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Scanline screenshot thread. Because 240p is all the p's I need.

Peltz

Member
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!56K WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!NOT FOR DIAL-UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Next gen console screenshots?

The last hope for image quality?

Psh. Don't make me laugh.

This thread is all about posting pics of games with scanlines.

Brought on due to demand from the regulars over at the thread called "Upscalers, CRT's, PVM's & RGB: Retro gaming done right!", photos of actual CRTs in action, as well as screengrabs from upscalers and emulators are all welcome here. Here are some guideline rules so we can maximize our fun. If possible please:

1. Label all screenshots with the game's title (unless a title screen is visible or the game's identity is otherwise obvious),

2. Label whether you are posting a pic from a real CRT, upscaling device, or emulator.

3. If it's from an upscaling device, please provide the name of device. If it's from an emulator, provide the name of the emulator and filter/setting applied.

Before this OP was edited, one user asked a very great question: Why scanlines? Is it just about nostalgia?

Well no. Many people, myself included, believe that artists drew their pixel and polygonal artwork in 240p with scanlines in mind and never intended for it to look jagged via raw unfiltered upscaling on non-CRT technology. If you think about it, this makes sense because fixed-pixel HDTVs (e.g. plasma and LCD screens) didn't become standard tech for consumer use in the living room until well after the 90s, far after these games were being enjoyed by their original fanbases when they were first released. The scanlines add dimension and texture to the image that was intended to be there and which goes away when simply viewing raw pixel art in HD without them. If you'll take a look at the following, you'll notice that the pixel art looks unnaturally jaggy in HD, and looks smooth when rendered with the scanlines of a proper 240p image:

10519203-10100875034156440-8026567988853181341-n_yrze.jpg

Super Metroid on Wii VC at 1080p

10671445-10100875034161430-8214548274339077176-n_j1pc.jpg

Super Metroid on a real CRT from a real SNES at 240p


Super Contra before and after HLSL
0001.jpg

0001_3.jpg

As stated by eso76 in this thread:
As a pixel "artist" (did tons of sprites and backgrounds for a few amiga games back in the day - that never saw the light of day but were previewed on TGM and the likes and received glowing praise for their graphics :p ) ...[you needed to design pixel art with CRT scanline effect in mind] for good 16bit era pixel art at least.

Your resources, in terms of resolution and colour depth, were so limited, that you had to use CRTs' shortcomings to your advantage. A lot of the time, you would basically rely on optical illusions. Design sprites around colour bleeding and bright colours blooming, use scanlines to make the perceived vertical resolution higher than it really was, choose adjacent colours so that the RGB dots wouldn't clash (or would, depending on the effect you wanted to achieve) use darker colors when you needed to draw something to look sub-pixel sized..

Then, i saw my graphics on a good PC monitor and i felt miserable. They looked nothing like what i had been working on for so long. Those Super Contra before and after HLSL i quoted above will give you a good idea.

If you're interested in how to achieve the best possible image out of your old original consoles so that you can have the most authentic and aesthetically pleasing old-school gaming experience, please see the aforementioned thread, "Upscalers, CRT's, PVM's & RGB: Retro gaming done right!"

Also, a very important place for all things retro, check out "Retro-GAF Unite!" as the best overall resource for your retro obsession.

Other great resources:

In Search of Scanlines: The Best CRT Monitor for Retro Gaming

Shmups forum: MAME HLSL CRT SCANLINE EMULATION PRESETS


Fudohs website:

Downsampling/Scanlines Demystified

Deinterlacing, Scaling, Processing

Anyway, happy postings:

10694375_10100872875542320_6571214447742390130_o.jpg

Sonic 2 on my 14" Panasonic Studio RGB Monitor, running on an original model Genesis, RGB out.

Edit:

Scanline porn posted by PSA:

Nice to see this thread doing the rounds again, I have been trying to extract animated gifs from my PVM but syncing the camera to the refresh has been a ballache. my best result so far:

ju9tyGU.gif
 

Robin64

Member
I never play SNES games via Retroarch with scanlines off. After all these years, I realise now that I was ruining them without a shader.
 

robot

Member
Dat Real Bout - lookin good!

Wall of screens comin' atcha! Will dig up more pics from my Instagram and contribute later!

