Retro topic: CRTs

SubCog

SubCog

Radeon 8500 64mb
I've been looking at https://twitter.com/CRTpixels , lots of amazing comparison examples there.

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Alot of CRT enthusiasts say that modern flatscreens will never be able to capture the look of a CRT. I actually disagree with this. The fact that you can take a photo of a CRT and display that on an LCD proves that the LCD is capable of properly representing the image... it's just a matter of getting the proper signal to the screen. Of course the examples above are zoomed way in, but that's fine since LCD tvs are so much higher resolution anyway. A 4k tv actually has plenty of pixels to represent CRT content with alot of nuanced details, including the scanlines.

I expect that in the future we'll have zero-lag 4k-8k gaming scalers that use AI to smooth out this kind of content in a variety of ways, including very convincing CRT filters. Using something like that on a good OLED screen will basically be indistinguishable. I certainly hope so, as CRTs are going to die off eventually.

btw, I'm currently rocking 14 CRTs in my house, if you include 2 vintage Macs and my Vectrex. I'm doing my best to preserve them... as well as occasionally rescuing more off the sidewalk in my neighborhood.
 
For me the pixel art of these old games were obviously designed with CRT technology in mind. So whenever I play them on an HD monitor, although cleaner looking they never look quite right to me.

I love playing NES games on my Hi-def modded NES top loader but I can't play them without the scanlines filter, and even still it does not perfectly match that original look of playing on CRT. Pixel art on CRT seems to give the appearance of more depth while HD monitors make the sprites look flatter, or at least that's the best I can explain it. So of course I still keep a 27" Sony Trinitron with another NES hooked up for when I just have to play the original intended way.
 
Seems like we simply need to add a black bar of pixels between each bar of content.


We may need to do some interpolation or between different frames too. Problem solved!


EDIT: I suspect if we could get a 27" 4K CRT, it would look more like an LCD than people would want to believe. Said CRT would also require such emulation too.
 
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metroidfox said:
Seems like we simply need to add a black bar of pixels between each bar of content.


We may need to do some interpolation or between different frames too. Problem solved!


EDIT: I suspect if we could get a 27" 4K CRT, it would look more like an LCD than people would want to believe. Said CRT would also require such emulation too.
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Well it's more than just adding scanlines, although the scanlines make a big difference. There's also the per-pixel bloom, and the ways that certain colors interact with each other to blend into additional colors and shades. I've seen some pretty compelling HLSL CRT shaders for MAME, but they take a higher-end PC to run... not just a raspberry pi, for example.

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Although raspberry pi can do some good stuff too, such as shown here: https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Shaders-and-Smoothing/

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Still love me some CRTs....

For Retroarch CRT shaders, I like smuberstep-glow.glslp for added CRT "texture" and crt-royale.glsp is nice if you want a more extreme CRT experience.

Slightly tangentially, the other day I watched a video review of the Super NT and the guy went on about how the raw pixel look was the only way to authentically play retro games, neglecting the fact that they were designed for 240p CRT play. IMO, they just don't look right on a modern flat panel without scanlines at the minimum.
 
Other than the hulking size/weight I really do miss my Sony Trinitron Wega 1080i CRT tv...it had absolutely stellar picture quality and was great for older games/systems and still fantastic for HD content. People were always amazed when we would watch HD movies on it
 
yup I feel like ass now for getting rid of mine :( There's a plasma in its place, but still....
 
Here are my two Trinitrons:

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20 years old this November!
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The remote I found at a thrift store. Not sure if its the one that comes with this TV but it works.
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I also have a 13" that I use for quickly testing new retro consoles during cleaning/repair:
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They both still work perfectly, not sure how long they will live. Maybe longer than me? :sherlock:
 
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1st gen iPhone SE doesn't take the greatest pictures so I do apologize.

I like the natural colors and glossy screens are just sexy. Hard to get a glossy anymore. Super wide viewing angles and and smooth response time. Why not have one for free. They show up all over craigslist. I just passed on a 36inch Trinitron because I couldn't get someone to help me lift that monstrosity.
 
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I kinda wish I had kept my 30 something inch Toshiba CRT HDTV. Would have been a killer screen for both retro and other stuff.... then I remember it was over 100 pounds -_-
 
Trunks0 said:
I kinda wish I had kept my 30 something inch Toshiba CRT HDTV. Would have been a killer screen for both retro and other stuff.... then I remember it was over 100 pounds -_-
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I used to lug my lovely 21" (22?) CRT (Gateway brand iirc, but it was a beauty) to lan parties back at university. Would toss my keyboard & mouse inside my Supermicro 750A chassis for the trip. :o
 
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Silent-Runner said:
i wouldn't, well, not without a forklift :bleh:
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A friend of mine had one of those. 60" plasma flatscreen by Panasonic. Being new tech at the time i think it cost like 15,000 bucks (she was rich)

We had 4 people carry the thing and 2 extras kind of as balance guides/extra carry hands on the sides.

And we had to go up a flight of stairs....

Totally gassed out afterwards.
 
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