Amdek Color 500
This Amdek monitor provides composite and digital RGB inputs for use with the C64 or C128. After a couple of weeks the RGB circuit went out on our test unit, one of two failures wc experienced during testing (sec Magnavox).
The Amdck's rear inputs arc standard RCA
composite and IBM 9-pin D RGB digital connectors. There are two sets of composite inputs and audio jacks, so you could use this monitor with both a C64 and C128 without having to switch cables all the time, though it docs not offer separated video. The composite switch is on the front panel, but unfortunately the RGB switch is located in the middle of the back panel, and is almost impossible to get to easily.
Rear controls include color, tint, horizontal phase, vertical hold, and vertical size. On the front panel are controls for volume, brightness, and contrast, as well as a pushbutton switch for selecting which composite input you want to display, plus one to kick in a "green screen" text mode.
This monitor produces an average display, with some fuzziness of characters and some bleeding of colors. And, like we said, the RGB circuit gave out on our demo unit after only a couple of weeks.
SEARS RGB/TV
If you need C64/C128 compatibility plus a TV set all in one unit, the Scars RGB/TV is a good deal. The new Scars catalog shows a model with a little different cabinet style than the year-old model we've got here, but the guts and controls seem to be the same.
The RGB connector is a Scars exclusive, but they sell a cablc to fit it. The composite, audio, and separate RGB audio jacks arc all standard RCA issue, as arc the video and audio outs. There is also a TV coax jack. All arc located on the back of the set.
In a side panel arc controls for color, horizontal centering, tint, brightness, RGB brightness, contrast, and vertical hold. The front panel gives you a "green scrccn" text button, RGB/composite/TV selector, a vertical scrccn compression switch (for clearer text), volume control, and TV channel selector buttons.
For S340, it would be pretty hard to beat this monitor for all-around versatility, and the video is good, too.
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