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Best CRT TV for old school systems...?

Not sure where else to ask, but could anyone help me figure this problem out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1crEC_ZRCc

That started happening randomly the other day. I was using my Xbox 360, just browsing through the store, and then it suddenly went all rainbowy like in the video, and turned off. Every time I tried turning it back on, I get the same result as in the video above.

However, I left it disconnected for a good long while, and then it suddenly worked fine for a while, and I was able to play games on my PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 for a few hours.

I wanted to play something on my Genesis, and I turned on the TV, and it was fine, but after I pressed to switch the input, BAM! The problem popped up again.

I've never had any issues with the TV up until Friday night. The only thing I could find online that sounded like my problem is this: http://www.justanswer.com/tv-repair/3zin1-32-rca-crt-tv-years-old-the-problem.html

I don't know what to do. This is my favorite TV that I've ever owned. I bought it in January of 2013, and after messing around with the settings and calibrating it with the service menus, it just looked phenomenal. Everything just looked so damn good, even RF and composite looked good. I mostly used S-video and component, though. You'd be surprised how great the Xbox 360 can look on it. I swear that it sometimes looks better than on an HDTV.

I have my NES, SNES, N64, GameCube with Game Boy Player, Wii, Master System, Genesis with 32X and Sega CD, Saturn, Dreamcast, Atari 7800, TurboGrafx-16, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, and sometimes PlayStation 3, all hooked up to it...and now I can't use anything (besides the last two, but only on my monitor, which is mainly just for my Xbox One and Wii U).

Edit: I just realized that I never mentioned what kind of TV it is. It's an RCA TruFlat 27 inch CRT TV. The model number was ripped off, so I can't provide that, unfortunately.

Edit 2: It worked again for a few minutes, then did the same thing again...
 

mrlion

Member
This is my tv of choice for classic gaming. Badass tv!!


f1ce7890.jpg

I managed to play a game on one of these. It was a demo at Toys R' Us for Yoshi's Story. What's funny is that the demo was in Japanese...and I was like 10-11 at the time and had no idea what was happening lol. The speakers have very clear sound too.
 
I managed to play a game on one of these. It was a demo at Toys R' Us for Yoshi's Story. What's funny is that the demo was in Japanese...and I was like 10-11 at the time and had no idea what was happening lol. The speakers have very clear sound too.

Samsung GXtv was really cool, but sadly it only had composite inputs.
 

TeaJay

Member
Long time listener, first time caller here.

I've had my trusty 21 inch Trinitron for a while now and it has great, robust colors and sharpness for retro gaming with RGB scart straight from the TV. Only downside which I learned is that according to the manual it doesn't support NTSC, so I can't equip any japanese/US consoles to it (living in euroland here). I'll still try it with my friends' Super Famicom to make sure.

So I'm a bit torn here, should I just forget getting an (AV) Famicom or a PC-Engine or try to hunt for a new TV with similar quality, which don't pop up out here as often as we'd like. There are often 29 inchers posted on auction sites but I can't fit a TV as big on my retro corner, the most I could do is probably 25-26 inches. Which is a bummer. But I've found that a 21'' is quite big enough for me.

I guess the downside for getting good RGB scart in PAL territory is the fact that we can't get support for 60 hz systems as easily (and sometimes have to deal with the slowdown on certain games. I have 50/60 switches on most my systems so I'm good).
 
Hi guys, my dad has been hanging on to this Sony Trinitron kv-xa29m31 for me for years. Well I finally had the space to go get it. Does anyone know if it's a decent tv for retro games? I've tried to research this particular model but I've come up with nothing gaming related.

65483


I'm also contemplating using it for my MAME cabinet build after someone in this thread said playing MAME through s-video on a Trinitron looked great. I know s-video isn't the best solution but I'm hoping it's good enough.
 

Komo

Banned
Going to go pick up a 1080i 34" Sony WEGA CRT today. Legit excited, because it's free, haha. Only issue is that it's like 86kg, which is insanely heavy, so I'll bring a friend

Will post pics soon! ... No idea how it's going to fit in my car ... Or where I'm even going to put it in the house, but I couldn't pass up on the opportunity. Been looking for a good CRT for years!
 
