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Are CRT TV really so much better for older games?!

Cao Cao

Cao Cao

Member
It's been 14 years since I played on a CRT TV so I don't remember anymore.
But does a CRT really make such a big difference compared to playing it on normal TV/Monitor nowadays?
Is this edited images? Because Draculas Eyes is such a huge difference. Time to get a CRT again if true.

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You don't even need a CRT to attain that look, a good scanline filter will do it.

But what you get with CRTs that you don't get with most HD sets is accurate colours, better contrast, and peak input response because the image updates instantaneously.

Yeah, if you want to play a lot of SD games and have the means to obtain a CRT then it's well worth it.
 
Yes. Anything PS2 or older is best on crt.

GameCube, Wii and Xbox it depends on whether you want the more stable progressive scan image on a modern TV or the better clarity of a crt.
 
Got a CRT for a while and all that bulk in my room wasn't worth it imo. Maybe if you have a spare room, or get a small CRT. Mine was 30'.
 
I wonder how should look a CRT with today tech/features :messenger_fire:
To start the lack of resolution is a big deal but a CRT in 1440p or 4k should be a champ.

I wonder the same about the PLAMA too.

My old 1080p PLASMA still have clean IQ than my new CX 4k... of course it lacks several features and stuffs and overall is worst than CX but just pure IQ it is really another level.
 
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lower the resolution, crt is more suitable in my experience.

If the console came with HDMI port - then it's good on the modern display...
but if the console didn't come with one, then CRT is better.

Wii is kinda weird though.
It looks better on CRT, for sure... but can't really imagine playing Wii game on a small screen due to the whole wiimote.
When I turn on my Wii games via Wii U on the HDTV.. I just sigh with how horrible they look. :(

CRT is too big and heavy though. My 17" monitor is heavier than my 65" OLED.
 
Yeah go for it, games graphics were designed with CRTs in mind so of course it's worth it.
 
Neff said:
You don't even need a CRT to attain that look, a good scanline filter will do it.

But what you get with CRTs that you don't get with most HD sets is accurate colours, better contrast, and peak input response because the image updates instantaneously.

Yeah, if you want to play a lot of SD games and have the means to obtain a CRT then it's well worth it.
Click to expand...
I have to disagree, scanlines filters make images too dark as the black lines every other line lower your image brightness.

Even boosting your gamma or brightness/contrast will just wash out your image if you try to make it not look too dark.

On a CRT TV you get a bright image with scanlines without washing out the picture or making it too dark.
 
Yep. I have a Sony Trinitron CRT for my older systems. Those images in OP looked stretched.

For anyone that hooks up an old system and says "I don't remember it looking this bad", it didn't.
 
grew up with CRTs-- probably owned 20+, including a sony gdm-fw900.
also owned panasonic and pioneer plasmas.

OLED, all day (w/ mods for old consoles).

though itd be fun to have a period-correct display for each generation (e.g., 720p plasma for x360/ps3... had a pioneer pdp-4304 back in those days).
 
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A good CRT is always going to look and feel significantly better than trying to display them on a flat screen. No matter the upscalers or filters it just can't compete with a good CRT.
 
Gamerguy84 said:
For anyone that hooks up an old system and says "I don't remember it looking this bad", it didn't.
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Straight facts.
And this also applies to optical special effects in movies. People were not retarded back then, those effects actually looked good on 35mm, the final battle in Return of the Jedi on film is even impressive to this day for example.. they only became laughable during the DVD era thanks to awful, altered in white balance, contrast and gamma, de-grained masters.




Even early CGI for that matter, a million times better than the altered versions on home video formats.

 
SegaShack said:
I have to disagree, scanlines filters make images too dark as the black lines every other line lower your image brightness.
Click to expand...

There's no comparison with a CRT for old games, but viewing this thread on a cheap LED monitor still makes the scanline pics above look worlds better than the raw pixel comparisons.
 
Neff said:
You don't even need a CRT to attain that look, a good scanline filter will do it.

But what you get with CRTs that you don't get with most HD sets is accurate colours, better contrast, and peak input response because the image updates instantaneously.

Yeah, if you want to play a lot of SD games and have the means to obtain a CRT then it's well worth it.
Click to expand...
The means? Go to some buy/sell group on facebook and ask if anyone in your area has a crt they wanna get rid of.

I've ended up with three from asking just once. So I have one for use, and backups just in case.
 
Absolutely.

Depends on your set up though. If you're running an old console without an upscaler, etc. Then yea, you're gonna want a CRT, playing it through composite on a modern TV will look rough as hell. If you're emulating stuff, just use the scan lines filters or whatever visual options you like.

