As a 10 year old I was telling friends the importances of Composite vs RF. As a 35 year old, I love playing older games, but also have fun dedicating time to getting the best retro setup I can. Seeing the light in other 35 year old's eyes is awesome, and having the best setup I can (RGB modded + HD Retrovision cables), which works best for me, absolutely does it for me.
Oh man...how many messages I’ve sent asking to see the back of the tv 🤣. I’d consider myself an in betweener. I have S-video hookups on SNES, super famicom, N64, GameCube. Composite with nes, genesis, AES, master system, PlayStation 1. Component with ps2. RF with a NES top loader, Atari 2600 & 7800 and a famicom with disk system. All on a 36” Sony trinitron Wega. I have another 36” Sony Trinitron Wega with HDMI and I have a WiiU and all my mini consoles hooked up to that via HDMI. Thanks for the video!
I tend to prefer composite personally. That’s what I used on the majority of my consoles growing up. Plus, it is easier to find CRTs with plenty of hookups for multiple consoles, compared to something like component. Composite is still a step above the basic RF, and I find that it is good enough for me.
i can't stand the shimmering/60hz flicker in composite video its really hard on my eyes, and if your tv has one input then its crap, use sony,jvc ie not rca
Great topic and good basic rundown on the different video output options! As someone who has spent way too much money over the years to obtain the best possible picture from my retro consoles (PVM monitor plus RGB cables AND an XRGB Framemeister for upscaling): I’ve decided the most affordable “bang for your buck” is just to find a basic CRT (hopefully one with S video and YPbPr component inputs). I agree with the “play games the way developers meant you to see them” philosophy. To answer your question: I prefer to have the best video quality possible, but in retrospect I don’t think the amount of money required to do that is equivalent to the upgrade in experience. I played all my Genesis games via RF on a cheap CRT - with only mono audio - when I was a kid, and those are some of my best gaming memories!
I had a PVM for a while as well, but ended up liking the way scanlines look on regular CRTs better. PVMs are obviously still really nice, but it was just a preference thing. Plus, the CRT I found was actually free (scooped it off somebody's lawn) and I've probably put thousands of hours on it. So, as far as "bang for you buck" it's definitely been great haha!! Thanks for sharing your perspective. I enjoyed reading it :)
s video isn't good enough, two signal paths vs the 5 which natively come out of the video processor chip, the developers never intended to just use composite thats all people had on their crap tvs. the graphics chips all internally render in rgb duh, those are artifacts not designs
@@ryan89554 Are you sure? I know many modern TVs won’t accept a 240p signal or will display it as 480i. I have never heard, however, that component (YPbPr) cables themselves are incapable of transmitting a 240p signal.
I love playing my old games with better signal. Especially the 16-bit stuff with HD Retrovision cables!! It’s a whole different experience with how vibrant and clear everything is!!
I've taken an "all of the above" stance. I have gone full-crazy with an RGB SCART setup, plus a couple modded consoles to add a parallel native HDMI output. All the RGB outs go to a gscartsw, to an OSSC, to an HDMI switch (with the modded and later-gen consoles), through an HDMI matrix, to a 4K TV, with the analog stuff split out to a PVM as well. I * love * the super-sharp pixel art, and still have a soft-spot for the wonky PlayStation-era 3D. Nothing wrong with 320x240 at 65". :-) This is the "what it _can_ be" setup, and is glorious. I also have a 32" SD CRT that I saved from getting scrapped. I plan to set up the 240p/480i consoles on that, with component video cables -- but, I want to add a component-to-composite converter so I can "slum it" in composite mode when I want to. :-) I'm still on the hunt for an older console TV. That one will be tapped off the source selector that feeds the SDTV and run through an RF modulator to placate those fuzzy, under-saturated memories. Super high quality is great, and I love that we have the option of perfect, or at least near-perfect, fidelity now. But, putting on the nostalgia glasses can be fun, too!
Wow the composite to S-video jump in this video was the biggest one. You can tell how clear that is! It's a niiiiice! Never knew the dreamcast had VGA? What the hell haha
I've been in a rabbit hole these past few months when it comes to trying to hook up my consoles in a satisfying way. Especially because of My Life In Gaming. I doubt I'll get into SCART any time soon but I'm glad there's other alternatives for certain systems.
I hook up with retro games consoles all the time. Friday Evening or Late Saturday Night, few beers, bit of music to get in the mood, then she's mine All Mine, All Night Long! ;)
Hello Mr Bird, short time watcher and first time commenter here. Honestly, video quality is a big deal when you make that jump from composite to s-video, once you make the jump it can be hard to go back. But, luckily both my HDTV and CRT have a wide variety of inputs, so that makes it a breeze to connnect multiple consoles to the same TV (Say NES runs off RF, SNES through Gamecube off Svideo, and Ps2 off component etc)
As someone who doesn't really have the space for a CRT tv, I don't really mind just hooking up to a modern tv. Most of the time, I'm playing either one of the mini consoles or playing my Analogue Mega SG so I'm hooking up via HDMI anyway. The video quality doesn't bother me not having the dithering that was in the older displays. The most important thing is that it controls as precisely as possible without noticing a difference from original hardware and I've never had an issue with that. Although, I will say with PS2 specifically, component cables really helps with overall experience.
I played on RF back in the day, but after seeing the comparisons of the connections, I would only be looking to connect an emulator to get up to S-video, as I feel that is the limit of still preserving that inherent "noise" that I was used to. RGB is too "clean" for me personally for retro style gaming. Also those super clean scanlines on PVMs and BVMs somehow don't sway me either. I know they provide the best signal and objective clarity, but that's not how retro gaming was enjoyed by myself back in the 90's.
