Is this TV any good for Saturn?

[xDerekRx]

Found a Sony Trinitron on Craiglist for really cheap. Model KV-32FS100

Spec page www.mediacollege.com/equipment/sony/tv/kv/kv32fs100.html

Im pretty excited to get it but want to know if it may have a hidden downfall that I didnt consider. I guess it does 480i with component. I assume its 240p and it would look nice with a Saturn.

[buckoa51]

Should be perfect (no super ultra scan or HDTV compatibility, 4:3 aspect ratio), all you need is a RGB to component transcoder.

[barryburton]

I had a similar one years ago, was excellent for games. Gave it away as most people did. Bad choice !

32 inches is fairly big for a mainstream CRT, so will be good for Virtua Cop etc.

But seriously, it's very very heavy, you'll need two people and a reasonably large car boot (trunk). Being American I assume you have a 6 wheel Humvee or similar anyway.

[MIK]

Have a think about how close you will sit in front of the screen when using it.

Sizes 14" to 21" are best suited to Saturn/Genesis if you sit about arms length away from the screen. Above 21" and your want to sit back more. If your happy to sit a couple of meters away then go for bigger.


Sizes 21" to 32" are best suited to PS2 & Classic XBOX if you sit at arms length away, (arcade machine style). These machines are some what wasted on anything smaller than 21" because of higher detail the textures run at.

[buckoa51]

I always prefer bigger screens for all systems, would never go back to a 14 inch TV/monitor for gaming. I'd go 32" and sit as close as I damn well wanted

[xDerekRx]

May 19, 2016 8:50:18 GMT barryburton said:

This what you guys think of us Yanks? ..... well its true but mine has 16 wheels.

[xDerekRx]

May 19, 2016 9:59:16 GMT MIK said:

Have a think about how close you will sit in front of the screen when using it.

Sizes 14" to 21" are best suited to Saturn/Genesis if you sit about arms length away from the screen. Above 21" and your want to sit back more. If your happy to sit a couple of meters away then go for bigger.


Sizes 21" to 32" are best suited to PS2 & Classic XBOX if you sit at arms length away, (arcade machine style). These machines are some what wasted on anything smaller than 21" because of higher detail the textures run at.

This is what I was worried about, if its somehow too big! Id hate that problem. But I dont mind to sit a touch further back.

I think Ill take a chance on it for almost no cost and if its too big Ill opt for a 22-27 range.

[xDerekRx]

May 19, 2016 8:25:30 GMT buckoa51 said:

Should be perfect (no super ultra scan or HDTV compatibility, 4:3 aspect ratio), all you need is a RGB to component transcoder.

Question about using the RGB transcoder... will it cause any noticeable lag? Thats one of the main reasons I stick with CRT options, for lack of lag.

[buckoa51]

Use a basic transcoder, rather than a scaler and there will be no lag as there's no frame buffer.

[MIK]

May 19, 2016 16:25:41 GMT xDerekRx said:

May 19, 2016 9:59:16 GMT MIK said:

Have a think about how close you will sit in front of the screen when using it.

This is what I was worried about, if its somehow too big! Id hate that problem. But I dont mind to sit a touch further back.

I think Ill take a chance on it for almost no cost and if its too big Ill opt for a 22-27 range.

Put Vitrua Fighter 2 on first, your love it.

[xDerekRx]

So I ended up getting the TV... Pretty disappointed. I think the unit may just be shot. Or perhaps someone has tips to help calibrate it?

The picture just seems dark and washed out overall. The whites all appear a bit yellow. For example I tried some colorful PS1 games and the PS1s opening screen looked more cream than yellow.

Big letdown since I was pretty excited to make this my goto TV. It was also heavy as heck. Its a great unit otherwise. Hope there is something I can do to fix the picture. If not looks like my search will continue.

[MIK]

Check the menu options of the TV and also the remote in case there is a button to change the tone of the picture from say warm to cold looking as that can change the overall colour.

There might even be a button on the remote that rotates on something like 3 settings of brightness from a dark, medium and a bright picture. On top of that you also have the menu options to override the current set brightness level, (if your TV has this button feature). 

Do these checks first and make sure you have the picture settings close to where you might want it to be!

Don't forget Brightness can effect the overall colour, too bright and it can look washed out. Lower the Brightness and increase the contract instead.



Failing that and as a last resort once your kinda close to where you want the picture before you do...
Check on the back of the TV for the model number of the screen and search online for the service mode code. If you can find it and are in the service mode then make of note of everything you see as in number settings before you tamper with anything, (so you can put it all back if your not happy). The service mode code for the remote can be different between models of the same brand, you might get lucky if you can't find it but look for a CRT and not an LCD as they are later. Whatever it might be it has to be entered in order and quickly. Once in service mode look for something like this down the list, note it maybe different: 

R **
G **
B **

The ** equals a value from say 0-60, each one can be any number.
You might of already noticed your looking at RGB aka Red Green & Blue. This will allow you to change the over all tone of the colour mix like if you want white to be pure and bright, or a slightly cream white. Or make Red a blood red instead of warm red ect...


As for the sharpness you do lose some of that the bigger you go so it's no good trying to think it will look like a smaller screen. The scan lines get bigger the larger you go making it look as if it's worse when up close but if you step right back away from screen they will slowly blend in and the picture should look clearer the further away you are compared to a smaller TV.
There may also be a setting for sharpness in the normal TV settings. Look closely at the picture as you increase it, too high and you may start to see ghosting in the pixels. Too low and it will blur obviously.

If it still looks no better after adjusting the sharpness then it might be the age of the Tube it's self as in it has seen many hours of usage. Tubes tend to blur and become slowly darker over time the more they are used, just like a modern light bulb does. It's not something an owner will notice if used every day as they get used to the change over time, but going from a good screen to a second hand one you might... For a Tube to be very blurry and dark it would of been used a heck of a lot though and is really on it's last legs.

Don't give up on it though, spend a couple of days allowing your eyes to get used to it first which may take a number of hours regardless of the settings.Hopefully your be able to get the colour and brightness right any way.

[xDerekRx]

Ill give it a shot. My guess based on what I see is a dead or dying tube from over use. Its upsetting because with a good tube this could have been the one!

Good news is that I have a lead on another FREE Trinitron , 27", probably a better size too. Might check it out tomorrow. Picture looks better just from the ad.

[MIK]

If it takes a couple of screens to get that perfect one and your not paying over the odds then taking a hit on one won't feel as bad as the effort will be worth in the end.

[xDerekRx]

May 26, 2016 8:22:51 GMT MIK said:

If it takes a couple of screens to get that perfect one and your not paying over the odds then taking a hit on one won't feel as bad as the effort will be worth in the end.

Right I have no problem eating a few bad sets to find the right one. These TVs are so cheap anyway. To find the perfect TV is worth $200 to me (although I shouldnt have to pay near that!)