What type of TV do you use for classic consoles?

[CatPix]

Yes. Tho the guy who made it use a safety transformer (I don't know the technical term in English) and he also removed as much as possible any grounding point from the chassis; tho as he's unsure if they were all removed he use that specific transformer anyway.

 

Also, I think this model use a multivoltage transformer (110/130/220/240V), so the chassis should not be used for carrying current, but you're never sure. Some radios and TV from the era are "safe" other are not.

 

But you're right to mention this point, especially for US people that might just plug one of those right on the mains.

[MaximRecoil]

Yes. Tho the guy who made it use a safety transformer (I don't know the technical term in English) and he also removed as much as possible any grounding point from the chassis; tho as he's unsure if they were all removed he use that specific transformer anyway.

 

Also, I think this model use a multivoltage transformer (110/130/220/240V), so the chassis should not be used for carrying current, but you're never sure. Some radios and TV from the era are "safe" other are not.

 

But you're right to mention this point, especially for US people that might just plug one of those right on the mains.

You simply use an isolation transformer with any "hot chassis" TV or monitor. All classic arcade monitors like you'd find in Pac-Man, Defender, Missile Command, etc. (e.g., Electrohome G07, Wells Gardner K4600, K4900, K7000) had a hot chassis, and an isolation transformer was installed on the inside floor of the cabinet. Here is a diagram, and here is a picture. Newer CRT arcade monitors, such as the Happ Vision Pro don't require an isolation transformer; you can plug them directly into the wall. However, if your cabinet already has an isolation transformer wired in, it doesn't hurt anything to use it with a newer monitor.

Edited December 29, 2013 by MaximRecoil

[genesisguy]

So do you guys think in our lifetimes we'll run into a period where all the CRT's are pretty much dead? Will refurbishing 80,90s, and early 2000s CRTs be a lucrative enough thing for someone to do to keep our retro consoles paired with CRT TVs? Or will we have other means? maybe HD TVs will work better than they do now with the older consoles?

 

I guess on the other hand our retro consoles could be dead in that time as well. Although keeping a Sega Genesis running for the next 50 years seems a bit more simple than the technology used to keep my late 90s CRT working.

[jmetal88]

I currently use a 32-inch 'rounded-front' Toshiba CRT in the living room and a 24-inch 'flat-front' Toshiba CRT in my bedroom. I do wish I had better TVs, though. The colors are decidedly nonuniform on the living room TV (even with degaussing), and the geometry is a bit off on the bedroom TV. I had to buy both of them used. I like both of them better than the Sony WEGA CRT I was using before, though. Not necessarily because of the picture quality, but because the Sony was so much more awkward to move around than the Toshibas. I ended up giving the Sony away, and unfortunately, the person I gave it to just threw it out after a while.

[Rhomaios]

I'm iffy about voting in this poll only because up until August, I (who am 27) was using a Sony Trinitron Wega KV-27FS100L. But since I moved, I had to sell it and only use a Samsung LCD (16:9). I do want to again find another CRT, but for now, I make do with what I have.

[Albert]

So do you guys think in our lifetimes we'll run into a period where all the CRT's are pretty much dead? Will refurbishing 80,90s, and early 2000s CRTs be a lucrative enough thing for someone to do to keep our retro consoles paired with CRT TVs? Or will we have other means? maybe HD TVs will work better than they do now with the older consoles?

 

I guess on the other hand our retro consoles could be dead in that time as well. Although keeping a Sega Genesis running for the next 50 years seems a bit more simple than the technology used to keep my late 90s CRT working.

 

CRTs are already effectively dead since they are no longer being manufactured. I can imagine they are being thrown away in HUGE numbers right now. I know this is already a big problem for arcade machines, because you basically need to rob from another machine if you need to replace a CRT in a cabinet. I guess you'll be able to find used CRT televisions for a long time (after all, how many millions of color televisions have been produced over the past 30 years?), but they will certainly become harder to find over time.

 

Only a small segment of the population has any reason to feel CRT sets serve any benefit over newer flat panel televisions. Perhaps as 4K televisions take hold, someone will build a box that allows you to plug in old consoles and simulate a CRT set, while outputting a high-quality HDMI signal to the flat-panel TV.

 

..Al

[+remowilliams]

[...]someone will build a box that allows you to plug in old consoles and simulate a CRT set, while outputting a high-quality HDMI signal to the flat-panel TV.

 

..Al

 

We already have that...

 

 

I use modern flat panels (LED LCD or plasma) with the XRGB-mini. It was the device that after searching for many years finally allowed me to pack away the CRTs. It's not cheap but it's the best, bar none and will eliminate most people's needs for CRTs.

 

http://retrogaming.hazard-city.de/framemeister.html

[Albert]

Whoops, I missed that post. That is damn cool, I need one. Have you tried it with a composite or s-video modified Atari 2600?

 

..Al

[+remowilliams]

Whoops, I missed that post. That is damn cool, I need one. Have you tried it with a composite or s-video modified Atari 2600?

 

..Al

 

 

Yes I've tried it with RF, composite and s-video on the 2600/7800 and it works amazingly well. I've not run every single game, but the only one I can remember offhand that caused issues was Pleiades. But I've had CRTs that won't even show that properly...

