The CRT market

[diet_orange]

RetroBox TV

RetroBox TV

retrobox.us

So I saw a post about this new company called retrobox that's selling new vhs/crt combos with modern components to "fully emulate" that "retro feel".

Then I looked at the pricing and it's 500 dollars (though they dropped it down to 300, but it's still just as bad)

I'm not trying to fault retrobox here, but it does seem fully emblematic of the current CRT market that seems fully intent on exploiting the retro gaming inclined consumer

 

[skramz]

go on fb marketplace, free crts all around.

 

[Xold 01]

m already feeling the effects of the rates for Brazil.

 

[bjork]

I'm not trying to fault retrobox here, but it does seem fully emblematic of the current CRT market that seems fully intent on exploiting the retro gaming inclined consumer

Maybe an unpopular take, but I find the "If it's not on a CRT, games are unplayable" types so off-putting that they deserve to be exploited

 

[Zerpina]

Maybe an unpopular take, but I find the "If it's not on a CRT, games are unplayable" types so off-putting that they deserve to be exploited

Agree.. I can damn well happily enjoy my old systems on an HDMI TV, as long as you don't stretch it out past the 4:3 aspect ratio. Okay, yeah, you won't get the scanlines, but I'm not going to go out and pay more now for a used/second hand or new CRT than they cost when they were new themselves.

I have a CRT and yeah, admittedly, the games look nicer on it, but by no means are they only playable on a CRT. Hell... if nothing else, emulate it and slap a CRT filter on it.

Again, admittedly, it won't look as nice as a real CRT, but it'll look nice regardless.

Now with that said, those are neat-looking, yeah...

But like @skramz said, Facebook, hell, thrift shops even have CRTs for stupid cheap sometimes.
Ask around, you never know... someone's grandparents may have an old one that they either want to get rid for free or will take $50 just to get it out of their house.

Asking around never hurts.
And no way on this or any multiverse dimension would I pay $300–$500 for that dinky ass TV.

 

[Xold 01]

Concordo. Posso muito bem usar meus consoles antigos numa TV HDMI, desde que a imagem não seja esticada além da proporção 4:3. Ok, sim, você não terá as linhas de varredura, mas não vou sair por aí pagando mais agora por uma TV CRT usada ou nova do que elas custavam quando eram novas.

Eu tenho um monitor CRT e, sim, admito, os jogos ficam mais bonitos nele, mas isso não significa que só podem ser jogados em um CRT. Aliás... se nada mais funcionar, emule o monitor e aplique um filtro CRT.

Novamente, reconheço que não terá a mesma qualidade de um monitor CRT de verdade, mas ainda assim terá uma boa aparência.
View attachment 145199

Dito isso, eles têm um visual bacana, sim...

Mas como disse @skramz, o Facebook, e até mesmo brechós, às vezes têm monitores CRT por preços ridiculamente baixos.
Pergunte por aí, nunca se sabe... os avós de alguém podem ter um antigo que queiram se livrar de graça ou que aceitem 50 dólares só para tirá-lo de casa.

Perguntar por aí nunca é demais.
E de jeito nenhum, nesta ou em qualquer outra dimensão do multiverso, eu pagaria de 300 a 500 dólares por aquela TVzinha de quinta categoria.

OHello my captain, this conversion of 500 is 2,684.92. Add the taxes, which will increase significantly, along with the import tax.

 

[TruxtonTatsujin TruxtonTatsujin]

CRTs are still plentiful and cheap, so at the moment this feels pretty unnecessary.
Also, I wouldn't say you need a CRT for the "authentic experience" or whatever, but it is the cheapest way to get old consoles to look nice. You can make them look just as good on a modern display, but get ready to cough up the dough for an upscaler that's worth a damn. This all only applies if we're talking original hardware of course.

 

[Dyne]

That screen is so small if its only as wide as the VHS slot

 

[NotReallyHere]

go on fb marketplace, free crts all around.

