24" Widescreen CRT (FW900) From Ebay arrived,Comments.

I think so. For high quality pictures see if you can get something like a repeating test pattern, like the Nokia test uses. Something that has fine details in the center and around the edges, maybe a sewing pattern or something.
 
Hrm for the last week my monitor has been making random "pop" sounds which causes the screen to go black for a split second, The good thing is it only occurs within the first 20 minutes of warm up maybe 2 or 3 times and then is fine all day.. The picture quality is still excellent, But it IS a reminder that its not going to last forever :(

This monitor was built in 2002 so i'd say its had a good run. Hopefully it makes it another year or two.
 
Yams said:
Yeah, I'm going to shoot them an email asking just that and for some higher quality pictures of the unit.

From what I've read May-June 2003 is the last manufacturing date for the FW900. Sound right?
Click to expand...

I don't know...I think they might have been produced as late as early 2004...

(I know that's when the last batches were made available at regular retail...)
 
Mathesar, I hope your monitor lasts. I recently purchased an fw900 on ebay and have not yet experienced any noises like what you have described, but I am also worried that this wonderful monitor's days are numbered. I noticed in one of your much earlier posts that you use your gamecube via VGA with your FW900. Where did you purchase your cable? I know that lik-sang used to sell D-terminal cables that were modded, but they are no longer in business. I ask because gamestop now has used gamecubes for $20 (with a $10 off coupon, and I am seriously considering buying one).

Thanks in advance!
 
mathesar said:
Hrm for the last week my monitor has been making random "pop" sounds which causes the screen to go black for a split second, The good thing is it only occurs within the first 20 minutes of warm up maybe 2 or 3 times and then is fine all day.. The picture quality is still excellent, But it IS a reminder that its not going to last forever :(

This monitor was built in 2002 so i'd say its had a good run. Hopefully it makes it another year or two.
Click to expand...

Is the monitor still running? Mine had symptoms like that.
http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1032413299&postcount=4035
 
I don't remember the going black part, but leaving it on for a couple of days straight, appeared to be enough to burn off whatever was causing the pop. (It was only a single pop though; I'd say also in the first 20 minutes; and there was like a build up to it, with the screen getting a little funny, such that you'd know it was coming...)
 
So I upgraded to Vista Home Premium, and it doesn't recognize my HP branded FW900 at all. I'm using the BNC cable because the VGA port on it is messed up.

I read in this thread that Vista does include a driver for the monitor, but I can't find it at all. How would I go about searching for it? I know how to do it in XP, and the process seemed the same in Vista, but the driver simply isn't showing up.

The reason I'm asking is though I was able to uncheck the Hide modes this monitor cannot display box and get the FW900 to display the resolutions I want, I can't get the resolutions to show up when playing full screen 3D games. When playing Age of Conan for example, the highest resolution I can select is 1600x1200, which obviously isn't widescreen. I'm hoping a proper driver for Vista would fix this problem...

I should mention that my monitor is showing as a Generic PnP monitor.

EDIT: I should also mention that it's the 32bit Vista.
 
zerohaste said:
So I upgraded to Vista Home Premium, and it doesn't recognize my HP branded FW900 at all. I'm using the BNC cable because the VGA port on it is messed up.

I read in this thread that Vista does include a driver for the monitor, but I can't find it at all. How would I go about searching for it? I know how to do it in XP, and the process seemed the same in Vista, but the driver simply isn't showing up.

The reason I'm asking is though I was able to uncheck the Hide modes this monitor cannot display box and get the FW900 to display the resolutions I want, I can't get the resolutions to show up when playing full screen 3D games. When playing Age of Conan for example, the highest resolution I can select is 1600x1200, which obviously isn't widescreen. I'm hoping a proper driver for Vista would fix this problem...

I should mention that my monitor is showing as a Generic PnP monitor.

EDIT: I should also mention that it's the 32bit Vista.
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I don't believe you will be able to get the driver to stick using the BNC connectors, I couldn't. You can get the driver to work with the VGA connector. You might want to try powerstrip.
 
