Retro TV Signal Guide

Find the best video output for your retro console. Compare signal quality, required cables, and adapter options.

Select your console

Select a console above to see its video output options and recommendations.

CRT vs Modern TV — Why It Matters

Retro consoles were designed to output analog signals to CRT televisions. CRTs handle the scanline-based image natively, producing the "retro look" many players associate with these games. On modern flat-panel displays, the same analog signal must be converted to digital, which introduces input lag (often 50–200 ms), upscaling artifacts, and blurriness.

For the best experience on a modern TV, the signal chain quality order is: RF (worst) < Composite < S-Video < Component < RGB (SCART) < HDMI (via mod or upscaler). Using a higher-quality connection dramatically reduces blur and color bleeding.

RetroTink and HDMI Upscalers

Devices like the RetroTink 2X, 4K, and similar scalers convert analog signals to HDMI in real time with extremely low latency (often under 1 ms of added lag). They accept Composite, S-Video, Component, or RGB inputs and output 720p/1080p/4K HDMI — making them the recommended solution for playing retro consoles on modern displays without hardware modification.