Best TV for Retro Gaming???

[imanerd0011]

I'm wondering exactly what kind of T.V.'s you guys are using for your retro gaming? I currently have a floor model (furniture television) made in 1988 for retro gaming. I have an NES, SNES, N64, and Gamecube hooked up to it. It's not a bad T.V. overall, but I know there must be something quite a bit better.

I have a Samsung LN32B460 that I play Wii on, but LCD televisions just don't look that good for older games.

I've heard that Sony Trinitron (Wega) were the cream of the crop when it comes to CRT Televisions. I've been looking on Craigslist for a decent one, but don't know exactly what kind to buy.

This one here looks pretty damn good, but I doubt I'll buy it as it is too far away:

http://albany.craigslist.org/ele/1607891495.html

[Oldskool]

Yup, that's a damn good TV there. Actually any of the Trinitron and Wega TV's are supposed to be good. I was thinking of getting one myself. Somewhere between 32-36" preferably.

I've noticed that the wega around here usually goes for 100-200 bucks. I've seen one as low as 50 bucks.

I agree with the LCD. I have one myself, and honestly retro gaming does NOT look good on it, unless you feel like modding all your consoles for component and s-video which is a pain in the ass. Not to mention, it'll still look very pixelated.

[imanerd0011]

Yup, that's a damn good TV there. Actually any of the Trinitron and Wega TV's are supposed to be good. I was thinking of getting one myself. Somewhere between 32-36" preferably.

I've noticed that the wega around here usually goes for 100-200 bucks. I've seen one as low as 50 bucks.

I agree with the LCD. I have one myself, and honestly retro gaming does NOT look good on it, unless you feel like modding all your consoles for component and s-video which is a pain in the ass. Not to mention, it'll still look very pixelated.

Great, I thought so. I most likely won't end up getting it, because it's around a 3 hour drive (one way) to Albany, which is a bit to far for my liking.
I'm looking for a 36" Sony, but I'm not sure what the difference is between Trinitron and Wega.
The deals are very limited in my area, so I'll most likely have to drive at least 1 hour to get something decent.
I completely agree about retro gaming looking like crap on LCD televisions. I had planned on hooking up all of my consoles to my LN32B460, but when I took one look at the picture quality, I changed my mind!

[Icarus Moonsight]

I'm seeking a 36" Sony Wega as well... Only finding 32's so far. Might just forget about going biggerest and take what I can get here soon.

[DeputyMoniker]

I can vouch for the Trinitron's and Wega's. I play on a flatscreen Trinitron I bought in Japan, which was called Wega in other countries. Manufactured in '99 I believe. I've used it for 8-9 years and I've been perfectly happy with it from day one. I have one single complaint...it doesn't have RGB input. They are HEAVY...but how often do you move a TV? I have given my best try more than once, and I can not carry it myself. I can lift it onto a stand and I can push it around...but I can't carry it to the other side of the house or through a door.
And for a little history on wega, long story short, what Sony would traditionally call "Wega" is now "Bravia."


I have one myself, and honestly retro gaming does NOT look good on (LCD), unless you feel like modding all your consoles for component and s-video which is a pain in the ass. Not to mention, it'll still look very pixelated.

I just went through that the other day. Moved the SNES into the bedroom for some latenight Super Mario World on a 720p LCD. Immediately noticed how horrible it looked. Everything has a blurry edge.

What do you guys know about the older standard def LCD TV's? I've looked around & they're hard to find, but if they look good, it would be an interesting addition to the gaming area.

[willowmoon93]

Instead of a TV, I would have to recommend going with a Commodore 1702 Color Monitor-- fantastic picture & sound and is absolutely perfect for retro gaming.

[DeputyMoniker]

Instead of a TV, I would have to recommend going with a Commodore 1702 Color Monitor-- fantastic picture & sound and is absolutely perfect for retro gaming.

I've seen people say that before. Is the picture quality really that wonderful? I can't imagine spending all of my retro game time on a 17" screen. (...or is it even smaller than that? I just Googled it and I'm finding 13"??)

[phreakindee]

1702's are rather nice, but quite small.

