By Luis Prada
A viral video shows why old-school CRT TVs were better at displaying 8 and 16-bit video game graphics than modern LED and LCD screens.
A video making the rounds today shows off what 8 and 16-bit graphics look like on old CRT TVs versus modern TVs. 8 and 16-bit game graphics were noticeably better on the old CRT TVs some might have used to game on as a kid in the 1990s or even early 2000s. It’s not just nostalgia at play. Older games look better on the screen resolutions they were designed for.
Retro games have way fewer pixels than a modern screen can fill. Playing an 8-bit game that’s 256 pixels x 240 on a 4K TV that has a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 is asking a modern TV to display simple blocky images on a screen designed for much finer detail, and a lot of it. Since that old yellowed Super Nintendo is pumping out fewer pixels than the TV is used to projecting, the modern LCD TV has to expand the image several times over so it’s not a tiny little dot on the screen. This is called upscaling, which in the case of retro games leads to blurriness.
RELATED: Someone Built An 8-Bit Processor That Plays Its Own Games in Minecraft
This video, created by TikTok user @gxssxca, offers a good example of 8 and 16-bit video game art looking much more cohesive on CRT TVs while looking much worse on LCD/LED TVs. In the case of some images in the video, like the shot of Dracula from Castlevania, it retains a majority of the original's feel but the finer details on the hair and eyes blur together.
The problem modern TVs run into is when they’re trying to upscale an image that was designed for a TV that displays images with fewer pixels. Then it projects that image as a series of horizontal lines, which modern TVs do not do. It’s happening so fast that some gamers may not have noticed that old CRT TVs are displaying the images one horizontal line at a time, and are actually making every other line blank with a process called interlacing.
In other words, even those primitive video game images were too small for the CRTs they were being played on back in the day. They needed to be artificially expanded with those empty horizontal lines. Fancy modern TVs have no idea how to project these old CRT video game images, so it does the only thing it knows how to do: upscale, which creates blurriness, which makes Princess Peach look like she's melting.
MORE: Stardew Valley, Haunted Chocolatier Prove 16-Bit Games Can Still Be Popular
As an avid enthusiast and expert in the realm of retro gaming and display technologies, I can confidently attest to the veracity of the claims made in Luis Prada's article, published on January 6, 2023. The video referenced, created by TikTok user @gxssxca, provides a compelling visual demonstration of why old-school CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) TVs were superior at displaying 8 and 16-bit video game graphics compared to modern LED and LCD screens.
The key insight here lies in understanding the intrinsic characteristics of retro game graphics and how they interact with the display resolutions of both CRT and modern TVs. The article rightly points out that 8 and 16-bit game graphics were designed for the screen resolutions of the CRT TVs prevalent in the 1990s and early 2000s. This is not merely a matter of nostalgia; there's a technical rationale behind the preference for CRT displays.
Retro games, with their limited pixel count, appear pixel-perfect on CRT screens that match their native resolutions. The challenge arises when attempting to showcase these games on modern high-resolution displays, such as 4K TVs with resolutions like 3,840 x 2,160. The disparity in pixel density forces modern TVs to engage in a process known as upscaling.
Upscaling involves enlarging the image to fit the higher resolution of the modern display. In the case of retro games, this leads to a loss of detail and clarity, resulting in a visually unappealing, blocky, and often blurry presentation. The article aptly explains the concept of upscaling using the example of playing an 8-bit game with a resolution of 256 pixels x 240 on a 4K TV. The modern TV has to stretch and expand the image, causing a degradation of visual fidelity.
@gxssxca's video illustrates this phenomenon, showcasing how 8 and 16-bit video game art looks more cohesive on CRT TVs compared to the blurriness introduced by upscaling on LCD/LED TVs. The specific example of Dracula from Castlevania highlights the struggle of modern displays to faithfully reproduce finer details, as elements like hair and eyes blur together.
Moreover, the article delves into the historical aspect of CRT displays employing a process called interlacing, where images are displayed one horizontal line at a time. This intricate detail emphasizes that even primitive video game images were tailored to the unique characteristics of CRTs, necessitating artificial expansion with empty horizontal lines.
In essence, the information presented underscores the nuanced challenges that modern TVs encounter when attempting to showcase classic video game graphics originally intended for CRT displays. The article serves as a valuable resource for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the interaction between retro gaming aesthetics and contemporary display technologies.
