TheMobRules wrote on Today, 03:58:I still use CRTs, to me the only negative thing about them is the bulkiness which can admittedly be a big issue if you don't hav […]
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I still use CRTs, to me the only negative thing about them is the bulkiness which can admittedly be a big issue if you don't have enough space. Unless the tube is worn out or it has a failed flyback that cannot be easily replaced, it's always worth it to try and save them.
I have 4 VGA monitors for retro PCs (1 14'' and 3 17'') and a 20'' TV for consoles, though I only keep one out of storage at a time depending on what I'm currently using. The monitors are all in great condition, refurbished by myself and with tubes that have very little use, so I expect them to last a long time. The TV is in need of some geometry/convergence adjustments as it is one of those newer finnicky "flat" CRTs, but the Samsung tube is in great condition so I will try to dedicate some more time to calibrate it properly. For some reason around here it's much easier to get old CRT monitors than TVs, it's as if most of the pre-2010 TV stock disappeared overnight.
Even though at some point I did try using LCDs for retro stuff, I have two main reasons for going back to CRTs:
- I really dislike how older games look on LCD, especially console games and early VGA 320x200 stuff... I think those games lose a lot of the appeal on LCD no matter how many filters I apply
- Above all, convenience: I just plug the CRT and it works with any graphics card/console. With LCD monitors, I experienced lots of issues with older VGA cards randomly going out of sync or not working at all, and newer monitors don't even have VGA input so I need to get another adapter for that. Even if I managed to achieve a pleasing setup using a RetroTink or whatever else people use now, it would probably be more expensive than getting an actual CRT from a local listing... I find that all this scaler stuff is just too expensive to get a result that doesn't even look as good as the real deal
I'm all for saving old hardware, but the number of functional CRT tubes that exist on Earth decrease by the day. Save and repair while you can, but there will be a day they become unobtainium. I've read recent reports on changes to US customs, and people that have tried importing CRTs have had had the packages denied and destroyed when attempting to use commercial shipping.
What shaders have you tried using? injecting scanlines was always just a quick/cheap compromise to give a somewhat CRT look. New shaders simulate shadow masks, and sub pixel phosphor differences on the display. High refresh rate panels also allow simulating phosphor decay to increase clarity. IE at 120Hz you can have half the vertical screen bright and the other half dark. Or at 240Hz you can have 1/4 screen dim, 1/4 bright, 1/2 screen dark. It will never allow original lightguns and light pens to work as a CRT draws the analog signal as it comes in with no latency. But image wise it competes with the most dialed in professional CRT, or just use a shader that blurs the images and flickers if you like that worn CRT look on old arcade cabinets, shaders for that also exist.
