I've Made Mistakes!

[madhatter667]

Or at least that was the thought driving home tonight. Now, I wasn't *really* lacking a TV to play games on. The CRT I was using is my wife's "little" CRT. I want to say 23" or 24". Not huge, or super heavy. I upgraded. I picked up a 32" Sony Trinitron KV-32FV310.

 

First. I underestimated the sheer SIZE of this television. I barely fit it in my car. With a window down to allow one corner to poke out. Forget about the trunk. No way, no how. Second, it is a heavy s.o.b. I work on semi-trailers most of my day, so big, and heavy... not exactly a strange concept. Awkward, and heavy is a different beast. Third...I'm not exactly sure where I'm going to put it in terms of playing. Right now our house is not set up well for such things (I have to move the small CRT around to play, or emulate on my computer). We're also looking at selling, so it is very likely that it may get carted off to the storage unit. The good part is that if I do that, I'll use our other car during the day (wife and I work different shifts), and it will fit far easier in that one, and ya know... dollies make moving big stuff easier.

 

Plastic casing is a bit rough. Chipped, scratched, small inconsequential crack in one spot. Display? Nice. Sound? Nice. So it's a little ugly, but otherwise does what it is supposed to. It was also my favorite price. Supposed to be one of the nicer CRT TVs for classic games. It's no PVM, or BVM series broadcast monitor, but for a CRT television, it's rumored to be a close second. I'm half tempted to take the front bezel off, clean it up, epoxy in the crack, and paint it. Because I can.

[Trinity]

Awesome! My brother had one of those BITD. God what a heavy MF!!! That's why I passed on it when he got rid of it. I've made mistakes as well.

[R.Cade]

I have one of those in 36" in my basement. It gets sold with the house when I retire, because no way it will ever come back up the stairs.

[mbd30]

Nobody wanting to lift large CRTs is part of the reason why flat screens dominate, but nothing is better for classic gaming.

[BigO]

I hand carried a 32" CRT up a flight of stairs by myself. Awkward doesn't begin to cover it. And, it was only about 110 lbs. Had it been a Trinitron, I might not be here today to tell the tale.

 

Having said that, I've been tempted to buy a huge Trinitron at Goodwill more than once. How can you go wrong for $1.00? (Not counting associated medical bills)

 

Next time, I borrow, rent, build or steal a proper furniture/appliance hand truck to move a big TV.

[madhatter667]

Oh yeah... moving this thing was a task. I had to do it by myself. Was not the easiest thing I have ever done, that's for sure.

[TaskenLander]

I have that same TV (but in 27") and I love it! Paid some college girls $15.00 for it two years ago and it looks/works good as new! Even came with a remote. Nice grab! Ton of hook ups in the back. :-)

[LaserCat]

Although I have been unable to secure a FV310 I did manage to snag a 24" FV300 which I believe is identical except that it lacks the voltage regulator feature which is probably more useful for dvd viewing than for video games anyway. I was certainly impressed with the black levels, being able to push it down to the level of something resembling squid ink without crushing any image details. Better than my 2001 digital crt in that respect. BTW these tvs also feature a built in sub woofer on the 27 inch or larger models.

[nanochess]

You never can be wrong with a Trinitron

[Austin]

Great pickup! You are right about the awkwardness when it comes to moving it. A dolly helps tremendously. I strapped my current one face-down to an appliance dolly and it was a piece of cake to move after that. My parents also bought one of these around 2000 or so but they didn't think ahead and we lifted it in by hand. One of the worst moving experiences I have had to this day.

[desiv]

I did something similar a while ago..

Was looking for a TV with s-video for my 3DO, and having trouble finding a reasonable sized one..

Then one day was out with the wife garage sale-ing and saw this "free" TV.

Has s-video, multiple inputs... I think it even has some 3D audio setting thing..

But huge.. (36" I think? Maybe 32" but huge.. )

Barely fit in the car.

Had to use the dolly (lucky we have one) to get it in the house and downstairs..

Wouldn't fit in the area I had for it, so it's sitting on a microwave cart in the corner of the room..

 

Mistake? Awesome mistake..

 

Congrats!!

 

desiv

Edited May 2, 2016 by desiv

[madhatter667]

Oh yeah, a really good mistake. Lol.

Edited May 2, 2016 by madhatter667

[tep392]

My first HD set was a 40" Sony CRT, KV-40XBR800. That was one heavy beast at nearly 300lb's

[KreatorKat]

Sony Trinitrons are as good as you can get in the world of CRTs without a PVM, BVM, or other professional monitor. However, even the best of normal CRTs just can't touch what a professional monitor can do because of how differently the PVMs were made and the fact that they can accept true RGB, not just S-video and component. But normal CRTs do have a great retro look to them and are worlds better than plug n play on a flat screen TV (without an upscaler).

