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{{Main|'''CRT ''' (or '''cathode ray tube''') TVs}}are the old kinds of TVs that older consoles were designed to output to. They typically accepted signals with a 15.7kHz scan rate under NTSC or PAL standards. They are usually preferred for gaming because of its better motion, response times, and lower input lag compared to LCD TVs. CRT TVs have scanlines which help reduce the pixelation of older games.
{{Main|'''CRT monitors}}''' are CRT displays that are intended to be used from a PC, typically being driven by a RGBHV signal with a 31kHz or higher scan rate through a 15-pin VGA cable.
no edit summary
This FAQ is very work in progress. Please expand upon it.
==CRT TVs==
[[File:Slot mask vs aperture grille.jpeg|thumb|350px|right|Shadow (slot) mask vs aperture grille]]
They come in several forms:
*Shadow Mask - Most common variety of CRT TV, many variations in size and picture quality.
*Aperture Grille - Sony's patented CRT design used in their Trinitron displays, some sets were of higher quality than most standard shadow mask TVs.
*HD CRTs - 1080i/720p displays, usually upscaled SDTV content to 480p internally, some displayed at 100Hz to reduce flicker
====Features====
*Can display a wide range of resolutions up to 480i on SDTVs and 1080i on HDTVs
*4:3 Aspect ratio (with a few exceptions)
====How to connect to a CRT TV====
*Wii would be the easiest method. Can output to 240p.
*VGA to Composite/S-Video converter box. These are cheap but only output 480i and may introduce latency, and may have poor picture quality compared to the actual console's Composite/S-Video output.
*Driver modifications like [http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/wiki/Soft-15khz Soft15khz] and [[GroovyMAME|CRT_Emudriver]] can allow your video card to output real 15kHz RGB through the VGA/DVI port. May need to buy or create your own specialized cables depending on the CRT you use. For CRT's that don't have RGB inputs, you can use a VGA/RGB to YPbPr transcoder (such as the [http://www.curtpalme.com/TC1500.shtm Crescendo TC1500]) to change the signal type to YPbPr component video without any scaling or latency.
*Most CRT HDTVs have either DVI or HDMI ports which can accept as low as 30kHz (480p at 60Hz) from a PC. They do not support 120Hz to force 240p resolutions while doing this.
====Recommended CRT TV Models====
Sony's PV series are considered god-tier. Sony [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinitron Trinitrons] are pretty easy to find, and they're on the high-end of consumer grade CRTs. Sharp, Toshiba, and Phillips higher-end CRTs are pretty close in quality, so don't be afraid to pick one of those up. Test before you buy. Also, check the back and see what ports it has. If you're in North America, coax and composite (red white yellow) are the most common, but you'll get the best picture quality running your system through [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-video S-video] or component ports.
====External Links====
*[http://pastebin.com/1Ri5TS3x /vr/ CRT pastebin (WIP)]
==CRT monitors==
[[File:Slot_mask_vs_Dot_mask.jpeg|thumb|350px|right|21" Slot mask CRT TV vs 17" Dot mask CRT monitor]]
[[File:CRT_resolutions.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Comparison of resolutions on a common CRT monitor. From left to right: 240p - 480p - 960p]]
====Features====
*All the benefits of a CRT TV besides native inputs for actual hardware
*4:3 Aspect ratio (with a few exceptions, notably the FW900)
[[File:Integer_scaling.png|thumb|250px|right]]
====240p/480i Emulation====
[[File:CRU.png|thumb|250px|right|Custom Resolution Utility timings]]
Given the many advantages that CRT monitors possess, they make ideal displays for emulation, particularly for 5th-gen games and below. However, to get the most out of them, some extra steps may be necessary. For instance, some games used interlaced modes, which without a shader results in ugly deinterlacing artifacts. Also, even at 480p, games that ran at 240p and below look blocky and pixellated, not to mention correcting the aspect ratio for games using non-square pixels results in scaling artifacts, just as on an LCD. The scaling issues can be dealt with using a superwide 240p resolution, but that requires using 120hz with black frame insertion, and games that use 480i get downsampled to 240p, making it a less than ideal solution in those cases, although it does have lower latency due lower frame times between vsync.
To correctly display games that need both 240p and 480i resolutions, the solution lies in creating a custom superwide 3840x480 modeline, combining it with a shader that scanlines 240p content and interlaces 480i content, and using both through [[RetroArch]], essentially turning your monitor into an extremely sharp CRT TV. On Nvidia cards, the custom modeline can easily be set within your graphics card's drivers. On AMD, it requires the use of third-party software, such as [http://www.monitortests.com/cru-1.1.2.zip Custom Resolution Utility]. Simply add a detailed resolution with the exact settings shown on the picture, restart your computer, and the monitor should now be able to make use of the new modeline. As for the shader, hunterk's [https://github.com/libretro/common-shaders/blob/master/misc/interlacing.cg interlacing.cg] gives you black lines that will oscillate when given an image with 400 or higher vertical resolution, emulating the behavior of 15kHz displays. There are also some [https://github.com/libretro/common-shaders/tree/master/cgp/tvout%2Binterlacing shader presets] that combine the interlacing shader with tvout-tweaks and image-adjustment for accurate RGB signal emulation and color controls, and also some that utilize Themaister's NTSC shader for composite/s-video emulation.
Once you have the new modeline set and have the shader in hand, open your RetroArch configuration file of choice, set the fullscreen resolution to 3840x480, aspect ratio to 8, and windowed fullscreen to false. Adjust your monitor's image as necessary. It may be necessary to raise your monitor's brightness somewhat, or increase color intensity to deal with the loss of brightness from having pure black scanlines. Some monitors, such as the NEC/Mitsubishi SuperBright series, have settings that increase the monitor's brightness without compromising black level or color temperature significantly.
====Recommended CRT Monitors====
Please add to this list if you have a specific model CRT monitor that you recommend for using with emulation.
*'''[http://www.cnet.com/products/monitor-dell-e771p-17-16-vis-grey-crt-monitor/specs/ Dell E771p]''' - Very common CRT monitor. Able to boost color level intensity, allowing 240p with black frame insertion or 480p with inserted scanlines to have vibrant colors despite 50% brightness. Capable of up to 1400x1050 @60Hz with custom resolutions, but disallows 1440x1080 for some reason despite being able to display other 1080p resolutions at 60Hz.
==LCD==
====TN displays====
*Native resolution which all output must scale to
*120hz displays with hacks can display motion at the same level as a CRT TV. See: [http://www.blurbusters.com/ http://www.blurbusters.com] and http://www.techngaming.com/home/guide/tips/updated-eliminate-motion-blur-while-gaming-with-nvidia-lightboost-r485
====IPS displays====
*Native resolution which all output must scale to
*Korean monitors such as Qnix QX2710 can run at 120Hz
==Upscalers==
http://scanlines.hazard-city.de/
==External Links==
