为什么旧游戏机在现代电视上看起来如此糟糕？

Old game consoles are great. Not just because there are plenty of old games that are still worth playing, but because the simpler electronic designs of cartridge-based systems tend to be much more resistant to wear and tear than modern disc-based consoles, plenty of them are still around and in great working condition.

旧游戏机很棒。 不仅因为仍有许多值得一玩的老游戏，还因为基于盒式系统的较简单的电子设计往往比现代基于光盘的游戏机具有更强的抗磨损性，因此仍然有很多游戏还在使用中。处于良好的工作状态。

So why does your old Super NES or Sega Genesis look like junk on your brand new HDTV? It’s a combination of factors, but it mostly boils down to this: older game consoles were designed to work with older televisions—specifically the big cathode-ray tube (CRT) TVs we remember from before LCDs took over the world.

那么，为什么旧​​的Super NES或Sega Genesis在全新的HDTV上看起来像垃圾？ 这是多种因素的综合，但主要归结为：较旧的游戏机被设计为可与较旧的电视配合使用，特别是我们在LCD占领世界之前就记得的大型阴极射线管(CRT)电视。

分辨率不匹配 (Resolutions Don’t Match Up)

If you’re plugging in a classic cartridge-based system for the first time in years, you might be expecting its pixel-based graphics to look something like modern pixel-art games like Stardew Valley or Hotline Miami. And while it’s true that these titles are very much inspired by both the art and the limitations of games from the 80s and 90s, an old console on a new TV won’t look anywhere near as crisp and clean as a new pixel art game. That’s because the hardware of these consoles is limited in the amount of resolution it can put out, as are the video cable standards from that era.

如果您多年来第一次插入经典的基于墨盒的系统，则可能期望其基于像素的图形看起来像现代的像素艺术游戏，例如Stardew Valley或Hotline Miami 。 尽管这些游戏确实受到艺术和80年代和90年代游戏局限性的启发，但新电视上的旧游戏机看起来却不像新的像素艺术游戏那么清晰明了。 这是因为这些控制台的硬件在可输出的分辨率方面受到限制，而那个时代的视频电缆标准也是如此。

For example, most of the games on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System use a display resolution of just 256×224. Compared to a standard 1080p television at 1920×1080, it’s practically a postage stamp.

例如，超级任天堂娱乐系统上的大多数游戏使用的显示分辨率仅为256×224。 与1920×1080的标准1080p电视相比，它实际上是一张邮票。

Based on your experiences with modern “retro” games, you’d expect it to look something like this, with every square pixel faithfully reproduced in a sharp picture:

根据您对现代“复古”游戏的体验，您希望它看起来像这样，每个正方形像素都能如实再现清晰的画面：

A “perfect” SNES game display. Full screen on the left, 1-to-1 pixel enlargement on the right. 完美的SNES游戏画面。 左侧为全屏，右侧为1：1像素放大。

But in fact, because the television has to take the low-resolution image and upscale it to display at the full HD resolution, resampling it as it enlarges, it will look more like this:

但实际上，由于电视必须拍摄低分辨率的图像并对其进行放大才能以全高清分辨率进行显示，并在其放大时对其进行重新采样，因此看起来会更像这样：

If anything, this looks better than what you’ll see on your TV—Photoshop’s resampling is better than a television’s would be in real time. 如果有的话，这看起来比您在电视上看到的要好-Photoshop的重采样比电视的实时重采样要好。

It wasn’t until the generation of the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 that consoles caught up with full HD resolution, and even then, most of the games didn’t actually display that high. So anything from the PlayStation 2 or earlier is going to have at least some of these effects, with older consoles having even more pronounced blurriness. The problem is exacerbated with the difference between analog and digital cables.