SH1 said:
I don't remember the going black part, but leaving it on for a couple of days straight, appeared to be enough to burn off whatever was causing the pop. (It was only a single pop though; I'd say also in the first 20 minutes; and there was like a build up to it, with the screen getting a little funny, such that you'd know it was coming...)
Click to expand...

Both of mine do that sometimes ......if I shut them off overnight , when turned back on the screen will go blurry and the "pop" back into focus...its weird...and they don't do it all the time either.

Most of the time I just leave them on or if I need to turn them off,I just make sure to turn em on 20 minutes before I need to use them...
 
Crosshairs said:
Both of mine do that sometimes ......if I shut them off overnight , when turned back on the screen will go blurry and the "pop" back into focus...its weird...and they don't do it all the time either.

Most of the time I just leave them on or if I need to turn them off,I just make sure to turn em on 20 minutes before I need to use them...
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Yup mines does that also in the first 15 minutes or so, then if I leave it on the rest of the day it's perfecto :D
 
aZn_plyR said:
Yup mines does that also in the first 15 minutes or so, then if I leave it on the rest of the day it's perfecto :D
Click to expand...

Mine started doing this about a month ago, random pops along with a brief loss of focus, it happens within the first 20 minutes and then wont do it anymore for the rest of the day.
 
^Just wanna say, my monitor has been doing that for almost a year now. Once it's warm, no more problems.
 
les_garten said:
I don't believe you will be able to get the driver to stick using the BNC connectors, I couldn't. You can get the driver to work with the VGA connector. You might want to try powerstrip.
Click to expand...

I still couldn't find a driver built into Vista for it, so on a whim I just downloaded the XP driver to see if it worked, and oddly enough it did. Though the Sony site doesn't list Vista as supported for the driver.

It still didn't unlock 1680x1050, which never worked properly in Windows either for some reason (only worked at 60Hz), but I got everything else working in games. Everything sticks on reboot, too. Hopefully it doesn't mess anything up in the long run...
 
zerohaste said:
I still couldn't find a driver built into Vista for it, so on a whim I just downloaded the XP driver to see if it worked, and oddly enough it did. Though the Sony site doesn't list Vista as supported for the driver.

It still didn't unlock 1680x1050, which never worked properly in Windows either for some reason (only worked at 60Hz), but I got everything else working in games. Everything sticks on reboot, too. Hopefully it doesn't mess anything up in the long run...
Click to expand...

Interesting, thanx for the info.
 
zerohaste said:
I still couldn't find a driver built into Vista for it, so on a whim I just downloaded the XP driver to see if it worked, and oddly enough it did. Though the Sony site doesn't list Vista as supported for the driver.

It still didn't unlock 1680x1050, which never worked properly in Windows either for some reason (only worked at 60Hz), but I got everything else working in games. Everything sticks on reboot, too. Hopefully it doesn't mess anything up in the long run...
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check out pages 194-201
 
I am thinking of selling mines, anyone interested in the socal area and come grab mines for $200 even.
 
I've had one for some time now and finally spotted and bought another! This one is a mid 2003, significantly better than my 2001, which has been on almost 24/7 for a year and a half now. The 2001 has gotten a lot worse lately, way too bright and popping has got pretty loud, works though. Hope it lasts.

dsc02559mq4.jpg

mmm.. running out of space here, not a bad thing at all :p

Btw, ATI 3870 sucks big time with these. Not that the Image quality is bad, but it can't put out res above 12x10 or so through bnc. Also it can't do 2560x1600 with vga which is no problem for nVidia.
 
aZn_plyR said:
I am thinking of selling mines, anyone interested in the socal area and come grab mines for $200 even.
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Where in socal are you located? If it's in or around LA I'd be interested. What year/condition is the monitor in?
 
novemberrain said:
I've had one for some time now and finally spotted and bought another! This one is a mid 2003, significantly better than my 2001, which has been on almost 24/7 for a year and a half now. The 2001 has gotten a lot worse lately, way too bright and popping has got pretty loud, works though. Hope it lasts.

dsc02559mq4.jpg

mmm.. running out of space here, not a bad thing at all :p

Btw, ATI 3870 sucks big time with these. Not that the Image quality is bad, but it can't put out res above 12x10 or so through bnc. Also it can't do 2560x1600 with vga which is no problem for nVidia.
Click to expand...