Currently using a Trinitron CRT with SNES hooked up via HD Retrovision component cables. A relatively cheap set up that looks amazing and no lag. But honestly I do not mind playing my other systems with composite.
using an 13 inch travel CRT with only one SCART port makes for an innovative approach. Even more so when I have to convert the incoming signal from my emulation pc. HDMI - SCART adapter (FullHD@60Hz) gets converted into 640x480 50Hz PAL. Sure, I have RGB SCART for my PS1 and SNES but where's the fun in Plug n' Play? When I first started gaming, I never would have thought that it grew to be an passion like this. The amount of stuff I've learend is more than I ever got from school. Next up on the CRT TV's connection crusades is an Raspberry Pi with video composite out. The ultimate goal is to reproduce as smooth as a picture as feasible, even if little sacrifices have to be made on the picture quality (no stuttering image, just smooth fast rolling picture quality).
I spent more money in cable than in games! All the Retrotink products with HD retrovision cables are the best combination for any console using old or new TV, but is not cheap! Good video
@@randominternetuser2 I have the RAD2x the works beautiful with the snes and my N64 RGB modded but I like more how the N64 looks with a CRT for that reason I bought the SNES/N64 component cable from the HDRetrovision. I want to but the Retrotink 2xpro to use the scanlines in modern TV but I do not have $200 addition to spend (not this month heheheh)
My dad gave me my Mega drive when I was 12 and it came with an RGB SCART cable. Only a few months ago did I realize I had the best quality cable possible!
I was looking to find a CRT, but I realized I can set my modern TV to 4:3 ratio on the needed inputs for my systems. My genesis and N64 share a component input and my toploading NES takes up the RF input. Low class, but still fun.
I fell down the rabbit hole hard. 1 year ago I got a crt and AV composite was just fine. No I have a Sony 20" PVM with Composite, S video and RGB Scart cables.
I use S-Video for SNES ,N64 and gamecube and component cables for my Wii on my Sony Trinitron I'm happy with the way it looks till I get a better Sony currently have a KV-32FS100 CRT
@@RetroBirdGaming it sure is ! I hope my next CRT has more than one s -video input I have seen CRTs with up to 3 S-video one in the front and two in the back cheers.
An excellent vid man, I recently dived down this rabbit hole and discovered just how deep the video quality debate goes. I care about the video quality of my retro games but not enough to keep a crt around though. I want to keep everything on a single hdtv. So after searching I settled on a combo of the RAD2X cables and Castlemania composite cables. Except for my Genesis stuff, I picked up a Mega SG to solve that issue. Keep up the good work man!
...the Mega SG is awesome, if you want a way to play Genesis and Sega CD on modern tv it's the best way imo. If I start a SNES collection I'll be going w/a Super NT as well.
I went the opposite way when I dived down the rabbit hole, and found a free CRT listed. Went to pick it up and the guy also had a second he gave me as well. So now I have 2 CRTs and 1 small HDTV lol. I can honestly say, and so can my family after seeing them, the CRT actually looks better. Idk if it's the colour, the dots vs pixels, or what, but I was actually surprised when my family came over and said that the content playing on the CRT looked better than on the HDTV. Had them both playing the same DVD or VHS tape, can't remember which. I mean, I thought the same thing, but I thought until then that it was probably confirmation bias. After that I'm not so sure, lol. I use the CRTs whenever I watch older DVDs or VHS tapes, or play anything older than my Xbox one, these days, lol.
I have a 27in Tritron myself and hook systems to that with the highest connection available for each one. I also have FPGA consoles and retrotink2x to play on lcd TVs. I like options.
Most of the consoles I played were RF/Composite due to the TVs I had back in the day only supporting those options, but now that I have a choice in the matter, I'll slowly switch all pre-HDMi consoles to RGB SCART connected to 2 quality SCART switches for a maximum of 9/10 inputs. I don't mind the low resolutions, for me nostalgia hits a wall when facing bad image quality.
Had to upgrade the retro output. Just looked like crap on modern TV. Ended up with a retrotink 2x pro paired with a 75 inch 4k TV. Those retro games are looking great!
Great Job! This is not an easy topic to go over. There are so many ways to go about getting the best picture. I use Scart the and Retrotink 2x pro for my Saturn. I have found that Bob at the "RetroRGB" channel has also done very good job going over this as well and his videos are pretty recent so they cover the most products that are available.
I have a pretty crazy setup with RGB, Component, HDMI and VGA connections for my systems. I just recently installed an NESRGB kit in my NES for RGB video and use a Plasma TV in my game room.
All crts are capable of accepting rgb signal. The tube is direct powered by the rgb signal although its amplified....requires some simple modification. 8-bit guy channel has a video for making the modifications.
I’ve gone as far as S-video and have even picked up a modded RGB N64 console however the knowledge and research that is required to get into the scart stuff is a little overwhelming 😂
One interesting thing about SCART, is that as well as RGB over SCART, which only supports 480i/576i, there is a rarely supported mode which allows for up to 1080p over SCART (YPbPr over SCART), and the nice thing about SCART, is that the TV can automatically fall back to composite if you change the settings to something the TV doesn’t support, or if you connect a device which is configured to use a display mode that is unsupported by that TV
Gam3 Gear brand S video cables for SNES, N64 and GameCube are very good, cheap, readily available on Amazon, and properly wired for true S video and not composite fed through an S video plug.
I'm in Pal region. Always getting RGB euro scart or component if available. Always going for the best image quality. I'm glad now days we all have hdmi. All video standards unite!
Composite is yellow, Component is red, green, and blue. I find it funny when people say composite is crap when in fact they probably grew up using RF. IMO composite can still look good on a CRT, it just varies from tv and system. 3rd and 4th gen look fine to me. I'd even say 5th games can look ok but s-video is better. Once you start getting into the 6th gen you want component for sure.