I use one or two Sony Trinitrons myself... the smaller one also double as a microcomputer monitor (for Commodore machines, RGB inputs etc). They are nothing short of spectacular. Great color, great adjustment options, just all-around amazing hardware.

[Nophix]

I ran into the same problem. I got rid of our failed tube TV, and another when we moved. We have a 40" LCD in our living room, and a 62" LCD DLP in our family room. Know what? Retro games don't work so hot on either, and I can't play duck hunt!
So, now I"m on the hunt for a cheap tube TV again.

[retroman]

I would go with a wega also. i got a 36inch back in 02 and it still works great today. Thats what i have all my old game hooked up to.

[Icarus Moonsight]

I think my 19 & 21" VGAs are too small - what I'm running my systems through currently. I can't handle the Commodore. (That one was for Flack! LOL )

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

You seem to want the best quality, so it's about the TV type AND the cords you are using.

The best quality for your Gamecube would be an LCD and component cables. The rest should be on a CRT that has s-video input. Most late models do. You can then get S-video cords for all the systems you mentioned, except the NES and Gamecube.

The "flatscreen" CRT in the listing you posted will probably not work with light gun games. I THINK the screen needs to be curved for them to work. I seem to recall an Angry Nintendo Nerd Video where he had a flatscreen CRT TV that would not read light guns. Of course, they don't work on LCDs ethier.

[jperryss]

I recently picked up a 27" Trinitron w/original stand off of Craigslist, and it really is a great TV for classic gaming. I would've gone bigger but space was an issue.

I know this was mentioned in the other TV thread, but you can't play Duck Hunt, etc. on the HD Trinitrons (non-HD ones are OK).

EDIT: I don't think the curve of the glass has anything to do with it (my Trinitron is flat and will supposedly work fine with light guns, but I haven't tried yet). Maybe someone else can confirm though.

[tomwaits]

If you want the best possible display for retro gaming, you'd need to get a 4:3 RGB monitor. I've got both a 37" Trinitron TV and a 29" NEC XM29 monitor. I was pretty happy with s-video on the Trinitron until I started running RGB on the monitor. Major upgrade... color and clarity are like a computer screen or arcade monitor.

RGB monitors are usually about the same price as old CRT TVs on craigslist, but they're harder to find. Getting RGB output from US consoles takes some effort too, esp. for the NES & N64, but most RGB monitors also accept composite and s-video so you can use standard connections if necessary.

This thread has a list of RGB monitors if you decide to look for one:
http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19783

[imanerd0011]

Thanks for all the great replies.

The RGB monitor route seems a little too complicated for me.

I'm now definitely going to get a Sony Trinitron. I just wish I knew which the top of the line models are, and which would be the absolute best for gaming. It's kinda hard searching for this stuff online, since these T.V.'s are so damn old, and most of the information about them has most likely been taken offline at this point (I assume).

[DeputyMoniker]

Thanks for all the great replies.

The RGB monitor route seems a little too complicated for me.

I'm now definitely going to get a Sony Trinitron. I just wish I knew which the top of the line models are, and which would be the absolute best for gaming. It's kinda hard searching for this stuff online, since these T.V.'s are so damn old, and most of the information about them has most likely been taken offline at this point (I assume).

Here is a list of all of the models released in the US. It's wiki, though...so take that for what its worth. FD Trinitron is circa 1998+. With the current market for CRT TV's...there is really no reason to have to go older than that. People are practically throwing these things away.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FD_Trinitron

[Icarus Moonsight]

My 21" VGA monitor has the normal VGA plug, but it has a separate display mode that uses a 5xBNC connection. It was a workstation monitor, may be a bit old... Think it was made mid 90's. Is it possible that it is 15khz RGB? If so, I really need to get a scart to BNC adapter (buy one or have one built) and some scart cables ASAP. :o

[tomwaits]

My 21" VGA monitor has the normal VGA plug, but it has a separate display mode that uses a 5xBNC connection. It was a workstation monitor, may be a bit old... Think it was made mid 90's. Is it possible that it is 15khz RGB? If so, I really need to get a scart to BNC adapter (buy one or have one built) and some scart cables ASAP. :o

There aren't many PC monitors that will sync down to 15kHz. I know the list in the neo-geo link isn't complete, but there probably aren't very many others. You'd have to search for horizontal scan rate specs for your monitor to see if it supports 15kHz. 5 BNC inputs were common on early hi-res PC/workstation monitors so that's not a good indicator of frequency range. If it had composite or s-video inputs too, that'd be more encouraging.

