Best LCD's / Plasma's For Retro gaming

[bombidragon]

We need a list of what new tv's work best with retro consoles and computers. I am looking at buying my first LCD tv and have alot of concerns with composite, RF, S-video, and YPbPr quality. I Really don't care how well the HDMI works or other stuff

[the.golden.ax]

Honestly the lower the resolution the better the results. With classics on flat panel sets older 480 or 720 look better than 1080. The less it has to upscale the better in my experience. I'm a projector guy myself so I recommend the older s-video epsons. I can't speak to TVs specifically.

[+Cafeman]

Anecdote time if its of any informational value:

 

I have to use an intermediate VCR for my RF systems on my Panasonic 42" Plasma. Hooking up an Atari via RF directly produces very poor results. The VCR in-between works great though - clear picture! My TV does not have an S-video port, or a VGA port. I wish it did. So I have to use composite for Dreamcast, Genesis, Saturn, etc. It works and you get used to how it looks, but it bugs me how I can't get the best connection as I used to hook up S-video on several systems to my old 27" CRT. I think the cheaper and lower-rez sets are the ones I've see S-video / VGA still supported (sets with only 720P, not 1080P). You have to shop around.

 

I'm not too familiar with the 'video lag' problem I've read about with videogames on some sets, since I don't get any lag on my Plasma. But I remember hooking up my Genesis to our Toshiba 46" LED a few years back, and there was a lag between pressing the d-pad and what you'd see on-screen - but we put the TV setting on GAME video mode and it fixed that. Never had this issue with Wii via Component on this set - it seemed to have a problem with older game systems using composite cables.

[Atariboy]

We need a list of what new tv's work best with retro consoles and computers. I am looking at buying my first LCD tv and have alot of concerns with composite, RF, S-video, and YPbPr quality. I Really don't care how well the HDMI works or other stuff

 

If you don't care about its HD capabilities, why not spend a lot less and get a nice used Trinitron or something similar for your classic consoles and computers?

Edited December 5, 2012 by Atariboy

[bombidragon]

If you don't care about its HD capabilities, why not spend a lot less and get a nice used Trinitron or something similar for your classic consoles and computers?

 

 

I have had 2 trinitron's, the best tv's and monitors in my opinion. Both broke, so its about time for a upgrade.

[Atariboy]

That's my point though... it isn't going to be an upgrade for the uses you've stated you're going to use it for. It's just a downgrade.

 

My advice if you want to hear it is to visit Craigslist and look for a deal on a late model Trinitron. They're easy to get all the way from free to $50 or so since people that want to view HD material are getting rid of televisions that are in full operating order that they just spent thousands to acquire just a few years ago in favor of new HDTV's.

 

Unless you primarily want to view HD material on it, I think there are better avenues to go in for far lower prices. The only real annoyance with my suggestion is the weight of these sets and if you just don't feel like messing with a heavy and bulky CRT, I suppose that's a good reason to downgrade to something like a LCD HDTV.

 

If you do go this direction, I'd reconsider purchasing a plasma. It's not a problem if you're only ever going to be playing 4:3 content on it from classic consoles, but the pillarboxing to maintain the correct aspect ratio will lead to image retention and eventually become permanent. So that will be an annoyance for you if you do occasionally want to utilize widescreen material of some sort on it.

 

If someone does a lot of 4:3 gaming, 4:3 television viewing, or watches Academy Ratio movies that were 4:3, the resulting pillarboxing can lead to issues on even new plasma televisions if you don't regularly mix it up with some full screen 16:9 viewing.

Edited December 6, 2012 by Atariboy

[bombidragon]

I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet. The problem is that our tube tv's won't last forever

[Cobra Kai]

I wouldn't waste time with an LCD or Plasma at this point. LED is the best you can get so that's what I'm gunning for when I upgrade from my RPHDTV eventually. The biggest problem with LCD and Plasma is the black levels. I don't have experience with LED yet, but LED is always better in other arenas.

Edited December 6, 2012 by Nuclear Pacman

[bombidragon]

I wouldn't waste time with an LCD or Plasma at this point. LED is the best you can get so that's what I'm gunning for when I upgrade from my RPHDTV eventually. The biggest problem with LCD and Plasma is the black levels. I don't have experience with LED yet, but LED is always better in other arenas.

 

FYI the "LED" tv's that they sell right now are LED back-lit LCD's, not LED tv's

[Atariboy]

I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet. The problem is that our tube tv's won't last forever

 

Neither will the HDTV you're leaning towards.

 

I could see not spending hundreds of dollars and investing a lot of effort in acquiring a quality late model CRT. It will be used and several years old already and there's no guarantee how much life is left in it.

 

But they're extremely cheap and very plentiful. Why detract from your retro gaming now while spending much more than you'd need to?

[cimerians]

I still use a small flatscreen Toshiba tube TV for Atari 2600 and C64 but if I could I would hook up everything to my LCD, it's just that I don't have the room.

 

On my LCD I have a Monoprice VGA to HMDI converter and another S-Video to VGA converter box for my PS1 and Dreamcast systems and I have to say with the right converter boxes and a solid LCD (with black correction and detail sharpeners et) the picture is pretty darn good when compared to the tube side by side. (Which I did of course).

 

In my case I just want everything on one TV and I seem to have found converter boxes that do a very good job.

[Schizophretard]

The only real annoyance with my suggestion is the weight of these sets and if you just don't feel like messing with a heavy and bulky CRT, I suppose that's a good reason to downgrade to something like a LCD HDTV.

 

Burglars also find it an annoyance.

[darthkur]

Just get the best of both worlds......one of each. Like Atariboy mentioned, crt's are a dime a dozen now. Hell, stock up on them if you can. Sadly, space is always a concern for that type of hording. I'd have to put such spares in my nasty, damp basement in which they just get ruined. I had a really nice one with a old style monitor input but had to get rid of it since it was always getting covered in mold.

Anyway at least get one good crt to use your classic systems on and then worry about a HDTV.