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CRT Pixels

@crtpixels.bsky.social

Celebrating and comparing retro games on the displays they were designed for! Have fun, be nice, play how you like. by @jackal27.bsky.social | FAQ: http://bit.ly/3wceznw Help us fight Mitzi’s cancer: https://gofund.me/177ca33f

13,721 Followers  |  34 Following  |  74 Posts  |  Joined: 23.06.2023  |  1.9433

Latest posts by crtpixels.bsky.social on Bluesky

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It differs set to set as well! I’ve seen sets from the same manufacturer, from the same time period, that use completely different tubes. Not to mention next to no one was calibrating their TVs.

Notice how different the screens of these PVMs look despite being essentially the same model.

05.07.2025 13:47 — 👍 15    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0

[redacted]

05.07.2025 01:06 — 👍 33    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Don’t have the exact models, but from right to left I believe he has a 17” Apple Studio Display, a 17” Sony Trinitron Multiscan, and a Japan-exclusive Sony Trinitron KV-14GP1.

27.06.2025 22:36 — 👍 78    🔁 1    💬 2    📌 0
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Yet another nice example of a developer keeping a midrange, composite-only, consumer CRT nearby to check how the game’s visuals would look for the end user.

(image via @crtbot.bsky.social)

27.06.2025 22:36 — 👍 387    🔁 75    💬 7    📌 2
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Final Fantasy Tactics (1997, Squaresoft) - PS1

Sharp Pixels vs. PS1 S-Video via Sony KV-27S43

One more FF Tactics post for the road! Something that struck me making this comparison last night is how many variables are at play, even for just this opening battle. Incredible game.

05.06.2025 02:57 — 👍 251    🔁 63    💬 0    📌 0

WHY are we still applying nasty sprite smoothing filters like this? I swear every Square Enix remaster is a monkey’s paw situation.

Really hoping the new features aren’t gatekept behind the smoothed out sprites, but that seems to be the case.

04.06.2025 21:26 — 👍 159    🔁 29    💬 10    📌 0
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Final Fantasy Tactics (1997, Squaresoft) - PS1

Sharp Pixels vs. PS2 YPbPr via Sony PVM-20L2MD

Well damn, this one surprised even me! Even on a PVM calibrated by the legend Keith Raney (thanks Keith), dithering still gets cleaned up nicely over component!

04.06.2025 20:28 — 👍 122    🔁 13    💬 5    📌 0

I’ve checked this on my MiSTer in addition to a few different emulators and I believe you might be mistaken, but I am going to double check tonight with real hardware on my RetroTINK5X and if I’m mistaken, I’ll be sure to post a correction.

04.06.2025 20:10 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 2    📌 0
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Final Fantasy Tactics (1997, Squaresoft) - PS1

Sharp Pixels vs. PS2 YPbPr via Toshiba 14AF45

I got a reply saying that dithering is still visible on a CRT via component so I wanted to demonstrate that this definitely isn’t always the case, particularly on consumer TVs.

04.06.2025 19:09 — 👍 143    🔁 17    💬 3    📌 0
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Final Fantasy Tactics (1997, Squaresoft) - PS1

Sharp Pixels vs. PS1 Composite via Sony KV-27S43

FFT is actually THE game responsible for this blog. When I got an HDTV in 2012, I hooked up my PS2, but when I saw FFT’s dithering for the first time I thought my console was broken!

04.06.2025 15:08 — 👍 536    🔁 90    💬 9    📌 2
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Final Fantasy Tactics (1997, Squaresoft) - PS1

Sharp Pixels vs. PS1 S-Video via Sony KV-27S43

:)

04.06.2025 06:00 — 👍 349    🔁 70    💬 5    📌 3

You could get a similar look with a good CRT filter yes. Not all of them are built equally though sadly. Tons of great options out there on the emulation side of things though.

02.06.2025 18:40 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0
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Also, a huge thank you to the local follower who donated this lovely PVM-8043MD to the blog a few years ago. I’m sorry I can’t remember your handle!

It hasn’t gotten much love on the blog, because I couldn’t find much use for it, but now that it sits on my office desk, I use it all the time!