直到Xbox 360和PlayStation 3出现时，游戏机才能达到全高清分辨率，即使如此，大多数游戏实际上并没有显示出如此高的分辨率。 因此，PlayStation 2或更早版本中的任何东西都将至少具有其中一些效果，而较旧的游戏机将具有更加明显的模糊性。 模拟电缆和数字电缆之间的差异使问题更加严重。

You can mitigate it somewhat with higher-quality cables—S-Video is better than RCA (composite), and RCA is better than a standard RF connector. Some older consoles even have basic digital output options, like the Dreamcast’s VGA box. But at some point the picture can’t be improved on the original hardware, no matter what companies like Monster Cable would like you to believe.

您可以使用更高质量的电缆来缓解这种情况-S-Video优于RCA(复合材料)，RCA优于标准RF连接器。 一些较旧的控制台甚至具有基本的数字输出选项， 例如Dreamcast的VGA盒 。 但是在某些时候，无论像Monster Cable这样的公司希望您相信什么，在原始硬件上都无法改善图片。

Of course, the graphics in these games were created with these limitations in mind. The designers of the games knew that they’d be displayed in a softer, “fuzzier” manner than they were programming for on computer monitors, thanks to the bloom phosphor effect and occasionally the use of effects like scanlines. Game designers never really intended the pixel-perfect grid patterns you see in modern “pixel art” games to be displayed, or at the very least, never imagined that people would be playing with that sharp visual style. So while it’s possible to create a pixel-perfect display for some older games (see below), it might be considered less than authentic by some players.

当然，在创建这些游戏中的图形时要考虑到这些限制。 游戏的设计者知道，由于采用了荧光粉效果，偶尔还会使用扫描线等效果，因此与在计算机显示器上进行编程相比，它们的显示方式更加柔和，“模糊”。 游戏设计人员从来没有真正打算展示您在现代“像素艺术”游戏中看到的像素完美的网格图案，或者至少没有想到人们会以这种鲜明的视觉风格进行游戏。 因此，虽然可以为某些较旧的游戏创建像素完美的显示器(请参见下文)，但某些玩家可能认为它的质量不如真实游戏。

…有时甚至不予支持 (…And Sometimes Aren’t Even Supported)

240p signals sometimes aren’t even supported on modern TVs, leaving some entirely incompatible with consoles from the PlayStation era and earlier. The low resolution didn’t affect CRT televisions, partly because modern “X pixels by Y pixels” resolution values don’t really apply to the way CRT TVs actually form their image, and partly because more or less everything displayed on those televisions was automatically sized and cropped to the analog display.

现代电视有时甚至不支持240p信号，从而使某些信号与PlayStation时代或更早的游戏机完全不兼容。 低分辨率不会影响CRT电视，部分原因是现代的“ X像素x Y像素”分辨率值实际上并不适用于CRT电视实际形成图像的方式，部分原因是这些电视上显示的所有内容或多或少都是自动生成的调整大小并裁剪为模拟显示。

But modern HDTVs don’t “expect” to be fed anything below VCR levels of quality (approximately 480 lines wide in analog format). As a result, some simply won’t display the image coming in from composite or RGB connections at all. When they do, some of the methods of rendering graphical effects, like flashing sprites scrolling animations, don’t display correctly. Simply put, it’s a mess.

但是现代高清电视不会“期望”任何低于VCR质量级别的信号(模拟格式大约480行宽)。 结果，有些人根本不会显示来自复合或RGB连接的图像。 当它们出现时，某些渲染图形效果的方法(例如，闪烁的精灵滚动动画)将无法正确显示。 简而言之，就是一团糟。

长宽比问题 (Aspect Ratio Problems)

Anyone old enough to remember “square” TVs knows that they used a different aspect ratio than we do today. Those televisions were 4:3, while today’s HDTVs are 16:9 widescreen—a much longer “rectangle” shape. So if you try to display an older console on a new television and it stretches the image to “full screen,” it will be about 1.5 times as wide as it’s intended to be. Most newer televisions can account for this in the image settings; you can set the aspect ratio to 4:3 manual or original. Alternately, you can “zoom” the image, but this will cut off a good portion of the top and bottom, possibly hiding essential game information like remaining lives or ammunition.