+1 to this. In many cases, people have them just sitting in their basement / garage / guest room, untouched for years. And they'd often be happy to give it away for free if you can manage to swing by and pick it up.

( Source: someone who has given away multiple CRTs over the years - for free - to any able-bodied person who was able to swing by and pick it up )

I still have a 15" CRT that I keep up the attic, with practically all of my classic consoles connected to it. It's nothing fancy (simple RCA Composite inputs) but certainly still looks fantastic for what it is.

We used to have a 27" Trinitron flat-screen CRT with S-Video and Component inputs, and that thing was a damn work of art!! Any classic console with native S-Video output (Dreamcast, PS, SNES) came across so sharp and clear. But we were moving pretty far away and downsizing, so it couldn't make the trip. And it weighed 200 LBS. Gave it away to a group of college kids who came by with a SUV and hauled it away.

They were thrilled, and called it a "Holy Grail." I wonder if they still have it...?

 

[Zerpina]

+1 to this. In many cases, people have them just sitting in their basement / garage / guest room, untouched for years. And they'd often be happy to give it away for free if you can manage to swing by and pick it up.

( Source: someone who has given away multiple CRTs over the years - for free - to any able-bodied person who was able to swing by and pick it up )

I still have a 15" CRT that I keep up the attic, with practically all of my classic consoles connected to it. It's nothing fancy (simple RCA Composite inputs) but certainly still looks fantastic for what it is.

We used to have a 27" Trinitron flat-screen CRT with S-Video and Component inputs, and that thing was a damn work of art!! Any classic console with native S-Video output (Dreamcast, PS, SNES) came across so sharp and clear. But we were moving pretty far away and downsizing, so it couldn't make the trip. And it weighed 200 LBS. Gave it away to a group of college kids who came by with a SUV and hauled it away.

They were thrilled, and called it a "Holy Grail." I wonder if they still have it...?

Yeah, seriously.
This one, my brother and his girlfriend got it for me for free. They were cleaning out a relative of her's place that had recently passed away and were told to do whatever they wanted with the stuff inside, aside from some things the other family members took for keepsakes.

My brother called me up and asked if I wanted a CRT. Yes, please! I said. It’s a 37-inch Sanyo CRT, with S - video and such. This is a picture from this past summer in my brother’s garage (he tested it to be sure there were no shorts and such before bringing it here) He, myself and his GF played Diablo one weekend so i took my Dreamcast to test it on. It’s a blast to play on.

Think he said it weighed in at around 180 pounds

But the point is, you can get free ones without any problem, if you just look. And this TV will probably outlast most current HDMI TVs and will be working long after they end up in the scrap pile.

 

[diet_orange]

And tbh honest folks, the opening post was probably a gross over-reaction on my part and was more so based in rant-filled anger and frustration than actual facts

Apologies all around

 

[Xold 01]

E, para ser sincero, pessoal, a postagem inicial provavelmente foi uma reação exagerada da minha parte e provavelmente foi baseada mais em raiva e frustração do que em fatos concretos.

Pedimos desculpas a todos.

RRelax a little, have a good night's sleep, and have a good week.

 

[TechBlisSTer]

I'd like to know more about what exactly the "RetroBox TV" is.

I visited the website and they seem pretty; lets say not very forthcoming. Every single listing is sold out except for the bundled one that you pay an extra amount of money for and receive random VHS tapes with. And there's a repeating pop up that says someone has just added that bundle to their shopping cart.

Also they don't actually tell you what the product is that you're buying. From what I can tell. It's not a CRT. And it's not even an OLED display either. It's an IPS LCD with a Scaler. And the VHS Player in it reminds me of the modern cassette player phenomena where there's a modern cheap chinese production that's been slapped into a modern housing. So I don't believe I would trust it with any of my rare VHS tapes.

 

[Spiral1407]

What do they even mean by "new components" anyways? The tubes themselves aren't being made anymore, so I assume they're just cleaning the things, maybe reflowing a few cracked solder joints and calling it a day. Hardly worth $500.

 

[PrismRed]

CRTs are actually a rarity from where I live, I'd genuinely willing to pay $300 for that.