Going to go pick up a 1080i 34" Sony WEGA CRT today. Legit excited, because it's free, haha. Only issue is that it's like 86kg, which is insanely heavy, so I'll bring a friend

Will post pics soon! ... No idea how it's going to fit in my car ... Or where I'm even going to put it in the house, but I couldn't pass up on the opportunity. Been looking for a good CRT for years!

I want one so badly for my game room, now that I have one. I am mad jealous.
 

bonkeng

Member
I still have my 25" Wega. I was contemplating on giving it away a few years ago, but decided to keep it so i can still hook up my gen 4, 5 and 6 consoles in full CRT glory.

These TVs are built like a tank, mine still looks great.
 

Komo

Banned
It's far bigger than I anticipated. Had to get my mom's SUV because it wouldn't even fit in my car. lol
So uh, I haven't tested it yet, but I was told it works fine.

My concern is that being so big, won't the picture quality be significantly more poor than a smaller TV? Especially for older video game systems?
 
My concern is that being so big, won't the picture quality be significantly more poor than a smaller TV? Especially for older video game systems?
If it's an EDTV/early HD CRT, the picture might not be the best possible for a consumer set displaying SD content, particularly if you're partial to more visible scanlines. The larger the CRT, the less likely you're going to get great geometry, even after fiddling with a service menu. Depends on what you're hooking up to it and your own personal tolerance for imperfections, I guess.
 

Komo

Banned
If it's an EDTV/early HD CRT, the picture might not be the best possible for a consumer set displaying SD content, particularly if you're partial to more visible scanlines. The larger the CRT, the less likely you're going to get great geometry, even after fiddling with a service menu. Depends on what you're hooking up to it and your own personal tolerance for imperfections, I guess.

Tested it out with WipEout and Gran Turismo on the PS1 via composite (I know, I know) and put it in 4:3 aspect ratio mode. It instantly looked and sounded far better than the LCD display I was using prior to that, and for 'some reason' I'd suddenly stopped sucking at the game, and was able to play it decently. The lack of input lag is fantastic :p

So far so good. Now I just don't know where to put it ...
 

JRW

Member
Going to go pick up a 1080i 34" Sony WEGA CRT today. Legit excited, because it's free, haha. Only issue is that it's like 86kg, which is insanely heavy, so I'll bring a friend

Will post pics soon! ... No idea how it's going to fit in my car ... Or where I'm even going to put it in the house, but I couldn't pass up on the opportunity. Been looking for a good CRT for years!

We have a Sony 34" (XBR960 model) and it's still going strong after 10 years, it's not our main TV anymore but there are several consoles hooked up and they all look great on it.

Not sure if this applies for all Sony 34" CRTs but they have far better sound quality than a modern flat screen / slim TV, there's actually a small subwoofer mounted inside on the XBR model.
 

Cleve

Member
Sony Trinitons for sure. HOWEVER... you will need at least two strong people who will not be your friends any longer if you ask them to help you move one. When I got rid of my 36" triniton, I told my bud he could have it for free... IF I did not have to move it myself.

I had one of these: http://panam.gateway.com/s/MONITOR/Z01243/Z0124305.shtml (used wtih an xrgb) that I had two friends help me move. Holy shit that was a monster, we still talk about getting that down my basement stairs.
 
I got a free Sony Trinitron yesterday. The picture difference between my old trusty CRT and the Trinitron is pretty big. I already love that thing so much.

Is there something like a service menu for Trinitrons for calibration?
 
Is there something like a service menu for Trinitrons for calibration?
This is an archived page that has some info, but be careful to read through it all and then take the advice given when it comes to writing down values and changing things. Don't factory reset or otherwise set to default before taking notes about the values and how many and what presses on what buttons you made in case the screen goes completely whack and illegible on you.
 
I got a free Sony Trinitron yesterday. The picture difference between my old trusty CRT and the Trinitron is pretty big. I already love that thing so much.

Is there something like a service menu for Trinitrons for calibration?

Congrats.

Sorry if too much info but here are some great links.

http://www.avsforum.com/forum/64-direct-view-single-tube-crt-displays/531494-sony-service-codes-articles-comments-discoveries.html

http://www.curtpalme.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10457

http://www.avsforum.com/forum/139-display-calibration/948496-avs-hd-709-blu-ray-mp4-calibration.html
 
This is an archived page that has some info, but be careful to read through it all and then take the advice given when it comes to writing down values and changing things. Don't factory reset or otherwise set to default before taking notes about the values and how many and what presses on what buttons you made in case the screen goes completely whack and illegible on you.

