Best standard def TV

Z

zedrein

CAG Veteran
Quick preface: My primary gaming console is Wii and most games I end up playing 9/10 are Virtual Console titles. So my logic is that Virtual Console titles look best on standard def sets because that's what the software was created for (please correct me if I'm wrong) My question to you all is: what is the best standard def tv. My requisites are as follows:

* (Which model) has the best color, sharpness, brightness, clarity, and overall picture best for displaying virtual console and Wii original titles?

Price is not neccasarily a factor, although if there are some great bargains I'd like to know about them.

Maybe I am overlooking High def sets and presuming classic games don't look good on them. So if there are HD sets that faithfully reproduce 8-16 bit titles, don't hesitate to inform me. Thanks for all your help!
 
The Sony KV27FV16 is the best CRT TV ever made. Only problem is it's most certainly discontinued by now. I got it in 1999 or 2000.

Old games were not really designed to be played in SD. They were designed to be played with interlacing (scanlines). That's why a lot of emulators have scanline overlays. Because the older games looked kinda "harsh" without the scanlines creating a natural softening effect.
 
[quote name='crunchb3rry']The Sony KV27FV16 is the best CRT TV ever made. Only problem is it's most certainly discontinued by now. I got it in 1999 or 2000.

Old games were not really designed to be played in SD. They were designed to be played with interlacing (scanlines). That's why a lot of emulators have scanline overlays. Because the older games looked kinda "harsh" without the scanlines creating a natural softening effect.[/quote]

OK then. What do Virtual Console games look like on HD tv's.
 
SD games look lik shit, unless the Wii has an upscaler I'm unaware of. Old games are going to be scaled up. Most games only got scaled up very little, like a decent 2x multiplier (where the game's native resolution would be around 320x240, with less you'd have slight black borders).

An HDTV (especially 1080p) would scale it at a weird multiplier. It could start to look muddy. Maybe not as bad as SD television sources, but it will look a bit odd. An upscaler would help a little.

Best example would be to save the avatar of someone here and open it up in a paint program. Then resample it to twice the size. Do a side by side comparison. Scaling up decreases quality, scaling down can sometimes increase it.
 
[quote name='anomynous']Just get a HD TV[/quote]

Why would I do that when I've just been informed my favorite games will look like gargabe on them?
 
[quote name='VanillaGorilla']That is where I stopped reading.[/quote]

Hey Alkaline Trio! oh, and you suck by the way.
 
[quote name='anomynous']Do they even still make Standard def TVs?[/quote]
Yes, though your choices are limited. BB lists a a few models.

[quote name='zedrein']Why would I do that when I've just been informed my favorite games will look like gargabe on them?[/quote]
Not like garbage, though they won't look as good (varies from one game to another, and among different television brands). Most PS2 and GC games look fine on my 40" LCD. There is more noticeable aliasing, and small text looks especially bad, but the games are still quite playable.
 
Haha... wow, looking around sites now, it really seems like SD CRTs have gone the way of the dodo.

Anyway, a little over a year ago I was looking for a new TV, but didn't have the funds to pony up for an HD. I ended up getting a Sony 27" CRT from CC for around $250-300. Now, it has some issues (*slight* screen tilt, weird light bar on side) but they're nothing that's noticeable unless you're looking for it. Regardless... picture quality: fantastic. I have 12 systems hooked up to it, and ALL of them look great. New ones go through component, and even the old ones that use composite look good.

I don't have the model number handy, but recent Sony CRTs are actually pretty damn fantastic TVs.
 
I would recommend picking up an HD TV.
You may, one day, want to pick up a playstation 3 or an Xbox360, and then you'll be regretting that purchase of a Standard Def TV.
Plus, you can always pick up Wii Component Cables, I think that'd help.
 
[quote name='linkpwns']I would recommend picking up an HD TV.
You may, one day, want to pick up a playstation 3 or an Xbox360, and then you'll be regretting that purchase of a Standard Def TV.
Plus, you can always pick up Wii Component Cables, I think that'd help.[/QUOTE]

I agree, doesn't make sense to get a standard t.v now. Wii isn't going to be the last console you own I assume and future consoles are almost 100 percent likely to be high def compatible.
 
The main problem with CRTs is the size and weight if you want anything over 27". I snagged a 32" Sony FD Wega from someone on craigslist and it weighs 200lbs. I really wanted the 36" of the same model, but that weighs 250lbs and would take 3-4 people to get it upstairs, not to mention the screen sticks out 3 feet from the wall.

I got the TV soley to play my PS2. My wife was hogging the 50" HDTV downstairs. My PS2 actually looked better on the HDTV (50" Sony LCD rear projection) since the geometry is flawless and there is no flicker from interlacing. The CRT had some geometry issues when I first got it, but a little time in the service menu and it is now almost perfect.
 
Best CRT TV you can find these days is one that's very hard to find. Most everyone is shifting to LCD's with the HDTV changeover going in 2009.

An EDTV would be your best option, as it would work up to 480p with component inputs. Who has one these days, good question.

Secondary option would be a CRT HDTV, which would work as 480p and 1080i. Same situation as before, pretty much no one carries much of them anymore, if any. Might be worth going through CL local to your area and see what you might be able to find.

Secondary option
 
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