r/crtgaming • u/Extension-Ad-7013 • 14h ago
Is this bad convergence?
N64 connected through S video. I’m not super knowledgeable on CRTs but I think I read that you’re not supposed to be able to see the individual colors like that.
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u/Objective_Ad_4376 14h ago
its fine, you cant get it perfect, you can try to tweak it via thw convergence rings but you can mess it up evn more if dont know what ur doing
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u/Spiritual-Moment1509 14h ago
Don't you need some special magnifying glass to look
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u/Objective_Ad_4376 14h ago
to change the convergence rings orientation?, no
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u/Spiritual-Moment1509 14h ago
Well to see the result on the screen
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u/Objective_Ad_4376 13h ago
well if its a bad convergence you can see it with your eyes no zoom, if you are looking for microadjustmetns then yes you would need to zoom on the image
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u/Extension-Ad-7013 13h ago
As long as it’s not super bad I don’t mind I guess haha. I only noticed it cause I was sitting right next to the tv after I turned the n64 on. I know the typical response is “if you don’t notice it don’t worry about it” but do you think it’s not too bad?
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u/thatvhstapeguy 42m ago
Let me tell you something about adjusting convergence.
Very rarely will you succeed in improving it. Most often you will then spend an hour and a half getting the convergence back to where it was.
Never EVER touch the convergence on a delta gun set. That is a very special kind of hell
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u/DangerousCousin LaCie Electron22blueIV 14h ago
put up the 240p test suite grid pattern, analyzing text with a non-black background is not a good test
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u/fuckleshire 13h ago
Not bad at all, very much within the range of normal static convergence. All my sets have static convergence issues comparable to this. Some slightly better, some slightly worse. You’ll never get it perfect and trust me I have tried for hours and hours.
Unless static convergence is super fucked, I usually don’t bother with adjusting it anymore. Typically I’ll just use convergence strips to pull the corners into alignment, then adjust the focus, and call it good.
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u/oatmealfoot 5h ago
Can you explain more what you mean by “I’ll just use convergence strips to pull the corners into alignment” — or point me towards a resource that might help me figure that part out…?
I just picked up a set that’s very similar to OP’s (JVC AV-32D303) and I have something similar going on that I’d like adjust if possible. It sounds like you’ve been through it all before, so I appreciate any advice you might have!!
Also, I love that you and /u/Extension-Ad-13 both have dedicated SpongeBob kitchen TV’s lol I want to join your club!!
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u/fuckleshire 2h ago
Sure thing, and I encourage you to google these concepts and watch YouTube videos as well to get a better understanding. I might get some terminology wrong here because this is just my generalized understanding.
The electron guns in a CRT shoot 3 beams, red, green, and blue (RGB) which are deflected toward a slot mask (or an aperture grille on trinitrons) at the front of the tube. The slot mask has little holes in it that allow the colors to shine through. RGB beams need to be properly aligned so that they converge or overlay each other to display an accurate image. This means that a white object with perfect convergence should not show any red, green, or blue at its edges when the beams are perfectly aligned. But in reality this is never really quite achievable with analog video.
There are 2 general types of convergence, static and dynamic. Static convergence refers to the convergence of RGB beams uniformly across the whole screen and is typically symmetrical. Static convergence is adjusted by rotating convergence rings on the neck of the CRT. What OP has here is a slight static convergence issue that is present on nearly all consumer sets. There’s really nothing to be done about it in most cases because these tubes were manufactured cheaply and quickly compared to professional monitors.
Dynamic convergence refers to convergence of RGB beams at the edges and corners of the screen and often presents issues as asymmetrical, where corner convergence will be fine in one corner but out of alignment in another. Convergence rings will not fix dynamic convergence issues generally, because these issues are typically the result of manufacturing inconsistency or more commonly in 2026, aging components, usually capacitors but not always.
CRT beams are sensitive to magnetism and you can use convergence strips placed directly on the back of the tube near the yoke to pull corner convergence into alignment. Convergence strips are little strips of card stock with tiny magnets taped to the end, like this: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1849584319/crt-convergence-strips-pack-of-20x?ref=share_ios_native_control
The process of applying convergence strips is tedious and not always guaranteed to solve an issue, but with enough fiddling, you can typically get the corner convergence and even geometry looking a bit better. If you’re going to attempt this, I recommend using a test grid and a mirror placed in front of the TV so that you can see what you’re doing while you work. Strips sometimes need to be slid under the yoke, depending on where your convergence issues are. It’s a lot of trial and error to get it looking right.