 

Also, what connections are you using? In the first picture I can see composite RCA cables plugged in, so are you using those? If so, try S-Video or if you can a component to SCART transcoder box for the best results.

[madhatter667]

Using component for PSX/PS2. Those last screen shots are all off component cables (using an emulator run through PS2 there). Famicom gets AV cables, as does just about everything else.

I understand the search for best picture. At the end of the day, if it looks alright (and all of this so far looks better than my old TV), and it's playable... that's what I care most about. I'm actively trying to not get caught up in the search for absolute best picture... because that road lies hundreds of dollars of hardware.

[KreatorKat]

Using component for PSX/PS2. Those last screen shots are all off component cables (using an emulator run through PS2 there). Famicom gets AV cables, as does just about everything else.

I understand the search for best picture. At the end of the day, if it looks alright (and all of this so far looks better than my old TV), and it's playable... that's what I care most about. I'm actively trying to not get caught up in the search for absolute best picture... because that road lies hundreds of dollars of hardware.

 

Haha 100% agree. I personally am into the trap that is pristine picture results, but it is pricy to say the least. Some SCART cables (for systems like the Genesis, Saturn, Jaguar, SNES, etc. that support RGB without mods) and a SCART to component transcoder won't brake the bank though if you want to just dip your toe in .

[madhatter667]

SCART isn't very common in the US. I'm guessing there's some adapters involved on either end of the chain? I've seen video of RGB, and it does look nice.

[KreatorKat]

SCART isn't very common in the US. I'm guessing there's some adapters involved on either end of the chain? I've seen video of RGB, and it does look nice.

Yep, I live in the USA too. A SCART to component "box" converts the SCART RGB signal to component outputs. It can't match true RGB, but it beats S Video and kills composite.

 

For example:

http://m.ebay.com/itm/NEW-SCART-RGB-to-YUV-Component-Video-Converter-Scaler-/221156873851?nav=SEARCH

 

SCART in one end, component out the other. For audio, SCART pass through boxes with audio output are less than $15. SCART cables are avalible from US sellers like Retro_Console_Accessories on eBay.

 

EDIT: Upon looking at your new TV again, it appears like it might possible be an HD CRT (EDTV). Is this a possibility? In other words, does it support resolutions greater than 480p, like 720p or 1080i? If so, while the image may look good (especially in 480p games), it treats the game more like a modern HDTV than a typical CRT. This results in digital procession and all of its problems, including lag (except with a still very nice picture). I could be wrong though, but it looks a lot like a HD CRT I saw showcased in the past.

 

EDIT 2: Ah NVM, according to the power of the internet, it is the corresponding model to the TV I saw, minus the digital tuner. Models that start with KV are good and those with KD are not. Sony usually made similar models of both in the later days of CRTs. So you're fine . Sorry for the confusion.

Edited May 2, 2016 by KreatorKat

[LaserCat]

That transcoder box that you link on ebay is that the actual model of the box that you use? Are there any potential problems I should be aware of when converting SCART to component? Just curious.

[KreatorKat]

That transcoder box that you link on ebay is that the actual model of the box that you use? Are there any potential problems I should be aware of when converting SCART to component? Just curious.

 

I personally don't use a SCART to component box (I'm an upscaler user), but if I did ever need a transcoder that is the model I would buy. As for things to be aware of, you need a audio SCART passthrough box if you want any sound and the top of this page might be worth a read:

http://retrorgb.com/converters.html

Edited May 3, 2016 by KreatorKat

[+iesposta]

I, also, recently got a free Sony Trinitron 32".

I also have a newer 27" Sony WEGA that was hardly used. That is the heaviest thing I ever moved by myself.

The picture on the WEGA is totally different than the Trinitron. More pronounced scanline. Great for gaming. (And the blur is at max).

The Trinitron has a more softer, movie quality.

I would say I like the WEGA better, although it is almost too sharp, (nearing the look of emulation).

 

So many things like age, model, and adjustment can change things.

 

The 32" is so large, I'll probably end up using it as a stand for the LCD. It is only 2 inches lower than the table the LCD is now on.

[LaserCat]

I personally don't use a SCART to component box (I'm an upscaler user), but if I did ever need a transcoder that is the model I would buy. As for things to be aware of, you need a audio SCART passthrough box if you want any sound and the top of this page might be worth a read:

http://retrorgb.com/converters.html

 

Thanks for the link.

Edited May 3, 2016 by LaserCat