Most of the RGB monitors on that list are either really old monitors that were compatible with 15kHz computers like the Amiga, or they're broadcast/presentation monitors designed for TV production or multimedia boardroom presentations.

[Icarus Moonsight]

In case anyone knows how to ID these things and would like to help;

It's an Intergraph monitor exact same as here: http://www.recycledgoods.com/products/Intergraph-21%22-SVGA-Monitor-TX-D2162W.html

In the picture thumbs, mouse over the connection panel to see the BNCs and the last image is the data-plate. Mouse over the larger image for zoom. You can actually read it. Pretty neat. It does say 50/60hz... I'm guessing that means I'm SOL? Oh well. Then I can hunt for a 40 inch Mitsubishi! LOL

Doh! 50/60 is the power rating, so nm... I should have known that. :p

[cyberfluxor]

I've played on a 32" RCA in the past and it was nice, but after 2 repairs I gave up on chucking out more money on it. Last year I picked up a 32" Trinitron from a thrift store and it's just amazing. I look at the TVs in the thrift stores and pawn shops and although some are just as nice as my RCAs nothing has matched the Trinitron. I've kept my eye out for another one since and it's been disappointing as so many people want them. The one I bought was $80 and doubt I'll get another for that price anytime soon without finding it off the streets or in a garage sale.

[Demon_Attack82]

You seem to want the best quality, so it's about the TV type AND the cords you are using.

The best quality for your Gamecube would be an LCD and component cables. The rest should be on a CRT that has s-video input. Most late models do. You can then get S-video cords for all the systems you mentioned, except the NES and Gamecube.

The "flatscreen" CRT in the listing you posted will probably not work with light gun games. I THINK the screen needs to be curved for them to work. I seem to recall an Angry Nintendo Nerd Video where he had a flat screen CRT TV that would not read light guns. Of course, they don't work on LCDs ethier.

That was the Super Scope 6 I think, my NES is hooked up to my Sanyo Flatscreen CRT and my Zapper works fine.

[Dirkfunk]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3067/3090817758_e7e406b290.jpg

Best TV ever man.

Samsung GX TV.

[imanerd0011]

I ended up getting a KV-32HS510 from a guy only 50 miles away. This was a pretty sweet deal for me, since I live in the middle of freaking no where, and I expected to have to drive at least 3 hours to find a nice set.
It even came with the original stand brand new in box!

For anyone looking to get one of these, make sure you have a friend to help move it. These things are heavy as all hell!!! I nearly killed myself carrying mine down the basement stairs with my friend.

[kgenthe]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3067/3090817758_e7e406b290.jpg

Best TV ever man.

Samsung GX TV.

I've got one, speakers are a bit flaky though, like a wire is loose. Wish the screen was bigger than 13". Been sitting in my closet for a while.

I use 19" Sanyo TV (composite) and a decent JVC speaker system (both speaker boxes have an 8" sub, midrange, and tweater). It was my primary game system 10 year ago when I lived with my folks, now it's my retro set-up.

[Nightram]

This is an interesting thread because I've always wondered if eventually it will be nearly impossible to find a great screen for retro games. I run on my parent's old RCA, and it is on its last leg. It lost its power button, so I have to haev the remote to turn it on (and got to Line In), but the volume on the remote is shot, so I have to use the buttons o9n the TV. Luckily I'm close enough to it it doesn't matter. It's huge and heavy (I think maybe 32"?), and it's good to hear there is better stuff out there.
I wonder if there will be a good enough market for tube TVs to be made for retro gamers in the future. Maybe just specialized monitors though . . .

[Archimboldi]

You seem to want the best quality, so it's about the TV type AND the cords you are using.

The best quality for your Gamecube would be an LCD and component cables.

