I Made the Switch from CRT to LCD

[Keatah]

The way forward for classic gaming on modern displays is to synthesize the image at the display's native resolution in real time.

 

How? Run your "Game Program" on modern hardware through Software Emulation or FPGA. Classic hardware simply does not play well with modern LCD sets. Sure some console+TV combinations might work. Some converter boxes or console mods help too. But it's all half-assed.

 

And don't forget Game Mode. That's right, Game Mode and Digital Input provide you with the lowest lag in a modern set

 

Sidenote: Modern gaming is a good sized market that modern TV manufacturers don't ignore.

[+poobah]

Big fan of LCD/LED technology, Almost every video output device in the house is one.

However, I still have a ginormous 37" Sony Trinitron in the basement for the Jaguar and older consoles, plus a few CRTs for old computers. (ST monitors, Mac monitors and a really old SGI trinitron).

 

A LCD is superior in pretty much every way, but for old hardware, you really need the output device it was designed for.

The only reason to have the old hardware is to experience it exactly as it was, otherwise you don't need the old hardware and should go the emulation/FPGA route.

[CatPix]

I want to disagree here.

Emulation doesn't provide you first the variety and feel of the controllers. While it's not so important for 16 bits consoles and later, it's quite more important on older systems.

An USB gamepad can't provide you the feeling of a Bally Astrocade controller.

No joystick can emulate a paddle controller.

 

And glitchs can't be emulated either

 

Plus, there is so many variables in displaying that I think it's less important that what you seems to suggest.

The Sega Master system, Super Nintendo and Megadrive are natively outputting RGB.

Aside from the color and contrast difference between CRT and LCD, the visual rendition (AKA the MS Paint look derided by some) is the same exact one on a LCD and CRT.

And any RGB modded system will do that.

So is that so important at this point to claim that you have no choice but to use a CRT when you have the best video connection available that give the same visual result on both technologies?

 

And I know both. I have 6 CRT TV, the oldest from 1977 and the newest from 2002, and I got 3 LCD TV (one fried, the second I left it to my family so I got a third one).

[Omega-TI]

This thread has been interesting...

...but in the end it's mostly OPINION, and like posteriors, we all have one.

 

Granted there can be many things that influence us like, picture quality, space requirements, availability, price, etc. Whatever you chose for your setup... as long as you are happy, you made the right decision for you.

[Osgeld]

that's not how it works

[+-^CrossBow^-]

I have everything switched over to LCD/LED in my house as well and I really don't miss the CRTs at all. There are two consoles that I still have that would benefit most from a CRT still and that is my Intellivisions as none of them are AV modded yet, and my 7800 (it is LHE AV modded). However, the one annoying thing about the TV I use in the gameroom is that if you use HDMI you can't change the aspect at all. The TV locks in at 16:9. Since everything I have ends up going to HDMI this is a tad bothersome with the classic consoles since they are still stretched out. But I have gotten used to it and perhaps someday I will upgrade the TV with a newer model that does allow 4:3 aspect on HDMI, but in the meantime I love the space savings and in my aging eyes, improved clarity of the overall picture.

[82-T/A]

Well, I believe I'm going to retire the trusty 13" CRT and game only on an LCD HDTV from now on. Desk real estate was getting too precious, so I took a chance on a 22" Samsung HDTV that I could use as my primary computer monitor AND retro gaming monitor.

 

As a computer monitor, it's really good, but only after I learned how to get it to recognize the HDMI input as coming from a computer and not a TV (the text went from crappy to crisp).

 

As a gaming monitor, it's good enough. I have tested it with my Colecovision with composite output (thanks, Yurkie), and there is no lag. No lag either from the RF input with my 800XL. I haven't tested any other systems yet, but I don't see why there would be a problem. My PS2 will use the component input. No light gun games, but I still have a 35" Sony Trinitron upstairs.

 

I'll always prefer a CRT for gaming, but I'm liking the uncluttered desk a lot. Anyone else make the switch? Regrets?

 

 

Awesome to see a Coleco Vision in action! I gave mine away years ago... and it's one of the systems I actually kind of regretted getting rid of. It was such a great system back in the day. Like the Atari 2600, but just cleaner, better built, and better graphics.

[+boxpressed]

Awesome to see a Coleco Vision in action! I gave mine away years ago... and it's one of the systems I actually kind of regretted getting rid of. It was such a great system back in the day. Like the Atari 2600, but just cleaner, better built, and better graphics.

 

Fun to see this old thread necrobumped. I'd forgotten how it had derailed after the first couple of pages. What's a little embarrassing is that I haven't fired up the ColecoVision in a while. Same goes for other retro consoles, as my attentions have turned to building and collecting for retro PCs. I'm sure that I will return to consoles before too long.

 

Almost four years later, that Samsung is largely unused in an upstairs bedroom. Same goes for the Toshiba 14" CRT. I went back to my Dell IPS monitor because I like 1600x1200 resolution. My retro consoles are now hooked up to my Sony PVM, which I found about a year and a half ago.

 

If I could give my 2012 self some advice, I would say not to seek out any CRT except a Sony PVM. It's special enough to make room for.

[7800fan]

I still have a couple CRT. A tiny 9" color CRT with AV input next to my soldering station for testing game mods, and a larger 13" Commodore everything-but-HDMI support for my C64 and my RGB modded Duo-R. I do want a better monitor for RGB that still have composite and S-Video but PVM costs an arm and a leg and Wega TV is usually large and heavy.