I played my NES on a TV where the RF was split to the two wires. It had crappy picture and the manual fine tuning knob was broken. It was until the Sega Saturn came out that I actually bought a tv with S-video. It was amazing. When the Xbox came out is when I got a tv with component inputs. Now I have 35”, 27”, 26” and a 15” crt TVs with component inputs. I would have loved to have any of these TVs when I was a kid.
I think the best option would be the one that hides all the little imperfections while keeping it clear. One of my favorites are the Abe games, and like Donkey Kong Country, it has a lot of prerendered stuff. They look BEAUTIFUL on a CRT.
If I may make a suggestion for people who want to record their gameplay in RGB SCART but only have CRTs with composite, what you need is a SCART amplifier and a SCART transcoder. I have a SCART amplifier with one input and eleven outputs, and a transcoder by Keene that down converts the signal from RGB SCART to composite or S-video. The idea is to send one output to the transcoder, which then outputs to your CRT; and the other output to your SCART to HDMI device of choice which then outputs to your capture card. Alternatively, if you are using SCART leads that use Sync on Composite, you can simply steal composite video from it with a simple breakout adapter or even a SCART switcher with optional RCA outputs. Just be advised that Sync on Composite is more prone to video noise unless the cables are shielded. The PS1 and PS2 are unique in that you can buy an AV breakout adapter with RCA and S-video jacks and multiout port, which you can use to send composite or S-video to your CRT and SCART or component to your capture card or video converter.
My CRT only has S video so I usually aim for that. But I got the HD Retrovision Component cable for my Genesis and use that on my PVM or on HDTV using retrotink
I went down the rabbit hole, trying to hook up all my retro videogame consoles via HDMI. I've tried lots of things and I kinda have a favorite for each. NES - I managed to get my hands on on an AV famicom that has been moded with a Hi Def Nes kit, Snes - I play on an Analogue Super NT, GC - Eon MK-II goingh through an Mclassic, PS2 - 60Gb backwards compatible PS3, Dreamcast - Bitfunx old HDMI converter going through the Mclassic (surprisingly rivals de DC HDMI mod IMHO). Saturn - High quality SCART cable (can't remember the brand RN) going through the retrotink 5x, 2nd PS2 - retro rgp composite cables through retrotink 5x. N64 has been my demise, as I hated the Ultra HDMI mod when I got to try it, Eon super 64 plus mclassic turned into garbage. As of right now I'm waiting on an RGB mod I want to attempt. Currently I have a Bitfunx (Kaico) line doubler going through the Mclassic, and it's the best picture I've seen from an N64 console, yes, better than the Ultra HDMI mod and WAY! better than the stupidly overpriced Eon super 64
I've never put much interest or research into various cable options. Seems to me the majority of retro games are more focused on the size and quality of the TV itself. I have my N64 setup with svideo to a WEGA 36", but the svideo was more of an afterthought purchase when my local retro stores didn't have any loose N64 carts I was wanting. Hoping my tv hold out for years to come. I've enjoyed sooo many games on it these last few years:)
Quite informative, I don't have that many old consoles, but I have a PS2 with good aftermarket component cables connected to an old 32 in flat screen, many of the progressive scan compatible games look pretty good on that and there are games that can be played on 16:9 too like the Tomb Raider games and that's how I played them recently and to me look good enough.
I use the retrotink products with hd retrovision cables, and have a RGB modded Sharp Twin. Is it pretty expensive? Sure is! But to me it's worth it. I love nice crispy pixels without all of the added noise from composite. S-Video is pretty good through the retrotink. I am really not into scan lines. I get what they're supposed to do, they're just not for me. I never noticed them on my old tvs as a kid. But they stick out like a soar thumb on a modern TV. If I'm spending my hard earned cash on hardware to make my consoles look as good as possible, it doesn't make sense to me to muddy it all up again with scan lines. If that's your bag, that's cool. Just count me out lol.
My Sony CRT TV (standard definition) has component inputs, it definitely makes my able retro consoles look good. To bad not all retro consoles have component output. The work around is you can have your consoles modded but that can be expensive.
Regarding SCART, Europeans need to be careful that they get an actual RGB SCART cable, and not just a composite-to-SCART adapter (which still carries the crappy composite signal, it just allows you to plug it into your TV's SCART port). Usually, an adapter will only have a small number of the pins. There was a meme back in the day that employees at GAME (a British games shop) couldn't tell the difference between the two and would often give you an adapter when you asked for an RGB SCART cable.
Remember as a kid when I first bought my N64 I was tripping out that the N64 came with composite cables instead of rf. I didn't know how to connect N64 to my TV since my TV's at the time only had coaxial and didn't have composite it wasn't until my Dad figured out that our VCR had composite inputs so after tinkering around with the VCR and hooking the N64 with it I was finally able to play some Mario kart 64 on my N64 my black and white TV. Yeah if you grew up poor and if you didn't have the latest technology your kinda screwed And have a think outside of the box to get things working.
Your comment made me look into this a bit further. Turns out, all NTSC N64s support s-video but it's certain PAL consoles that won't (most of them still work apparently). This would explain why I was unaware (since I never use PAL consoles).
I’m currently trying to accomplish the goal of having all my consoles hooked up and ready to play on the best video quality WITHIN REASON. I believe I’ve topped out at component on CRT for retro consoles and HDMI on HDTV for HD consoles. None of my consoles will be hooked up through RGB for the foreseeable future. I don’t really have it in me to modify my N64 and NES, so those will stay at S-Video and composite respectively. Even the ones that have RGB natively will have to stay at component. I’m not quite there yet with all of my consoles and I’m still waiting for my gComp switcher and a couple more good quality component cables, so not every console is hooked up at the highest quality right now, but they are all connected and running. It shouldn’t be too long before I can achieve my goal.
Trying to get the best image quality on a flatscreen from my GameCube:Loading Swiss on my PAL gamecube to force 480p, connecting an HDMI adapter on the digital plug out, connecting an Mcable to the screen. It's not an easy route but it does look nice and sharp
I don't have many retro consoles, so most of my signals go through HDMI; the closest I've got hooked up at the moment is the Wii through composite (for GameCube games). Everything from composite forward looks fine to me, but RF is a little too blurry for me.