Gotta disagree there. An LCD is only going to accentuate those jaggies and make it crystal clear just how bad some textures are. There are a couple 480p and 16:9 games, but a nice CRT is still better for anything before the current gen of systems (except Wii, of course.)


but I'm a huge hypocrite...just bought a Snes that I'm going to hook up to a 42" plasma with s-video cables. That should be interesting.

[chrd]

This thread needs a little reviving...

I've been on the 'I need the best ouput possible on a modern TV' route myself.

Obligatory link related to scalers : http://retrogaming.hazard-city.de/

I started out with a 'cheap' "Lenkeng Series of video game processors" (with PAL SCART RGB input, and one 720p/1080p toggle). I was a bit disappointed with the image quality and lag for retro games (not really nice at all for 240p). Payed about 50 euro.

Next I bought a new (rebranded "Isis Su") professional scaler which is basically a DVD Iscan VP20 (as still referenced in the documentation, worth 1700$ a few years ago) (without the special deinterlacing add-on card ABT-102, hard to find now I imagine). Payed about 100 euro (they moved FAST on ebay when they were available). Very nice results with retro consoles in general and I will certainly use this device again in the future (although there are some artifacts to be seen in some games).

But then I bought a Amiga 1081 monitor (http://www.amiga-hardware.com/showhardware.cgi?HARDID=847, comes with a handy nice PAL SCART RGB input at the back which is my preferred console output anyway ;-). Came in a lot with a nice Amiga 500 and a lot of software for 30 euro. Really brilliant great monitor for all pre-hdmi consoles (way better then the scalers imho) so it turned out! Nice and bright, extremely flicker free. All sprites are extremely detailed and alive although you must not be bothered by aperture grill. For Europeans this is surely an alternative to a Commodore 1084S (which do not always feature direct RGB scart I thinks?). It's only downside must be it's mono speakers for now.

Looks way better then my bigger 2006 (cheap) Philips CRT I also have by the way.

It is a bit small (14") so I will probably be looking out for an (extra) nice 50 Hz 4/3 Sony Trinitron or B&O Beovision...

Moral of the story: retro games look way better on CRT's (in my humble experience, I have nog tried an XRGB - but they don't come cheap). My 30 euro old amiga monitor purchase (which included a free nice retro computer) achieved better retro gaming results then 150 euro worth of scalers.

[Lady Jaye]

We own two 13-inch Sony Trinitrons for retrogaming, one from the late 80s (Eric has had that TV for the past quater century and it still works fine) and a second one from the late 90s that we bought at a flea market (works fine, but my dad will need to degauss it as the image is slightly off-frame). We use it for the Genesis, the NES and the SNES.

[BetaWolf47]

IMO, 24" or 27" is the most comfortable size for CRT TVs. Anything bigger is too ****ing big. I just got a newer 27" Panasonic Tau. It's got a black bezel, and all of the inputs an equivalent silver Trinitron has, plus frontside s-video in and headphone out. Though the picture isn't as clear, it does have a noticeably better contrast ratio and better speakers than my previous Trinitron. In fact, the speakers approach the clarity of older HDTVs.

I would've liked to try Sharp's top line (X-flat?) of CRT TVs, but I've decided that this is going to be my last CRT. I'm going to get a nice LED HDTV and an expensive upscaler when I've had enough of this thing.

[kedawa]

I'm just hoping someone creates a Kickstarter for a zero-lag OLED screen that accepts every analog signal ever used.
Even a replacement board for a mainstream display would be nice.

[redfoot12]

My sister has my parents' old 27" Sony Trinitron flat screen which she's willing to give to me. I found a 32" Sony on craigslist for $30. Decisions, decisions...

[Eternal Champion]

20" Toshiba, 2004, with composite (NES), S-video (SNES), and ColorStream (YPbPr - my modded Genesis), $20. LOVE it!! I had had everything hooked up to my 2007 Dell monitor, but this stuff looks MUCH better on a CRT. The SNES looks so good coming through a cheap s-video cable, I done with obsessing over getting it YPbPr.

[Neb6]

Yup, that's a damn good TV there. Actually any of the Trinitron and Wega TV's are supposed to be good. I was thinking of getting one myself. Somewhere between 32-36" preferably.

