CRT Fetish Thread

[GohanX]

Awesome, if things look good importing Pal gamecubes might become a thing for us.

In other news, I have a question. Is there any particular tricks for adjusting the brightness, contrast, etc of CRTs for use in gaming? I have DVDs with test patterns, but calibrating for movies on a screen that's exclusively for video games might not be so great. On my HDTV I have two completely different settings for movie watching and game playing.

Since my 20" PVM search has been fruitless I decided to hook my old 27" Samsung CRT back up. It's a late SD model with component, and I have a RGB to component converter. I was expecting it to look like ass after being spoiled by XRGBs and PVMs and stuff but it looks really damn good. A touch of color bleed, and a little too much overscan, but damn good.

 

[KyaDash]

In other news, I have a question. Is there any particular tricks for adjusting the brightness, contrast, etc of CRTs for use in gaming? I have DVDs with test patterns, but calibrating for movies on a screen that's exclusively for video games might not be so great.

If I understand what you're asking, you might want to give 240p Test Suite a shot. Has all types of test patterns and grids for adjusting linearity.

On the topic of brightness, every system might not output at the same brightness level as any other, especially if you're getting into modded consoles with different amplifiers installed.
I mention this because I just got around to modding my N64 yesterday. Think it looks pretty nice myself.

Here some photos; Spoiler box to keep from cluttering up the page:

Spoiler:

Still not as sharp as say an emulator thanks to the 64's built in filtering, but it's something.
Need to buy another SCART cable so I don't have to keep switching the one I use for the SNES.

 

[RBjakeSpecial]

Masters of the CRT! I'm new to this whole CRT thing. I had an AWESOME cheap Korean TV 10 years ago that made all my neo games pop. Are these 30 dollar (60 dollar shipping) amazon.com used offers worth it? (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000FM0QHK/ref=dp_olp_used_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=used) Just looking for something that will make the Neogeo and Megadrive consoles look sweeeet.

Any input (even a yay or nah) would be much appreciated.

 

[RBjakeSpecial]

... and now I discover Craigs List. America is crazy. So many DEALS. Might go pick up a nice Sony (like new) here.

 

[famicommander]

My first RGB cable to arrive was for my Atari Jaguar. And GOD DAMN the leap in quality from composite is huge. I hope to some day track down a bigger PVM, but my 14 inch will do very nicely until I can get one at a decent price.

 

[Skips]

Masters of the CRT! I'm new to this whole CRT thing. I had an AWESOME cheap Korean TV 10 years ago that made all my neo games pop. Are these 30 dollar (60 dollar shipping) amazon.com used offers worth it? (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000FM0QHK/ref=dp_olp_used_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=used) Just looking for something that will make the Neogeo and Megadrive consoles look sweeeet.

Any input (even a yay or nah) would be much appreciated.

Personally I would not purchase 30+ inch CRT's off the internet without some sort of video to see if its working well. In my experience the larger the CRT the more they tend to have geometry issues after years of use (or at least the issues seem more noticeable because the size, I don't know). It looks like it would be a decent TV, I just would not buy it blind.

 

[RBjakeSpecial]

Personally I would not purchase 30+ inch CRT's off the internet without some sort of video to see if its working well. In my experience the larger the CRT the more they tend to have geometry issues after years of use (or at least the issues seem more noticeable because the size, I don't know). It looks like it would be a decent TV, I just would not buy it blind.

Wicked! Thanks for the advice. I think I'm going to go with a local Craigs List offer. I'm super excited to get one. Making my neo games look all SWEET.

 

[2050-Z]

There have been several PVMs locally on CL Seattle lately. Good luck!

 

[aaronmjr]

I received my 25-pin DSUB to SCART adapter cable today and had a chance to look at one of my PVM-2530's via RGB. It looks OK. It doesn't look bad, but I think there is room for improvement. I am totally spoiled by my PVM-20M4U. I have the rear case off and in looking at the adjustment pots they seem pretty foolproof. So in the video we have all seen "Preparing Aged CRT's" they make these adjustments while the monitor is on.. Is this advisable? It would greatly shorten the amount of time all this fiddling would take, rather than turning the pot, firing up the tv, checking the changes, turning it off, adjusting again etc.

