VHS Combo TVs debut with screen, old and new I/O, and a full videotape recorder in one — ‘Binge-watch like it's 1999’ says RetroBox

(Image credit: RetroBox)

A new VHS Combo TV is on its way for folks who want to ‘Binge-watch like it’s 1999.’ We were interested because this could also be a product that appeals to retro computer and retro gaming aficionados, mixing old and new input standards like HDMI, AV Component, & S-Video. The VHS portion of the all-in-one RetroBox entertainment device seems fine, but we were slightly deflated to learn that the CRT is emulated. Let’s take a closer look.

RetroBox &lsquo;Binge-watch like it's 1999&rsquo; — (Image credit: RetroBox)

RetroBox is promising to deliver its eponymous products shortly, with its “first drop coming soon.” However, media releases by the company, showing prototypes and work in progress, appear to be at a rather early stage.

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We have a few specs that appear to be set in stone already. The product pages say that the RetroBox features HDMI, Composite, S-Video, RF, Component YPbPr, ATSC inputs. It also supports 240p, 480i resolutions NTSC 4:3 natively. Retro computer and console users will also probably note the 15 kHz Horizontal scan, and 60 Hz vertical scan rates. We’d like to see explicit PAL 288p/576i support, and a SCART connector, and 50 Hz vertical scan, if this product ever gets to Europe.

RetroBox admits that CRTs represent “an amazing piece of technology” for retro TV and video gaming enthusiasts. But this product is destined to use modern display panel tech “because CRTs are heavy and fragile, difficult to source, and require specialized knowledge to repair safely, they are not practical for modern production.” The firm also cites environmental concerns around CRT production.

The makers of this product are “CRT lovers,” though, and want to mimic the qualities of CRTs “as close as possible.” They aren’t alone in this quest, but doing a good job with this aspect of the product will be extremely important. In this case, the creators are “College Students and Newly Weds seeking to re-create a special experience from our childhoods,” but this isn’t the kind of detail and experience we were looking for, to build confidence in this $399+ product.

We aren’t saying RetroBox can’t make a compelling product, with their resources, at the price, but think it is probably best to wait and see, rather than click through any of the 'Presale' or ‘Shop Now’ buttons. Folk would be advised to wait and see reviews of the finished product and its performance.

In the meantime, readers might instead look at well regarded monitor adaptor products like the RetroTINK series, designed to let you “experience your favorite vintage games on today’s screens.” There are other retro TV and monitor solutions available, too.

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Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.

5 Comments Comment from the forums

bit_user

Playing old VHS tapes might destroy them, if they've been exposed to enough moisture that the suspension holding the magnetic particles "hydrolyzes" (i.e. gets gooey). Not only will it clog up the playback heads of the VCR, but now the tape will be degraded, when you try going back and replaying it. Depending on the level of degradation, such a tape can potentially be restored by experts.

IIRC, tapes should ideally be stored at 20% relative humidity and somewhere around 65 degrees. However, if you still have any precious tapes, you should transfer them to a digital format, sooner rather than later.

BTW, I'm surprised they were able to source the components for the VHS portion of this device. I wonder if someone discovered a large inventory of them in a warehouse, somewhere.
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chaz_music

bit_user said:
Playing old VHS tapes might destroy them, if they've been exposed to enough moisture that the suspension holding the magnetic particles "hydrolyzes" (i.e. gets gooey).

I remember reading about the dangers of open tape system for both video and audio many many years ago. I was researching reel to reel tape systems and read about the problems. I found it interesting that the high frequencies go away first, so don't but old cassette audio / 8 tracks expecting it to sound good with your tweeters. Not sure how that high frequency degradation shows up on video tapes (reduced contrast?).

Makes me wonder how they make archival backup tape drives last a long time being exposed to atmosphere and similar degradation processes? Maybe a different tape recipe?
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bit_user

chaz_music said:
I was researching reel to reel tape systems and read about the problems. I found it interesting that the high frequencies go away first
...
Not sure how that high frequency degradation shows up on video tapes (reduced contrast?).
It would look like the image having less horizontal resolution than usual. However, audio and video tapes involve very different frequency ranges, with (according to Wikipedia) the luma information reaching up to 10 MHz. On a reel-to-real system, the signal is baseband, and thus reaches only up to the audible limit.

chaz_music said:
Makes me wonder how they make archival backup tape drives last a long time being exposed to atmosphere and similar degradation processes?
I think typical computer machine room conditions are pretty gentle on tapes. At my previous jobs, where they used tape backup, someone would arrive to collect new tapes for offsite storage, every week. I'm sure they kept tapes in fairly optimal storage conditions.
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Sluggotg

The screen is tiny. Not something you're going to use with a group. People are too lazy to even put a disk in a Blu Ray player now days. How many people are going to put up with a VHS tape? Don't forget to rewind the tape before you put it away!

I started collecting movies in the VHS days. When DVDs first came out, I switched to them. Then to Blu Ray and of course 4k. The picture quality on Blu-Ray and 4k is remarkable. I don't know who the target audience is for this TV/Player.

But then again. I do still play old Computer and Video Games. C64 games are crude compared to modern games and I did just get in a few of the new Commodore 64 Ultimates. I love playing Defender/Stargate/Asteroids ect on my original Coin Op Arcaded machine. So maybe there is a large group that really loves VHS tapes still.

Like it said in the article. Take a look at RetroTINK upscalers. They have some of the best out there. Then you can watch your VHS tapes on a modern TV.
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bit_user

Sluggotg said:
So maybe there is a large group that really loves VHS tapes still.
Maybe some that still have VHS tapes kicking around. More likely, it's aimed at hipster Millennials and Gen Z, who maybe saw VHS tapes on shows like Stranger Things and want to check out what they're like. You know - the same people who caused the recent revival of cassette tapes!

Sluggotg said:
Like it said in the article. Take a look at RetroTINK upscalers. They have some of the best out there. Then you can watch your VHS tapes on a modern TV.
Assuming you have a VHS tape that's in good condition, you should use a VCR with an integrated timebase corrector. Then, connect it using either S-Video or component video (though only some DVD/VHS combo decks ever had component video or HDMI out).
VHS suffers from horizontal stability, I think due to degradation of the H-Sync pulses. So, a timebase corrector really helps with aging tapes.
VHS encodes luma and chroma separately. So, you don't want to recombine them by using composite-video output, if you can avoid it - particularly on commercial VHS tapes or SVHS tapes.
I do fear that good deinterlacers are becoming a lost art. I think the best deinterlacers for VHS or Laserdiscs won't be the ones made for video games, either. For VHS and Laserdisc, you can afford to add a couple frames of latency - and that should significantly improve the resulting quality.

It's only once you have a timebase-corrected, noise-reduced, and nicely deinterlaced signal that you should even think about scaling it. Otherwise, it's GIGO (Garbage In -> Garbage Out).
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