Hey, just wanted to say thanks for uploading this and taking your time to go over each step. I would agree that your settings are some of the closest to an actual CRT I have seen, very impressive. I usually use my CRT for small gaming sessions and most importantly for film (VHS). Though, I'm concerned that my CRT may eventually fade out, so I'm heavily considering the RetroTink4k. My question is, do you think you could theoretically use your settings when playing a video file? I wouldn't see why not, just curious! I wonder if that could be a video you could do in the future, would be cool to see the effects! Sending love from Japan ❤
すごい、私もちょっと日本語が話せます！And yes - I think this filter would look great on film content! Although I would recommend trying to take off the horizontal scanlines since VHS and other moves are recorded in the 480i format, and the horizontal scanlines are mostly used to replicate the 240p format. But yes - I need to make a follow-up video where I test film content - stayed tuned! ありがとうございます！
Also, as far as worrying about CRTs wearing down, I've also worried about that a lot, but the more I work with them, the less I worry about it. If you're interested, check out this video I recently made of a very high hour set that still looks great: ua-cam.com/video/CSyw0TdEkiQ/v-deo.htmlsi=A4fdHiAyk-B-b2-S
Thanks for putting your vid together, I watched twice just to get as much info as possible. If I may - I have a question about my setup. I have a N64 modded with the RetroGem (HDMI) and the output from there is “DV-Direct” which means it’s just passing through the 240p signal to the 4K. From there, I used the default N64 profiles but I can’t seem to get my setup to look as crisp as yours. You have 75 inch OLED, and I have a 80inch Neo-QLED, and it still looks quite blurry. Now I can’t do auto-phase and auto-gain since it’s going via HDMI versus composite, but you are also using an RGM mod, and mine is not. Is that the big reason why it doesn’t look as clear you think? I thought the RetroGEM was to essentially used to deblur the built-in blur effect, followed by outputting the native 240p without anything else. Unfortunately I have a NS2 serial number so a RGB mod is going to be a bit more expensive and harder to solder. Any suggestions for a HDMI modded N64 to RT4K setup?
Great questions! So, the auto phase and auto gain features are not needed for HDMI sources because the HDMI signal is digital, and digital means exact. In other words, your N64 is already telling the RetroTINK 4K exactly what to draw. Digital signals are contained, limited, and exact. Analog signals like RGB on the other hand are unlimited, so the RetroTINK 4K can auto sample and auto phase to find the optimal places to take samples from the analog signal and convert it into digital. Analog signals look awesome on analog TVs like CRTs, but your digital HDMI will probably be just as good on your Neo-QLED. So, long story short, I wouldn't worry about RGB modding your N64 if you already have the RetroGEM. As far as Neo-QLED vs. OLED, I haven't ever compared the two, but how are the black levels on your TV? When a scene is completely black, can you still tell the TV is on? From what I understand, QLED and OLED are VERY similar... Then for the scaling, if you're doing the direct output, that should be identical to the RGB resolution of 240p I was using in the video. One advantage you have over my setup in the video too is that you can force the N64 default video blur off. I personally have grown to like it, so I usually keep it on. As far as sharpness goes, the default profile of the RT4K is very sharp. My custom profile in this video is actually meant to make it not as sharp - so everything just kind of smooths over like on a CRT. If you set the same settings as I did, in the video, I would think your output would look the same. The only big difference is the display type of our TVs. Maybe there's some settings you could change on your actual TV too...
@@FairyKid64 Thanks for the detailed response. Thanks for the clarity with digital vs. analog. I didn't think of it quite like that. Also, I didn't think about the TV settings... I'll have to take a look at that. The black levels with this specific 8K Neo-QLED Samsung TV, is stunning. In the basement, even at night, I can NOT tell when the TV is on or off if there is anything black. OLED is better displayed for contrast and they say that even with QLED you will see visible light even when it's black...I cannot. Even dark films like Dune 2, you just can't tell if it is on or off. It is a super TV indeed, but also more than $3K. I''ll take a look at 4K profile settings after I take a look at the TV settings. If I have any updates I"ll reply back here just as FYI for you. Thanks again for the response and detailed videos.
@@coolchapstickbro7820you bet! That sounds like an awesome TV! Yes, please let me know how your tests go and how it works out for you. Let me know if I can help any more too. :)
How good is generic svideo quality on its own and through retrotink? How does the image quality compare with cheap svideo cable to higher quality svideo cable compared to RGB? Is the RGB mod worth it or would svideo give as good quality?
