Replacing Trinitron display for NON-HD gaming

IceBurner

I would like to adequately replace a destroyed Sony Wega - a 21" Trinitron of high quality. The "What TV should I get?" thread has utterly failed me; no one providing answers has demonstrated the slightest interest in standard-def gaming performance.

My particular problem is that I'm uncompromising and have rather specific needs:

• Will be used exclusively for Playstation 2, Gamecube, Wii; 480i & 480p support needs to be good.
• Screen size of 26-32" (~66-81cm) if 16:9 aspect.
• Screen size of 21-26" (~53-66cm) if 4:3 aspect.
• Widescreen preferred due to Wii (and maybe some DVD viewing on PS2).
• Y Pb Pr + S-Video Input(s).
• Std-Def picture latency must seem or be non-existant.
• Std-Def scaling issues must not exist.
• 2x Y Pb Pr & 1+ S-video inputs would be nice so I could avoid using a switchbox.

Honestly, a nice Trinitron would fulfill it all but 16:9 aspect (though some do/did exist). My brother has a 26" HD 16:9 Trinitron -- it would be perfect if there were still someplace on Earth that still sold them. I just don't even know where to begin looking for such a device now.

This is why I've been stuck mulling over:

• HD LCDs - which all have 480p/i performance as a secondary concern.
• PC monitors with analog TV inputs/tuners - which are few and often have scaling issues.
• TV-to-VGA/DVI tuner devices - numerous but often suffer from video latency or scaling issues.

If you're aware of anything that might help, such an a model to consider or place to shop for passé equipment, please do tell!

vonPoonBurGer

If you're not averse to looking at used TVs, there was a brief period of time where Sony and Toshiba made widescreen CRT HDTVs. I actually have a 34" Toshiba (34HF83 is the model number), you'd probably be looking for a 30" model to meet your maximum size requirements. The Sonys are actually slightly better than the Toshibas from what I've read, but they were a fair bit more expensive new. I've seen them pop up on Craigslist from time to time, usually from people who got in the HD game early swapping them out for larger flat panels.

They have superb black levels, and seriously fantastic picture scaling by virtue of not having fixed discrete pixels. The Wii looks great on the one I have, anyway, using the component cables and set for widescreen progressive scan. I'm pretty sure most of them had two component inputs and multiple S-Video inputs as well. The downsides would be mainly physical stuff, namely that they're both very large and very heavy compared to flat panels of similar diagonal measurements. And of course, you can't find them new any more. If you do see one though, I'd recommend it, provided it checked out Ok.

Aside from buying used, though, from what I've seen it's panel everything these days. That's great for HD, but scaling artifacts and jaggies are more or less inevitable when you've got SD content and a fixed native resolution display. Really good standalone video scalers cost more than most modern HDTVs, so there's a reason most flat panels don't include top-quality scaling chipsets: they'd more than double the price of the set.

user

I definitely understand where you're coming from, although I bit the bullet and went with a 1080p Samsung when it came time to upgrade, I still haven't gotten over the fact that ps2/wii and standard def t.v. in general looks shittier on my new set when compared to my old Sony 32" Trinitron. It's so bad that I don't even have the urge to play ps2 games anymore.

Have you considered an EDTV? Most early plasma's were billed as Enhanced Definition and operated at 480p native resolution. A quick google search reveals that 32" sets are still being produced by LG for about $600.

IceBurner

Thanks for reminding me to search craigslist! I got one hit on a 16:9 Wega CRT for $200. Fired off an e-mail. There's a number of non-widescreens as well if that doesn't pan out, including one of the exact model I used to have.