TV for old games

[A.B]

Hello,
I am looking for a TV for older consoles (nes, snes, n64, gamecube, wii?).

Would the Sony kv-29ls30e be good for this?
Any other suggestions?

Thanks.

[jammajup]

Possibly or any other older tv with a CRT tube.

[wiggyx]

Generally speaking, Sony is the way to go. But, if that's a late model digital CRT, then expect to have issues with light gun games.

Saying that ANY CRT is good for old school games isn't terribly helpful. There are good and bad, the same as with modern boxes.

[Jack_Burton_BYOAC]

The late-model Sony's are mostly good. However, I think the styling on them is poor. Most people in this forum will direct you toward professional video monitors such as the newer models of the Sony PVM series. You can't go wrong with one of those.

However, there's something to be said for a number of older monitors. The more curved screen, the push towards yellow rather than red, the more primitive speakers all add up. I use a JVC TM-13U like this one:



The image on it is fantastic, probably the best composite video image I've ever seen. There are older RGB enabled monitors as well, like this earlier PVM:



IMO, these older PVM's have a more pleasing image from a retro player perspective.

[wiggyx]

You're stuck with tiny boxes though I you go that route

[Jack_Burton_BYOAC]

You're stuck with tiny boxes though I you go that route

Plenty of big vintage monitors around. I posted the RCA Dimensia in the fantasy TV thread, but it bears mentioning here:



Good luck finding one. Personally, I don't care for classic gaming on anything over a 27" screen.

[alec006]

Just as everyone has said, the older ones people go after, however I looked up that particular model. If it's the European model that's PAL/SECAM, it should have a SCART RGB port that would be great for retro gaming. Your SNES would be stunning on it since RGB is the best video signal you can get for retro consoles.

NES has composite so you can hook it up to either the side port or an adapter to the second bottom SCART port.

The N64 has S-Video out so you can use either the side S-Video port or the second SCART port with an adapter or SCART cable.

The N64 can do RGB with a mod if you desire, but S-Video is the easiest route to take and does yield a pretty sharp picture on a CRT.

If it's the PAL GameCube and/or Wii, they have RGB out which will yield the best picture for those connecting them to the top first SCART port, of course they also have S-Video and composite as well so you can hook them up to the side port or second SCART port with an adapter or SCART cable.

Your SNES is the one that's going to benefit the most if you have an RGB SCART cable for it. If you don't you can always hook it up to S-Video or composite as well.

[Jack_Burton_BYOAC]

Actually, the early Dimensia models in the US had SCART inputs on the back. That's why it's more sought-after than comparable 80s tv's.

Whether or not that SCART socket on the US version will allow you to display video in 60hz is a question I'd like to know the answer to.

Of course, we don't know the region of the OP. If he's got access to SCART enabled tv's and systems he's going to have a plethora of choices.

[Atarileaf]

Its not a tv but a Commodore 1702 monitor makes for a great gaming monitor.

[WCP]

You want a Sony BVM-20F1U








Here's the thing though... It's all about how much usage it's seen. Try to get one from 2002, 2003, 2004 or newer if possible. Try to get one with the fewest hours on it as possible. There are lots of other Sony BVM and PVM monitors that are just as good, but the BVM-20F1U is known to be one of the finest monitors Sony has ever made.

[wiggyx]

Man those fuckers are pricey!

I'll have to keep an eye out for a reasonable one.

[WCP]

Man those fuckers are pricey!

I'll have to keep an eye out for a reasonable one.

Are you talking about the BVM-20F1U's ?