任何年龄大到足以记住“方形”电视的人都知道，它们使用的纵横比与我们今天使用的纵横比不同。 那些电视是4：3，而今天的高清电视是16：9宽屏，更长的“矩形”形状。 因此，如果您尝试在新电视上显示较旧的控制台，并将其拉伸到“全屏”状态，则其宽度大约是预期的1.5倍。 大多数较新的电视机都可以在图像设置中解决此问题。 您可以将纵横比设置为4：3手动或原始。 或者，您可以“缩放”图像，但这会切断顶部和底部的很大一部分，可能会隐藏重要的游戏信息，例如剩余生命或弹药。

a 4:3 Super NES game stretched to 16:9. Not pretty. 4：3超级NES游戏扩展至16：9。 不漂亮。

Again, some slightly newer consoles can account for newer TVs. Some games on the PlayStation 2 and the original Xbox included a widescreen display mode for HDTVs, and by the time of the Xbox 360/PS3/Wii generation, most new games could account for a standard 16:9 ratio.

同样，某些较新的游戏机也可以用于更新电视。 PlayStation 2和原始Xbox上的某些游戏包括适用于HDTV的宽屏显示模式，并且到Xbox 360 / PS3 / Wii时代，大多数新游戏可以达到标准的16：9比例。

输入滞后 (Input Lag)

CRT televisions have fantastically fast image processing thanks to their analog setups, generally lowers than 3-4 milliseconds—below the point where most players can even notice it. The all-digital setups on modern televisions and monitors are more complex, and even an expensive gaming monitor will have an input lag of around 8 milliseconds. More typically, televisions will have considerably higher display lag, especially when upscaling from analog video sources like old consoles.

由于CRT电视具有模拟设置，因此其图像处理速度非常快，通常低于3-4毫秒，这低于大多数播放器甚至可以注意到的时间。 现代电视和监视器上的全数字设置更加复杂，即使是昂贵的游戏监视器也将具有大约8毫秒的输入滞后。 更典型地，电视的显示滞后会大大增加，尤其是在从老式控制台等模拟视频源进行升级时。

This might not seem like a big deal, but it is if you’re serious about your game. Fighting games especially measure response times precisely, sometimes in just one or two frames of animation. If you plug your SEGA Genesis into your new HDTV for some Street Fighter II action, you might suddenly find that your character is missing combos and blocks much more often than you remember.

这似乎没什么大不了，但是如果您对自己的游戏很认真的话。 格斗游戏尤其可以精确地测量响应时间，有时仅在一两个动画帧中即可。 如果您将SEGA Genesis插入新的HDTV中以进行Street Fighter II动作，您可能会突然发现您的角色缺少连击并受阻的次数比您记得的要多。

This kind of delay isn’t a big deal for most content; as long as the video and audio is in sync, watching a movie isn’t negatively affected by having the picture take a fraction of a second longer to display on screen. But it can be seriously distracting for some older video games.

对于大多数内容来说，这种延迟并不重要。 只要视频和音频保持同步，观看照片就不会因图片花费不到一秒钟的时间在屏幕上显示而受到负面影响。 但是对于某些较旧的视频游戏，这可能会严重分散您的注意力。

如何为经典游戏获得更好的形象 (How to Get a Better Image for Your Classic Games)

That’s all mighty interesting, but what can you do about it? If you prefer the modern, pixel-perfect look, you have a few options.

那都是非常有趣的，但是您能做什么呢？ 如果您喜欢现代的，像素完美的外观，则可以选择几种方法。

If you happen to have a newer gaming system with access to old titles via digital download, the experience on HDTVs is pretty great. The Xbox 360/PS3/Wii machines and their newer incarnations handle upscaling on the game console, displaying the original aspect ratio and resolution in pixel-perfect clarity. Of course, these retro games generally have to be re-purchased on stores like Nintendo’s Virtual Console, often at surprisingly high prices.

