I connect my MSX to my living room TV set but I would like to have a separate small monitor. The following doubt is driving me nuts: buy an old RGB monitor or one of the last CRT TVs with RGB input. There is a Sony 14 inch model which claim to have RGB input as well as NTSC 3.58/4.43. As my future plans include a japanese MSX, I think that NTSC is a must. May be the next year there won't be any of such TVs available. On the other hand, an RGB monitor will have a better quality plus position controls, etc... but what is the remaining lifetime of one these monitors ? A new CRT TV will last longer. In the end we will have to switch to LCD TVs, but CRT give a better picture quality with our low-res computers.

I am facing a similar dilemma. My SVI-278 is PAL and my Sony HB-F1XDmk2 is NTSC, both happily connect to the TV in the living room. The problem is that I need a separate monitor. Besides, the CRT Sony will soon be replaced by a plasma or TFT. I like the befits of a monitor. I find that position control and resizing is a must have feature as I am always fussy about the aspect ratio and the proper alignment of the screen...

The quality of a RGB monitor is usually way better than any TV set. Of course, try to forget about TFT TVs they're the worst solution.

I would definitely buy a new TV. Do not buy very old RGB monitors because the tube will be probably in bad condition. At MSX user meetings you can find Philips CM 8833 monitors between €30 and €60 but they are very old and I doubt that they can offer a very good image quality.

Most small TV's (37cm) have inferior RGB/SCART input compared to the old RGB monitors which have the same size. When my old MSX monitor (a second hand buy, by the way) died I noticed the enormous decrease in quality.
Larger CRT TV's (52 cm and up) usually have better RGB/SCART input, equal to those old monitors.
As a replacement and me not being satisfied with the 37cm tv's quality, a few years ago I got a 4:3 JVC CRT TV (52cm screen). Its RGB input is really good, and the larger screen a nice welcome. On this TV you can also clearly see that Metal Gear on MSX looks much cleaner and sharper than the PS2 rereleases in MGS3 Subsistence, which are upscaled and blurred. Low resolutions look really sharp and nice on it, which is excellent for MSX and games like King of Fighters 99 on the Dreamcast (which uses a proper low resolution, unlike the newer releases which are upscaled).
My MSX, Dreamcast and PS2 are hooked up to it, all via RGB/SCART and I really wouldn't like to change that. My pc's TFT monitor is definately nicer for PC usage, but not for hardware from the previous generation of consoles or machines before that.

Note: years ago, on a fair in Tilburg (I remember it was when Eggbert was first released), there was a stand with a demo of a shmup for Turbo-R; displayed on a regular MSX RGB monitor and a newer one from Sony. I remember the Sony one looking much nicer... forgot what kind of model that was, though.
As for buying an old RGB monitor nowadays... if they're working fine, the quality is still great. The problem however is how long such a monitor will still live. It's pretty much a matter of luck. Also, I like flat CRT's better than the old-fashioned tubes, but that's a matter of preference.

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Also, I like flat CRT's better than the old-fashioned tubes, but that's a matter of preference.

Me too.

CRTs are going to disappear soon, if your old monitors/TVs are not in good condition and you don't get used at all to TFTs, it is not a bad idea to get a CRT TV (or second hand monitor in good state).

CRT TVs of 14/15 inches cost arround €85. If you are lucky you can still find flat 14"/15" CRTs for about €150 like these ones:

Sony KV-14CT1
Philips 15PT6807/01
Grundig Elegance 15
Samsung CB15N112T

I'm just a little afraid of the actual RGB/SCART quality of those. Small TV's often have a less sharp RGB/SCART input and some sort of "auto-brightness" function which really messes up with a computer screen.

go for this one
sony pvm-2130QM
search on the internet.. google do you use it?
i got this model, it's a professional SONY RGB monitor
very crisp and clear screen.. this one is a good choise

I don't think they sell those monitors new anymore (and it's probably really good though, seeing the prices it's still offered for second hand)

I use a TV similar to this, but with speakers on the side instead:
http://jsp.jvc-europe.com/product.php?id=AV-21QT5SU&catid=100082

Thank you for your suggestions! I would choose a 21 inch model but unfortunately room is limited to a 14 - 15 inch. On the other hand it seems that it is going to be difficult to find a decent CRT TV On-line dealers in Spain do not list more than one or two models of that size and neither the sony or the samsung seems to be among them. I will ask to a conventional shop but I'm fearing the worst: the CRT days are now at their very end or just they are gone !

well, you could order an old MSX monitor from http://www.bas-ditta.info/verkoopenlinks/hardware%20engels.htm

OT: I noticed the auction in this thread ( http://www.msx.org/forumtopicl7339.html ) also has an FM-Pac.

Thank you very much Samor !! Regarding the CRT TVs I've been in contact with Sony and Samsung and both CRT TV pointed by Ivan are no longer distributed in Spain. Thus, we can say that CRT TVs are already gone Too late! (there are other options but none of them include RGB or NTSC ). I have sent an e-mail to Bas and if the shipping costs are not very high then I might but a monitor from him.

The last option will be an LCD TV. In this case there are some better than others ? May be the best will be those with lower resolutions (VGA) and small sizes ?

Bought a new 14" TV with bulit in dvd player today, brand is Sontech, but I beleive its sold under different names around europe.
It was a great surprise to find out that this CRT TV handles PAL/NTSC and Secam!
Picture quality with my MSX's was also very good.
DVD player also OK, like all DVD players sold here in my country the Zone settings are disabled.

How does Text 80 look, readable?