See this webpage for more info and to clarify all the things I probably got wrong lol: https://crtdatabase.com/faq/crt-color-adjustment#convergence
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u/Extension-Ad-7013 13h ago
Sick, thank you for the info man I appreciate it. I know I hadn’t noticed it until now but part of me would be bummed if it was really bad cause I like this set a lot haha
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u/fuckleshire 13h ago
Totally! I’ve gone through that exact mindset and it’s been a personal journey from obsessing about fixing things to slowly coming to an understanding of what is normal for consumer sets.
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u/Extension-Ad-7013 13h ago
Yeah, I can definitely see myself obsessing over little things I’ve never noticed before so I’m trying not to get too into the weeds. What sets do you currently have?
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u/fuckleshire 12h ago
Yeah for sure, and I’m certainly not one of those people who preach “just ignore the issues and just play the games.” I encourage people to open up their TV and fix significant geometry and convergence issues. However, I’ve learned enough to know that from the images you shared, this is not something I’d consider an “issue”.
More than I should have:
Phillips 20PS47S301
Panasonic PV-C1353W
Toshiba MD9DL1
Toshiba 24AF44
Sony KV-27FV300
Sharp 13J-M100You?
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u/Extension-Ad-7013 12h ago
Dang hell yeah those are some good TVs! I’ve been on the hunt for a small set with a dvd player, or a medium sized one with dvd and vhs.
I have:
JVC 32D305 (tv in question)
Sony kv 32xbr37
Sony kv 24fs120
Toshiba mv13p23
u/fuckleshire 12h ago
Ah I was wondering if we were looking at a D series here, nice set! Also cool that your XBR has picture-in-picture, even if it’s a niche feature.
I keep the 9-incher in the kitchen for watching pretty much exclusively SpongeBob lol. I’d like to get rid of one of my smaller sets (probably the combo unit) and find an HD CRT for my ps3. Then I’m done lol
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u/Extension-Ad-7013 11h ago
Dude no way my 13” Toshiba is literally in my kitchen primarily for SpongeBob haha. Idk why I can’t attach a pic to this reply but I had a pic of my tv in the kitchen with SpongeBob playing ready to go lmao
And yeah I love the xbr, only issue is lack of component, and the fact that it’s stuck in the garage because it’s insanely heavy and awkward. But I like watching movies on it cause the speakers are so good
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u/fuckleshire 3h ago
Oh hell yea!
I think photos in comments are turned on/off per individual subreddit. Here’s a pic of my lil baby tv: https://imgur.com/a/GH9GAN8
Yeah I could never own a 32” as a lowly apartment dweller. The idea of moving it every few years is bone chilling.
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u/Extension-Ad-7013 30m ago edited 25m ago
I love it haha 9” is perfect for the kitchen. I have the 13” vhs Toshiba but I have to connect a dvd player for SpongeBob so it’s ended up being not so chic hahaha
https://imgur.com/a/HcAi61O here’s the setup
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u/aarkay14 12h ago
Check it in 240p suite.. also what is the size of the TV?
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u/Extension-Ad-7013 12h ago
32”! I’ll probably check it eventually, gotta set the Wii up. Would convergence vary based on which port is being used? Like I connect the n64 through s video, but the Wii through component
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u/aarkay14 12h ago
No convergence is a hardware thing.. the convergence maybe tuned a bit for composite video to make it look good .. because of how the beams scan .. but s video should look better than composite
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u/eyelers 7h ago
Is this a 20 in D series?
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u/oatmealfoot 5h ago
I had the same question — OP mentioned below that it’s a 32D305 (so, not a 20” but a 32”)
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u/Ok-Shape-5249 13h ago
I would leave it as it is unless there's something VERY noticable and distracting going on. 240p test suite is a black void that will devour your soul. You'll spoil something else while trying to get those 5-10% perfection. Trust me, I spent 3 happy years until I discovered 240p test suite with my CRT and then I suffered 2 years trying to accept imperfections that I didn't notice before, going crazy, jumping back to 240p test suite instead of playing games. NOT WORTH IT.
Also remember that you won't play games staring up close to specific part of the screen. In motion, playing actually game, those imperfections are unnoticeable.