Does anybody else rock a CRT?

[jbone09]

I use a CRT for my retro consoles. It's a very basic Sharp. 20", mono sound. Only one composite/one coax input. I use a y-adapter to combine sound channels. Got it for free last year, when my old CRT kicked the bucket.

[Scotterpop]

A nice CRT is an absolute necessity in my gaming setup. Like many others here I'll sing the praises of the Sony trinitron when it comes to quality presentation of classic consoles. I've had other sets from Panasonic, JVC, Samsung, etc, but none of those had the richness and detail that the trinitrons have. Mine is a KV-27FS100L. It has inputs for RF, composite, component, and s-video, as well as front inputs for hooking up systems on the fly. It's that 27" sweet spot: Big enough for a nice view but not heavy enough to throw your back out moving it. For pre-HDMI systems, I really can't recommend these later model Sony TVs enough!

 

 

[TeddyBear89]

A nice CRT is an absolute necessity in my gaming setup. Like many others here I'll sing the praises of the Sony trinitron when it comes to quality presentation of classic consoles. I've had other sets from Panasonic, JVC, Samsung, etc, but none of those had the richness and detail that the trinitrons have. Mine is a KV-27FS100L. It has inputs for RF, composite, component, and s-video, as well as front inputs for hooking up systems on the fly. It's that 27" sweet spot: Big enough for a nice view but not heavy enough to throw your back out moving it. For pre-HDMI systems, I really can't recommend these later model Sony TVs enough!

 

 

I miss Bill the Cat and Bloom County....THE comic strip of the '80's

[deepthaw]

I miss Bill the Cat and Bloom County....THE comic strip of the '80's

 

It's been resurrected and he publishes new strips everyday on Facebook and GoComics.com.

[Scotterpop]

 

It's been resurrected and he publishes new strips everyday on Facebook and GoComics.com.

 

Recently Breathed just did an amusing crossover with Bill Watterson! Now if we could just coax Gary Larson out of retirement...

[CRTGAMER]

A nice CRT is an absolute necessity in my gaming setup. Like many others here I'll sing the praises of the Sony trinitron when it comes to quality presentation of classic consoles. I've had other sets from Panasonic, JVC, Samsung, etc, but none of those had the richness and detail that the trinitrons have. Mine is a KV-27FS100L. It has inputs for RF, composite, component, and s-video, as well as front inputs for hooking up systems on the fly. It's that 27" sweet spot: Big enough for a nice view but not heavy enough to throw your back out moving it. For pre-HDMI systems, I really can't recommend these later model Sony TVs enough!

 

I am curious about something that perhaps you can help me on? I know your Sony CRT has an SD Tube and will not display in 480p mode. I am trying to verify a quirk on my KD series CRT which is also SD, but has an HD tuner,

 

Can you try the following? Be sure you have Component cables for your DVD player or your PS2.

 

1. Plug in the component cable and change TV menu input matched to component input.

 

2. Powering up the PS2 or DVD player should display in 480i.

 

3, Set DVD Player to 480p thru its menu Settings. Or your PS2 to 480p on certain games upon power up hold triangle and X while game is loading.

 

4. You know you will have the DVD Player or PS2 in 480p mode due to screen now distorting. What I'm trying to find out if you get a rolling distortion or a split screen where you can still read partial text on the screen. Perhaps include the 480p mode screenshot in your reply?

 

5. To set your DVD player back to 480i, plug in composite cable and turn off 480p. You can use one of the component hookups as a temporary composite plug in to yellow jack. For the PS2, it defaults to 480i even in component unless you hold the button combo at game load.

 

6. Best to use Component cables for your TV even though only 480i. This gives the best video separation called Color Stream back in the day before HD took over.

 

The reason for the video tap dance is Sony Specs sheet advertises my KD-27FS170 Sony CRT as SD and a 1080i tube! I know very likely a misprint in the specs sheet below. However when in 480p mode it does a similiar imagery as my portable PS2 LCD screen (also non HD) where you can partially read the text.

 

• 

Edited May 11, 2018 by CRTGAMER

[7800fan]

2080? That's 4k display! Does that TV come with its own forklift or group of 6 men to carry it in your house?

[icemanxp300]

2080? That's 4k display! Does that TV come with its own forklift or group of 6 men to carry it in your house?

 

Which TV are you talking about?