Holy Hernia Batman! That must be a strong desk you have those on there!
 
im pretty sad that the OP's original seller on EBAY doesnt sell these anymore

i was a fool and sold my HP one and got a westy 37"

I really wanted to do a 3 FW900 setup
 
I just picked up one of these for a little under 300. And wow am I glad I did. It had BARELY been used; I was amazed. Manufactured in Nov 2000 but I'm not complaining because it feels almost like new - there's not even a single scratch on the case.

This will more than tide me over until affordable & good LED backlit LCDs or OLEDs come out. (I hear SEDs won't be sold to people like us?)

Running it at 720 x 480 wouldn't hurt it right? (in some games the lower the res the more comfortable my mousing is, though only 85hz at 720x480 isn't too nice)
 
Considering getting one of these... couple of questions... what are the maximum vertical refresh rates at 1920x1200, 2048x1280, and 2304x1440? Is the viewable image size around 20" as the manual states? Also, what exactly is the weight of this puppy unpacked... I'm looking at a shipping quote for one that says to use 150lbs, but elsewhere in the thread I've seen it referred to as 92lbs, is that just the shipping vs. unpacked weight difference? I've been searching for a high-resolution low-dot-pitch LCD and can't find one, so this is the next best option... :D. Thanks all!

EDIT: Also, I read about the WinDAS software/cable in this thread... how/where can I currently get that to help tweak the monitor as needed?
 
GoldenTiger said:
Considering getting one of these... couple of questions... what are the maximum vertical refresh rates at 1920x1200, 2048x1280, and 2304x1440? Is the viewable image size around 20" as the manual states? Also, what exactly is the weight of this puppy unpacked... I'm looking at a shipping quote for one that says to use 150lbs, but elsewhere in the thread I've seen it referred to as 92lbs, is that just the shipping vs. unpacked weight difference? I've been searching for a high-resolution low-dot-pitch LCD and can't find one, so this is the next best option... :D. Thanks all!

EDIT: Also, I read about the WinDAS software/cable in this thread... how/where can I currently get that to help tweak the monitor as needed?
Click to expand...
It will do 98hz at 1920x1200 and 80hz at 2304x1440. Unsure about 2048x1280, but it will obviously be higher than 80hz. Viewable areas is 22.5". Believe it is ~93lbs. Definitely not 150lbs. Moving it isn't really that difficult. I don't have much muscle (and weigh 150lbs) and managed to get it up a bunch of stairs on my own. Though moving it half a mile at quakecon really sucked. As for shipping, I paid $100 to ship it across the country. This is how mine arrived: http://stfcc.org/bluefox/photos/PC/DSC00225.JPG
 
GoldenTiger said:
...what are the maximum vertical refresh rates at 1920x1200, 2048x1280, and 2304x1440?
Click to expand...

Windows XP will give 1920x1200@85hz, you could push it up to around 95, not healthy maybe and gets softer at some point. 2304x1440 will be 80hz, don't know how far you could push it, not much I'm sure, but that's default. Also in need of extreme work space you can use 2560x1600@60 or you can push it a little to 70-75 maybe, but doesn't work with all GPUs, looks rather bad here anyway, BNC cable might help. Normal font can be read easily though and for gaming it works if you forget flickering (not that bad though).

You'll need powerstrip or similar for 2560x1600 and 2048x1280 maybe, unless you are able to setup a driver which can do that (dunno how).

I never used 2048x1280 so I'll have to restart to try it.

