You’re right. The rabbit hole never ends! I won my first monitor on eBay for just $5 about 4 years ago. It was broken and I brought it back. That’s how I acquired most of them. Making connections with the people who are getting these things is important. Tv studios are wiped out, but check old repair shops or people who buy medical equipment for resale. They often don’t know what to do with them and will sell them at a reasonable price. Great video man!
After seeing this video I can say I don’t think I need anything better than my S-video 27inch. Glad you showed me what I wanted to see here. I don’t see much of a difference between svideo and rgb and feel it has its own charm.
It is the sweet spot my opinion using S-video. Bigger CRTs is not better and using RGB changes the colors so not like what we saw/played back in the day.
The boom happened back in 2011-2012, so the days of being able to find old equipment for cheap are gone. Now it's been over a decade so any units (even normal TV sets now) are only in the hands of people that want them and the ones that aren't are literally tossed into the trash by uncaring people. I find it extremely odd that something was sold in the hundreds of millions are actually getting hard to find, and this HAS to be for the fact that people throw them away. Even flat panel LCD TVs were manufactured in the hundreds of millions in the past 15 years alone, and you don't see that many, why? They get tossed out like any other garbage.
I got lucky enough to have kept my old CRT 21 inch TV. Is nothing special. Just normal CRT(although i like the colours) but it does the work for a few retro consoles and is not like i use it all the time so i am just gonna stick with that instead of going in a wild ghost hunt for PVM's or whatever. The good old days i used to play and having fun on even worst CRT that this one(the one i have i bought it in 1996 so is not very old for a CRT) so i think is fine enough for that retro experience fun without the need for PVM etc. Many of us seem to forget that in the end is about playing and having fun not about chasing some imaginary perfection. I tried some emulation and FPGA on my newer flat screen TV's and screen and honestly you can enjoy your old games just fine with them as well. You don't really need all this trouble of trying to get the perfect retro experience. The fact that you can play just fine on the as well if you do a few good settings is also another reason i don't feel the need to go chasing for old TV's. i know the one i have will probably die one day anyway but i don't care looking for an extra one as a back-up because i think in the end using a modern TV is fine enough. You may need an upscaler or something for your old consoles but it is still much easier to get that than chasing old Tv's.
Im lucky I got a 22 inch trinitron monitor that runs at 2560x1920 a secondary for emulation, a 35inch 240p diamondtron, a 27 inch Toshiba flat crt 240p and a couple of 17 inch crts tvs, 30 inch Panasonic tv and the piece of resistance the 31 inch grand wega 1080i/720p hd crt if i had more space i would have crt projection tvs everywhere too
A lot are also dying. Nothing is built to last forever. I used to have a CRT but with a the Retrotink 4K I just ended up selling it as we are now close enough on 4k tvs
Regarding the VGA monitor + upscaler combo: that's actually the one situation where I might recommend getting a cheaper scaler over a RetroTINK 5x. Basic black lines like what you find on the OSSC or even RT2x go a long way towards the CRT look in this instance because you're already using a CRT for the rest of the mask "effect". These scalers are also quite literally 0 lag so you get the CRT experience in that way too (minus that light gun games still don't work). For the CRT use case there shouldn't be very much setup either. Good video!
@03:55 - I have a similar Bang & Olufsen TV. Mine is an MX5500 and it is one of the few CRTs in North America with SCART RGB. Another is a Sony KV-2900. The best PVM alternative (especially if you want 27" or larger and you don't want to spend thousands) is a Toshiba A-series. Curved screen + component is bliss
Here in Italy we have Mivar CRTs: cheap, good quality and full scart with rgb support. Remember guys: the best CRT is the one that you can play. Don't chase those PVMs too much.
I just modded the G1 on three of my TVs. 14’, 21’ and 29’. They were RGB already (I live in Europe) . What it does is to concentrate and focus the beam a little bit more. The scanlines are brighter, more defined and with less bloom. The results are fantastic. If you’re interested I can help you with that. I’m talking PVM quality on a consumer set.
Most tvs also have a degauss cable, not just monitors. The difference is that it just runs the degauss when you start up the tv and you can't activate it manually.