I'm not a purist by any means but yea, CRT gaming looks amazing with Retro consoles.
 
I still keep an old 24" set in my basement closet just in case. The set itself is nothing special, but man, seeing how an SNES or Genesis game looks and runs on it compared to a modern television, you could almost be forgiven for thinking it's using newer technology if you didn't know better.
 
Question for the thread. Do CRTs also help with current gen indie games that use pixels? Or would it not have an effect since they were designed with LCD/LED in mind?
 
March Climber said:
Question for the thread. Do CRTs also help with current gen indie games that use pixels? Or would it not have an effect since they were designed with LCD/LED in mind?
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You're going to run into an issue converting digital to analog. The converters I have tried all look terrible and have screen flicker.
 
Honestly, I don't think it is worth the hassle of dealing with a CRT. With proper calibration you get good enough colors. And if you want to display your games in 1080p you don't even need to spend a lot of money with a scaler, just pick a GBS-C and it should provide a good enough image (in case the TV upscaling isn't very good or it lacks the needed input).
 
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Kimahri said:
The means?
Click to expand...

Well in my case simply having room for one is more of a problem than getting one. I had a 32" widescreen Trinitron a few years back which I desperately wanted to keep, but I just couldn't justify keeping this colossal slab of metal and glass to play old games on after moving and losing a garage.
 
Neff said:
Well in my case simply having room for one is more of a problem than getting one. I had a 32" widescreen Trinitron a few years back which I desperately wanted to keep, but I just couldn't justify keeping this colossal slab of metal and glass to play old games on after moving and losing a garage.
Click to expand...
I had to let a 32" wega with component and rgb input go. Moving it was a like building the pyramids. Nearly broke my back moving it - even though it was a 2 man lift.

I have a 28" which I can just about manage. The difference in weight for those few inches is incredible.
 
Yep, and for certain systems it really elevates parts of the image. Sega Saturn games use natural blurring of CRTs to fake dithered shadows into transparent shadows. Tho as Neff Neff said, you don't need a clunky-ass CRT for that per-se, just a good scanline setting if you're using an emulator. If you're on original hardware or hardware emulators like Analog and MiSTER, you'd need to do something else, but the options are there.

If you're using something like an original Dreamcast and don't want the fuss of a clunky CRT, you're probably better off with something like those older VGA Dell monitors. They don't cost that much and have pretty good color saturation, and Dreamcast is one of the only older systems with built-in VGA output support. Was really ahead of its time in that respect when you compare the video output options for some of the consoles that came after it (or immediately after it, like the PS2).
 
Yea I dont understand people play pixel art game on LCD and call it retro . WTF game back then doesnt look like that shit . The CRT TV had built-in anti aliasing n shit . It look beautiful . Not pixelate like these "pixel art" shit .

I really hated modern "pixel art" . Refuse to game any game that had pixel art nowaday .
 
Some CRT filter shaders in emulators are pretty good, but the older "scanlines" emulation stuff was just annoying low-hanging fruit and missed the point. I suppose if you have a big game room and don't mind the inconvenience of maintaining that old kit, then a real CRT is a good thing to own. Used to be called poor man's anti aliasing, but now it's kind of a luxury to see games as the devs expected them to be seen.
 
Even a shitty $99 when new CRT looks so much better, it isn't even a comparison. Stuff like anime art in PC Engine games looks criminally good on a CRT.

I just got a Japanese Saturn to complete my Wii (emulators) + PSX + Dreamcast + PS2 setup and it has been a blast, it's amazing we took this shit for granted back in the day.
 
ethomaz said:
I wonder how should look a CRT with today tech/features :messenger_fire:
To start the lack of resolution is a big deal but a CRT in 1440p or 4k should be a champ.

I wonder the same about the PLAMA too.

My old 1080p PLASMA still have clean IQ than my new CX 4k... of course it lacks several features and stuffs and overall is worst than CX but just pure IQ it is really another level.
Click to expand...
Yeah. I keep my old Plasma in the bedroom for all my retro stuff. Still works great.
 
lachesis said:
lower the resolution, crt is more suitable in my experience.

If the console came with HDMI port - then it's good on the modern display...
but if the console didn't come with one, then CRT is better.

Wii is kinda weird though.
It looks better on CRT, for sure... but can't really imagine playing Wii game on a small screen due to the whole wiimote.
When I turn on my Wii games via Wii U on the HDTV.. I just sigh with how horrible they look. :(

CRT is too big and heavy though. My 17" monitor is heavier than my 65" OLED.
Click to expand...
How often are you moving your crt? Do some push ups and prepare yourself for the glory of experiencing those games the way they are to meant to be enjoyed.
 