Is the viewable image size around 20" as the manual states? Also, what exactly is the weight of this puppy unpacked...
Click to expand...

Viewable size is 22.5 inch. Manual tells to leave some empty on the edges, don't see any reason for it though. Mine was in a tight cardboard box, very light with three cables and total was 47kg (=104 lb), maybe 3kg less for the monitor.

Edit: 2048x1280 can do about 95 max. If you play source games, you probably want to use 1920x1080@100hz, what a nice res and refresh rate and also 16:9 fov, can't play without as you get used to it. Leave a little black on top and bottom. Or 1280x800@140 or 1280x720@160. Or anything in between (so many choises with crt :D).

Blue Fox said:
Though moving it half a mile at quakecon really sucked.
Click to expand...
But it's worth it :p unless it doesn't fit on the table. I once considered borrowing an LCD for lan parties from someone. Only once.
 
You say 95hz at 1920x1200 is pushing it for windows but you you say 100hz is fine for source? I don't get it :(

I use 1280 x 768 and 1920x1200 often - what do you guys suggest for my refresh rates?
I'm super-sensitive to refresh rates - 85 is the bare minimum and I can tell the difference up to and a little past 100.

Also any1 notice that text gets letss sharp in some spots at 1920x1200 and higher? -actually this seems to be correcting itself
 
Yams said:
Sorry for the double post, but I also found this one:

http://www.accurateit.com/details.asp?iid=468

Grade B refurbished. According to them this means it can have small to medium scratches on the screen and minor screen burn. $400 including shipping, but with a 6 month warranty as opposed to the ebay one which only guarantees no scratches on the screen and no DOA as long as it's reported within 2 days.

ebay one is nice because they say no scratches on the screen and the pictures show that there's no apparent banding or color issues. The AccurateIT one is nice because of the 6 month warranty and what refurbished entails:

Reconditioning is a multi stage process, which consists of
a. Initial testing
b. Internal vacuum cleaning
c. electronic repair (when applicable), some models have new (updated) high voltage and other components installed in order to insure reliable long term operation
d. focus, color gain and convergence tuning
e. exterior cleaning and detailing
f. overnight burn-in test


I'm so ready to pull the trigger, but it sucks having to put faith in someone you've never met in person with a product you haven't seen for yourself. $400 is a big investment for a used piece of equipment.

Anyone in the Los Angeles area (hell I'd be willing to drive 100 miles in either direction) with a FW900 in good condition they'd be willing to part with for the right figure? :D Or maybe find me a reseller parting with one of these in my general area. All I've been able to find come from the Midwest or East Coast.
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I actually have one of the AccurateIT B grade ones. First off, ill say I got mine from an ebay auction for ~$250 shipped, though it is the HP version.

Second off ,I would say I wasnt dissapointed with their service at all. Shipping was surprisingly fast. As advertised, the anti-glare did have some scratches on it, but they were really minute, and I had to look to find them. Really only noticeable on a white background.

Had to come my monitor. Ive moved three times in the past month and am missing my monitor:(
 
So i've been lurking this thread forever, and i've found tons of very useful tips on here. This thread was the reason i bought my first fw900 last year in February. Oh man, it was great. What a huge step up from my little 19" Viewsonic a95f. Well, like 5 or 6 months into owning this magnificent monitor, it shut off. Then it wouldn't stay on for more than like 15 minutes max without shutting off again. Damnit! After a week it just wouldn't power on at all. I assumed(and still do) that the power supply was the culprit.

Well, last November i got my hands on another fw900 for 140 bucks, i jumped at the chance and she worked like a charm until about a week ago. The damn power supply(i think) problem again! Finally,since two or three days ago she's been refusing to power on at all.

So, my question to all you knowledgeable folks is this- can i purchase replacement power supply's anywhere for this monitor? I've searched and searched(and maybe i'm not looking in the right places) but i'll be damned if i can find any. I haven't even been able to locate a free copy of the service manual for god's sake. Again, i apologize ahead of time if i didn't search hard enough, but if anyone has any info on where to download the service manual(not instruction manual), and or give me some help on where i can purchase a replacement power supply, or where to get a repair kit for one, i would greatly appreciate it.