Those component cables from HD Rertovision do have an AES adapter. That's what I'm using on my Neo Geo AES current. Additionally, there are also cost-effective solutions from retro tink. It doesn't have to be the 5x solutions. The 2x does a good job also. Thanks for sharing about the jungle chip modding method. That new to me.
Nice video! A few notes: The unshielded boombox is a little close to that TV! HD Retrovision does make different DIN8 adapters for your Master System, Neo Geo, and your RGB-modded Duo-R consoles. Genesis 1 and Neo Geo have different DIN8 cables: 262 vs 270° based on the position of pins 6 and 7 (U vs C-shape). Stock NEC AV was 180° DIN5 (no RGB) so you could replace it with the wrong one for the adapter which is why they don’t sell it everywhere. I forget which arrangement they settled on but the pinout has to be different since the green pin is used for a second audio channel (stereo).
Yes, warning very much needed to not screw around in a CRT without remembering the can die part. You're probably fine with a good pair rubber gloves that's made for electrical work but be careful. It's no joke.
@@justsayin4632 I use mine on a desk where I seat close to it and for that reason I prefer to use a 14 inch (up to 20 inch). The scan lines look thicker at a higher size and I'm not a fan of that.
@@sonyx5332 Fair enough. I haven’t gamed on anything smaller than a 20 inch since 1994, and I’ll never go back. I personally LOVE fat scan lines. Also, on screens that small, even higher end consumer sets look amazing if they’ve been dialed-in correctly. And by “dialed-in“ I don’t mean standard menu. I mean hidden service menu/rear cover of the TV removed to manually adjust things. I’ve made 19 and 20” screens look stunning, and never paid more than $50 for any of them (most were free). I just can’t justify PVM/BVM prices on that small of a screen. Now if we’re talking 25, 29, or 32” models then yea, I’m sure they’re amazing. Not high 4-figure amazing, but amazing nonetheless.
@@sonyx5332 Fair enough. l haven't gamed on anything smaller than a 20 inch since 1994, and I'll never go back. I personally LOVE fat scan lines. Also, on screens that small, even higher end consumer sets look amazing if they've been dialed-in correctly. And by "di-aled-in" I don't mean standard menu. I mean hidden service menu/rear cover of the TV removed to manually adjust things. I've made 19 and 20" screens look stunning, and never paid more than $50 for any of them (most were free). I just can't justify PVM/BVM prices on that small of a screen. Now if we're talking 25”, 29”, or 32" models then yea, l'm sure they're amazing. Not high 4-figure amazing, but amazing nonetheless.
You can't actually die working on a CRT unless maybe you have a heart condition or something, or are working on it when it's plugged in. High voltage, low current - it can hurt like hell and probably knock you out, but it won't kill you.
I only had CRTs with composite back in the 90’s and I don’t recall anyone gaming in the 90’s using RGB or BVMs & PVMs. Heck, most of my friends played via RF! Play whatever you want however you want but IMO composite on my 13” CRT is fantastic. I seen that the retrotink 4k replicates the CRT look very well and while it’s a little costly it’s nowhere near what I’d have to pay for playing via BVM or PVM. Just my opinion but even with just composite on regular consumer CRTs is a better option than any current LCD/LED flat panel.
I just don't understand this obsession with best RGB output. Just use consumer TV and composite if you want authentic experience. Had a pvm and sold it. Came back to 14" consumer Trinitron and composite for my PS1. Why? I actually like the way composite blends dithering and colours. For a while I have used official big chunky grey PS1 RGB SCART cable, but the image was actually too sharp for my taste.
I got my Sony 2030 a few years ago for $50 CAD and a 14" for $100 USD inc chipping from the states. I reciently got a 9" for $50 CAD and another on FB market place locally for $50 bucks. Alot of people don't want these clunky heavy boxes and happy to have us move them out. I keep them for all my older systems from Game console RGB to Home computers Atari ST, Amiga, Amstrad, Simcoupe all runing on the PVM via Scart
After messing about with all these additional extras just buy a retrotink 4K and be done with it. Yeah it’s expensive but you will never need another scaler and the quality of the damn thing is incredible.