The way I have mine set up works, and that's what ultimately matters at my stage, lol. I have an xbox 360, ps1, and original Xbox going into a VCR, which splits, going composite into a traditional CRT, and with...RF going into my HDTV because I don't really use it for that and the tv has no other inputs other than hdmi 😂 speaking of HDMI, there's an Xbox one going into the HDTV via hdmi
I tried to get a pvm for those rgb graphics. I bought the hd retrovision cables and I thought a bnc adapter was all I needed because I believed component and rgb were the same thing. Well the adapters didn't really work. It only displayed green. I asked at the crt collective their thoughts and I was told to just go with a consumer tv. So I ordered a JVC D Series crt. I'm told its one of the best and seeing how it looks, yeah it was always on my wish list if I couldn't have a pvm. So I'm waiting for it to be delivered. But I just didn't want my retrovision cables to be wasted. So I'm letting go of wanting a pvm. I was going for the 3230q, biggest one there is.
One of the strangest thing I remember was one time where I was trying to hook up an old Sega Master System to an old CRT and while I was messing around with the cables, I suddenly got a signal. Not a good one but you could definitely play the game and see all that was going on.... The strange thing was.. that the RF cable was not even plugged in yet... In fact, it was laying on the table a solid 1 meter or so away from the TV... On the other side of the TV where all the sockets were located. I still don't know how the RF signal was able to travel wirelessly like that???
The Armor3 PS2 HDMI adapter will not work on a modern TV as it only supports 480i/p resolution. Most PS1 games and a few PS2 games will lose connection to the TV after the PS screen. Go with the Hyperkin or Pound Technogies brand as they support 720 resolution. It's an issue of compatibility all the way through.
To tell you the truth, as a kid I preferred the rf connection over the composite (I always called those RCA or A/V cables back in the day, because thats what the manuals called them. Lol) On the generic tvs I had back in the 90s the composite connection always showed up super dark and the text on some games were hard to read because of it. So I always thought rf was better, even though scientifically it is not, but some crappy old generic crt TVs may not be able to produce a better picture on composite.
As a 10 year old I was telling friends the importances of Composite vs RF. As a 35 year old, I love playing older games, but also have fun dedicating time to getting the best retro setup I can. Seeing the light in other 35 year old's eyes is awesome, and having the best setup I can (RGB modded + HD Retrovision cables), which works best for me, absolutely does it for me.
Probably best cable overview ive seen 🙌
Thank you! I really appreciate that. Glad you liked it.
Nothing is as good as CRT. Nothing will ever be as good as CRT.
An American who knows and appreciates RGB - nice to see!
Oh man...how many messages I’ve sent asking to see the back of the tv 🤣. I’d consider myself an in betweener. I have S-video hookups on SNES, super famicom, N64, GameCube. Composite with nes, genesis, AES, master system, PlayStation 1. Component with ps2. RF with a NES top loader, Atari 2600 & 7800 and a famicom with disk system. All on a 36” Sony trinitron Wega. I have another 36” Sony Trinitron Wega with HDMI and I have a WiiU and all my mini consoles hooked up to that via HDMI. Thanks for the video!
You've got a real cornucopia of consoles and hookups there!
Wow, you have two 36 inch Trinitrons? Probably no need for heat in the winter amiright?
Big props for mentioning the composite/dithering connection!
I tend to prefer composite personally. That’s what I used on the majority of my consoles growing up. Plus, it is easier to find CRTs with plenty of hookups for multiple consoles, compared to something like component. Composite is still a step above the basic RF, and I find that it is good enough for me.
A CRT usually only has one connection for gaming if you're lucky it has that
i can't stand the shimmering/60hz flicker in composite video its really hard on my eyes, and if your tv has one input then its crap, use sony,jvc ie not rca
Great topic and good basic rundown on the different video output options! As someone who has spent way too much money over the years to obtain the best possible picture from my retro consoles (PVM monitor plus RGB cables AND an XRGB Framemeister for upscaling):
I’ve decided the most affordable “bang for your buck” is just to find a basic CRT (hopefully one with S video and YPbPr component inputs). I agree with the “play games the way developers meant you to see them” philosophy.
To answer your question: I prefer to have the best video quality possible, but in retrospect I don’t think the amount of money required to do that is equivalent to the upgrade in experience. I played all my Genesis games via RF on a cheap CRT - with only mono audio - when I was a kid, and those are some of my best gaming memories!
I had a PVM for a while as well, but ended up liking the way scanlines look on regular CRTs better. PVMs are obviously still really nice, but it was just a preference thing. Plus, the CRT I found was actually free (scooped it off somebody's lawn) and I've probably put thousands of hours on it. So, as far as "bang for you buck" it's definitely been great haha!!
Thanks for sharing your perspective. I enjoyed reading it :)
s video isn't good enough, two signal paths vs the 5 which natively come out of the video processor chip, the developers never intended to just use composite thats all people had on their crap tvs. the graphics chips all internally render in rgb duh, those are artifacts not designs
oh yeah one problem with component is it doesn't support 240 p only 480i which is god awful for 2d consoles and doesn't even look right
@@ryan89554 Are you sure? I know many modern TVs won’t accept a 240p signal or will display it as 480i. I have never heard, however, that component (YPbPr) cables themselves are incapable of transmitting a 240p signal.
I love playing my old games with better signal. Especially the 16-bit stuff with HD Retrovision cables!! It’s a whole different experience with how vibrant and clear everything is!!
I've taken an "all of the above" stance.