Thanks, guys!

Damn, this looks more dangerous than expected. Better read through everything carefully.
 

Kyle

Member
I just recently picked up a KV-27FV300 and have some questions about it. When playing my AV Famicom it looks like still sprites are wiggling/moving around. The only way I can describe it is if the picture is 'vibrating' almost. Any idea what the cause of this would be and what I can do to correct it?

I've also noticed the picture seems off-center and the top left corner curves inward. Is this something I can fix via the service menu? I just ordered a brand new remote for the TV for $7 so I can start playing with it as soon as I get my remote.

Anyone else here with a FV300 or FV310? I am curious what general menu settings I should be using on the set as there is a ton of them.

Thanks all.
 

televator

Member
I just recently picked up a KV-27FV300 and have some questions about it. When playing my AV Famicom it looks like still sprites are wiggling/moving around. The only way I can describe it is if the picture is 'vibrating' almost. Any idea what the cause of this would be and what I can do to correct it?

I've also noticed the picture seems off-center and the top left corner curves inward. Is this something I can fix via the service menu? I just ordered a brand new remote for the TV for $7 so I can start playing with it as soon as I get my remote.

Anyone else here with a FV300 or FV310? I am curious what general menu settings I should be using on the set as there is a ton of them.

Thanks all.

Psssst... Over here: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=630556

That's where all the cool kids go. :p

To partly answer you though the curvature in your picture can be messaged a bit via the geometry settings in the service menu.
 
Besides black levels, and response times there isn't a reason to get a crt. Also, the gap between these levels with crts and lcds aren't what they were say 10 years ago. Save your eyes and go for a low latency converter to lcd.

This is coming from someone in the crt projector camp for way after most people switched to lcd/dlp.
 
Are rear-projection crts bad for classic games (i have snes, gen, n64, dc, xbox & ps2). I told a friend I was in the market for a crt and he says his sister has this model JVC tv (av-48p575) she would sell for $100. Is this worth it. Currently running systems through a Vizio M651d-A2R.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
 

Komo

Banned
Okay guys, this may be a tiny bit off-topic, but it's still on the topic of displays, so...

Can anybody help me list some pros and cons for standard displays against widescreen displays?

So far I got this:

Pros:
- Better for web browsing
- Better for word processing

Cons:
- Worse for watching videos
- Worse for playing games
 
Are rear-projection crts bad for classic games (i have snes, gen, n64, dc, xbox & ps2). I told a friend I was in the market for a crt and he says his sister has this model JVC tv (av-48p575) she would sell for $100. Is this worth it. Currently running systems through a Vizio M651d-A2R.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
It depends on the television. In theory they are capable of lagless display but a lot of HDTVs in that era made use of the same type of digital scaler you'd see in modern TVs to drive the CRTs at a fixed resolution because it was cheaper. They will generally lag a little less than an equivalent flat panel though since there is no lag inherent in the display technology itself.

The big problem is that lag is an uncertainty just as it is with a flat panel, and rear projection CRTs are extremely large and heavy. They also tend to lose their convergence as they age because it's three separate lenses for each primary color; keeping convergence in check is a highly tedious task and sometimes requires adjustments in hardware.

If you do try it, keep in mind that you will probably need to run at S-Video or Composite to have the best chance of not ending up behind the scaler.
 

-KRS-

Member
I calibrated the white and black levels on my KV21CL10E Trinitron using the 240p Test Suite the other day, and man what a huge difference it made to an already good TV. Played some Super Ghouls n Ghosts on it yesterday. The blacks and whites look really great now, and the colors just pop! It looks really incredible. Easily the best CRT TV I've had, and I've had another larger Trinitron before as well. It's really great for retro gaming.

Anyone know more about this CL10 line? Haven't found much on it online. Some places say it's a WEGA but it doesn't say WEGA on it anywhere. It does have an FD Trinitron tube though. I found the service manual and all that, but the TV already has almost perfect geometry and only a tiny bit of overscan so I'm happy with leaving it as it is.