I got my PVM from a local collector friend in my town, he gave it away to me because he didn't had the use for it, so I had the task to spend BNC to SCART cables and a Retrotink Comp2RGB bcuz my PVM doesn't have YpBpr, so I'll never sell it and then the white balances are kinda heavyly used... So yeah interesting video there btw
Just a FYI There is 2 standards for SCART configurations (Europe) & (Japan) also Japan has their own standards for Component call the D-Terminal + LR audio. Way Back I had a Thompson RGB 20" TV from back from Hong Kong to be use purely RGB and a stepdown converter from 220 > 110V
@@MrAlan1828This. Dithering is such a small part of the graphics (depending on the game) that it isn’t worth having everything else be inferior just to keep nice waterfalls in Sonic😂
Very good video! Subbed I bought myself a Sony Triniton- KV-13M42 and I’m looking to RGB mod it. I live in south Florida and it’s been hard to find anyone familiar with the mod
So many HD tvs still have component. My main tv in my living room is a vizio 60 inch led tv thats only 1080p. Tv is over 14 years old and has performed so well i havent replaced it. It will end up in my gaming room. That tv has component and even has an rgb vga port with audio. I have tested Dreamcast on it directly with no upscaler needed and it outputs perfectly. Same with component no isuess with any systems. Just saying you dont need a crt tv with component. Some HD tvs are compatible like the one I have
9:17 wow lightning tv. i think after i cleaned my sony ill just try to put the back case back on tho its a bit stuck at the moment. im planning on getting a PVM soon and ive got a cheap b/w mini 5.5inch tv and ill use a Hdmi to RF yet again im trying to downsize as i may be moving house soon
Would be awesome to know someone to fix up my CRT monitor in the Netherlands. Its a pretty rare Eizo F67, and its still in pretty much perfect condition, no burn-in or anything.
I just don't understand this obsession with best RGB output. Just use consumer TV and composite if you want authentic experience. Had a pvm and sold it. Came back to 14" consumer Trinitron and composite for my PS1. Why? I actually like the way composite blends dithering and colours. For a while I have used official big chunky grey PS1 RGB SCART cable, but the image was actually too sharp for my taste.
You kids and your fancy RGB, SCART, Component, and S-Video... When I was a kid, all my consoles only had RF or rarely, composite if we were lucky and feeling fancy. But RF was ugly, noisy, and free with the consoles I got 2nd hand.
I figured since I was talking about computer monitors that I'd use some tracks from retro PC games like Jazz. I'm quickly running out of funky genesis tunes so I'm beginning to expand my horizons in terms of game music
@@N8_THN that makes sense but one thing I haven't see any one talking it's if you use PC If someone from same reason want to use CRT what is better to use CRT TV or CRT monitor for computer's? For example I personally play everything in PC and play all kinds of game's on computer for old to New game and yes this includes jazz jackrabbit 2 😅 And I have one adaptor in the order to connect a CRT Tv to be honest I don't have CRT monitor But this TV is about the size off computer CRT and the don't have sound so it's probably the same with PC monitor accepted maby the resolution And yes I know that in the order to connect TV you need adaptor but the same aplay In VGA in most newer graphics card
The one I used in this video is one of those cheap ones on Amazon that are under dozens of different brands. Looking back, I probably should have used a usb powered one like this one ( a.co/d/3MpalzU ) so I don't have to worry about the loss of signal quality or additional lag. Hope this helps!
I've seen people with as many as 5 to 10 at home. Why the hell do you need so many connected to different consoles when you can just use one or two (if having different sizes) for all the consoles? it makes no sense.
While i appreciate the video, as an owner of a consumer tv with rgb scart input, even that pales in comparison to a pvm or bvm. The line count and resolution are just not there. Consoles on vga crts are said to be close to what pvms offer but i haven't seen this for myself. I hate that pvms have become so expensive, because pvm owners need to have 40 of them, if you're reading this and are one of those people f**k u buddy 😊 Even prices for retro consoles that were produced in the tens of millions are skyrocketing. I'll probably just get the clone of the mister fpga that is releasing shortly and a vga crt with a gbs control and play "backups" that way. I'm not sinking thousands of dollars for retro gaming, especially when that money does to elitists or greedy scalpers. Have a nice f**cking day🫡