 

I've thrown every older system in the collection at it, and the XRGB mini is so amazingly good it really is like magic. I'm a real picky bastard about video quality and I went through a whole boatload of devices over the years, none of which came even remotely close to XRGB mini. I don't even have a single CRT hooked up anymore...

[godslabrat]

I've thrown every older system in the collection at it, and the XRGB mini is so amazingly good it really is like magic. I'm a real picky bastard about video quality and I went through a whole boatload of devices over the years, none of which came even remotely close to XRGB mini. I don't even have a single CRT hooked up anymore...

 

I'm really, really tempted to slap one of these on my 6:1 composite switch and do away with analog connections to the TV entirely.

[MaximRecoil]

Only a small segment of the population has any reason to feel CRT sets serve any benefit over newer flat panel televisions. Perhaps as 4K televisions take hold, someone will build a box that allows you to plug in old consoles and simulate a CRT set, while outputting a high-quality HDMI signal to the flat-panel TV.

It will take a lot more than 4K resolution. When no one can tell the difference between looking out the window at reality and watching TV, then they will be able to properly simulate a CRT, provided they also have the processing power to transform the video game hardware's video signal into an indistinguishable-from-reality CRT illusion in real-time. What you see when viewing a CRT is very complex, there is far more to it than "scan lines". You couldn't display a 4K image of e.g. wood, marble, or steel on a 4K TV and convince anyone they were really looking at a screen made of wood, marble, or steel, nor could you convince anyone they were seeing a CRT.

[Wickeycolumbus]

I use a Commodore 1702 monitor. Never owned a flat screen.

[SiLic0ne t0aD]

I've been using a 36" Toshiba crt TV for all my gaming, etc. Works great, nice big picture.. Especially with my av modded ColecoVision. I am getting a new flat-screen hd TV very soon though, it will be interesting to see how everything looks at that when I get it. Cheers

Edited December 30, 2013 by SiLic0ne t0aD85

[gamecat80]

I guess I'm one of the few who prefers LCD/LED TVs. The picture is quite good on my cheap 18.5" Insignia LED TV with any retro system hooked up to it Much better than the old 15" Magnavox CRT. My friend even commented on how much better the newer LED TV looked when we were playing video games on it. And once the big Sanyo flatscreen CRT craps out in the other room, it will be replaced with an LCD or LED TV. CRTs are old, very heavy, more fragile and only a matter of time before they crap out. Seems kinda silly to me to look for a used CRT to play games on when there are plenty of good, cheap LCD and LED TVs out now. Fiddle with all the "settings" (sharpness, color, tint, backlight, etc, etc) and you will get a very good picture from the LCD/LED.

[jmetal88]

I actually think I would prefer gaming on an LCD these days, but a new TV just hasn't been a priority for me. And a little voice in the back of my mind keeps saying, "Mike! You still have a few light gun games! Those won't work on an HD set!" And then there's the fact that my cable subscription is analog and all that, and I've never seen analog RF looking that good on an HDTV (although admittedly, I've never had a set to mess around with the settings on in that regard).

 

But I have been thinking about replacing my computer monitor with an HDTV since it's starting to go out. Would definitely have to be a 1080P model to work as a monitor for me, though. If I go that route, it might help ease me into giving up my CRT sets eventually. I'll hang on to my Sony PVM, though, at all costs (even if it is only a 13" screen).

[MaximRecoil]

CRTs are old, very heavy, more fragile and only a matter of time before they crap out.

Are you talking about a CRT or an Atari 5200? "Old" seems like an odd thing for an AtariAge member to be concerned about. Aren't your consoles and games "old" as well?

 

By the way, "more fagile"? You have that claim backwards. CRT displays can last for decades of regular use, and they are also usually easy and cheap to repair. And you can't break a CRT with a Wiimote, I can promise you that:

 

 

The [CRT screen] glass is about 3/4" thick. During the manufacture of the tube various tests are done to insure it meats UL requirements. These tests are not done on evert tube, just a sampling.

 

- first off the tube is positioned in a jig so that it is upright, it has a 7 Joule impact test. what this meams is a solid metal object shaped like a bulllet weighing 7 pounds is suspended on a rope like a pendulum, pulled back in a 7 foot arc and then let go so that it hits the center of the tube.... it cannot break or it fails.

- next the glass is frozen with nitrogen and the glass is scribed, the test is repeated and this time it will break, the glass cannot fall outside a line that is about 5 feet form the tube.

[+GoldenWheels]

 

CRTs are already effectively dead since they are no longer being manufactured. I can imagine they are being thrown away in HUGE numbers right now. I know this is already a big problem for arcade machines, because you basically need to rob from another machine if you need to replace a CRT in a cabinet. I guess you'll be able to find used CRT televisions for a long time (after all, how many millions of color televisions have been produced over the past 30 years?), but they will certainly become harder to find over time.

 

Only a small segment of the population has any reason to feel CRT sets serve any benefit over newer flat panel televisions. Perhaps as 4K televisions take hold, someone will build a box that allows you to plug in old consoles and simulate a CRT set, while outputting a high-quality HDMI signal to the flat-panel TV.