I just feel its a shame having two of these monitors sitting in the corner collecting dust, when they could theoretically be fixed! Any help would be great! Thanks guys
 
Link to the service manual is in the first post... http://ded.zenblue.net/FW900_Service_Manual.zip

Has anyone been able to get source games to run at 2304x1440?

I'm running TF2 at 2048x1280 w/16xAA&AF and i'm still pushin 100+ fps on most maps.

But for some reason I can not get TF2 or HL2 to run in 2304x1440. It doesn't even show up in the drop down box, and when i try forcing it via -width 2304 -height 1440 from the launch options, it just ends up loading at 640x480.

Any ideas? I know it can't be a limitation of the engine as people play at 2560x1600.
 
Does anyone in Canada know where to find these, possibly in Ontario? I'd like to track one down, two possibly.
 
Cehck your phone book and contact copanies that rent or sell this stuff to corporations. They may have, or atleast know where you can get one.
 
I ordered mine last night, Cant wait to get it. If all goes well and I like it, I'll be ordering another. Im sick of lcd's and their crap. I watch movies more than average of the time, I do photo editing etc, So I should be happy with my purchase :D.
 
flegg said:
You say 95hz at 1920x1200 is pushing it for windows but you you say 100hz is fine for source? I don't get it :(

I use 1280 x 768 and 1920x1200 often - what do you guys suggest for my refresh rates?
I'm super-sensitive to refresh rates - 85 is the bare minimum and I can tell the difference up to and a little past 100.

Also any1 notice that text gets letss sharp in some spots at 1920x1200 and higher? -actually this seems to be correcting itself
Click to expand...
he said 1920x1080 for source, not 1200
 
Bummrus[H]a;1032656827 said:
Has anyone been able to get source games to run at 2304x1440?

I'm running TF2 at 2048x1280 w/16xAA&AF and i'm still pushin 100+ fps on most maps.

But for some reason I can not get TF2 or HL2 to run in 2304x1440. It doesn't even show up in the drop down box, and when i try forcing it via -width 2304 -height 1440 from the launch options, it just ends up loading at 640x480.

Any ideas? I know it can't be a limitation of the engine as people play at 2560x1600.
Click to expand...

I had the same problem and used this.

  • Make sure you run desktop at least as high as desired game resolution (game won't accept higher than desktop, thus 640x480)
  • If it still doesn't wok, use windowed mode. -windowed -w 2304 -h 1440
  • Game should start and you can go to options and select "run fullscreen" and it should work.
 
Is it possible to run the Monitor in 1024x640 with 120 Hz? The maximum setting is 100 Hz. At the moment I'm too afraid to override the settings, could it harm the monitor?

If you wonder about this weird resultion, I want to watch DVDs with 24 fps in fullscreen mode, which equals 1024x576 for PAL Widescreen.
 
I do not consider it safe to run the monitor at over 115-116 KHz horizontal refresh. The maximum is 121 KHz.

For example, if you try to push 1920x1200 up to 95 or 96 Hz, the horizontal refresh rate would be right around at 121 KHz. Same as 2048x1280 at 90 or 91 Hz-- it would be maxed out at 121 KHz, which is why the monitor cannot do 2048x1280 @ 92 Hz.

The drivers should already support 2048x1280@85 Hz, which is what I use for my desktop. For gaming, I usually use 1920x1200@90 Hz. The KHz rate is around 115 KHz, giving a solid image without showing any screen anomalies (micro-jittering or waving bands). At the absolute maximum 121.6 KHz, I can see severe horizontal line drawing anomalies that is so noticeable even during gaming. Better to avoid that for the sake of your monitor's longevity! It literally looks like you're pushing the monitor too hard.
 
how do you calculate horizontal refresh from vertical refresh and resolution settings? /lazy
 
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