My Favorite Retro Gaming CRT TV

[@cb_723]

I just picked up a Sony Trinitron 32 inch with HDMI and component connections for free from a yard sale and it's been great so far. Just stumbled upon your channel, big fan of your content, shocked you don't have more subscribers. Keep up the good work

[@retrogameattic]

That sounds like a solid setup, nice score! Thank you very much and glad you enjoy the channel! Really appreciate it!

[@dalehadley3283]

Just stumbled across this channel, it's giving me early AVGN vibes with the way everything is filmed,which isn't a bad thing at all. I had recently picked up a JVC Mastercommand CRT with the remote,for literally five dollars,it only has RF,but my SNES looks pretty good on it

[@retrogameattic]

Thank you very much! I'm honored to even be compared to anything James Rolfe has done. That's an awesome deal for a JVC Master Command! You should definitely keep your eyes peeled if you ever wanted to upgrade, there are still people out there who just want to unload old CRTs. Either way you're in good shape though, I don't think RF looks as bad as many others think. Thanks for checking out the channel!

[@BryanTrustyChannel]

Great video! Those are all really nice CRTs I have a few different ones also but no Trinitron yet. Still it is fun collecting them even if they do take up so much space and break your back moving them. psshhh worth it! Once again great job on the video.

[@retrogameattic]

Totally! It’s a ton of fun collecting them and saving them from the trash heap! Thank you so much for watching!

[@Gmoney6422]

A lot of old consoles such as the N64, Sega Saturn, PS1, and Dreamcast all output in S-Video which you can take advantage of on that 2000 Sony Trinitron. Although not as good as component, it is a noticeable upgrade from composite.

[@retrogameattic]

I never even considered going that route, I'm going to dip my toes in S-Video with the N64 and go from there. Thank you for the awesome tip!

[@stpworld]

@@retrogameattic I have the svideo cable for n64 and ps2/1 I have one sony trinitron I kept it used to be my grandpas

[@RedRanger2001]

However, on the Saturn using the S-Video, you may notice the mesh pixels in which it becomes transparent using the composite...

[@retrogameattic]

@@stpworld Sounds like a solid setup!

[@retrogameattic]

@@RedRanger2001 Good to know, thanks for the heads up!

[@skateboardmemories]

Nice tvs 👍👍 I live in sweden and I just bought a bang & olufsen mx3500 crt tv for around 40bucks. I use it for nes and ps2. It is amazing 😃

[@retrogameattic]

I just Googled it and it seems like a solid CRT TV! Nice score!

[@lovemadeinjapan]

Great one. Don't get lower numbers, as those don't work with 60Hz.

[@PacoVJ]

a year back got a Sony Tritron 29 in tv for free form Facebook market after hunting for one for a couple of months. In pristine condition! There are plenty ways to play retro consoles with HDMI converters but nothing beats like playing them on a old CRTV.

[@retrogameattic]

Nice score! I'm glad you were able to snag one for free, those deals are still out there. I totally agree, the CRT experience is unmatched! Thanks for checking out the video!

[@dwightdixon8508]

I have a RCA 14” TruFlat CRT TV manufactured in 2005 with RF, composite & component inputs. All classic consoles look fantastic on it especially when using component cables. I also have a 20” Apex CRT from 2002 with RF, composite & S-Video that looks great too. I am keeping my eye out for a 20” Sony Trinitron but for now the RCA & Apex look and sound great. Regardless of brand or size CRTs are excellent for 80’s, 90’s & early 2000 consoles using RF, Composite, S-Video or Component cables

[@retrogameattic]

Both of those CRT TVs sound like solid ones! You really can’t go wrong with any brand/size CRT for retrogaming. Thanks for checking out the channel!

[@Aeduo]

Some of my earliest memories are playing SNES and Genesis on a kitchen RCA CRT TV at a family member's place. This one might have actually been white too, but it might have also been black, I don't remember. I recently picked up an Apex TV from the thrift store for like $20. It turned out to be a halfway decent TV. Downside is it's mono and only composite, but composite is plenty for most of this stuff. I actually use it for watching old cartoons from my PC through an adapter.

[@retrogameattic]

The kitchen CRT TV is very underrated! Nice score with the Apex! I feel like they are finally getting some respect and are actually pretty nice TVs. I agree, composite is pretty much all you need and is very useable. I bet the old cartoons look awesome on it. Thanks for checking out the video!

[@fmbroadcast]

Wooow beautifulll

[@retrogameattic]

Thank you so much!

[@matthewgatskie1287]

the one TV u said had 2 RF inputs... that second one says "MPX OUT???"" wonder that is...!!! keep on your quest and great video!

