Video Shows Why Older Graphics Looked Better on CRT TVs (2024)

FAQs

Why do old video games look better on CRT? ›

Even when Super Mario Bros. dropped in '83, CRT displays could handle twice as many lines. To account for this, your CRT would interlace a blank line between each line it displayed. That interlacing is a huge part of what gave vintage games their distinctive look.

Older games look better on the screen resolutions they were designed for. Retro games have way fewer pixels than a modern screen can fill.

One reason: they are better at displaying motion. A crt displays an image which is bright, but fades in milliseconds. Then the screen is dark in that area for the frame time, until it is refreshed by the next frame of data. If your eye is following a moving object, you see an image as it was captured by the camera.

Since the early 2010s, CRTs have been superseded by flat-panel display technologies such as LCD, plasma display, and OLED displays which are cheaper to manufacture and run, as well as significantly lighter and thinner.

Disadvantages of CRT:

It displays images with fewer pixel densities. They consume a larger amount of power. They are large, heavy, and bulky. Relatively bright but not as bright as LCDs.

The pixelated artwork in older video games—where the display resolution is low enough that the pixels are obvious and blocky—was largely the result of low-resolution television sets and the high cost of memory chips and digital logic at the time those games were created relative to today.

While most modern games will include an option for enabling anisotropic filtering in the graphics settings, many older games will not. This is where the control suites of modern GPUs step in, allowing you to toggle anisotropic filtering (and decide what level to enable) at the system level.

The materials and components used in the composition of GPU cards aren't magical: The more you use them, the faster the parts degrade, and the more likely they will fail completely. So heavy use does affect lifespan.

A resolution of 2048 x 1536 is the highest you're likely to see. 1600 x 1200 is more common.

Are CRTs still made and utilized? Absolutely. CRT technology is common in the vacuum tube industry as a whole, which continues to serve many applications across a wide variety of industries.

Is CRT TV good for eyes? ›

Neither would hurt your eyes beyond some mild eye strain if you're watching it at night with the lights turned off. The only CRTs that were harmful were TVs made before 1952 and early color TVs from 1965 or earlier. So unless you've got a vintage TV, you can watch it with your nose pressed up agains…

Online, I could find that high-quality cathode-ray-tube displays (whether be it for a computer monitor or a television set) have a design lifespan of 30,000-50,000 hours of cumulative operation.

Color and Gray-Scale Accuracy

If you need very accurate color and gray-scale calibration then get a CRT. Pleasing images but not accurate because of problems with black-level, gray-scale and Gamma. Reduced color saturation at low intensity levels due to a poor black-level.

Besides this, CRTs have a few small advantages over the LCDs, PDPs and OLEDs of today. There's no motion blur, black is truly black, and because they utilize an analog signal, there's zero input lag – when you press the button to make Mario jump, he jumps instantaneously.

CRT monitors have a better response time than LED monitors since they have a front-back arrangement rather than a side-by-side layout, as most LED monitors do. Hence, there will be less color bleeding between the different parts of the screen, and the image will be displayed more quickly.

Despite being over 20 years old, CRT monitors offer incredibly low input latency crucial for retro gaming experience. The stunning color performance and retro vibe CRT monitors provide make them ideal for both retro and modern gaming.

CRTs run at the highest pixel resolutions generally available. Produce a very dark black and the highest contrast levels normally available. Suitable for use even in dimly lit or dark environments. CRTs produce the very best color and gray-scale and are the reference standard for all professional calibrations.

Are CRT monitors better than LCDs for gaming? Yes. Some older games exploit quirks of CRT screens and look worse on LCD or LED displays, plus they've got some niche modern uses, with less motion blur and high refresh rates.