This is a really good question. I've also used S-Video through the RT 4K, and it also looks great. 👍 However, I haven't done A-B testing yet between the two. I'll try to make a follow-up to this video where I compare S-Video to RGB specifically. Stayed tuned! But yeah - RGB does really look stunning coming out of the N64, and if you do have one of the earlier models, it's actually a pretty simple mod all things considered. Check out my N64 RGB mod video for more info on that. If it seems like too much though, realistically S-Video should be fine. As far as quality cables go, you definitely want to get good cables, but they don't need to be $100 Monster cables either. I've found some good ones over the years, but I'll start to keep my eyes out for cables people can easily find and buy nowadays. That will probably be another video too. 😂 Thanks for the two new video ideas! 💡
Why not use HDR with scanlines?. I have a Tink 4k also... and i find that scanlines look so much better and more natural with HDR. With OLED, to be specific... I have an LG CX
For sure - I hear you. If that looks better on your TV, I would say go for it. Sony TVs in my experience handle SDR much better than LG TVs (check out this old video of where I was trying to decide between an LG C1 and the Sony OLED - ua-cam.com/video/ksculZB3Grg/v-deo.html ). I also found that the SDR coming out of the RT4K on my Sony OLED actually looked really good too. But there's obviously no right or wrong answer here. If I did have an LG OLED, I probably would use HDR mode over SDR because SDR really doesn't perform as well as HDR on LG sets in my experience. And who knows - maybe the new Sonys and LGs are completely different now too.
@@quajay187yes, that's what I understand too. I've heard that Sony pays a premium to get the first pick of panels too, but realistically both brands are really good. I literally had two huge 77" TVs in my living room and it was a hard decision.
![Let's RGB Mod an N64! [Tim Worthington's N64RGB]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/2UEUVqVL9Ww/mqdefault.jpg)
![Let's RGB Mod an N64! [Tim Worthington's N64RGB]](/img/tr.png)
Hey, just wanted to say thanks for uploading this and taking your time to go over each step. I would agree that your settings are some of the closest to an actual CRT I have seen, very impressive.
I usually use my CRT for small gaming sessions and most importantly for film (VHS). Though, I'm concerned that my CRT may eventually fade out, so I'm heavily considering the RetroTink4k.
My question is, do you think you could theoretically use your settings when playing a video file? I wouldn't see why not, just curious!
I wonder if that could be a video you could do in the future, would be cool to see the effects!
Sending love from Japan ❤
すごい、私もちょっと日本語が話せます！And yes - I think this filter would look great on film content! Although I would recommend trying to take off the horizontal scanlines since VHS and other moves are recorded in the 480i format, and the horizontal scanlines are mostly used to replicate the 240p format.
But yes - I need to make a follow-up video where I test film content - stayed tuned! ありがとうございます！
Also, as far as worrying about CRTs wearing down, I've also worried about that a lot, but the more I work with them, the less I worry about it. If you're interested, check out this video I recently made of a very high hour set that still looks great:
ua-cam.com/video/CSyw0TdEkiQ/v-deo.htmlsi=A4fdHiAyk-B-b2-S
Definitely the best CRT mask I’ve seen so far. Just order mine recently - will these settings work well with GameCube / PS1?
Yes, definitely! Just be sure to run the auto phase and auto gain for each system and you should be set!
Damn... looks slick.
Yes! It's absolutely amazing what these games look like running through these settings and filters!
Great video, could you do a ps2 version of this video ?…👍
Oh yeah - that would be a great idea! Last I checked, my PS2 was having video output issues, but I'll see what I can do! Stayed tuned...
Like your vid like this, Thanks 🤓
You bet! I'm glad you like it!
That's funny you said you were going to leave a link right win link showed up.
Yes! That's actually a UA-cam feature I finally figured out how to use recently. 😂
Thanks for putting your vid together, I watched twice just to get as much info as possible. If I may - I have a question about my setup. I have a N64 modded with the RetroGem (HDMI) and the output from there is “DV-Direct” which means it’s just passing through the 240p signal to the 4K. From there, I used the default N64 profiles but I can’t seem to get my setup to look as crisp as yours. You have 75 inch OLED, and I have a 80inch Neo-QLED, and it still looks quite blurry. Now I can’t do auto-phase and auto-gain since it’s going via HDMI versus composite, but you are also using an RGM mod, and mine is not. Is that the big reason why it doesn’t look as clear you think? I thought the RetroGEM was to essentially used to deblur the built-in blur effect, followed by outputting the native 240p without anything else. Unfortunately I have a NS2 serial number so a RGB mod is going to be a bit more expensive and harder to solder. Any suggestions for a HDMI modded N64 to RT4K setup?