Thoughts? Here's some shots of the monitor running some Genesis games and Samurai Shodown 2 MVS via RGB. I notice that there are phosphors that seem to reach down from one line to another, stopping the scanlines from looking really pronounced, would adjusting focus fix this? Anyone know where the focus adjustment is? Is it the box shaped thing with two cables coming into/out of it above and to the right of the neck in this picture:





Needs more overscan.

 

[Skips]

I received my 25-pin DSUB to SCART adapter cable today and had a chance to look at one of my PVM-2530's via RGB. It looks OK. It doesn't look bad, but I think there is room for improvement. I am totally spoiled by my PVM-20M4U. I have the rear case off and in looking at the adjustment pots they seem pretty foolproof. So in the video we have all seen "Preparing Aged CRT's" they make these adjustments while the monitor is on.. Is this advisable? It would greatly shorten the amount of time all this fiddling would take, rather than turning the pot, firing up the tv, checking the changes, turning it off, adjusting again etc.

Thoughts? Here's some shots of the monitor running some Genesis games and Samurai Shodown 2 MVS via RGB. I notice that there are phosphors that seem to reach down from one line to another, stopping the scanlines from looking really pronounced, would adjusting focus fix this? Anyone know where the focus adjustment is? Is it the box shaped thing with two cables coming into/out of it above and to the right of the neck in this picture:

View attachment 20794

View attachment 20788

Needs more overscan.
View attachment 20789
View attachment 20790
View attachment 20791

You can try turning down the contrast and or RGB level (which will make the monitor a bit darker) however the 2530 just does not have super defined scanlines, especially in whites. This is the one thing that does suck about sub 600 line monitors, you might get great colors but they are not as sharp and the scanlines are not as defined.

 

[aaronmjr]

I feel silly for even complaining because from 3 feet away and further, it looks brilliant. Any thoughts about making the adjustments?

 

[Nyder]

There is a dude on eBay selling an external solution. I wonder if he copied Turf.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PC-ENGINE-C...889?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a9a84a2e9

I picked one of these for my region modded coregrafx, very elagent solution, I love it. Works on anything with EXT connector.

Nyd

 

[Nyder]

I received my 25-pin DSUB to SCART adapter cable today and had a chance to look at one of my PVM-2530's via RGB. It looks OK. It doesn't look bad, but I think there is room for improvement. I am totally spoiled by my PVM-20M4U. I have the rear case off and in looking at the adjustment pots they seem pretty foolproof. So in the video we have all seen "Preparing Aged CRT's" they make these adjustments while the monitor is on.. Is this advisable? It would greatly shorten the amount of time all this fiddling would take, rather than turning the pot, firing up the tv, checking the changes, turning it off, adjusting again etc.

Thoughts? Here's some shots of the monitor running some Genesis games and Samurai Shodown 2 MVS via RGB. I notice that there are phosphors that seem to reach down from one line to another, stopping the scanlines from looking really pronounced, would adjusting focus fix this? Anyone know where the focus adjustment is? Is it the box shaped thing with two cables coming into/out of it above and to the right of the neck in this picture:

View attachment 20794

View attachment 20788

Needs more overscan.
View attachment 20789
View attachment 20790
View attachment 20791

Looks a lot like my 2530 lol.
same with the picture.

I made adjustments with the unit powered on using an insulated screwdriver set, I took the mirror off my roof an stuck it in front of the display so I could adjust the pots.

Get the 240p test suite running and bring up the cross hatch and adjust the focus located on the flyback, I noticed that made the biggest difference,

Don't expect thick sharp scanlines, this is a sub 600 tvl display, but its a good all around RGB monitor. I didn't care for it tated.

