PC Monitors

The simplest, most direct route to setting up a display, a PC monitor will provide decent quality and is comparatively inexpensive. It is also the simiplest to set up. As opposed to a television or authentic arcade monitor, all that is required to display games on a PC monitor is to attach the monitor to your PC's VGA connector.

However, as stated before this price comes at a cost. Games tend to look "pixelated" (blocky looking graphics) due to the high resolutions that PC monitors run at. Enabling scan-lines (black lines across the screen) can make the quality better but it still does not compare to the quality that can be achieved on a television or better yet, an arcade monitor.

It is important to note that original arcade machines were run at quite a few different resolutions, and some of these resolutions will look better than others on a PC monitor. A simple PC monitor connection will never be able to give you a truly "authentic" arcade look due to these resolution considerations, but software tweaks and resolution adjstments can create an acceptable picture.

Fans of Vector arcade games should consider the following fact when considering PC monitors: The higher resolutions available on PC monitors create what many consider a "better" picture when emulationg vector graphics (compared to TVs or standard arcade monitors). This is because the higher resolution (generally SXGA and higher, though XGA will do, even on a 27" CRT) makes for much smoother graphics (lines) and greater anti-aliasing. (The latter is in regard to an object or line in motion, and how continuous it appears. On raster-type monitors, due to how they draw, there is usually a perceptible watery effect.) With the high prices of Vector monitors and the Zektor Vector Generator ZVG Homepage, a PC monitor could create an inexpensive alternative to a vector machine for those willing to sacrifice a bit of authenticity for a smaller budget.

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