Best CRT for retro gaming?

[CRTGAMER]

Will do, I got the game room all pulled apart and I'm hanging sheet rock so it be a week or so before its even plugged back in.

Thanks. From gaming to construction, a busy week.

From the pics, hard for me to tell if converting is worth the trouble on the HD CRT since I already have SVideo.

How are you working S Video for the Dreamcast - through the VGA convertor box?

I had read S-Video cables for the Dreamcast are a myth without the box. Mine didn't work , that's for sure.

Dreamcast with SVideo works great, a dedicated cable for 480i just like a PS1 or N64 cable. No VGA box needed, just a SVideo capable TV.

The VGA box and cable shorts out a couple pins internally to change the signal to 640x480 VGA, a comparable resolution to 480p. The VGA box does have SVideo and Composite out for bypassing non VGA games. But its the same 480i signal as a regular cable, no difference in pic quality between the two.

[Redifer]

Compared to the screenshots at 480p above, do you think the Audio Authority will get rid of the black border? Any improvement in detail compared to the 480p shot above? If you get the adaptor hooked up maybe a screenshot?

The picture is 4:3, it does not squish anything. I have not noticed any black bars other than those that usually result from playing a 4:3 game on a 16:9 screen. I do not stretch my 4:3 images to 16:9.

[CRTGAMER]

Compared to the screenshots at 480p above, do you think the Audio Authority will get rid of the black border? Any improvement in detail compared to the 480p shot above? If you get the adaptor hooked up maybe a screenshot?

The picture is 4:3, it does not squish anything. I have not noticed any black bars other than those that usually result from playing a 4:3 game on a 16:9 screen. I do not stretch my 4:3 images to 16:9.

Thanks! A good sign it will fill a 4:3 HD CRT completely.

[dogman91]

From my experience, any 480p(1080i) CRT will look like ass on composite/S-vid connections. This is because it will upscan everything, meaning you'll lose scan lines. You can get devices that "put back" scanlines like the SLG3000 (high recommended), if you go that route. There are other options out there, but finding a SD TV should be cheaper. Remember, your using it for retro...you know the saying, "don't bring a knife to a gun fight", well, don't hookup 8/16-bit on HD!

If you have room, get two CRTs- one SD and one HD ...I did:

(BTW, the one on the right is the KV-30HS420)

The 500 that you mention is a great TV...in both image AND wieght! Only thing better is the "Super Fine Pitch" line.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FD_Trinitron/WEGA

I was planning on buying the KV-36HS model but this post is making me reconsider... I'm buying the TV for retro consoles so I'd hate to see the image distorted after all that. Is there another 36-inch/large Sony flat CRT that preserves the scanlines? ...or does the up-scanning really NOT "look like ass" like CRTGAMER is saying? I am very confused at the moment, thanks for any advice!

edit: Am I correct that everything on the above linked wikipedia chart will not have this "issue" with 480i TVs and below?

[RyaNtheSlayA]

All I can say is that I'm EXTREMELY happy with the 24FS120 I bought yesterday. OOOOOHHHH it's so nice. No awesome AV processor can make classic games look as good as they do on a CRT. It's just not possible.

[Zing]

There are plenty of 36" Sony FD Trinitron models that do not upscale. The most common models will be the 36FS100 and 36FS120, as these were some of the last models sold at retail. Note that you will need at least three (four if going up or down stairs) very strong people to carry a 36" Wega. They weigh ~250lbs.

Any CRT will not "look like ass". It might not look perfect, and definitely will not have scan lines on HD sets, but it won't look anything like the fugly nightmare you would see on the common LCD TV.

[CRTGAMER]

I was planning on buying the KV-36HS model but this post is making me reconsider... I'm buying the TV for retro consoles so I'd hate to see the image distorted after all that. Is there another 36-inch/large Sony flat CRT that preserves the scanlines? ...or does the up-scanning really NOT "look like ass" like CRTGAMER is saying? I am very confused at the moment, thanks for any advice!

edit: Am I correct that everything on the above linked wikipedia chart will not have this "issue" with 480i TVs and below?

I have the 32 inch HD CRT of the one you are considering. ALL video connections have great sharp imagery. Just get the best type of cable connection that each console supports. For instance SVideo is better then Composite for SNES, PS1 and N64. Component is better then SVideo for the PS2.

RF-Composite-SVideo-Component-DVI/HDMI all look great! An HD CRT is a good compromise to handle all the resolutions. Newer LCDs, LEDs and Plasmas do offer a sharper pic in HDMI, but the CRT has a better display for Retro consoles.

[dogman91]

I have the 32 inch HD CRT of the one you are considering. ALL video connections have great sharp imagery. Just get the best type of cable connection that each console supports. For instance SVideo is better then Composite for SNES, PS1 and N64. Component is better then SVideo for the PS2.

RF-Composite-SVideo-Component-DVI/HDMI all look great! An HD CRT is a good compromise to handle all the resolutions. Newer LCDs, LEDs and Plasmas do offer a sharper pic in HDMI, but the CRT has a better display for Retro consoles.

Thanks CRTGAMER and Zing for your replies! I've decided that I do want the consoles to display in their original resolution with scanlines, so I'm going to opt for a SD CRT of the same series. I'm guessing this would look better overall (if only marginally) than up-scanning to 480p.

Since the Sega CDX only has native support for composite and RGB, I'm also going to use a CSY-2100 or CVS287 to convert the RGB signal to component rather than deal with modding it for S-video... while I'm at it, this gives me an excuse to get SCART cables for my SNES and Saturn as well to do the same thing! Since the resulting signal outputs (supposedly) at 480i, it shouldn't really matter that it's connected to a non-HD TV rather than vice versa in terms of quality differences, correct? This also applies to component cables that I have for an oXbox: some games can't do 480p, which means they are going to be 480i... there would be no benefit to having a 480i signal through component on a HD CRT versus this SD one, correct?

In other words, I'm checking to see if a 480i signal from component is still preferable to have on a SD CRT (to preserve scanlines and resolution) rather than a HD one despite it being quite a huge jump from composite... or if it's 'special' now and more suited to a HD CRT to get the best results. I'm guessing the only possible "benefit" would be the upscanning... might do a better job with the component signal than a composite one is all (?) Thanks for all your help!

I am stoked!

[crt4eva]

hey guys,
sorry to resurrect this thread.

can HDTV CRTs like the sony 4:3 xbrs handle 15khz resolutions (240p)?

or is minimum 480p and anything below that is scaled?

[CRTGAMER]

can HDTV CRTs like the sony 4:3 xbrs handle 15khz resolutions (240p)?

Welcome to the boards crt4eva, love your Login name!

YES. HD CRTs are fine for ALL the resolutions. I run consoles from Atari to PS3 with no issues.

Take a look at my CRT vs LCD Guide linked in my signature.

CRT doesn't have a native resolution so you don't get the same issue you get with LCDs. CRTs just display the content in the resolution it was intended to be viewed in. No up scaling required.