My old CRT seems to be slowly dying - best option for replacement?

[shadowman]

So it looks as though my CRT TV is finally starting to show some signs of dying, and I've started thinking what the best way of replacing it would be for all the retro consoles that I own. Getting another CRT might prove to be more difficult than last time I had to replace it, so I was wondering what would be the best choice for an upscaler or similar? It would be nice to have the consoles all working through my current TV, but only if I can get a decent picture and have no (or no noticeable) input lag.

As its a field I'm not very well versed in, I'd like some advice - what's the best upscaler out there that'd let me play my consoles (mainly Famicom, Mega Drive, Saturn, N64, Neo Geo, Playstation 1, 2) on my HDTV. Also, not sure if this would be an issue - but as I'm in PAL land, would that cause any issues? I've got most consoles modded in some way to output in 60Hz though, its only really the PS2 that'd be an issue in that regard.

[gbpxl]

The Framemeister XRGB Mini will work with all those consoles. Its gonna be laggier than a CRT but not noticeable

[jb143]

I see CRTs for free all the time on craigslist. Nicer models too, not just Walmart specials.

[shadowman]

The Framemeister XRGB Mini will work with all those consoles. Its gonna be laggier than a CRT but not noticeable

That certainly looks like the best option for me. It'd clear some space from where my old TV was and seems like the better way when it comes to future proofing my retro games. A little input lag is ok, I've played all of Capcom's retro collections on Switch, most of which have input lag complaints and I can't notice them at all outside of the first MM collection. So as long as any input lag isn't that bad, I don't think I'll notice it at all.

[shadowman]

Sorry to double post - just have a couple more questions. Looking into the XRGB mini some more has pointed me toward the OSSC as well. And I'm a bit confused over which would be better with my setup. OSSC is cheaper, sounds like it might have better PS2 support? and no lag though it sounds like it has TV compatibility issues. So I'm now wondering which of the two would be better. While most of the games I'd be playing would be older systems, I do have quite a few (PAL) PS2 games I'd want to play as well. So before making a decision I'm just wondering which will support everything the best/

[gbpxl]

Sorry to double post - just have a couple more questions. Looking into the XRGB mini some more has pointed me toward the OSSC as well. And I'm a bit confused over which would be better with my setup. OSSC is cheaper, sounds like it might have better PS2 support? and no lag though it sounds like it has TV compatibility issues. So I'm now wondering which of the two would be better. While most of the games I'd be playing would be older systems, I do have quite a few (PAL) PS2 games I'd want to play as well. So before making a decision I'm just wondering which will support everything the best/
I know nothing about the OSSC but I cant recommend the XRGB enough. The only thing is, I wish it had an input for RF. But if you dont care about that then youre good.

Id get a switcher too. Its annoying changing cables all the time

[Greg2600]

The Framemeister is pretty expensive and they stopped producing them. OSSC devices are open source, so many sellers make them.

[Gameguy]

If it's a really good TV I would see about getting it repaired, usually TVs start to go with capacitors failing. Usually the power supply gets affected first. It's usually not the tube that gets worn out first unless the TV is heavily used or not that good quality to start with. At this point skilled hobbyists are more capable of repairing them then actual repair shops.

Eventually all CRTs will need repair or they'll all be dead and replaced so I feel high quality ones are worth repairing, same with high quality VCRs. I still like lightgun games so I won't just get rid of CRTs entirely.

[ncman071]

my only issue with going strictly hd is just the fact that you cant play the lightgun games...i still have my super scope 6 on snes and the zapper on nes...and every once in a while i still enjoy playing those games

[gbpxl]

my only issue with going strictly hd is just the fact that you cant play the lightgun games...i still have my super scope 6 on snes and the zapper on nes...and every once in a while i still enjoy playing those games

CRTs also have the lowest (zero?) amount of lag, the picture fills the entire screen, and gives you the truest experience to what the game developers originally intended