如果您碰巧拥有更新的游戏系统，并且可以通过数字下载访问旧游戏，那么高清电视的体验将非常棒。 Xbox 360 / PS3 / Wii机器及其更新的版本可以在游戏机上进行放大处理，以像素完美的清晰度显示原始的宽高比和分辨率。 当然，这些复古游戏通常必须在Nintendo的Virtual Console等商店重新购买，价格通常很高。

Recently some game companies have also been re-releasing collections of classic games on updated, all-digital hardware, like the SNES Classic. These look fantastic on modern displays as well, thanks to careful tuning from the manufacturer.

最近，一些游戏公司还通过更新的全数字硬件(例如SNES Classic)重新发布了经典游戏的集合。 由于制造商的精心调整，它们在现代显示器上也看起来很棒。

A tiny Raspberry Pi computer running a custom emulator suite, complete with NES-style case. 小型Raspberry Pi计算机，运行定制的仿真器套件，并带有NES样式的外壳。

Another option is emulation. A PC, custom-made Raspberry Pi, or a set-top box like the NVIDIA SHIELD will do basically the same thing that new consoles can with classic games, rendering the original titles full resolution with digital output for your TV. They use the original ROM files taken from cartridges and game discs. Older game systems are so low-power that even cheap devices like the Raspberry Pi can emulate their operating systems without breaking a sweat. Add a wireless controller or two, find some ROM files (don’t ask us how), and you’ll be able to see your classic games like never before.

另一个选择是仿真。 PC， 定制的Raspberry Pi或诸如NVIDIA SHIELD之类的机顶盒将与新游戏机在经典游戏中的功能基本相同，从而以电视的数字输出呈现原始字幕的全分辨率。 他们使用从盒带和游戏光盘上获取的原始ROM文件。 较旧的游戏系统功耗很低，以至于像Raspberry Pi这样的廉价设备也可以模拟其操作系统而不会费劲。 添加一两个无线控制器，找到一些ROM文件(不要问我们怎么做)，您将能够以前所未有的方式观看经典游戏。

But if you still have your original systems and games and you’d like to play them authentically, you’ll still need some sort of new hardware to get the best picture out of them. There are now specially-engineered converters that use a more precise and accurate version of your television’s very basic upscaling. They’ll take the original, sub-HD image, read it in its pixelated form, and send it to the television in a 1080p HDMI signal that preserves the sharpness and clarity of the original sprites and pixels. The gold standard for these devices is called the “Framemeister,” also called the XRGB-Mini. It’s a pricey little box—much more expensive than any of the consoles it’s designed for. But if you absolutely must play your games on the original console, it’s the best way to do so.

但是，如果您仍然拥有原始的系统和游戏，并且想要真实地玩游戏，那么您仍将需要某种新的硬件才能获得最佳的画面。 现在有专门设计的转换器，它们使用电视的基本升级版本的更精确版本。 他们将拍摄原始的亚高清图像，以像素化形式读取图像，然后以1080p HDMI信号将其发送到电视，以保持原始子画面和像素的清晰度和清晰度。 这些设备的金标准称为“ Framemeister ”，也称为XRGB-Mini。 这是一个昂贵的小盒子，比它设计的任何主机都要贵得多。 但是，如果您绝对必须在原始控制台上玩游戏，那么这是最好的方法。

Hyperkin makes modern versions of retro consoles that are out of patent protection with HD output options. Hyperkin生产的复古控制台的现代版本在高清输出选项的专利保护范围之外。

Alternately, you can buy newer reverse-engineered versions of classic consoles that are designed to play the original game cartridges with modern HDTV outputs (including the new very highly-regarded Super Nt from Analogue). These are unfortunately only available for the most popular classic systems, unfortunately, but it’s still something.

或者，您可以购买较新的反向工程版本的经典游戏机 ，这些游戏机旨在播放具有现代HDTV输出的原始游戏盒带(包括Analogue 出品的备受好评的Super Nt )。 不幸的是，这些仅适用于最流行的经典系统，但是仍然存在。

Image source: Amazon, Etsy, Google Play Store

图片来源： 亚马逊 ， Etsy ， Google Play商店

翻译自: https://www.howtogeek.com/341543/why-do-old-game-consoles-look-so-bad-on-modern-tvs/