Anyone here use HDTV's versus CRT's for classic consoles?

[stargate]

I live in a small apartment and I am trying to downsize a bit. I have a 27" Sony CRT that I currently use for my classic consoles, primarily NES, SNES, TG16, but also Atari 2600 and Intellivision when the mood strikes.

I need the space and thinking about giving up on the CRT and just running through my 60" Sony HDTV. But how bad is it really? Any recommended ways to hook up the systems that work better than others? Do you use the settings on your HDTV to stretch the picture and does this work well or completely suck?

I realize I can just experiment myself, but wondering what the folks around here are doing and what experiences they have had. Thanks everyone for any help!

[Leo_A]

Unless someone has the same model HDTV as you do, your experiences may or may not be similar to those posted by someone else, making this a rather pointless task, I'm afraid.

There are almost as many different scaling chips as there are HDTV's it seems, and that's what matters most for classic consoles since you obviously can't send your tv a signal that matches its native resolution while playing something like a Sega Genesis. And each model performs differently, depending on what's sent to it. Someone might get a nice picture on their Intellivision connected via RF to their tv where as your tv's scaling chip might not be able to make heads or tails of it and just not display anything. And in other cases, someone might get a poor picture, while you get a great one but with unacceptable input lag.

Your best bet is to perform some tests yourself. Hook an early 2000's system up via component and check out 480i and 480p games, hook a 1990's era console up via S-Video, hook a late 1980's or early 1990's system up via composite, hook an early system up via RF (Sometimes helps running these through a VCR first which boosts the signal), and see for yourself.

And if your test come back poor for some or most all of this, you have other options like external scalers (From cheap system specific options to $500 models that will do wonders for older material), higher quality video cables like RGB, video modifications like adding S-Video to an Atari 2600, backwards compatibility options (Playstation games look horrible via S-Video from your Playstation? Try them on a PS3 with the system itself handling the scaling), the Retron 5 for classic Nintendo and Sega gaming, etc. Or go fully with emulation with a PC connected to your tv or buy something like an Ouya if you desire a less capable option that has a smaller footprint.

There are undoubtedly a few around here enjoying their classic systems on their modern HDTVs. And if you don't mind spending money and making the occasional compromise, you can get pleasing results for just about everything except light gun games (Which obviously won't work).

[eskobar]

In general, HDTVs don't go along with retro consoles, you can purchase additional hardware to make them look almost as good as an old fashioned CRT TV like the Framemeister XRGB-Mini and get RGB cables in the consoles that support RGB or make some mods to the ones that don't.

You can get a smaller CRT or RGB CRT monitor if you want the best possible picture

[Ponyone]

I do. I have a 65 inch 3d vizio. Put it in game mode and run consoles on composite/component. They run and look just fine. No stretching. I don't notice any of the lag ppl talk about with hdtv but if there is any its not noticeable

[ZeroCool]

I got a PS2 on component, looks great. Saturn N64 look alright nothing horrible. Dreamcast isnt so great. Atari Jaguar is not that bad. Ive hooked up a NES on it and it looks better than the Panasonic CRT I have. No jailbar lines at all. Im shocked. Its a 32 inch Philips LCD

[CRTGAMER]

HDCRT WEGA here. ALL non HD and HD consoles display beautiful.

[stargate]

Thanks for the info, everyone. The XRGB-mini looks pretty cool and I think I am going to check out that option.

[theclaw]

Ultimately a TV (or XRGB type device) is only as good as the video it receives. If one uses composite, that's what will be displayed.

[kamakazi5]

For me personally I use my Samsung 67" DLP LED with nothing but composite for all of my systems until PS3/360 and I'm happy with it. Although I will admit that I've never really cared about the look of games, tv, or movies so I may not be the best judge.

[Gameguy]

I would just stick with the CRT and get rid of the HDTV if space became an issue.

[Greg2600]

Simply for convenience, I often use my bedroom's LCD TV. However, I'm a little nuts, so I have SCART RGB on most systems, into a video upscaler, to the TV over HDMI!

[Rickstilwell1]

I have 9 TVs. I use both kinds interchangeably depending on where in my place I feel like sitting. lol

[stargate]

Simply for convenience, I often use my bedroom's LCD TV. However, I'm a little nuts, so I have SCART RGB on most systems, into a video upscaler, to the TV over HDMI!

Do you notice any lag when playing classic systems?

[Greg2600]

No lag, but I have an upscaler that is rated pretty good on 240p signals and lag (DVDO iScan VP50). I'm also not someone who really looks for it either.

[NotoriousReignZ]

scart to hdmi, have had really nice results w/ Sega Saturn & Playstation.

[Eternal Champion]

My Genesis is YPbPr (component) modded, hooked it into my 720p Samsung plasma and 1080p Samsung, both looked like ass - very saturated and off colors. Too low res. I've seen a NES through composite, so it's possible. I said "eff it" and got a cheap CRT with RCA, s-vid and component inputs.
If space is an issue, and you have enough money, then the XRGB is the answer, or the RetroN5.

[Tanooki]

I mainly only use a HDTV, I see almost no value in the CRT anymore because the TV I bought I researched so there wouldn't be an input lag issue. The remaining effect is that first gen of 3D systems (N64 etc) have problems displaying on an off the shelf LCD TV due to tricks the systems used CRTs do to handle some effects and display which the newer can't so things get broken or at worst invisible(just black on black.) With that I still have my sharp NES tv, so the N64 is plugged into it. CRTs are just huge, heavy, the visual quality isn't all that fantastic, even on a higher end non-HD CRT so I see no use for it other than for one console I own and really don't even use.

[ProjectCamaro]

I mainly only use a HDTV, I see almost no value in the CRT anymore because the TV I bought I researched so there wouldn't be an input lag issue. The remaining effect is that first gen of 3D systems (N64 etc) have problems displaying on an off the shelf LCD TV due to tricks the systems used CRTs do to handle some effects and display which the newer can't so things get broken or at worst invisible(just black on black.) With that I still have my sharp NES tv, so the N64 is plugged into it. CRTs are just huge, heavy, the visual quality isn't all that fantastic, even on a higher end non-HD CRT so I see no use for it other than for one console I own and really don't even use.

Ditto

[stargate]

I am now just having trouble determining what cables to get to hook up the xrgb mini to my tv via HDMI. I live in the U.S.

I think I need a SCART cable to hook up the modded for RGB SNES to the XRGB but the connector on the SCART cable does not appear to match the RGB input on the XRGB-Mini so I am not sure what else I need.

What about just getting this?

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Super-Nintend...-/201087125244

Would this be the only cable that I need to hook it up to the XRGB and then plug the XRGB into my TV via a HDMI cable?

[theclaw]

XRGB includes a Japanese adapter when bought new. If you want to use European cables, that's sold separately.
In short Japan adapted the physical SCART socket with a new pinout and name.

Right that cable is NTSC at the console end, Japanese at the SCART end. It should work using an original XRGB adapter on USA SNES.