The only thing I can complain about is the lack of an S-Video port, but you can get S-video through the second SCART input with an adapter so it's not that bad. Only the first SCART input is RGB compatible which I guess is a negative, though common. And it also doesn't have RCA outputs for sound in case I'd want to hook it up to a receiver, but I currently don't have the means to do that anyway.

And also, unfortunately there are a couple of scratches on the glass that thankfully aren't visible while it's on unless you're really close to it or the sun is shining on it. But is there anything one can do about that? It doesn't really bother me since it's not visible but I'm just curious.

Edit: Oh I guess I should've posted this in the other thread. Didn't realize this one was dead!
 

BubbaMc

Member
I'm also contemplating using it for my MAME cabinet build after someone in this thread said playing MAME through s-video on a Trinitron looked great. I know s-video isn't the best solution but I'm hoping it's good enough.

Get a real arcade monitor and feed it RGB. If you're going to do a job, do it properly.
 

Peltz

Member
We have a 200 page thread on this. I'd link you but I'm on mobile.

I'd opt for a broadcast monitor.

Edit: listen to televator. That's the thread I meant. It's the GOAT.
 

legolas119

Neo Member
hi guys,
i would like to buy some old consoles (nes, super nes, neo geo in particular) and in order to play them in the best way I need a crt tv.

I still have my old Sony Trinitron KV-21T3A. Do you think that it is enough? Which is the better size for a crt in ordert to play retro-gaming consoles?

Do you have some special suggestion if I want to buy a bigger crt tv in order to play in a better way whith best graphic?

thank you!
 

JLynn

Member
hi guys,
i would like to buy some old consoles (nes, super nes, neo geo in particular) and in order to play them in the best way I need a crt tv.

I still have my old Sony Trinitron KV-21T3A. Do you think that it is enough? Which is the better size for a crt in ordert to play retro-gaming consoles?

Do you have some special suggestion if I want to buy a bigger crt tv in order to play in a better way whith best graphic?

thank you!



Lessee.. Judging by the PDF manual...20 inches. Euro model. Looks like it has SCART. Looks like this TV is OK for retro games! If you are not planning on hosting retro multiplayer gatherings in your place 20 inches is fine for retro play. Get the SCART cables and a good multi SCART input switch and you're good to go!
 

BriBri

Member
I'm looking for just a small 9-10" for my room (for my Core Grafx II). Has anybody any comments on the JVC TM-A101G as this is looking like my next purchase? Thanks in advance for any feedback!
 

Lyriell

Member
Hi guys, hoping someone can help me out here. I just scored a Sony Trinitron Wega KV-HX32. Unfortunately it seems to have some issues where everything appears ghosted a few inches to the right twice... I suspect it has something to do with the reg/green/blue convergence being out of synch?

If you take a look at the attached photos you can see on the edges of the screen vertical bars of different colours? it's like that all throughout...

1.jpg

2.jpg


It also makes all the text really hard to read.

Is this something I may be able to fix in the service menu, or am I going to have to find an old school CRT Ninja to perform surgery on the TV?
 

hobozero

Member
@Lyriell: Looks like a Convergence issue. There are Convergence settings in the service menu, but I can't say for sure it will fix it (probably will?).
 

poodaddy

Member
Hi guys, hoping someone can help me out here. I just scored a Sony Trinitron Wega KV-HX32. Unfortunately it seems to have some issues where everything appears ghosted a few inches to the right twice... I suspect it has something to do with the reg/green/blue convergence being out of synch?

If you take a look at the attached photos you can see on the edges of the screen vertical bars of different colours? it's like that all throughout...

1.jpg

2.jpg


It also makes all the text really hard to read.

Is this something I may be able to fix in the service menu, or am I going to have to find an old school CRT Ninja to perform surgery on the TV?

Looks like that CRT came equipped with chromatic aberration filter to bring your gaming up to modern standards.
 

Lyriell

Member
Looks like that CRT came equipped with chromatic aberration filter to bring your gaming up to modern standards.

You got me good there... I'd laugh but I'm too sad to :p

Can't seem to get into the service menu on this thing... should be 'display' then '5' then 'vol +' followed by "power" but can't seem to get it to work... think the remote is semi-busted...

Off to ebay I go, wish me luck!
 
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