelmingly amazing.
I actually picked up a 14″ Commodore monitor with RGB-in a while back, it came with an Amiga 500 and a C128D, so RGB connections all around. It’s not hooked up and in use, but it is sitting proudly on my shelf with the C128D 🙂
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Thanks for the comment mate! As you write, there is something special about CRT for old games. 🙂
Cool that your C64 experience was enhanced through S-Video. Guess it’s quite different from the standard RF.
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Still using a 1084 (no stereo, snif) for my Amiga 500, 600 and 1200. 🙂
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That’s good stuff, Coder! 🙂 Is it a monitor you’ve had for many years?
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I have it since the dawn of time which translates in April 1990.
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Wow! That’s a LONG time! I presume you threw a nice birthday-party for the monitor in 2010 when it was 20 years old? 😉 Hehe.. I guess you’ve taken good care of it since it is working fine today. 🙂
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I had the 1084S back when I was a kid, hooked up lovingly to my A500, then to my A2000HD. It was a thing of beauty, with stereo sound and clear crisp image. I had so much love for that thing… and I’d give anything to have it again. I’ve got the A1200HD now, but it’s not the same without that screen attached. They’re hell expensive to find nowadays, which is a shame.
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I know, they are not easy to come by. 😦 If one finds a 1084S abroad, I fear the postage will be high as well. Let’s cross our fingers and hope that luck smiles to us both! 😉
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I had a Philips CM8833II back in my Amiga days. It was awesome, and when I got a launch day Playstation it was my monitor of choice for that too. Now playing original PS games on a 40 inch LCD they just look plain wrong.
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Cool! 🙂 Are you considering getting a CRT for old-school gaming again?
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