[@retrogameattic]

Thank you very much! I was not sure what the purpose of "MPX OUT" was but I did find this on the Quadraphonicquad Forums: "The MPX OUT (Multiplex Out) jack was intended to connect an outboard FM multiplex decoder for discrete 4 channel quad from FM broadcasts. It was never realized and as far as I know there were no outboard boxes marketed." Pretty cool and I had no idea! Thanks for checking the channel out!

[@alexanderjones3830]

You should take advantage of that s-video port. Its a big step up from composite

[@retrogameattic]

Thanks for checking out the vid and for the tip! I never focused on S-Video before but am currently working on a video comparing S-Video to a few different formats.

[@alexanderjones3830]

@@retrogameattic cool, I look forward to it

[@marczoeteweij552]

I'm currently rocking a Sony Trinitron widescreen crt 24 inch. Picture is great. And end of this week getting a Philips Cineos high defention crt, with hdmi input if all goes well

[@retrogameattic]

The Cineos high def CRT seems like a super nice unit, and HDMI input makes it pretty versatile too. Best of luck! I hope you get it!

[@scpnoobers]

Right now I have a sharp 2003 19 inch crt tv that I got from a garage and it’s fine for the time being. I’m trying to upgrade to a Sony trinitron or a crt monitor

[@retrogameattic]

Nice! I would think a newer 2003 CRT TV is still pretty solid quality regardless of the brand. Best of luck in tracking down a Trinitron and thanks for checking out the video!

[@MrMarrekkk]

I agree there's no "one size fits all" and also after buying my first Trinitron and Scart RGB cables I realised that for generations of consoles 4 and lower any CRT with RF works better because you need this blurriness for colors dithering and transparency just like these beautiful waterfalls in Sonic the hedgehog. Generations 5 and 6 look great through RGB, then generation 7 needs flat panels about 32" and finally newest systems of generations 8 and 9 need high refresh rate displays of at least 50". So I use JVC 21" for Sega Mega Drive through RF, 21" Sony Trinitron for PS1, Sega Saturn and Sega Dreamcast all through RGB scart and then 32" flat panel for Xbox 360 through HDMI and 50" for Xbox One X through HDMI. I am aware that for most members of CRT related groups on Facebook my setup is amateurish but that's how I like it. Anyway is anyone interested in buying RGB scart cable for Sega Mega Drive model 1?

[@retrogameattic]

Sounds like a pretty legit setup to me! You definitely thought things out. Thanks for sharing in detail and for checking out the video!

[@RetrofIex]

I have the KV20FS100, which looks basically identical to your KV20FV12, but they swapped the S-Video jack for Component. I love the way it looks but RGB/Component is just so much more expensive than SVideo.

[@retrogameattic]

It’s wild how much more expensive RGB/Component is over S-Video. I’ve seen a few converter boxes but they are expensive too and seem to be of questionable quality. You still have a solid CRT though!

[@TheMikeyb86]

My Panasonic Gaoo is my CRT of choice. I like it so much, I sold my Sony KV-32FV300 because I thought it just looked better.

[@retrogameattic]

I just looked up the Panasonic Gaoo and they seem like solid line of CRT TVs! I'm definitely finding some solid Trinitron alternatives thanks to comments like yours. I appreciate the heads up!

[@RIGID.]

A kind suggestion, please try hooking up an pc to an crt and try playing emulation on it. Things like DOS games also look good!

[@retrogameattic]

I will definitely be sure to try it out! Thanks for the tip and for watching!

[@maxithefox2389]

thats a nice set of tvs, im currently rocking a tiny and honastly kinda crappy 5 inch portable crt that works but has a lot of banding in the picture and doesnt have very good video sync. if i had the space id definatly go with a bigger higher quality set but for now it works.

[@retrogameattic]

Well thank you! I totally understand why you'd want to go bigger but those 5" portable CRTs are low key pretty cool as well! Thanks for checking out the vid!

[@mariotorres2326]

Only one of 5 trinitrons I have seen is the best, I say the king of scanlines. It is so colorful from 1999. I like those LG cinemaster they have very crispy image, not sure they are the best for gaming.. The one that drove me crazy was a Panasonic probably Tau line , unfortunately I was so noob that I didn't buy it I regreat. You should Rgb mod your crts and get the bigger ones.

[@retrogameattic]

I love those late 90s/turn of the century Trinitrons! I'm definitely considering RGB modding but just haven't bit the bullet yet. I recently snagged a 27" Trinitron (Model KV-27FS120) from 1999 for free off Facebook Marketplace. It's the last of the curved glass Trinitrons and looks amazing IMO. I may make a video showcasing it in the future. Thanks for checking out the channel!

[@tdmax2288]

Bro,Thomson is good brand?

[@retrogameattic]

I know some Thomsons have RGB/SCART inputs which make them pretty solid in my book. If you can find one for cheap I'd say go for it!

[@ParanoidThalyyMVS]

I have a kv34fs100 Trinitron.

