I've been using an old 27" Sony TV that only had a cable (coaxial?) input in the back. No composite cables, no S-Video, no nothing. I had to kick the TV once in a while to get it to work, too. I had my Dreamcast hooked directly to the back, with another cable going off the Dreamcast cable to the multi-box that split up all my other systems. Saturn, PSX, N64/SNES, and VCR all snaking out everywhichaway. Picture quality on everything but the Dreamcast was total ass, with snow and lines everywhere. Every time I wanted to play NES or TG-16 I had to pull my TV out and dig through a wall of wire to half-ass connect the system for more snowy gaming sessions.
This weekend I bought a 24" flat-tube (not flat screen) TV with a bunch of composite cable hook-ups in the back and one in the front, plus S-video and that special DVD colorstream mode. I would have gone bigger with the TV, but my space is limited. I also bought the cheapest "home theater" system they had, which is basically a DVD player with 6 small speakers and a subwoofer.
WHAT A DIFFERANCE
The new picture and better hook-ups make a WORLD of differance! The picture quality is so much better. The surround-sound is awesome, too... even for the $99 I paid for it. Missile whizz from my back right across the room and to my left. The composite connection in the front is the best of all... I can leave my Dreamcast in all the time (connected through the back) and plug the console of the day into the front.
This kind of set-up may be old news for a lot of you out there, but for someone like me who has been playing on a shite TV for so many years with so much video interferance, this is INCREDIBLE. Even N64 games look good! My neighbors must hate me now.
Best $430 I've spent in a long time.
Cheers
Fish Sandwich