Nyd

 

[aaronmjr]

Good tips, thanks. Where exactly is the focus adjustment? I'm not sure where which component is the flyback. Can you point it out in the picture i posted with the case off? Thanks!

Edit: Found it!

 

[aaronmjr]

Here's a direct comparison of my 560 Line 2530, and my 800 Line 20M4U.

2530:


20M4U:


As Skips pointed out, whites and extremely light colors really highlight the difference.

 

[Nyder]

Here's a direct comparison of my 560 Line 2530, and my 800 Line 20M4U.

2530:
View attachment 20804

20M4U:
View attachment 20807

As Skips pointed out, whites and extremely light colors really highlight the difference.

Actually your 2530 looks pretty nice, I think you did good. I doubt it needs to be capped or anything.
Another thing about the 2530 I dug was the ability to add some regular stereo speakers, I picked up some nice sony bookshelf speakers that complimented the unit and it sounded awesome.

My composite consoles didn't look so great on it, S-video was ok. I believe there are a whole set of pots just for adjusting composite.

Nyd

 

[aaronmjr]

Actually your 2530 looks pretty nice, I think you did good. I doubt it needs to be capped or anything.
Another thing about the 2530 I dug was the ability to add some regular stereo speakers, I picked up some nice sony bookshelf speakers that complimented the unit and it sounded awesome.

My composite consoles didn't look so great on it, S-video was ok. I believe there are a whole set of pots just for adjusting composite.

Nyd

Good to hear that it looks healthy. Hoping the other one looks good as well. I'll be testing it today or tomorrow. I do need to grab some shielded speakers for this thing. I really want the mountable originals but they are a bit spendy for right now. Also need to grab a remote.


One more comparison. This is the best I could do with my phone, maybe I'll try again with my DSLR later, but this is what 560 Lines, and 800 Lines look like up close.

560 (PVM-2530)


800 (PVM-20M4U)


With only 560 lines, the phosphors are much more spaced apart, creating a more uniform sort of "grid" look, which makes the scanlines less obvious. With 800 lines, they are really packed together tightly. I also noticed the 800 line monitor's phosphors don't bleed vertically very much either. I don't think this has to do with line count, but probably is just due to advancements made in the 10+ years between when these monitors were developed, not to mention the 560 line monitor is 6 inches bigger. This makes everything on the 800 line monitor much more dense, and the scanlines much more prominent. Interesting.

 

[Jibbajaba]

Good to hear that it looks healthy. Hoping the other one looks good as well. I'll be testing it today or tomorrow. I do need to grab some shielded speakers for this thing. I really want the mountable originals but they are a bit spendy for right now. Also need to grab a remote.


One more comparison. This is the best I could do with my phone, maybe I'll try again with my DSLR later, but this is what 560 Lines, and 800 Lines look like up close.

560 (PVM-2530)
View attachment 20825

800 (PVM-20M4U)
View attachment 20826

With only 560 lines, the phosphors are much more spaced apart, creating a more uniform sort of "grid" look, which makes the scanlines less obvious. With 800 lines, they are really packed together tightly. I also noticed the 800 line monitor's phosphors don't bleed vertically very much either. I don't think this has to do with line count, but probably is just due to advancements made in the 10+ years between when these monitors were developed, not to mention the 560 line monitor is 6 inches bigger. This makes everything on the 800 line monitor much more dense, and the scanlines much more prominent. Interesting.

Those are great comparison pics! Quite the difference between the two monitors.

 

[Skips]

Good to hear that it looks healthy. Hoping the other one looks good as well. I'll be testing it today or tomorrow. I do need to grab some shielded speakers for this thing. I really want the mountable originals but they are a bit spendy for right now. Also need to grab a remote.


One more comparison. This is the best I could do with my phone, maybe I'll try again with my DSLR later, but this is what 560 Lines, and 800 Lines look like up close.