I have gone full-crazy with an RGB SCART setup, plus a couple modded consoles to add a parallel native HDMI output. All the RGB outs go to a gscartsw, to an OSSC, to an HDMI switch (with the modded and later-gen consoles), through an HDMI matrix, to a 4K TV, with the analog stuff split out to a PVM as well. I * love * the super-sharp pixel art, and still have a soft-spot for the wonky PlayStation-era 3D. Nothing wrong with 320x240 at 65". :-) This is the "what it _can_ be" setup, and is glorious.
I also have a 32" SD CRT that I saved from getting scrapped. I plan to set up the 240p/480i consoles on that, with component video cables -- but, I want to add a component-to-composite converter so I can "slum it" in composite mode when I want to. :-)
I'm still on the hunt for an older console TV. That one will be tapped off the source selector that feeds the SDTV and run through an RF modulator to placate those fuzzy, under-saturated memories.
Super high quality is great, and I love that we have the option of perfect, or at least near-perfect, fidelity now. But, putting on the nostalgia glasses can be fun, too!
Wow the composite to S-video jump in this video was the biggest one. You can tell how clear that is! It's a niiiiice!
Never knew the dreamcast had VGA? What the hell haha
Yeah, I've always felt that S-Video is a somewhat underrated solution.
Yeah, and it's VGA capability was even shown on the backs of game cases as a feature.
as a kid I ran my n64 rca's into a vcr then a rf cable from the vcr to the rf only tv I had. equipment was hand me downs.
I've been in a rabbit hole these past few months when it comes to trying to hook up my consoles in a satisfying way. Especially because of My Life In Gaming. I doubt I'll get into SCART any time soon but I'm glad there's other alternatives for certain systems.
My Life in Gaming does great work. Their videos embrace going down the rabbit hole :)
I love My Life and the in-depth details they go into, but man oh man, I’ve spent sooo much money after watching their videos...
I recently got a Neo Geo MVS, and the only route there is SCART. Oof. Glad RGBS to YUV conversion is cheap and easy
How has no one else made a video topic like this before?! Bird man doing the lord's work
There are sooo many videos on this same exact topic lol
@@RideRedRacer the YT gods and algorithm do not want me to see
I hook up with retro games consoles all the time. Friday Evening or Late Saturday Night, few beers, bit of music to get in the mood, then she's mine All Mine, All Night Long! ;)
Hello Mr Bird, short time watcher and first time commenter here. Honestly, video quality is a big deal when you make that jump from composite to s-video, once you make the jump it can be hard to go back. But, luckily both my HDTV and CRT have a wide variety of inputs, so that makes it a breeze to connnect multiple consoles to the same TV (Say NES runs off RF, SNES through Gamecube off Svideo, and Ps2 off component etc)
Good to hear from you. Yeah, having a lot of inputs on the back of the TV is pretty handy!
As someone who doesn't really have the space for a CRT tv, I don't really mind just hooking up to a modern tv. Most of the time, I'm playing either one of the mini consoles or playing my Analogue Mega SG so I'm hooking up via HDMI anyway. The video quality doesn't bother me not having the dithering that was in the older displays. The most important thing is that it controls as precisely as possible without noticing a difference from original hardware and I've never had an issue with that. Although, I will say with PS2 specifically, component cables really helps with overall experience.
I played on RF back in the day, but after seeing the comparisons of the connections, I would only be looking to connect an emulator to get up to S-video, as I feel that is the limit of still preserving that inherent "noise" that I was used to. RGB is too "clean" for me personally for retro style gaming. Also those super clean scanlines on PVMs and BVMs somehow don't sway me either. I know they provide the best signal and objective clarity, but that's not how retro gaming was enjoyed by myself back in the 90's.
I just moved my N64 to my CRT. I had it from S-vid to RetroTink2x, but now it is composite on CRT which looks perfectly fine.
That's the way most people played N64 back in the day too.
Currently using a Trinitron CRT with SNES hooked up via HD Retrovision component cables. A relatively cheap set up that looks amazing and no lag. But honestly I do not mind playing my other systems with composite.
If you got a CRT with those component inputs, you might as well use 'em :)
Retro Bird True! Next I plan on getting an adapter and cables for my TG-16 and PC Engine.
using an 13 inch travel CRT with only one SCART port makes for an innovative approach. Even more so when I have to convert the incoming signal from my emulation pc. HDMI - SCART adapter (FullHD@60Hz) gets converted into 640x480 50Hz PAL. Sure, I have RGB SCART for my PS1 and SNES but where's the fun in Plug n' Play? When I first started gaming, I never would have thought that it grew to be an passion like this. The amount of stuff I've learend is more than I ever got from school. Next up on the CRT TV's connection crusades is an Raspberry Pi with video composite out. The ultimate goal is to reproduce as smooth as a picture as feasible, even if little sacrifices have to be made on the picture quality (no stuttering image, just smooth fast rolling picture quality).
I spent more money in cable than in games! All the Retrotink products with HD retrovision cables are the best combination for any console using old or new TV, but is not cheap! Good video
excited about them. I am waiting on an order of them for my 64 and a saturn.
RetroTINK has really gotten popular in recent years and you hear less and less about the ol' Framemeister!
@@randominternetuser2 I have the RAD2x the works beautiful with the snes and my N64 RGB modded but I like more how the N64 looks with a CRT for that reason I bought the SNES/N64 component cable from the HDRetrovision. I want to but the Retrotink 2xpro to use the scanlines in modern TV but I do not have $200 addition to spend (not this month heheheh)
@@dioxeto Right on. I agree it looks much better on my crt too. JVC D series, 20 dollar buy! Score!
@@randominternetuser2 I never tried a JVC, is is better than a Sony Triniton?
My dad gave me my Mega drive when I was 12 and it came with an RGB SCART cable. Only a few months ago did I realize I had the best quality cable possible!
I was looking to find a CRT, but I realized I can set my modern TV to 4:3 ratio on the needed inputs for my systems. My genesis and N64 share a component input and my toploading NES takes up the RF input. Low class, but still fun.
