Review: Commodore 1084s monitor

mjnurney

we live as we dream. Alone.
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For the first time ever, I've used a 1084s commodore monitor and I have to say that I'm impressed!

The 14 inch CRT monitor has speakers / scart / ear jack and a host of buttons to play with and delivers a crisp , sharp and colorful image.

I suspect the reason I never had one in the olden days was that I simply could not afford one and was probably unaware of how good the image is compared to tv's.

Now in 2012 , we have LCD monitor / tv's and in Europe with have the all in one video solution that is scart. So all in all the market for these monitors may well diminish over time but and I say but, no Amiga is complete without a commodore monitor sat on top.

Crisp picture, vibrant colours and stereo speakers, what more does a growing boy need.

Mike.

1084 spec.
Picture Tube: 14 inch (13 inch viewable), slotted triplet pitch 0.42 mm
Deflection: 90°
Monitor input sockets for RGB signals:
9-pin D: RGB Analog 0.7 P-P, 75 Ohm
DIN connector: RGBI Digital TTL Levels
Resolution: 640 x 200 lines, 640 x 400 lines interlaced
Characters: RGB, RGBI, 2000 characters, Composite, Seperated LCA, 1000 characters
Raster Frequency: 50 or 60Hz
Line Frequency: 15625 - 15750Hz
Sound Output: 1WRMS
Audio Signal: 1.0V P-P, 47K Ohm
Mains Voltage: 240 VAC, 60Hz
Power Consumption: 75W
Dimensions (H x W x D): 330 x 357 x 378 mm
Weight: 11 kg


1084 Sub-Models

The 1084 and its variants (1084S, 1084ST, 1084S-P, 1084-P, 1084S-P2, 1084-D, 1084S-D) are all 15.75 kHz monitors. They do not handle AGA "double" screenmodes, nor will they display the deinterlaced output from the A2320 Amber board or the motherboard deinterlaced output on an A3000. However, they will show all normal 15.75 kHz displays, and many (most? all?) of the 1084 versions have a separate input for composite video.

The 1084 is a usually a variation of the Philips CM8833 monitor; the 1084S-D was made by Daewoo (as was the 1084D, probably). The display tubes used in these monitors were made by Orion, Toshiba, Hitachi, and Samsung.

At one time or another, every possible permutation of connectors and video capabilities on the 1084 seems to have been reached, so don't be surprised if your 1084 has some bizarre combination of connectors and specifications.
 
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Agreed! I too am impressed with the very sharp picture on my 23 yr-old 1084S.
 
Not to mention they are also robust long runners, my 1084-DS is now 21 years old, and moved to several demo parties, say it was not precisely treated with care, and never got the need for a service/repair until now.

Now started to fail (fading colors under RGB), but it is understandable considering what it lived.

And even failing, it still delivers perfect picture under composite or Y/C inputs.

So my veredict: 11Kg of pure old school awesomeness. :cool:

---------- Post added at 17:23 ---------- Previous post was at 17:11 ----------

Forgot: You should also add here the 2080, an exotic 1084 variant with long persistance phosphor tube, an ancient way of fixing the flickery on interlaced modes.

I´ve seen once one of these working, and was impressive the crisp and steady picture delivered on interlaced.
 
no Amiga is complete without a commodore monitor sat on top.

Well, I took your advice, and now my poor A600 has been crushed! :LOL:

Nah, I jest. But I'm currently using a 1084 (non-S) for my undergoing A1200 builds. For a CRT, it delivers a remarkably crisp and vibrant image, far better than a CRT telly could ever manage.
 
I agree - 1084's are Brilliant Mike. I remember the one I had did proper black's (or as proper as you could get on these things - but way better blacks than the Philips monitor I had later...).

i would like another one but i doubt that unless I find one locally - it wouldn't survive the postal service if I bought one non-local...

J
 
I had a 1084S-D1 for a while.

t'was knackered but still gave the sharpest picture I've ever seen from an amiga, sharper even than the indiECS + VGA CRT that replaced it.
 
Great review..
When I was getting back into Amigas, I wasn't sure what to do for video.
I had composite, and then s-video..
And it was nice, but I needed a monitor...
I was toying with the VGA route...

But went for a hardware swap with SDG for a 1084S monitor...

I was concerned about the "only 14" screen size" as I was now used to much larger screens..

And.. It was awesome.. ;-)

I love my 1084S!!!
Since then, I have 2 more Amigas and 1 more 1084S.
(I know, seems like I need another 1084S to round it out.. ;-) )

Great picture, great monitor.... Some retro withstands the test of time.. ;-)

desiv
 
I use to have a 1084S-D, then a A1942, now replaced by A1950 & a LCD 19" telly.

That and a proper 17" Samsung for my A3000 and all is good under the sky. :)
 
Gonna get a 1084S soon. Whats this stuff about not being able to display AGA "double" screenmodes? What are they?

Cheers.
 
Gonna get a 1084S soon. Whats this stuff about not being able to display AGA "double" screenmodes? What are they?

Basically they are 30KHz modes as is common ground on the PC. You don't need that for games (they all run with the stock, Amiga native 15KHz modes) but only for high resolution screen modes that the 1084S wasn't built to support in the first place.
 
@all

I am also confused on "....not being able to display AGA "double" screenmodes...."
Is this about displaying from A1200 ?
I mean, may I or may I not use 1084s and variants for my Amiga 1200 ?
 
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