CRT shader for high-res content?

RetroArch Additions Shaders
#1

Looking for something to use with Dreamcast or any other console and game that might have 640x480 internal resolution.

Geom has the interlaced scanlines but these flicker a lot, is there a way to simulate the scanlines of a 640x480 CRT monitor?

#2

crt-easymode with disabled interlacing in the shader options.

#3

That doesn’t look good, the horizontal effects are uneven

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#4

Use integer scaling. Also try different mask types in the shader parameters.

#5

integer scaling removes any horizontal effects completely and leaves only the vertical ones.

Is that the intended look?

Edit: Mask 6 seems to be OK. Integer scale makes the screen too small though.

Anyway, thanks!

#6

If you can’t use integer scaling due to your display’s resolution resulting in a small image, then try crt-hylian instead. It still looks good even without integer scaling.

#7

Hylian looks just as bad unfortunately

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Giga Wing 2 (USA)-191221-161315.png468×552 13.9 KB

I’ll just use the system without any scanlines.

#8

Geom with the flickering scanlines is what you would expect from a real CRT TV, but you can turn the flickering off with the “interlacing simulation” parameter.

I think royale might have a toggle for it, as well.

#9

Ι know but when i toggle interlace OFF the image becomes low-res, breaking a lot of fine details and text.

#10

If you’re using a 1080p monitor, why not try 5x vertical integer scale? This crops the image somewhat, but the entire “crt safe zone” is still displayed. CRTs would crop up to 20% of the image (10% off the top/bottom and 10% off the sides), so developers avoided putting important info outside of the “safe zone.”

#11

I tried that not long ago and it cuts too much space, much more than the usual overscan.

#12

It works fine for games where you start with 224 as the vertical resolution. If you’re starting with 240, I agree that the overscan can seem excessive. However, it’s actually still within the technical specifications for CRTs.

240 x 5 = 1200

1200 * .10 = 120

1200 - 120 = 1080.

So it’s cropping the maximum allowable amount while still displaying the entire “safe area.”

5x scale works fine with NES, SNES, Genesis, etc. Arcade games are a bit of a problem at 5x scale because arcade games ignored the “safe area” and the monitors were calibrated to display the entire image.

#13

It’s Dreamcast aka 480p

#14

I think the normal connection from Dreamcast was 480i but with the VGA cable it was capable of 480p providing you had a compatible monitor.

If it was my set up, I would use Geom w/ interlacing on, but that’s because when I owned my my Dreamcast I had 480i on my standard consumer TV.

That’s how I remember it.

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#15

:man_facepalming:

oops…

yeah, in that case you’re stuck with 960 as the vertical height if using integer scale (on a 1080p display).

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#16

Try something like this:

You would need to increase the rendering resolution to help the downscale look better.

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#17

Can this work with the slang stock shader? I remember having issues with it.