 

[Dyne]

And tbh honest folks, the opening post was probably a gross over-reaction on my part and was more so based in rant-filled anger and frustration than actual facts

Apologies all around

absolutely no reason to apologize.

In theory, I think its cool that theres a company trying to sell new CRTs.
The price and the size are kind of laughable, but its nice to see someone making them still.

 

[Zerpina]

I'd like to know more about what exactly the "RetroBox TV" is.

I visited the website and they seem pretty; lets say not very forthcoming. Every single listing is sold out except for the bundled one that you pay an extra amount of money for and receive random VHS tapes with. And there's a repeating pop up that says someone has just added that bundle to their shopping cart.

Also they don't actually tell you what the product is that you're buying. From what I can tell. It's not a CRT. And it's not even an OLED display either. It's an IPS LCD with a Scaler. And the VHS Player in it reminds me of the modern cassette player phenomena where there's a modern cheap chinese production that's been slapped into a modern housing. So I don't believe I would trust it with any of my rare VHS tapes.

You're right, I never even thought about it.

I didn't need one and had no interest in looking further into it.
Even if it were a CRT, that's way overpriced for what? A 9-12 inch TV? Even if it were a legit CRT and a name brand VCR, they are charging for the nostalgia factor. Granted, that's what most companies do anymore, but I'm like you... the site looks off, you know.

What do they even mean by "new components" anyways? The tubes themselves aren't being made anymore, so I assume they're just cleaning the things, maybe reflowing a few cracked solder joints and calling it a day. Hardly worth $500.

Agreed. Maybe they are new old stock. Most likely, if these are even CRTs, they are doing what you said and recharging the tubes. Most likely, it's a cheap knockoff VCR and one of those car DVD players you can get for almost nothing off AliExpress or a similar site.


Boy, this looks familiar, dunn'in it?
I think it's a photo-shopped one of these, and looking around the site, save your money.
It looks very scammy like @TechBlisSTer said.

Go to Amazon or eBay, you can get a legit CRT for not even half the price, including shipping and handling.

 

[TechBlisSTer]

Go to Amazon or eBay, you can get a legit CRT for not even half the price, including shipping and handling.

You found one of those special gaming models. LOL

I was at a thrift last week and found a Sansui 13 inch television for $5. So I picked it up. Apparently it's one of the nicer 13'' Orion tubes that's a finer dot pitch and the chassis is easily modded for RGB. I just have to decide if I want to go SCART or RCA jacks.

That's the same model that's already been RGB modded. I played some Famicom over composite on mine. And it was nice enough for that. It's very much a curved CRT but it's from 2002. Kind of an oddball television.

 

[Zerpina]

You found one of those special gaming models. LOL

I was at a thrift last week and found a Sansui 13 inch television for $5. So I picked it up. Apparently it's one of the nicer 13'' Orion tubes that's a finer dot pitch and the chassis is easily modded for RGB. I just have to decide if I want to go SCART or RCA jacks.
View attachment 145281
That's the same model that's already been RGB modded. I played some Famicom over composite on mine. And it was nice enough for that. It's very much a curved CRT but it's from 2002. Kind of an oddball television.

Very cool, you stole that basically. And it's a absolutely CUTE! TV :3

As for SCART versus RCA jacks, I can't give an opinion since I have never seen SCART in person, only S-video and RCA. So unless you already know, looking it up is the only option I have on the matter.

As I stated before, I don't need a CRT because I already have one.
However, I don't know how many times I have been to one of the few local thrift store I frequent often (because I'm a cheap bitch XD) A few times, they had 19 and 27 inch CRTs for sale for 20 bucks.

Once, the girl who worked there told me, since I donate a lot of stuff to them (cloths and the like) that if I wanted one of them (I was just looking at it out of curiosity honestly, it was some weird brand) I could just take it because no one wanted them and they wanted to free up floor space. I kind of wish I had now... I could have sold them easily.

But again, I already had my CRT and figured someone else would buy them.