I fell down the rabbit hole hard. 1 year ago I got a crt and AV composite was just fine.
No I have a Sony 20" PVM with Composite, S video and RGB Scart cables.
Awesome job with this video. Informative, easy to understand and you bring up great points. Well done
Thank you! Good to hear as that's how I intended it!
I'm good with AV and s-video on CRT :)
I love the open mind.
THIIIS is what I needed! Thank you so much for explaining it all so well.
I use S-Video for SNES ,N64 and gamecube and component cables for my Wii on my Sony Trinitron I'm happy with the way it looks till I get a better Sony currently have a KV-32FS100 CRT
It's convenient that SNES, N64 and GameCube use the same cable, isn't it?
@@RetroBirdGaming it sure is ! I hope my next CRT has more than one s -video input I have seen CRTs with up to 3 S-video one in the front and two in the back cheers.
Yeah, having multiple inputs is always really handy.
This video is in my wheelhouse, big time
Glad to hear!
An excellent vid man, I recently dived down this rabbit hole and discovered just how deep the video quality debate goes. I care about the video quality of my retro games but not enough to keep a crt around though. I want to keep everything on a single hdtv. So after searching I settled on a combo of the RAD2X cables and Castlemania composite cables. Except for my Genesis stuff, I picked up a Mega SG to solve that issue. Keep up the good work man!
Thank you and how are you liking the Mega SG? Seems like a really nice console. Analogue does such great work.
...the Mega SG is awesome, if you want a way to play Genesis and Sega CD on modern tv it's the best way imo. If I start a SNES collection I'll be going w/a Super NT as well.
@@ShinSynZero Yeah, the fact that you can use your Sega CD with it is pretty sweet!
I went the opposite way when I dived down the rabbit hole, and found a free CRT listed. Went to pick it up and the guy also had a second he gave me as well. So now I have 2 CRTs and 1 small HDTV lol. I can honestly say, and so can my family after seeing them, the CRT actually looks better. Idk if it's the colour, the dots vs pixels, or what, but I was actually surprised when my family came over and said that the content playing on the CRT looked better than on the HDTV. Had them both playing the same DVD or VHS tape, can't remember which. I mean, I thought the same thing, but I thought until then that it was probably confirmation bias. After that I'm not so sure, lol. I use the CRTs whenever I watch older DVDs or VHS tapes, or play anything older than my Xbox one, these days, lol.
I stick with S-Video since it's the highest my CRT will support. I think it looks pretty great personally.
My man congratulations on 1.02K subscribers
Thank you! I appreciate it.
I have a 27in Tritron myself and hook systems to that with the highest connection available for each one. I also have FPGA consoles and retrotink2x to play on lcd TVs. I like options.
Nothing wrong with having lots of options :)
Thanks! It really helped for what is best for my retro console
Glad this helped!
Love your work.
Thank you!
I did pick up a 40" Toshiba crt tv for my NES/Genesis combo. Used standard a/v inputs though.
Sounds like a beast!
@@RetroBirdGaming a family of gnomes lives behind it and I can not move it to evict them
Most of the consoles I played were RF/Composite due to the TVs I had back in the day only supporting those options, but now that I have a choice in the matter, I'll slowly switch all pre-HDMi consoles to RGB SCART connected to 2 quality SCART switches for a maximum of 9/10 inputs. I don't mind the low resolutions, for me nostalgia hits a wall when facing bad image quality.
Had to upgrade the retro output. Just looked like crap on modern TV. Ended up with a retrotink 2x pro paired with a 75 inch 4k TV. Those retro games are looking great!
Great Job! This is not an easy topic to go over. There are so many ways to go about getting the best picture.
I use Scart the and Retrotink 2x pro for my Saturn. I have found that Bob at the "RetroRGB" channel has also done very good job going over this as well and his videos are pretty recent so they cover the most products that are available.
Thank you. I appreciate that. I really had to think about how I wanted to approach this topic.
Thank you!
I have a pretty crazy setup with RGB, Component, HDMI and VGA connections for my systems. I just recently installed an NESRGB kit in my NES for RGB video and use a Plasma TV in my game room.
As long as the signal isn't a blurry mess and there is no/low input lag I'm good.
All crts are capable of accepting rgb signal. The tube is direct powered by the rgb signal although its amplified....requires some simple modification. 8-bit guy channel has a video for making the modifications.
Yes, I saw that you can do modifications! Very neat!
I’ve gone as far as S-video and have even picked up a modded RGB N64 console however the knowledge and research that is required to get into the scart stuff is a little overwhelming 😂
Scart back in the day (In the UK) was the HDMI of picture quality. It also carried cool stereo sound for the ultimate image/audio quality.
I use S-video for all my retro systems.
One interesting thing about SCART, is that as well as RGB over SCART, which only supports 480i/576i, there is a rarely supported mode which allows for up to 1080p over SCART (YPbPr over SCART), and the nice thing about SCART, is that the TV can automatically fall back to composite if you change the settings to something the TV doesn’t support, or if you connect a device which is configured to use a display mode that is unsupported by that TV
Gam3 Gear brand S video cables for SNES, N64 and GameCube are very good, cheap, readily available on Amazon, and properly wired for true S video and not composite fed through an S video plug.
I'm in Pal region. Always getting RGB euro scart or component if available. Always going for the best image quality. I'm glad now days we all have hdmi. All video standards unite!
AV cables are good enough for me
Certainly makes things easy :)
I don't need RGB or a PVM a consumer CRT and composite and S video is good enough for me.
Composite is yellow, Component is red, green, and blue.
I find it funny when people say composite is crap when in fact they probably grew up using RF. IMO composite can still look good on a CRT, it just varies from tv and system. 3rd and 4th gen look fine to me. I'd even say 5th games can look ok but s-video is better. Once you start getting into the 6th gen you want component for sure.