Great questions! So, the auto phase and auto gain features are not needed for HDMI sources because the HDMI signal is digital, and digital means exact. In other words, your N64 is already telling the RetroTINK 4K exactly what to draw. Digital signals are contained, limited, and exact. Analog signals like RGB on the other hand are unlimited, so the RetroTINK 4K can auto sample and auto phase to find the optimal places to take samples from the analog signal and convert it into digital. Analog signals look awesome on analog TVs like CRTs, but your digital HDMI will probably be just as good on your Neo-QLED. So, long story short, I wouldn't worry about RGB modding your N64 if you already have the RetroGEM.
As far as Neo-QLED vs. OLED, I haven't ever compared the two, but how are the black levels on your TV? When a scene is completely black, can you still tell the TV is on? From what I understand, QLED and OLED are VERY similar...
Then for the scaling, if you're doing the direct output, that should be identical to the RGB resolution of 240p I was using in the video. One advantage you have over my setup in the video too is that you can force the N64 default video blur off. I personally have grown to like it, so I usually keep it on.
As far as sharpness goes, the default profile of the RT4K is very sharp. My custom profile in this video is actually meant to make it not as sharp - so everything just kind of smooths over like on a CRT. If you set the same settings as I did, in the video, I would think your output would look the same. The only big difference is the display type of our TVs. Maybe there's some settings you could change on your actual TV too...
@@FairyKid64 Thanks for the detailed response. Thanks for the clarity with digital vs. analog. I didn't think of it quite like that. Also, I didn't think about the TV settings... I'll have to take a look at that.
The black levels with this specific 8K Neo-QLED Samsung TV, is stunning. In the basement, even at night, I can NOT tell when the TV is on or off if there is anything black. OLED is better displayed for contrast and they say that even with QLED you will see visible light even when it's black...I cannot. Even dark films like Dune 2, you just can't tell if it is on or off. It is a super TV indeed, but also more than $3K.
I''ll take a look at 4K profile settings after I take a look at the TV settings. If I have any updates I"ll reply back here just as FYI for you. Thanks again for the response and detailed videos.
@@coolchapstickbro7820you bet! That sounds like an awesome TV! Yes, please let me know how your tests go and how it works out for you. Let me know if I can help any more too. :)
How good is generic svideo quality on its own and through retrotink? How does the image quality compare with cheap svideo cable to higher quality svideo cable compared to RGB? Is the RGB mod worth it or would svideo give as good quality?
This is a really good question. I've also used S-Video through the RT 4K, and it also looks great. 👍 However, I haven't done A-B testing yet between the two. I'll try to make a follow-up to this video where I compare S-Video to RGB specifically. Stayed tuned!
But yeah - RGB does really look stunning coming out of the N64, and if you do have one of the earlier models, it's actually a pretty simple mod all things considered. Check out my N64 RGB mod video for more info on that. If it seems like too much though, realistically S-Video should be fine.
As far as quality cables go, you definitely want to get good cables, but they don't need to be $100 Monster cables either. I've found some good ones over the years, but I'll start to keep my eyes out for cables people can easily find and buy nowadays. That will probably be another video too. 😂
Thanks for the two new video ideas! 💡
@@FairyKid64 You're welcome for the video ideas. Thanks for the reply.
Why not use HDR with scanlines?. I have a Tink 4k also... and i find that scanlines look so much better and more natural with HDR. With OLED, to be specific... I have an LG CX
For sure - I hear you. If that looks better on your TV, I would say go for it. Sony TVs in my experience handle SDR much better than LG TVs (check out this old video of where I was trying to decide between an LG C1 and the Sony OLED - ua-cam.com/video/ksculZB3Grg/v-deo.html ).
I also found that the SDR coming out of the RT4K on my Sony OLED actually looked really good too. But there's obviously no right or wrong answer here. If I did have an LG OLED, I probably would use HDR mode over SDR because SDR really doesn't perform as well as HDR on LG sets in my experience. And who knows - maybe the new Sonys and LGs are completely different now too.
@@FairyKid64 Yea, Sony does have LG beat in SDR and upscale processing. Im pretty sure the panels are made by LG for both
@@quajay187yes, that's what I understand too. I've heard that Sony pays a premium to get the first pick of panels too, but realistically both brands are really good. I literally had two huge 77" TVs in my living room and it was a hard decision.
retrotink 5x pro is awesome... but scanlines need to be dropped, i hate them (my personal opinion)
Yeah - I have a friend who also hates scanlines. The good thing is that the RT 5x and 4K can accommodate both preferences.