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N64 graphics on large LCD screen

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  • 22-11-2017 1:33pm
    #1
    Spon Farmer
    Registered Users Posts: 4,180 ✭✭✭


    Hello,

    I'm going to be collecting my Nintendo 64 in a couple of days and I'm just wondering what the graphics look like on large screen TVs.

    We have a 40 inch LCD. Will it make the games look woeful? Are they better on a smaller screen? Or does it make no difference?

    I'm collecting it from my parents house and just wondering it I should also take the old portable TV before it is thrown out.

    Regards


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    #2
    seamus
    Registered Users Posts: 68,317 ✭✭✭✭seamus


    Wouldn't bother with the old portable either way; it'll be more enjoyable on the large screen, even if it is a lot more pixellated/grainy than you want.

    Many modern TVs come with inbuilt upscalers that will automatically try to smooth out a 480i input into a 720 or 1080 output.

    So it's worth trying out to see what you think. And if the quality is really poor, you can get an upscaler that can convert the video before it gets to the TV:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uBBUNpS4Q8


  • Options
    #3
    o1s1n
    Registered Users Posts: 34,410 ✭✭✭✭o1s1n
    Master of the Universe


    Consoles of this gen were designed with a CRT in mind, so it's not going to look pretty I'm afraid.

    An extra annoying things about the n64 is that it doesn't have RGB out by default. You need to mod it.

    So you're going to have a composite image displayed over 40 inches. The colours will be off, there'll be a thing called 'dot crawl' and it just won't have any sharpness to it, at all. And that's before we even talk about things like scaling inaccuracies and lag.

    Ideally the best thing to do is get your hands on a good quality CRT. Retro enthusiasts are all about Sony Production monitors these days. I have a few and they are indeed fantastic.

    Failing that, most consumer Sony Trinitron CRTs have a lovely picture.


  • Options
    #4
    Spon Farmer
    Registered Users Posts: 4,180 ✭✭✭Spon Farmer


    seamus wrote: »
    Wouldn't bother with the old portable either way; it'll be more enjoyable on the large screen, even if it is a lot more pixellated/grainy than you want.

    Many modern TVs come with inbuilt upscalers that will automatically try to smooth out a 480i input into a 720 or 1080 output.

    So it's worth trying out to see what you think. And if the quality is really poor, you can get an upscaler that can convert the video before it gets to the TV:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uBBUNpS4Q8

    Thanks for responding so quick.

    Are you saying I can get an adaptor that will plug the N64 into a HDMI socket? Or could it possible that the TV can upscale through the composite connection?

    The quality of composite in that video looks damn fine to me though. Way better than I thought it could be.


  • Options
    #5
    seamus
    Registered Users Posts: 68,317 ✭✭✭✭seamus


    Spon Farmer wrote: »
    Thanks for responding so quick.

    Are you saying I can get an adaptor that will plug the N64 into a HDMI socket? Or could it possible that the TV can upscale through the composite connection?

    The quality of composite in that video looks damn fine to me though. Way better than I thought it could be.
    Yes, you can get an adapter for it convert composite to HDMI. This one will also upscale:
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Composite-S-Video-converter-Supports-1080p/dp/B008X59IMK?th=1

    But you can get cheaper adapters that just convert straight through with no upscaling.

    YMMV of course. If you have a composite-in on the TV, then there's no point in buying a cheap adapter unless you're already using that input.

    The TV may have an upscaler built-in, that's highly model-dependent though.


  • Options
    #6
    Spon Farmer
    Registered Users Posts: 4,180 ✭✭✭Spon Farmer


    o1s1n wrote: »
    Consoles of this gen were designed with a CRT in mind, so it's not going to look pretty I'm afraid.

    An extra annoying things about the n64 is that it doesn't have RGB out by default. You need to mod it.

    So you're going to have a composite image displayed over 40 inches. The colours will be off, there'll be a thing called 'dot crawl' and it just won't have any sharpness to it, at all. And that's before we even talk about things like scaling inaccuracies and lag.

    Ideally the best thing to do is get your hands on a good quality CRT. Retro enthusiasts are all about Sony Production monitors these days. I have a few and they are indeed fantastic.

    Failing that, most consumer Sony Trinitron CRTs have a lovely picture.

    Thanks for posting.

    The old portable is a CRT.

    The N64 is really only coming out for Christmas so I don't want to have to buy anything.

    I kept putting off collecting the machine and I would have kept putting off testing it before showing it to the kids.

    You guys have given me the frighteners enough to check it first chance I have the house to myself.

    Cheers


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  • Options
    #7
    Spon Farmer
    Registered Users Posts: 4,180 ✭✭✭Spon Farmer


    seamus wrote: »
    Yes, you can get an adapter for it convert composite to HDMI. This one will also upscale:
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Composite-S-Video-converter-Supports-1080p/dp/B008X59IMK?th=1

    But you can get cheaper adapters that just convert straight through with no upscaling.

    YMMV of course. If you have a composite-in on the TV, then there's no point in buying a cheap adapter unless you're already using that input.

    The TV may have an upscaler built-in, that's highly model-dependent though.

    The TV does indeed have an unused composite connection.

    I definitely don't want to spend €50 plus on a HDMI connector. :P


  • Options
    #8
    o1s1n
    Registered Users Posts: 34,410 ✭✭✭✭o1s1n
    Master of the Universe


    Spon Farmer wrote: »
    Thanks for posting.

    The old portable is a CRT.

    The N64 is really only coming out for Christmas so I don't want to have to buy anything.

    I kept putting off collecting the machine and I would have kept putting off testing it before showing it to the kids.

    You guys have given me the frighteners enough to check it first chance I have the house to myself.

    Cheers

    Ah I'm coming at it from a collector/purist point of view. If it's just coming out for Christmas you'll still have it displaying and running fine on the TV.

    The picture will just look a lot 'noisier' than you'll be used to given it's not it's optimum display technology and you're probably really used to looking at HD images at this point.


  • Options
    #9
    o1s1n
    Registered Users Posts: 34,410 ✭✭✭✭o1s1n
    Master of the Universe


    BTW, if you're interested in seeing the picture quality difference between composite and RGB, here's a great website.

    The pictures all display in RGB, you move your mouse over and it will show you the same image in composite. (can see now why people mod N64s to get RGB out!)

    http://www.chrismcovell.com/gotRGB/rgb_compare.html


  • Options
    #10
    Spon Farmer
    Registered Users Posts: 4,180 ✭✭✭Spon Farmer


    o1s1n wrote: »
    Ah I'm coming at it from a collector/purist point of view. If it's just coming out for Christmas you'll still have it displaying and running fine on the TV.

    The picture will just look a lot 'noisier' than you'll be used to given it's not it's optimum display technology and you're probably really used to looking at HD images at this point.

    Thanks.

    I wasn't hoping for perfect graphics and the kids appreciate the "old stuff" but I was just worried the images would be awful.

    I should have the N64 by Tuesday and I hope to to test it out then.


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