Thank you, and I'll just assume that you sang it out loud during the video :)
I played my NES on a TV where the RF was split to the two wires. It had crappy picture and the manual fine tuning knob was broken. It was until the Sega Saturn came out that I actually bought a tv with S-video. It was amazing. When the Xbox came out is when I got a tv with component inputs. Now I have 35”, 27”, 26” and a 15” crt TVs with component inputs. I would have loved to have any of these TVs when I was a kid.
It’s great that you have all these crt tvs now! Enjoy 😉
I think the best option would be the one that hides all the little imperfections while keeping it clear.
One of my favorites are the Abe games, and like Donkey Kong Country, it has a lot of prerendered stuff. They look BEAUTIFUL on a CRT.
Hearing SMW music over Super C gameplay is hilarious to me.
Gamers: "Not all gamers are nerds."
Also Gamers: Talks about video output using different cables on retro game consoles.
If you weren't a regular, I wouldn't know what to think. You use the term "nerd" as if I wouldn't take it as a compliment :)
Hahaha I am RetroBird's hero for life!
YES!
Out of topic but
A voltage step down converter is a must have for retro gamers living in 220v countries
Excellent video!
All of your Genesis notes can go for the Model 1 Master system as well.
If I may make a suggestion for people who want to record their gameplay in RGB SCART but only have CRTs with composite, what you need is a SCART amplifier and a SCART transcoder. I have a SCART amplifier with one input and eleven outputs, and a transcoder by Keene that down converts the signal from RGB SCART to composite or S-video. The idea is to send one output to the transcoder, which then outputs to your CRT; and the other output to your SCART to HDMI device of choice which then outputs to your capture card. Alternatively, if you are using SCART leads that use Sync on Composite, you can simply steal composite video from it with a simple breakout adapter or even a SCART switcher with optional RCA outputs. Just be advised that Sync on Composite is more prone to video noise unless the cables are shielded. The PS1 and PS2 are unique in that you can buy an AV breakout adapter with RCA and S-video jacks and multiout port, which you can use to send composite or S-video to your CRT and SCART or component to your capture card or video converter.
Wow, you were really wired this episode!
Hahah. Ya know, when I was done filming for this video I realized the absolute MESS of cables out that I had to clean up.
Retro Bird now that is a big oof
8:47 I laughed so hard! I do the same without a smile at the screen when something goes wrong in a video game lol.
My CRT only has S video so I usually aim for that. But I got the HD Retrovision Component cable for my Genesis and use that on my PVM or on HDTV using retrotink
The best way to hook up consoles is with cables :)
Great information
It's too early to be hearing Super Mario World's theme over Contra III.. my brain can't take it.
I went down the rabbit hole, trying to hook up all my retro videogame consoles via HDMI. I've tried lots of things and I kinda have a favorite for each. NES - I managed to get my hands on on an AV famicom that has been moded with a Hi Def Nes kit, Snes - I play on an Analogue Super NT, GC - Eon MK-II goingh through an Mclassic, PS2 - 60Gb backwards compatible PS3, Dreamcast - Bitfunx old HDMI converter going through the Mclassic (surprisingly rivals de DC HDMI mod IMHO). Saturn - High quality SCART cable (can't remember the brand RN) going through the retrotink 5x, 2nd PS2 - retro rgp composite cables through retrotink 5x.
N64 has been my demise, as I hated the Ultra HDMI mod when I got to try it, Eon super 64 plus mclassic turned into garbage. As of right now I'm waiting on an RGB mod I want to attempt. Currently I have a Bitfunx (Kaico) line doubler going through the Mclassic, and it's the best picture I've seen from an N64 console, yes, better than the Ultra HDMI mod and WAY! better than the stupidly overpriced Eon super 64
I've never put much interest or research into various cable options. Seems to me the majority of retro games are more focused on the size and quality of the TV itself. I have my N64 setup with svideo to a WEGA 36", but the svideo was more of an afterthought purchase when my local retro stores didn't have any loose N64 carts I was wanting. Hoping my tv hold out for years to come. I've enjoyed sooo many games on it these last few years:)
Gotta use RF/Coaxial to get those sweet transparency effects on Genesis/Mega Drive. Displaced Gamers did a great video on this.
composite video does the same transparency
@@gamecubeplayer I never knew!
Quite informative, I don't have that many old consoles, but I have a PS2 with good aftermarket component cables connected to an old 32 in flat screen, many of the progressive scan compatible games look pretty good on that and there are games that can be played on 16:9 too like the Tomb Raider games and that's how I played them recently and to me look good enough.
I use the retrotink products with hd retrovision cables, and have a RGB modded Sharp Twin. Is it pretty expensive? Sure is! But to me it's worth it. I love nice crispy pixels without all of the added noise from composite. S-Video is pretty good through the retrotink. I am really not into scan lines. I get what they're supposed to do, they're just not for me. I never noticed them on my old tvs as a kid. But they stick out like a soar thumb on a modern TV. If I'm spending my hard earned cash on hardware to make my consoles look as good as possible, it doesn't make sense to me to muddy it all up again with scan lines. If that's your bag, that's cool. Just count me out lol.
You need to do a video on your famicom AV...please!
Hahah good catch there my friend.
I still play my sega on an RF cable! MY ORIGINAL ONE FROM 20yrs+ ago
Another sweet-ass informative video! #underratedchannel
Thank you! Glad you liked it :)
My Sony CRT TV (standard definition) has component inputs, it definitely makes my able retro consoles look good. To bad not all retro consoles have component output. The work around is you can have your consoles modded but that can be expensive.
Yeah, those mods can definitely be pricey. Learning how to do it yourself can be pretty involved as well.
I use a CRT, the best I have is composite but RF is still the best to me.