I had a tough time keeping my CRTs up and running thru the years - and the expense of repairing them is insane. Not to mention how heavy they are.
Just buy a RetroTINK 5X and use the filters if you want the crt look.
I prefer the sharp pixels an upscaler outputs personally.
 
Emulators now have excellent CRT filters that look great on a 4K TV. A real CRT is still better but it's a decent compromise.
 
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Yes, absolutely yes. BUT, (and these are absolutely crucial) Get a close to 30 inch CRT with a flat 4:3 screen NOT one of those screens which are curved and were by far the most dominant one. Sony Trinitrons are the most common of these flat screen CRTs. Also, DO NOT use composite (or composhit as they really called) cables for your old consoles. Buy SCART RGB cables for every single console. The difference in picture quality is absolutely enormous. Some consoles like NES and N64 don't have this by default, so buy RGB modded versions of these consoles if you want to play their library of games.

Gamerguy84 said:
For anyone that hooks up an old system and says "I don't remember it looking this bad", it didn't.
Click to expand...
It probably did if you had all the stuff I described here, or at least pretty close.
lefty1117 said:
Florida ban on CRT monitors incoming
Click to expand...
I follow American politics, but this joke still makes no sense.
 
Bakkus said:
Yes, absolutely yes. BUT, (and these are absolutely crucial) Get a close to 30 inch CRT with a flat 4:3 screen NOT one of those screens which are curved and were by far the most dominant one. Sony Trinitrons are the most common of these flat screen CRTs. Also, DO NOT use composite (or composhit as they really called) cables for your old consoles. Buy SCART RGB cables for every single console. The difference in picture quality is absolutely enormous. Some consoles like NES and N64 don't have this by default, so buy RGB modded versions of these consoles if you want to play their library of games.


It probably did if you had all the stuff I described here, or at least pretty close.

I follow American politics, but this joke still makes no sense.
Click to expand...


Why would you get a flat CRT? Most of them don't even handle 240p correctly.
 
baphomet said:
Why would you get a flat CRT? Most of them don't even handle 240p correctly.
Click to expand...
You want one of those ridicoulously expensive long curved trinitons with barely 10 inch screens due to them looking a bit better on a technical level compared to the bigger flat ones? Be my guest. Personally the issue you're talking about is very miniscule.
 
Bakkus said:
You want one of those ridicoulously expensive long curved trinitons with barely 10 inch screens due to them looking a bit better on a technical level compared to the bigger flat ones? Be my guest. Personally the issue you're talking about is very miniscule.
Click to expand...

Lol, handling 240p is literally the only reason to buy a CRT. So buying one that can't do it defeats the entire purpose.

It's the opposite of a miniscule issue.

Also what are you even talking about. A curved CRT has the exact same image size as a flat CRT. I think you should probably learn some more before you attempt to give advice.
 
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Kimahri said:
The means? Go to some buy/sell group on facebook and ask if anyone in your area has a crt they wanna get rid of.

I've ended up with three from asking just once. So I have one for use, and backups just in case.
Click to expand...
True, CRT TV's are still very easy to obtain. The biggest challenge is finding the space for it, since you'll most likely only use it for retro gaming.
 
baphomet said:
Why would you get a flat CRT? Most of them don't even handle 240p correctly.
Click to expand...
They do if they say "sd tv" on them.

The best Trinitron ever made are a couple of flat screen models.

That said, the curved Crts typically have better geometry than the flat screens, and are sometimes less sought after.

I have been scouting non stop for a particular 20/24 inch Trinitron with no luck because as soon as they pop up someone grabs them even though I am willing to drive a far ass distance lol
 
StateofMajora said:
They do if they say "sd tv" on them.

The best Trinitron ever made are a couple of flat screen models.

That said, the curved Crts typically have better geometry than the flat screens, and are sometimes less sought after.

I have been scouting non stop for a particular 20/24 inch Trinitron with no luck because as soon as they pop up someone grabs them even though I am willing to drive a far ass distance lol
Click to expand...

A good amount of flat screen sd tvs don't display 240p correctly.
 
baphomet said:
A good amount of flat screen sd tvs don't display 240p correctly.
Click to expand...

I don´t think SD crt´s can display 240p incorrectly since they share the same fundamentals, so what do you mean?. High velocity modulation or stuff like red push?, you can disable that on the few sets that have them.
 
lukilladog said:
I don´t think SD crt´s can display 240p incorrectly since they share the same fundamentals, so what do you mean?. High velocity modulation or stuff like red push?, you can disable that on the few sets that have them.
Click to expand...

There's literally tons of information out there. Later sd CRTs have all sorts of problems. 100/120hz, treating 240p as 480i, converting the analog to digital adding multiple frames of lag, etc.
 
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