[7800fan]

ah nm need a new glasses

[Scotterpop]

 

 

I am curious about something that perhaps you can help me on? I know your Sony CRT has an SD Tube and will not display in 480p mode. I am trying to verify a quirk on my KD series CRT which is also SD, but has an HD tuner,

 

Can you try the following? Be sure you have Component cables for your DVD player or your PS2.

 

1. Plug in the component cable and change TV menu input matched to component input.

 

2. Powering up the PS2 or DVD player should display in 480i.

 

3, Set DVD Player to 480p thru its menu Settings. Or your PS2 to 480p on certain games upon power up hold triangle and X while game is loading.

 

4. You know you will have the DVD Player or PS2 in 480p mode due to screen now distorting. What I'm trying to find out if you get a rolling distortion or a split screen where you can still read partial text on the screen. Perhaps include the 480p mode screenshot in your reply?

 

5. To set your DVD player back to 480i, plug in composite cable and turn off 480p. You can use one of the component hookups as a temporary composite plug in to yellow jack. For the PS2, it defaults to 480i even in component unless you hold the button combo at game load.

 

6. Best to use Component cables for your TV even though only 480i. This gives the best video separation called Color Stream back in the day before HD took over.

 

The reason for the video tap dance is Sony Specs sheet advertises my KD-27FS170 Sony CRT as SD and a 1080i tube! I know very likely a misprint in the specs sheet below. However when in 480p mode it does a similiar imagery as my portable PS2 LCD screen (also non HD) where you can partially read the text.

 

• 

 

 

I get a completely rolling picture with no visible image at all. Here is a pic (I used Atari Anthology on the PS2 and enabled progressive scan). Sorry about the sideways picture, I can't seem to get it to upload correctly!

[CRTGAMER]

 

I get a completely rolling picture with no visible image at all. Here is a pic (I used Atari Anthology on the PS2 and enabled progressive scan). Sorry about the sideways picture, I can't seem to get it to upload correctly!

 

THANK YOU!

 

Okay now I really have to do some research. Here is what I am doing that leads to the mystery of my KD series CRT.

 

1. I use the official Sony Guncon video adapter for my PS2 which allows multiple hookups. Component Cable to HD CRT and Composite hooked up the same time to a portable LCD mounted on top of the PS2. I normally boot games to 480p for the HD CRT unless I prefer to see the image on the small screen such as monitoring an HDAdvance install. When I enable 480p and turn on the LCD, I still can see text (though in dim black and white) on the small screen.

 

2. I recently cut cable and went with DIRECTV. The mini boxes default to 480p with either the Composite or Componentn adaper hooked up. Of course with Composite the 480p is 480i though the box still attempts 480p.

 

3. My Samsung 20" CRT has Component hookup but only supports 480i. I noticed when Component is hooked up the screen would show the same distortion as your TV. This seems to be common for SD tubes, nothing legible at all when 480p is enabled.

 

4. Going back to the KD-27FS170 which is the last of the CRTs put out by Sony. A starnge beast that has both Analog and Digital tuner. To conform to the digital tuner mandate, perhaps the tube can be set to emulate HD broadcast signals? When 480p is enabled, the TV does not display a rolling distortion, but a split screen with the text visible. The same black and white screen (though now split image) as the LCD screen. This does point to something different in the KD series CRT.

 

More research needed, I know it is an SD tube, but the TV does have this strange quirk. I must say that when component hooked up 480i Color Stream mode, the video quality so clear even better then other SD WEGA tubes. Something in the processing to meet the HD mandate?

 

@ Scotterpop - Definitely leave the Component hookup for your TV and stick to 480i since an SD tube. You get the best video quality going the "Color Stream" of component hookup. For lightgun gaming simply run a Y-Adapter to the green cable.

[Impaler_26]

I have 2 or 3 small CRT TVs stored for use with my Atari 2600, C64 and PS2.

[newtmonkey]

I've got a 14" PVM in my home office for my computers (C64, Atari ST, MSX) and my Famicom and PC Engine Duo.

 

Then I've got my 16-bit and newer systems hooked up through a Framemeister to my living room LCD TV.

 

The 14" PVM is pretty much perfect for what I've got hooked up to it, but I felt it was just way too small to really enjoy Saturn/PSX/N64/Dreamcast games on it. Having said that, the N64 looks MUCH better on a CRT than on an HDTV over Framemeister due to the antialiasing, while PSX/Saturn/DC look pretty much great either way.