02.06.2025 18:13 — 👍 52    🔁 2    💬 3    📌 0
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Fantasy Zone II DX (2008, M2) - Sega System 16

Sharp Pixels vs. MiSTer FPGA S-Video via Sony PVM-8043MD

Happy Pride Month to my LGBT+ folks! Thank you for making the world a more colorful, vibrant, and honest place 🌈

02.06.2025 18:03 — 👍 152    🔁 29    💬 3    📌 1

bsky.app/profile/crtp...

31.05.2025 18:35 — 👍 26    🔁 5    💬 0    📌 0
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Ranger-X (1993, Nextech) - Mega Drive

Sharp Pixels vs. Sega 32X RGB via Sony PVM-20L2MD

So many cool, gorgeous little details in this game’s visuals, and it’s all animated beautifully as well. However you play it, just play it.

31.05.2025 18:30 — 👍 172    🔁 33    💬 3    📌 1

bsky.app/profile/crtp...

30.05.2025 16:53 — 👍 18    🔁 7    💬 0    📌 0
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Super Mario Kart (1992, Nintendo) - SNES

Sharp Pixels vs. MiSTer FPGA composite via Sony KV-14M10

Officially under a week before the Switch 2! I’m mixed on it, but mostly I’m just excited to be alive to see another new Nintendo console. What a privilege so many didn’t get.

30.05.2025 16:52 — 👍 131    🔁 13    💬 2    📌 0

bsky.app/profile/crtp...

30.05.2025 00:59 — 👍 22    🔁 7    💬 0    📌 0
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The Legend of the Mystical Ninja (1991, Konami) - SNES

Sharp Pixels vs. MiSTer FPGA composite via Sony KV-14M10

Love this game and I should really play the rest of the series. Tons of great art in these that’d make for cool comparisons. Need to bring the warmth on this set down a bit.

30.05.2025 00:58 — 👍 203    🔁 30    💬 3    📌 1
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Donate to Help Mitzi Fight Stage 4 Breast Cancer, organized by April Kontak Hi, I’m April K, and I have had the privilege of being Mitzi’s best friend for nea… April Kontak needs your support for Help Mitzi Fight Stage 4 Breast Cancer

My parter was recently diagnosed with metastatic (stage 4) breast cancer. We are hopeful that modern treatments can give her many more years with us though.

It will be a long road and if you’re able, we could use your help.

gofund.me/b79b6f34

29.05.2025 03:26 — 👍 146    🔁 135    💬 0    📌 3
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Super Puyo Puyo (1993, Banpresto) - SNES

Sharp Pixels vs. SNES S-Video via Sony KV-27S43

Crushed the shadows on this one a bit, but I tend to struggle with getting this set’s brightness where I want it. Still love the way it handles S-Video though and I play on it all the time.

29.05.2025 03:20 — 👍 276    🔁 45    💬 3    📌 0

Fortunately there are quite a lot of options these, assuming her body takes to them. In the 90s she would only have months, but now some lucky folks even get 10-20 years. Still not long enough, but we’re hoping for the best.

27.05.2025 21:50 — 👍 3    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0
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I am committed to keeping the blog running during all of this, because it wouldn’t exist without Mitzi’s encouragement.

I will be also be linking her fundraiser under each post for a while.

Thank you for your support.

27.05.2025 16:48 — 👍 80    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 1
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Donate to Help Mitzi Fight Stage 4 Breast Cancer, organized by April Kontak Hi, I’m April K, and I have had the privilege of being Mitzi’s best friend for nea… April Kontak needs your support for Help Mitzi Fight Stage 4 Breast Cancer

This month my incredible partner @mitzistarkweather.bsky.social was diagnosed with metastatic (stage 4) breast cancer.

We’re devastated, but hopeful that modern treatments can give her many more years.

It will be a long road and if you’re able, we could use your help.

gofund.me/4010f535

27.05.2025 15:38 — 👍 233    🔁 188    💬 5    📌 2

🤤🤤🤤

27.05.2025 15:27 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Forgot I already did this lol

27.05.2025 03:38 — 👍 8    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0

Gorgeous shots

26.05.2025 22:54 — 👍 9    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

The blending on Balthier’s hair and face textures here, even at 480p… My god. This technology truly does work miracles at times.

26.05.2025 22:53 — 👍 223    🔁 29    💬 5    📌 2

If only the Genesis’ composite signal was clean enough to actually do something cool with it 😔

26.05.2025 19:08 — 👍 5    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

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