560 (PVM-2530)
View attachment 20825

800 (PVM-20M4U)
View attachment 20826

With only 560 lines, the phosphors are much more spaced apart, creating a more uniform sort of "grid" look, which makes the scanlines less obvious. With 800 lines, they are really packed together tightly. I also noticed the 800 line monitor's phosphors don't bleed vertically very much either. I don't think this has to do with line count, but probably is just due to advancements made in the 10+ years between when these monitors were developed, not to mention the 560 line monitor is 6 inches bigger. This makes everything on the 800 line monitor much more dense, and the scanlines much more prominent. Interesting.

It is the line count. If you take a look at other large monitors such as the PVM-2950 and the XM-2950/2960 (the XM29 being closer to that era) their scanlines are much more defined than the PVM-2530. The PVM 2030 is the 20 inch model of what you have and it is just as soft as the 2530, assuming the 2530 inst completely worn out that is, so its not the size of the monitor. The 800 line and up monitors have bleed as well (when contrast is turned up past a certain point), you just don't notice it as much because the scan lines are not as close to one another. As far as advancements in CRT technology goes its not that either. The XM29 (800 lines) I had was from 1992 which is not much older than the PVM-2530's manufacture date. I also have a 650 line PVM-1271Q from 1987 and even it looks closer to the 800 line screenshot you linked than the one from the 2530.

 

[aaronmjr]

Ah, nice. Thanks for clearing that up. I didn't know XM29's were that old! My 2 2530's were made in 1993, and 1994.

So I just got done adjusting the one I think I'm keeping. A little nerve-racking! It's not perfect, but I sort of fixed some crazy corner-bowing that was going on, V-size/position and H-size/position. Also adjusted the focus which was nearly pegged all the way clockwise already unfortunately. It still has some issues, but I am moving on for now. I also noticed that the yellow pots on a separate board on the back of the set did nothing while using RGB. I'm thinking those might be for Y/C or Composite.

 

[GeePM]

Ah, nice. Thanks for clearing that up. I didn't know XM29's were that old! My 2 2530's were made in 1993, and 1994.

So I just got done adjusting the one I think I'm keeping. A little nerve-racking! It's not perfect, but I sort of fixed some crazy corner-bowing that was going on, V-size/position and H-size/position. Also adjusted the focus which was nearly pegged all the way clockwise already unfortunately. It still has some issues, but I am moving on for now. I also noticed that the yellow pots on a separate board on the back of the set did nothing while using RGB. I'm thinking those might be for Y/C or Composite.

View attachment 20828
View attachment 20829

Starting to look really good dude, it probably is just Composite

 

[aaronmjr]

I tried them with s-video and composite and they didn't seem to do anything. Oh well. Played some Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart 64 with my co-workers on it for lunch. S-video on my CMVS looked like absolute shit, but S-video on my 64 looked really great. No complaints! I forgot to put a bracket back in, so it has to come apart one more time, then one more good once over cleaning and I'll hook it up in place of the 20M4U for now. I'll be listing the other 2530 shortly if any of you guys in or near MN are looking!

 

[RBjakeSpecial]

I'm going to go check out this CRT tonight http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/ele/4773586740.html
I'm glad I checked in this thread first. $15 to free seems to be the going cost of most CRTs in Seattle. I'm pretty excited to start getting into this CRT stuff.

 

[ballzdeepx]

I'm going to go check out this CRT tonight http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/ele/4773586740.html
I'm glad I checked in this thread first. $15 to free seems to be the going cost of most CRTs in Seattle. I'm pretty excited to start getting into this CRT stuff.

See if you can find yourself a sony trinitron with a flat screen that's not HD but has component on it. You can usually find a nice 27inch all the time and they have really decent picture for a consumer grade crt.

 

[RBjakeSpecial]

See if you can find yourself a sony trinitron with a flat screen that's not HD but has component on it. You can usually find a nice 27inch all the time and they have really decent picture for a consumer grade crt.

Awesome. Got some great advice in the neo-geo chats. MONITORS.
CRT.