 

Nothing beats CRT, but I am very impressed with the Framemeister. I bought it half expecting to be disappointed, but once I got the settings how I like them, I was blown away by the quality.

[carlsson]

crt-tv.jpg

One month later as my parents are slowly emptying the summer cottage in preparation of selling it (*), I was talked into bringing home an extra wardrobe and another cupboard to put my loose stuff in. I didn't quite fit everything, but most of it found its neat place so I can "hide" all those CRTs, paper bags and boxes of junk from the view.

 

 

 

(*) Neither me nor my brother have the interest or money to keep it, so likely the summer cottage my Dad built and been in the family for 45++ years will be sold within a year.

[AMenard]

I have a 24" Ascent brand CRT tv that I bought in 2005. It was the last CRT tv available in store at that time in my neck of the wood. I also have a Commodore 1702 and a 1080 CRT monitors. I'm about to recap the 1702. The 1080 has seen better days and it's slowly dying after close to 30 years that have own it with the picture more and more fuzzy and washed out. The 1702 tube is still crisp with great colors.

[ClassicGMR]

I picked up a Sony Trinitron KV-20S20 including remote and maual last year from Craigslist. Fantastic tv that I play my Atari, Intellivision, NES, SNES, N64 and 3DO systems on. Pictured isn't my tv but it's the make/model.

 

[Keatah]

It's fun to look in the reflections. Don't know if she's just fat or her pants ain't fitting right.

[icemanxp300]

It's fun to look in the reflections.

 

I go out of my way to make sure I know what are in the reflections before I post pics for this exact reason!

[Zap!]

 

I go out of my way to make sure I know what are in the reflections before I post pics for this exact reason!

 

Someone should make a site with embarrassing reflections that were unknowingly posted.

[omegadot]

This past week I actually packed up my CRT setup. It just became too much to have around when might also had a modern display with good response for emulation. I'll probably try and find a nice home for this 27" JVC i'art. I figured I'd be a long hold out but eh, my tastes really changed in the last year I found.

[Krynos]

I use an LCD. There's no reason not to. I have a decent CRT for shooters though.

[+wongojack]

I use an LCD. There's no reason not to. I have a decent CRT for shooters though.

 

Welcome to the boards, now I will point out the contradiction you just posted.

 

There is at least one reason "not to" in your own post - shooters.

[DustyCartridges]

What I'd LOVE to know is that for you handful of guys who state that a CRT TV is your sole TV, why that is? Like what has stopped you from getting a new TV in all these years, especially considering the relatively low prices for some pretty nice sets these days. I'm not even talking 4K HDR/DolbyV sets here, but regular old 1080p-level sets. I can imagine it must take some pretty herculean efforts and significant compromises to rock a small glass screen these days considering most content is optimized for widescreens and at least 720p/1080i resolutions, as well as HDMI connections.

I have a flat screen but its uses are for my computer and bluray playback. But yes most tv i get thru my cable hook up is in hd but it still palys in wide screen it just letter boxes it wirh black bars on top and bottome of the image. I cant say why i love using my 80s sets i just do lol. Hd looks nice i suposebut i prefer the crt look. This tv i did get second hand from a thrift store for 10$ i wasnt alive in 87 to be the origonal owner tho haha. I think the big factor for using a 80s crt is the fact i love the 80s, i collect 80s electronics like crt tvs vcrs booboxes stereo equipment etc. Lol i have around 2 to 3 hundred cassettes mostly heavy metal and rock and i use a 1987 panasonic cassette walkman that i got new old stock off ebay for my portable music it sounds 100% better than an ipod. I got a 80g ipod classic in 2011 when i was in high school as a present and i barley used it lol.

[mhmrules]

This RCA Colortrak has been in my family since 1986 (or 1983 depending on whether you ask my mom or dad). It has been serviced twice, to my knowledge, and it has been the favorite sleep spot for my cats for years. Although when I move out, I fear that this set may be retired and sent to an undeserving home...

[Zap!]

This RCA Colortrak has been in my family since 1986 (or 1983 depending on whether you ask my mom or dad). It has been serviced twice, to my knowledge, and it has been the favorite sleep spot for my cats for years. Although when I move out, I fear that this set may be retired and sent to an undeserving home...

 

That is amazing. Please tell me you have a Christmas tree up next to that setup in December. It would look fantastic in that room.