[@retrogameattic]

Nice, those are amazing! You have yourself a holy grail right there!

[@Igorsov]

@@retrogameattic Certainly, not the size of it…I can see all these scan lines and blurred pixels all over the screen…

[@SixShots5]

If you are serious about crt gaming look into getting a pvm/bvm

[@retrogameattic]

I'm pretty satisfied with my Trinitron with S-Video but I wouldn't be opposed to rocking a PVM/BVM if I ever came across one that didn't cost an arm and a leg.

[@WatersAbove77]

Can you recommend a crt that isn’t going for $200+ ……

[@retrogameattic]

I recommend staying diligent in browsing Craigslist/FB marketplace/etc. for free or cheap ones. I find crazy priced ones locally pretty regularly but also come across free ones as well. If you don’t want to wait for a free one, I’d recommend a flatscreen CRT from brands not as recognizable as Sony, such as Sanyo, JVC, Toshiba, etc. People might price them cheaper if you’re lucky and they’re pretty comparable in quality to the Trinitrons. I snagged a free 27” curved Trinitron locally since I’ve made this video so there is still hope out there! Otherwise, you should hopefully come across a fairly priced model with a bit of luck and patience. Thanks for checking out the video!

[@JamalTheTitan]

That S-Video port, though...

[@retrogameattic]

I have seen the light! I dabbled in S-Video in this vid: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y4eQaaWCqZV1psk

[@lovemadeinjapan]

Too bad your favourite has such bad connectors. I've the European version, and it has 2x RGB/sVideo over SCART, and front composite input.

[@retrogameattic]

That sounds like a nice setup!

[@lovemadeinjapan]

@@retrogameattic Now I see it does have S-video. Use that! Will be a huge improvement.

[@retrogameattic]

@@lovemadeinjapan Yes! I took the dive into S-Video and love it! I bought a 3rd party SNES/N64/GCN S-Video cable that was okay but I never looked back after I imported an official Nintendo S-Video cable from Japan.

[@jacob679SD]

rf input?🥴 nah ill stick to Component.

[@retrogameattic]

RF is definitely a little rough but I'll make do since that little white TV is so cool!

[@paulcanniff4308]

Price isn't an issue for me, the issue is actually finding something obtainable since nobody ships these and everything is 100 miles away. pain in the ass.

[@retrogameattic]

I totally feel you. It’s such a crapshoot on if or when a decent CRT pops up locally. Hopefully your unicorn comes up in your area soon. Best of luck in your search and thanks for checking out the video!

[@smasherjosh5000]

Or sellers on Facebook not replying to your messages "Like don't you want someone to take this off your hands or what?"

[@retrogameattic]

Very true! FB Marketplace can be so tough sometimes. I've actually been eyeing up a sweet Aiwa CRT on my local listings but I cannot get a response from the guy.

[@Zalibidas]

having tried a lot of sony crts, jvc, panasonic, toshiba etc, there is one tv set i found better than all of them- even more than my pvm. toshiba A series tvs that use a genuine toshiba tube. the geometry, convergence, everything is usually perfect every time i pick one of those up. i have only needed to make minor adjustments to one of them. please, please please PLEASE if you see one of these tvs and doubt their quality, don't. pick it up, and save it. they are vastly underrated due to i assume that AF series being kinda low mid in terms of crts, but even some of those are really good and have genuine toshiba tubes in the earlier ones and larger sets. the A series does have some orion tubes in the later ones, but almost all of them are genuine toshiba tubes and blow most tvs away edit - if anyone wants to see, i can show you a few comparison screenshots if you want to add me on discord. i have a sony 36XBR250, a JVC 36 inch D series, and a toshiba 36A42 at the ready. these should have been the best of all of these sets(arguable for sony, the later sony ones could be on par or better, but not in terms of geometry. that is all the same). i promise you, you will be blown away. all of the tvs mentioned are fantastic, but the toshiba stands above them

[@retrogameattic]

Thank you very much for the tip! I honestly didn’t even have Toshiba on my radar, which was dumb on my part. I am for sure going to keep my eyes peeled for an A series set now. I actually just sold my 1980s Trinitron this week so now I can justify another CRT. Thanks again for the heads up and for checking out the video! There’s a wealth of CRT knowledge out there; it’s fun to learn about them and their pros and cons.

[@Zalibidas]

@@retrogameattic 100% worth. tvl count if important to ya from what ive seen online is about 750 with these. they support pal and ntsc natively and any hz in between. they have great geometry usually even aged and great convergence. id show a few pictures if yt allowed lol

[@retrogameattic]

@@Zalibidas Definitely sounds like a much better option over PVM. I’m going to make it my mission to snag one of these haha. Seriously appreciate the heads up!

[@Zalibidas]

@@retrogameattic i personally prefer over pvm. im not saying its better though. pvms are pretty damn nice lol