AuthorTopic: Mimicking TV display on computer  (Read 4387 times)

Offline Mathias

  • 0100
  • ***
  • Posts: 1797
  • Karma: +2/-0
  • Goodbye.
    • http://pixeljoint.com/p/9542.htm
    • View Profile

Mimicking TV display on computer

on: May 25, 2010, 12:37:39 am
When the pixel art games of yesterday are displayed on the computer screens of today it's not the same. Those emulator games you play on your PC are much more crisp.

Old CRT televisions blurred and muddled the pixels a little, blending them smoother together. I think it's a desirable effect.

Anyone out there in Pixelation land know of any resources relating to mimicking the old CRT TV display? There's a website with lots of Commodore 64 art on it, even has some of ptoing's I think, and each image in the gallery has a toggle button to turn on an old CRT-ish C64 display mode filter. I cannot find it!

Reason being - we're making a simple pixel art game and want to try applying this effect.


Any leads much appreciated!

Offline Dusty

  • 0100
  • ***
  • Posts: 1107
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: Mimicking TV display on computer

Reply #1 on: May 25, 2010, 01:00:30 am
Hmm?

http://bogost.com/games/a_television_simulator.shtml
http://nfgworld.com/mb/thread/661
http://active.tutsplus.com/tutorials/effects/create-a-retro-crt-distortion-effect-using-rgb-shifting/

Are a few things that I found after searching. Not sure how useful these will be, but thought I'd post them. One effect they all seem to be lacking is the distortion of the glass from the monitor not being flat. Minor, maybe, but I definitely remember it.

Offline lithander

  • 0001
  • *
  • Posts: 43
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile
    • www.pixelpracht.net

Re: Mimicking TV display on computer

Reply #2 on: May 25, 2010, 12:46:44 pm
I found this one quite impressive: http://active.tutsplus.com/tutorials/effects/create-a-retro-crt-distortion-effect-using-rgb-shifting/

An interesting topic. I'm not sure that nearest-neighbour upscaling is really the best option to display pixel graphics on modern LCD screens. But own my experiments in that area didn't convince me either, yet! :)

Do you have example images of what effect you want to achieve? Pixelbender increased the possibility space quite a bit for flash. And I wouldn't mind the challenge to try.
« Last Edit: May 25, 2010, 12:55:37 pm by lithander »

Offline Lizzrd

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 273
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: Mimicking TV display on computer

Reply #3 on: May 25, 2010, 03:42:41 pm
Wouldn't the best be to simulate it with glowing red, blue and green pixels?
Photocopier: the fact that arne can also code so well
Photocopier: is horrificly unfair

Offline alspal

  • 0001
  • *
  • Posts: 69
  • Karma: +0/-0
  • alastair
    • View Profile
    • My games and things

Re: Mimicking TV display on computer

Reply #4 on: May 30, 2010, 03:27:02 am
Ronan and Recap's method is by far the best I've seen so far:

http://postback.geedorah.com/foros/viewtopic.php?id=600&p=2

Offline Conzeit

  • 0100
  • ***
  • Posts: 1448
  • Karma: +3/-0
  • Camus
    • conzeit
    • View Profile
    • CONZEIT

Re: Mimicking TV display on computer

Reply #5 on: June 03, 2010, 06:38:42 am
I checked all those links and let me tell you it doesnt even compare to the NTSC filter used in emulators
EDIT: ok, actually the NGFworld techinque is pretty damn good too

http://slack.net/~ant/libs/ntsc.html

I was just playing Donkey Kong Country in that and it was quite nostalgic....heh the Zsnes version of the filter lets you configure a lot of artifacts like making the pixels bleed, diagonal lines between them, general blurring, the colors jumping a little and even plain old blurring....lots of stuff.

Bad thing, is you got to compile this for it to work...tho I'm interested in this too, maybe we can get someone to compile it as a filter?
« Last Edit: June 05, 2010, 12:07:37 am by Conceit »

Offline alspal

  • 0001
  • *
  • Posts: 69
  • Karma: +0/-0
  • alastair
    • View Profile
    • My games and things

Re: Mimicking TV display on computer

Reply #6 on: June 05, 2010, 03:44:52 am
ok, actually the NGFworld techinque is pretty damn good too

Recap's is more accurate, NFG's is way off.