I've noticed that the wega around here usually goes for 100-200 bucks. I've seen one as low as 50 bucks.

I agree with the LCD. I have one myself, and honestly retro gaming does NOT look good on it, unless you feel like modding all your consoles for component and s-video which is a pain in the ass. Not to mention, it'll still look very pixelated.


Absolutely! I kept my 34" Sony Trinitron CRT around for retro gaming and they look awesome on it.

[Neb6]

Gotta disagree there. An LCD is only going to accentuate those jaggies and make it crystal clear just how bad some textures are. There are a couple 480p and 16:9 games, but a nice CRT is still better for anything before the current gen of systems (except Wii, of course.)


but I'm a huge hypocrite...just bought a Snes that I'm going to hook up to a 42" plasma with s-video cables. That should be interesting.

Plasma uses little spheres of gas instead of rectangles, so it might look pretty cool. I may have to try that with my plasma....

[wiggyx]

I still prefer DLP. No lag, lots if bang for the buck, available in HUGE sizes, flat surface, so no distortion as a result of the shape of the tube like a CRT, and often compatible with the older resolutions.

[Zing]

You must have a special DLP if you have no lag. I've tried three different models of Samsung, and even when "game mode" was enabled, lag on 480i games was big enough to ruin Guitar Hero and actually made PS1 games (240p) lagged so bad as to be unplayable.

When DLP was still viable, it was common knowledge that it had the worse input lag of any display type at the time (plasma, LCD, LCD rear projection, HD CRT). On the AVSforum and gaming forums, it was always to be avoided if you are a gamer.

[StealthLurker]

If you want the best possible display for retro gaming, you'd need to get a 4:3 RGB monitor. I've got both a 37" Trinitron TV and a 29" NEC XM29 monitor. I was pretty happy with s-video on the Trinitron until I started running RGB on the monitor. Major upgrade... color and clarity are like a computer screen or arcade monitor.

RGB monitors are usually about the same price as old CRT TVs on craigslist, but they're harder to find. Getting RGB output from US consoles takes some effort too, esp. for the NES & N64, but most RGB monitors also accept composite and s-video so you can use standard connections if necessary.

This thread has a list of RGB monitors if you decide to look for one:
http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19783


It's always a bit disappointing to me when someone makes a great post like this about video quality, then it just falls on deaf ears. If it's much too complicated I get it... ok. On the other hand, when people come back with... something like no my consumer model TV's s-video, component, etc is amazing! Well, not so much.

Problem is most people will never really, truly believe that RGB is "almost" a night and day difference. You can try to describe each aspect of why it seems better, but it truly has to be taken in as a whole to appreciate. The overall quality is a noticeably different. Like a breath of fresh mountain air vs. filtered, temperature controlled air.

Yeah s-video does look great. Much better than composite. However you haven't seen your game until you've seen it in RGB. However saying things like these never mean anything to anyone really until they have experienced it first hand.

.

[WCP]

The best possible recommendation I can make to anybody, is to find the most recently manufactured Sony PVM or BVM, in the 20 inch size, with the least amount of hours and usage on it. I'm talking of course about 4:3 monitors. Sony made plenty of 20 inch 4:3 PVM's (and BVM's), in the early 2000's. If you can find one from 2002, 2003 or 2004, with not too many hours on it, then you have yourself one of the best visual displays money can buy for retrogaming.

Trust Me...


Just make sure you get one from 2002 or newer, with low hours, and you're golden. Stick with the 20 or 19 inch size.


Many will say the Sony BVM-20F1U is the best monitor money can buy for retrogaming, and it's a 20 inch monitor. When you play the Super Nintendo or the Genesis in rgb, you won't notice the difference between a 20F1U and any other good condition PVM or BVM monitor. They all look amazing at those lower resolutions. They look amazing with PS1 and Saturn, etc, etc. You won't see any difference whatsoever, so don't get hung up on trying to find a 20F1U. Instead concentrate on getting the newest monitor you can get.

I was able to get a Sony PVM 20M2MDU with only a few months use on it. It was manufactured in 2003, and was used for maybe a month or two, and then put back in it's box, to lay dorment for almost 9 years before I got my hands on it.