Regarding SCART, Europeans need to be careful that they get an actual RGB SCART cable, and not just a composite-to-SCART adapter (which still carries the crappy composite signal, it just allows you to plug it into your TV's SCART port). Usually, an adapter will only have a small number of the pins.
There was a meme back in the day that employees at GAME (a British games shop) couldn't tell the difference between the two and would often give you an adapter when you asked for an RGB SCART cable.
Realistically, the biggest single jump you will see by far is RF/composite to S-video. Anything more is really just gravy.
I tend to agree with that. S-Video really cleans things up.
I've always used the composite cables included with my consoles. I didn't know about the other types of cables.
Remember as a kid when I first bought my N64 I was tripping out that the N64 came with composite cables instead of rf. I didn't know how to connect N64 to my TV since my TV's at the time only had coaxial and didn't have composite it wasn't until my Dad figured out that our VCR had composite inputs so after tinkering around with the VCR and hooking the N64 with it I was finally able to play some Mario kart 64 on my N64 my black and white TV. Yeah if you grew up poor and if you didn't have the latest technology your kinda screwed And have a think outside of the box to get things working.
This was also a great way to record gameplay to VHS. Yes, I was super nerdy and had to record myself beating Dungeon Explorer on TG16. :-)
@@idxman01 i had a friend who did that and this was before any of us had the internet
@@QuetzalToon005 Yeah this was probably 1990 for me. :-)
And because of the red, green and blue of component it's often confused with RGB, especially in Europe.
Oh, big time!
I just raw dog composite from my Saturn into my modern smart tv and honestly think it looks fine.
My 32 inch LG CRT tv has component i also have a LG DVD VCR combo.
Great video pal, although the N64 only supports S-Video depending on the region and motherboard revision tho.
Your comment made me look into this a bit further. Turns out, all NTSC N64s support s-video but it's certain PAL consoles that won't (most of them still work apparently). This would explain why I was unaware (since I never use PAL consoles).
The early Sega Genesis model 1s support VGA too.
I’m currently trying to accomplish the goal of having all my consoles hooked up and ready to play on the best video quality WITHIN REASON. I believe I’ve topped out at component on CRT for retro consoles and HDMI on HDTV for HD consoles. None of my consoles will be hooked up through RGB for the foreseeable future. I don’t really have it in me to modify my N64 and NES, so those will stay at S-Video and composite respectively. Even the ones that have RGB natively will have to stay at component. I’m not quite there yet with all of my consoles and I’m still waiting for my gComp switcher and a couple more good quality component cables, so not every console is hooked up at the highest quality right now, but they are all connected and running. It shouldn’t be too long before I can achieve my goal.
Trying to get the best image quality on a flatscreen from my GameCube:Loading Swiss on my PAL gamecube to force 480p, connecting an HDMI adapter on the digital plug out, connecting an Mcable to the screen.
It's not an easy route but it does look nice and sharp
Whoa whoa whoa, sega genesis doesn’t come standard with s-video? I could have sworn it did?!
Yeah, it doesn't. It's a bummer.
I don't have many retro consoles, so most of my signals go through HDMI; the closest I've got hooked up at the moment is the Wii through composite (for GameCube games). Everything from composite forward looks fine to me, but RF is a little too blurry for me.
The way I have mine set up works, and that's what ultimately matters at my stage, lol. I have an xbox 360, ps1, and original Xbox going into a VCR, which splits, going composite into a traditional CRT, and with...RF going into my HDTV because I don't really use it for that and the tv has no other inputs other than hdmi 😂 speaking of HDMI, there's an Xbox one going into the HDTV via hdmi
Oh, and a ps2 on a separate crt TV in another room.
I tried to get a pvm for those rgb graphics. I bought the hd retrovision cables and I thought a bnc adapter was all I needed because I believed component and rgb were the same thing. Well the adapters didn't really work. It only displayed green. I asked at the crt collective their thoughts and I was told to just go with a consumer tv. So I ordered a JVC D Series crt. I'm told its one of the best and seeing how it looks, yeah it was always on my wish list if I couldn't have a pvm. So I'm waiting for it to be delivered. But I just didn't want my retrovision cables to be wasted. So I'm letting go of wanting a pvm. I was going for the 3230q, biggest one there is.
The PVM hype is out of control. I have the best PVM money can buy and its not worth it. I use my Trinitron over the PVM 20L5. The screen is so tiny
One of the strangest thing I remember was one time where I was trying to hook up an old Sega Master System to an old CRT and while I was messing around with the cables, I suddenly got a signal. Not a good one but you could definitely play the game and see all that was going on....
The strange thing was.. that the RF cable was not even plugged in yet... In fact, it was laying on the table a solid 1 meter or so away from the TV... On the other side of the TV where all the sockets were located.
I still don't know how the RF signal was able to travel wirelessly like that???
Somebody who knows a lot about how the technology works could probably explain it. But yeah, that is weird.
The Armor3 PS2 HDMI adapter will not work on a modern TV as it only supports 480i/p resolution. Most PS1 games and a few PS2 games will lose connection to the TV after the PS screen. Go with the Hyperkin or Pound Technogies brand as they support 720 resolution. It's an issue of compatibility all the way through.
I'm stuck with RF, cause my CRT only has the screw thingy and the red composite channel.
To tell you the truth, as a kid I preferred the rf connection over the composite
(I always called those RCA or A/V cables back in the day, because thats what the manuals called them. Lol)
On the generic tvs I had back in the 90s the composite connection always showed up super dark and the text on some games were hard to read because of it.
So I always thought rf was better, even though scientifically it is not, but some crappy old generic crt TVs may not be able to produce a better picture on composite.
Before RF, I remember hooking my Atari up to my old TV with the outs being hooked up with those awful forks
Despite the RGB acronym, Component and RGB are not the same. For a technical explanation, see My Life in Gaming channel.
You are correct!
But they are very similar and you can't even tell a difference in quality