Meet The Experts Who Bring Your Old CRT TVs Back To Life

If you’re a gamer of a certain age, you likely have fond memories of playing your favorite retro console in front of a boxy TV. However, while many gamers have kept their old consoles around–or bought them back from garage sales and eBay auctions–CRT (cathode ray tube) TVs are largely an abandoned relic of the past. You can likely find dozens of examples gathering dust at your local thrift store, garbage dump, or perhaps even your grandmother’s house. But are they actually worse than your cheap LED replacement, or do they deserve a second chance at life? According to the enthusiasts who work tirelessly to repair them, they’re more than just a relic–they’re the best way to play decades of classic games.

When CRT enthusiast Steve Nutter plugged in his old consoles to show his young son the games he grew up on, he was utterly dismayed by the results. His beloved N64 games looked awful on his LCD TV, with washed-out colors, a flickering image, and a tremendous amount of input lag. He turned to the internet for advice, where he found out one of the worst-kept secrets in retro gaming–that an old TV is essentially required for any original console setup.

Luckily, Nutter had an old Toshiba lying around, which he was able to resurrect for his nostalgic purposes. As a trained engineer, he found himself compelled by the intricate machinery of these displays. He would watch YouTube videos made by hackers and phone “phreakers” who enjoyed playing around with the machines, slowly gathering his base of knowledge. Over time, Nutter’s interest in CRTs grew to such an extent that he started scanning Craigslist and bidding on eBay auctions, searching for the truly desirable CRT displays like the Sony PVM and BVMs. And one day, his luck changed: a high-end PVM was on sale for a reasonable price only a short drive away. What he found changed his life almost overnight.

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