S-Video vs RF vs Composite vs Component on a CRT — which signal works best for dithered classic/vintage games or just games with very detailed art, gradients and textures due to tech limitations of the era.
Using Resident Evil 2 on SuperStation One, I compare blending, sharpness, color, depth, lighting, immersion and overall CRT image quality.
I look at how each signal changes the game’s three-dimensionality, volume, atmosphere, reflections, lighting and sense of cohesion. RF gives the strongest blending and depth, component the cleanest and sharpest image, while S-Video surprised me with how much more natural dither-heavy graphics can look without becoming overly soft.
🤔 Which signal do you prefer for dither-heavy retro games: RF, composite, S-Video, or component — and why ❓
———- CHAPTERS ————
0:00 S-Video for Dithered Games
0:17 AudioQuest S-3 S-Video Cable
1:28 Resident Evil 2 Test Setup
1:51 S-Video vs Component
3:35 How S-Video Blends Dithering
5:01 RF: Maximum Blending
5:29 CRT Sharpness & Contrast
7:22 RF vs Composite vs S-Video vs Component
8:13 Which Signal Is the Middle Ground?
9:47 My Resident Evil 2 Verdict
10:29 Where S-Video Looks Better
11:37 Guess the Video Signal
12:44 Color & Gradient Test
13:20 Pixel Art Comparison
14:16 Final S-Video Verdict
——— TEST SETUP ————
Source: SuperStation One
Game: Resident Evil 2 (PS1)
Display: Same 21″ CRT TV for all tests
Signals compared: RF, Composite, S-Video, Component
S-Video cable: AudioQuest S-3, 2 m
Cable construction: 2× 75-ohm coaxial conductors, separate Y/C shielding, hard-cell foam insulation, 6.1% silver-plated center conductor
RF Modulator: 5868HD RF Modulator
CRT Sharpness: 0
Viewing distance: ~1.5 m / 5 ft
Comparison method: Same game, same CRT, same source hardware; only the video connection was changed
Note: Results may vary depending on the CRT, cables, RF modulator, calibration, and internal video processing.
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#SVideo #CRTGaming #RetroGaming
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To my surprise, s-video was way more efficient with dithered games as I first thought it would be in the first place. Your thoughts and did you guess the signals right in the blind test?
Crappy composite on 100% sharpness, gives a nice blend of greasy-ish + clear-ish.
The night races of gran turismo 1 have some heavy dithering, that look awful over scart
another flavour of signal you maybe can test is S-Video and composite with chroma trap filter enabled/disabled, if available in your TV
it is intended for use with composite to reduce dot crawl IIRC, but I frequently use it on my TV because S-Video doesn't have composite artifacts and the filter adds a little blurriness that works well with dithering
unfortunately I have to enable/disable it on service menu every time, but it's worth
I use rgb scart for ps1 games, i generally just want the sharpest image although composite looks especially good with pre rendered backgrounds.
excellent video was waiting for this one
We all know it is Scart RGB you want.
Ive been loving your videos on this topic, keep the good work! new fan
idk why buti LOVE RF
I love RF on a CRT when it comes to playing Atari 2600. Soft, glowey goodness. Emulating old Atari on a modern display is just not the same (although filters with adjustable softness and shadow masks can bring it much closer). Graphics that primitive call for the blur of RF to take the edge off.
You have to remember that RF and Composite clarity entirely depend on the quality of the Source and the Destination. Not all comb filters are created equal. Some TVs will look amazing with a quality RF source. Others will look absolutely terrible.
In PAL regions we used to insist on SCART instead but having recently gotten a vintage plasma screen S-video was my last hope to get a PS2 working on it and wow… Was I impressed by the quality difference Vs composite (component wouldn't actually signal lock on it because PAL which was a big shame but at least I got working)
this is how i felt playing the RE HD remaster on switch, the graphics look worse even though theyre higher res compared to the gamecube
RPD: NO
6PU: YES
S video is my usual go to and i only go component when im on my wii or ps2. sometimes my ps3 since i have an hd crt as well. What i love about S video is you can get closer to component sharpness or composite softness simply by raising or or lowering the sharpness setting in the tv itself. i can get composite softness if i dont want the sharp edges but still get the color correctness and 0 dot crawl like you would with real composite, and same with raising the sharpness to get that clarity component offers. apparently component/rgb scart, is only about an extra 10% sharper than native svideo. which is why i usually default to s video because i can just raise or lower the sharpness in my tube depending on what i wanna look at without changing out the cables.
Only ever had RF in my youth to play PS1 on my 14" TV and that blurryness brings back lot of memories lol. Still prefer the middle ground of composite though. As soon as I manage to fix my OLD PS1 (now golden edition after 30 years lol) I'll make some cables to test it and appreciate it in person. Awesome comparison!
Is there a specific reason why you dont use RGB ?
Had to use component for PSP to TV back then didn't like the small screen.
RF stands for real fucking good!
Something to consider about svideo. I used to modify consoles for it quite often back in the day, mostly Genesis, neogeo, and snes. Depending on both the console and tv, I would need to tune to op-amp per setup for the best possible output. Even different lcd tvs would have different resistor values, on the same console, to achieve the same look.
For both my Genesis and SNES, I modified them with a simple op-amp to output svideo. Both consoles create s-video natively, which is then combined to create composite. I pulled the connections so it would not mix, experimented a little, and came up with a good amp for a VERY sharp image on my TV.
I need this for games that are text heavy, especially NBA Jam, so that it was much easier to read everything.
For me, latency is the number one thing I need to not introduce- so hdmi and component mods are not in consideration for me.
Excellent video sir
Such an excellent comparison. Surprised by how much I like composite.
What do you think of other consoles like genesis and snes? I think Sonic looks like shit with component but I love how chrono trigger looks with component. Could it be because the snes had hardware that could do rgb but genesis didn’t?
Can you do metal gear
Composite seems to have too much crosstalk artifacting to be worthwhile. RF looks like swimming trash as expected.
until HD consoles became a thing, I always insisted on using S-Video. Very clear.
This all depends on your crt TV, the signals can vary wildly for different TV set brands, some TV have very good s-video but poor component and visa versa and some have very good RF signals closer to s-video than this example
Love the content! Awesome video
Composite output on the PS has a filter stage to it that helps with dot crawl and interference with luma/chroma, but it makes the image soft. It's not just because it's a composite signal (there are composite outputs generations that are more detailed than that PS composite output).
Can I ask, do you run rf without audio and does it make any real difference if you go from an adaptor source vs a direct cable hookup?
I make the argument all the time for composite, but it's really difficult to appreciate when not seeing the game in person and when playing. I don't think any video can capture that '3D' feel of playing on an actual CRT. I do like how the colors pop in component, though I know some games were not designed with that in mind, such as when playing a PS1 game on a PS2. I think this is why we are seeing scalers / transcoders now retroactively introduce filters which give a CRT look. People want CRTs. They just want a more simple setup with the modern equipment. There's also maintenance with older CRTs that may be required.
I couldn't tell the difference between composite and s-video. RF was the only one I knew because it blends everything so nicely. That's a tricky thing you did lol!
I always use RGB scart or component. But those are almost the same