Yeah, well they originally retailed for about $13,000.00 . A buddy of mine found one in excellent condition. It was from 2003, and only had about 18K hours on it. He got it for $250. I happen to have a Sony PVM 20M2MDU, which looks like this:







While it might not be quite as good as 20F1U overall, the thing is, when you are playing SNES games or Genesis games or what have you, at those resolutions, it will look pretty much identical to a 20F1U in picture quality. I can put mine, side by side with his, and they will look basically identical playing a SNES game. They key factor, is age and use. How old is it, how many hours has it been used. If you can find one from 2002, 2003, 2004, etc, etc, with low hours, and everything looks good on it, then it should work out wonderfully. Don't just buy the first one you see on Ebay that seems to be at a relatively dececnt price, because I've seen them show up on Ebay for relatively cheap, but some of them have crazy hours on them, and are from 1996 or 1997. You want to try to get the most recent, and unused one you can find.

[Tanooki]

No picture needed and obviously not as crisp in visuals as a 2000~ era Sony trinitron, but for me nothing beats my NES Sharp TV. I have it with a daisy chain of 2 on the back of RF connectors on it allowing me to use it for NES, Master System, and the N64(which like other 1st gen 3D systems don't work right on LCD tvs.) Sure it's not super sharp, but it's still clean and clear, solid great quality screen for 1990, mono sound though and uniquely toned color to it that really brings out the games much like how they looked in magazines in the day. Most the time when I mess with the NES I just pull out the black controller and use that system, but for somewhat bitchy unlicensed games or if I have the TV on already I'll use my rca/stereo modded top loader. I could fix that whole lockout chip issue, but given the scarcity of those tvs in general I don't feel right pin snipping that chip on the circuit board.

[hamburglar]

The late-model Sony's are mostly good. However, I think the styling on them is poor. Most people in this forum will direct you toward professional video monitors such as the newer models of the Sony PVM series. You can't go wrong with one of those.

However, there's something to be said for a number of older monitors. The more curved screen, the push towards yellow rather than red, the more primitive speakers all add up. I use a JVC TM-13U like this one:



The image on it is fantastic, probably the best composite video image I've ever seen. There are older RGB enabled monitors as well, like this earlier PVM:



IMO, these older PVM's have a more pleasing image from a retro player perspective.

That JVC monitor is the same as the commodore 1702, I know on mine the insides are branded JVC.

That monitor makes the NES look so great, I'm guessing due to the fact that it was made for displaying old computer graphics, the rear also has S-video although it is in the form of 2 RCA jacks, the S-video picture on it is amazing as well. Sega genesis through S-video looks amazing on these monitors as well.

[Tron 2.0]

Its not a tv but a Commodore 1702 monitor makes for a great gaming monitor.

Agreed i have one as well it's composite gives a good picture better then what a tv has.

[101011]

That JVC monitor is sweet.

I didn't know they branded one as such.

No front A/V input. Does it have one on the back?

Commodore 1701/2's are the best. -Though mono.

Even better with an easily made Luma/Chroma to S-Video adaptor.

[Tron 2.0]

.
Even better with an easily made Luma/Chroma to S-Video adaptor.

I thought the C64 1702 monitor needed a mod for s-video ?

[101011]

I made an adaptor that plugs in-line. S-Video to Luma/Chroma. It would be better hard-wired on the back of the monitor however.

S-Video Pins 1 & 3 are Luma Ground & Centre - 2 & 4 are Chroma Ground & Centre

[Jack_Burton_BYOAC]

Sadly, the JVC-branded version has only the composite video input on the back. However, the difference is astonishing comparing the video on an old typical 90s Panasonic over composite vs the JVC. It just blows it away. S-video on the 1702 should be an even more marked improvement.

Technically, S-video should have enough bandwidth to transmit a nearly flawless low-res image. It's only when concessions are made to budgets or build quality that poor encoders/decoders introduce artifacts, color bleed, blurriness, etc. It doesn't help that most consumer video displays boost contrast levels on composite/s-video, have un-removable sharpening filters, or push a particular color.

When I did direct comparisions between my computer outputting RGB 240p and my PS1/Gamecube in S-video outputting the same game in 240p (both have very good encoders) the difference was much smaller on a professional monitor.