Console games on original hardware via Framemeister
In order: Batman (MD), Pulseman (MD), Thunder Force 3 (MD), Streets of Rage 2 (MD), Thunderforce 3 (MD)


Original Arcade PCBs running on a New Astro City
SFA 3 (CPS2), MSHvsSF (CPS2), MvC (CPS2), Strider 2 (ZN2), SF: EX+A (ZN2), G.I Joe (Konami PCB)

 

Peltz

Member
More:

10425023_10100872506347190_3119802092498165142_n.jpg

Super Metroid, 14" Panasonic Studio RGB Monitor, running on an original model SNES, RGB-out.

10698402_10100872507904070_1730777401065919148_n.jpg

Super Mario 64, 14" Panasonic Studio RGB Monitor, running on an N64 modified for RGB-out.
 
omg CRT porn, I'm gonna need a tissue.
This is where you realize shaders are still a far cry from the real thing. But at least we're trying...
 

Bancho

Member
Oh YES Oh YES.. OHHH YES. THE THREAD OF THREADS!!!!



Boom.. SMB3, 20" JVC Broadcast Monitor, RGB AV Famicom



Boom.. LTTP, 20" JVC Broadcast Monitor, RGB Snes Mini
 

Jamix012

Member
I have a few shots I'd love to share but I have a few questions:
1. Do they have to be scanlined? I have an upscaler and many RGB consoles but no scanline generator and my games still look super good.
2. How old do the games have to be? Is Saturn acceptable? What about 2D Gamecube games?
 

Peltz

Member
I have a few shots I'd love to share but I have a few questions:
1. Do they have to be scanlined? I have an upscaler and many RGB consoles but no scanline generator and my games still look super good.
2. How old do the games have to be? Is Saturn acceptable? What about 2D Gamecube games?

1. Yes. Scanlines are mandatory. This is specifically a scanline screenshots thread.

2. Any age. Saturn screens would fucking rock. GCN games or GBA screens via GB Player forced into 240p would too.
 
I don't think emulation should be allowed in this thread really. Framemeister or similar I can understand. Just a suggestion of course, not my thread.
 

Peltz

Member
1912337_10100864015088740_3757108088934948165_n.jpg


Chrono Cross via S-Video out from a slim PS2 on a 14" Panasonic Studio RGB Monitor. (From before I got my RGB cable).

10696366_10100862769514880_1247859815148706424_n.jpg


10710877_10100862769065780_5603797219203367331_n.jpg


10417661_10100862774030830_8877684825455931391_n.jpg


Final Fantasy IX via S-Video out from a slim PS2 on a 14" Panasonic Studio RGB Monitor. (From before I got my RGB cable).
 

robot

Member
Here is Sega Ages Outrun running via RGB (Framemeister) on the Sega Saturn. My iphone has a tendency to make these waves appear in my screens but god damn does it look perfect in person.

 

Vespa

Member
You sexy people!

I'm always dipping my head into the RGB thread, glad to see those sweet screenshots collected here.

I'm dreaming of the day I can get a framemeister.
 

Yes Boss!

Member
The scanline-loving crowd never recognize just how beautiful the pixel structure makes amazing scanlines on the 3DS. So lovely.

D4334109-0050-4F8D-BAE5-86CD08D3D912_zpskyuvd2no.jpg
 

TheMoon

Member
If this thread is porn, consider this to be the amateur cellphone version of it.


Terranigma on an unmodified PAL SNES on my old CRT via SCART. Is there a guide how to best photograph a CRT? I think I saw something like that once. I randomly futzed around with the shutter speed but I don't really know what I'm doing there^^

edit:

second pic with different settings:
terrcrt2xzlf7.jpg

terrcrt3lcf5u.jpg

^special guest appearance by my lamp
 

BTails

Member
I love this thread so far. To contribute, I only have a couple of shots already uploaded, but some scanline goodness is better than none!


Sonic the Hedgehog - Sega Genesis via RGB through the XRGB Framemeister at 720p.


Happy Halloween! Friday the 13th - NES via composite (still need that RGB mod) through the XRGB Framemeister.
 
1912337_10100864015088740_3757108088934948165_n.jpg


Chrono Cross via S-Video out from a slim PS2 on a 14" Panasonic Studio RGB Monitor. (From before I got my RGB cable).

10710877_10100862769065780_5603797219203367331_n.jpg


10696366_10100862769514880_1247859815148706424_n.jpg


10417661_10100862774030830_8877684825455931391_n.jpg


Final Fantasy IX via S-Video out from a slim PS2 on a 14" Panasonic Studio RGB Monitor. (From before I got my RGB cable).

Those all look phenomenal, damn!
 
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