 

..Al

 

When I am making projects or gaming stands I need look only so far as my transfer station (nice word for dump) or just ask around. People are more than willing to give them away now and if I was one of you guys who strongly prefer CRT, I'd be stockpiling a few now.

 

Every nice 20 inch I see gets worked into a project or hidden in the workshop.

[CatPix]

maybe HD TVs will work better than they do now with the older consoles?

Not by themselves.

I can't tell for here, but a friend living in the USA said that some newer TV sold doesn't have an analog tuner anymore, so you can't use any RF console on them.

In Europe, superflat screens sometime replace the SCART with a tiny COM like plug, and gives you a tiny adapter that will certainly either break off or break the plug if used too much.

Most DVD players still sold only output HDMI; no SCART, no component, no composite. About that, many cheap video devices doesn't have RGB anymore, only crappasite and sometime HDMI/component.

 

Sadly, in the TV domain, such evolutions aren't directed by independant organisms but by electronics sellers; and their goal is to make the "previous" generation not compatible. It's very likely that when 2K TV will be introduced, there will be no longer any way to directly connect analod SD sources to it; and maybe analog HD sources (component and VGA) as well.

[fiddlepaddle]

It's likely that "connectors" will continue to evolve, ultimately becoming wireless, probably. Adapters will likely always be available as well, some better than others, and continually being refined. Some people will be watching VHS tapes and DVDs for many, many years even if most people move on to wireless on-demand. Anyone willing to pay for a high-end TV will be able to get what they want to use their retro systems from LCD or whatever comes next, except maybe light gun functionality. It may even become possible to emulate those using cameras and motion-detection eventually.

[simbalion]

Not by themselves.

I can't tell for here, but a friend living in the USA said that some newer TV sold doesn't have an analog tuner anymore, so you can't use any RF console on them.

In Europe, superflat screens sometime replace the SCART with a tiny COM like plug, and gives you a tiny adapter that will certainly either break off or break the plug if used too much.

Most DVD players still sold only output HDMI; no SCART, no component, no composite. About that, many cheap video devices doesn't have RGB anymore, only crappasite and sometime HDMI/component.

 

Sadly, in the TV domain, such evolutions aren't directed by independant organisms but by electronics sellers; and their goal is to make the "previous" generation not compatible. It's very likely that when 2K TV will be introduced, there will be no longer any way to directly connect analod SD sources to it; and maybe analog HD sources (component and VGA) as well.

 

That's the reason why I snagged a very nice Panasonic TV-VCR combo with a 13 inch screen today, in spite of money being tight. It looks and acts rarely used and will be able to replace at least one of my worn out sets. With corporate dogma getting worse and worse with force obsolescence, I need to stock up on equipment so I can continue to enjoy my older systems.

[MaximRecoil]

That's the reason why I snagged a very nice Panasonic TV-VCR combo with a 13 inch screen today, in spite of money being tight. It looks and acts rarely used and will be able to replace at least one of my worn out sets. With corporate dogma getting worse and worse with force obsolescence, I need to stock up on equipment so I can continue to enjoy my older systems.

All of my CRTs will likely last me the rest of my life, as they were all new when I got them within the past several years (or in the case of my Super Punch-Out arcade monitors, I rebuilt them to be like-new, including swapping in like-new burn-free tubes and new flyback transformers), and I don't use them all that much. I only get the "videogame itch" about once a year, usually in the winter, and even then I spend more time on videogame forums reading about and discussing videogames than I do actually playing them. I bought my main 32" CRT TV new in 2005, and I only use it for videogames and the occasional DVD (only when I have company; I watch movies on my PC otherwise). Plus, I can usually fix stuff, including TVs/monitors.

 

The one exception is my beloved 22" Mitsubishi Diamondton CRT PC monitor which I bought used in 2006 and has been on most everyday since. It still works perfectly, and the picture is as sharp as it ever was, but it has lost brightness over the years since I got it. The loss of brightness isn't a problem for normal Windows/internet use, but some movies are very dark on this monitor and I have to turn up the brightness via the playback software.

[+adamchevy]

I run my modded 2600 through my pioneer 84txsi receiver via svideo. It goes from my receiver via HDMI to my 60" plasma. I also use an old Sony Trinitron for my other systems and 2600 from time to time.

 

Playing princess rescue on the 60" is pretty fun.

[gamecat80]

Are you talking about a CRT or an Atari 5200? "Old" seems like an odd thing for an AtariAge member to be concerned about. Aren't your consoles and games "old" as well?

 

By the way, "more fagile"? You have that claim backwards. CRT displays can last for decades of regular use, and they are also usually easy and cheap to repair. And you can't break a CRT with a Wiimote, I can promise you that:

 

 

 

Well, both .......since my 15" CRT and Atari 5200 both crapped out last year! But in my experience, old consoles last longer than old CRTs. I am all for preserving old game systems and TVs, but I am pro-new TVs and consoles too. Hence my like for new "retro" systems like the new, good plug-n-plays, new chips, emulation, and flash/multicarts.