EposVox has recently released a video that attempts to demonstrate why CRT’s may sometimes be a better fit for gaming (and older video content of course!) than a flat-panel. This is a conversation that should be familiar to most people reading this website, but articulating exactly why is always a challenge! As usual, The Stream Professor is here to help, along with an all-star cast of guests…and me ;p
https://www.youtube.com/EposVox
https://patreon.com/eposvox
https://discord.gg/eposvox
https://curiositystream.com/epos
The basics of why CRT’s are better are lag, motion blur and black levels. Flat-panels are far superior for geometry, weight and size – Both being much thinner and available at almost three times the viewable size of the largest CRT. I think anyone familiar with modern display technologies can visualize those differences, but there are two things that are near impossible to explain without showing it to someone in-person: Detail and depth. While modern flat-panels can handle far higher resolutions than CRT’s do, the way CRT’s draw their image allow for more detail to be presented at lower resolutions. Also, the single beam of light that draws a CRT’s image creates an effect that’s sometimes more beneficial than how modern displays present the image.
…but all of those things would require separate, in-depth videos of their own to explain. So for now, just remember this: If the device you’re using (game console, VCR, etc) only has analog video outputs like composite video, a free CRT (or VGA monitor for PC users) you may find locally could potentially provide a better (and far cheaper) experience than a flat-panel. Check out EposVox’s video above for more info!
