Looking for a good TV

[More Than Nostalgia]

I am trying to find a good tv that I could hook up all of my older systems to and have them look the best. After reading up on it..some people seem to think a big hdtv wouldn't be the best for the older systems. Does anyone here have any suggestions?

[Dakinggamer87]

For old school consoles I would use a CRT TV and for new consoles that support 720/1080i/p I would go for HDTV..

[nateup2]

The best I have seen old systems look is on those flatscreen crt Sony Wegas by whatever the best video cable is possible for that system

[enderfall]

I recently bought the KV-30HS420 Sony Wega off of someone from Craigslist. Only cost me $80. I highly recommend any Sony Wega for old school gaming. The TV supports progressive scan games on PS2/Xbox/gamecube (assuming you have component cables for those systems). Mine also has an HDMI for the off chance that I move my PS3 into my old school room when the PS4 generation comes out .

CRT is def the way to go for anything other than Wii/Xbox360/PS3 generation. CRT might even be appropriate for the Wii as well, but floor space requirements would need a big room and hence a big screen, 40"+. Good luck!

[nateup2]

Do they support progressive scan? I knew they have component imputs (2d non-prog scan ps2 games look AMAZING) but didnt know they actually had prog scan.

really?

[Ziggy]

I play my SNES mostly on my 32" LCD via S-Video, looks great. I can also say that when I had my NES hooked up to the LCD with an RF adapter it also looked pretty damn good, not any better or any worse than my CRT TVs. And I played the second half of FF7 (because my PS1 at the time wouldn't load the second disc) on my LCD via a PS2 with component cables.

But that's just those two consoles, I've never tried my other "retro" consoles on the LCD, mainly because I just assume they'd look like crap, so they are in another room on my CRT TVs (Genesis, Saturn, PS1, Sega CD, NES, second SNES).

I think one of the bigger things to consider is a light gun, because they wont work on an LCD or Plasma TV.

[enderfall]

Do they support progressive scan? I knew they have component imputs (2d non-prog scan ps2 games look AMAZING) but didnt know they actually had prog scan.

really?

Yes, Xbox games that are progressive scan are marked "480p" on the box. PS2 games say "Progressive" on the back. Gamecube games say "Progressive Scan Compatible". Note, it is the game, and not the system that dictates whether it is progressive or not.

[crux]

The following will be assuming you are somewhere where RGB isn't a standard. If not, SCART, D-sub, whatever. Just get RGB.

The best television you could get, period, is likely the Sony KD-34XBR960. It has been discontinued for many years now and weighs 200lbs., but nonetheless stands unchallenged as the television by which all others are measured by. It has a native resolution of both 480p and 1080i, which makes it better for upconversion with something like the XRGB-2+ or XRGB-3 scalers for all the 480i systems. As it is so old, it can often be found for $250-500 on Craigslist or eBay, though I would recommend taking a look at the condition to check for geometry or convergence issues.

I own a FW900, which is a 24" monitor, again discontinued for some five years now (and again heavy - 90lbs.). It again is unchallenged as far as monitor and televisions, aside from the 34XBR960 (and its ilk, perhaps). It's a RGB (VGA and 5x BNC), though, which would require something like HD Fury 2 for Xbox 360 and PS3 for 1080p and a composite converter would be needed for 480p systems aside from Dreamcast. Can be found anywhere from $80 to $250 these days.

A 15khz RGB monitor reigns supreme for older systems (anything 480i or lower, essentially), but most of those monitors have been off the market for 20 years or more. Older systems don't stand up to HDTVs too well, so this is the optimal choice for old systems, but it may be a bit much fuss. Some systems need some modification to output RGB, while ALL systems would need a cord rigged to connect to the television (the RGB inputs aren't a standard like SCART). That said, the televisions are so old that something like Commodore 1084 can easily be found for $20 or less. Just hope they weren't used much.

CRTs are the way to go, but it's a used market now few only a few unremarkable exceptions. Something like the 34XBR960 would be best for ALL your needs, as I think it would be a shame not to have a HD connection for newer systems. You still may run into issues with digital conversion issues on older systems, however. It would still be better than any LCD you can buy. I have three televisions right next to one another for various systems (a 14" Commodore 1084 for older systems, my old 27" CRT with S-Video for systems I don't want to fuss with or when I want to use a bigger television than the Commodore, and the FW900 for 480p and above and PC use). If you would just like one television, however, you'd have to decide between a HDTV or an old CRT. That really depends on your priorities.

If you'd prefer LCD, I got nothing. I have a 50" upstairs for general family use, but I only used it for gaming on modern systems until I could get a CRT that would do the trick. It would be awful for older systems pre 480p - no light gun support, poor upconversion, and input lag. And even for modern systems, I prefer the deep blacks and rich colors of a CRT. Nothing's better for gaming (or anything else, for that matter). If you want size, however, Plasma and LCD are the only options for a few more years yet until SED, FED, or OLED technology moves along to an affordable price range. And even that won't help with light guns.

[MrPopo]

So I personally have a 50" Plasma which has actually done really well for retro systems. There has been no noticable input lag and all of my systems have upscaled decently. There's no light gun, obviously, but that's what my old CRT from college is for.

One thing you can do is pick yourself up a Sega Nomad and head down to a Best Buy or similar store. I'm sure you can convince the associates to let you try out a little Sonic 2 to see how well it looks on the screen.

[crux]

All digital televisions will have upscaling problems. Blowing up a low res image just isn't going to look good, no matter the upscaler. Some will do a better job than others, but none of them are intended to rectify the issues from such old systems. As for input lag, ALL games have input lag - even in the arcade. But a few frames of additional input lag can cause problems with players adept to arcade fighters or for rhythm games that demand precise timing. Again, though, some televisions perform better than others. Some televisions even have a gaming mode in order to reduce the input lag. Analog has the best results, however.

I'm not railing against LCDs, I just happen to be a bit of a videophile and I play a lot of rhythm games. I'm picky.