A few years ago, people were putting CRT televisions on the kerb for council pickup. Today, those same TVs are changing hands for hundreds of dollars, and professional-grade CRT monitors — the kind used in broadcast and medical settings — command prices that would have seemed absurd a decade ago. What happened?
The Retro Gaming CRT Revival
The retro gaming community rediscovered something that game designers always knew: the games of the 8-bit and 16-bit era were designed for CRT displays. The low-resolution pixel art used in SNES, Mega Drive, and NES games wasn’t meant to be displayed as sharp, hard-edged pixels on a modern LCD. It was meant to be softened and blended by the electron beam of a CRT, with scanlines creating the illusion of detail and depth that simply doesn’t exist when you display the same image at native resolution on a 4K screen.
The PVM and BVM Market
Professional video monitors — Sony PVMs (Professional Video Monitors) and BVMs (Broadcast Video Monitors) — have become especially sought after. These were built to broadcast industry standards with exceptional colour accuracy, sharp dot pitch, and RGB input. Connected to a retro console via RGB SCART or BNC cables, a PVM produces an image that’s genuinely stunning for 30-year-old games.
Prices for desirable PVMs have risen sharply. A Sony PVM-20M4U that might have sold for $50 five years ago now regularly fetches $400–$800 AUD. The smaller 9-inch and 14-inch models remain more accessible.
Finding CRTs in 2026
Consumer CRTs for retro gaming are still findable but getting harder. Check Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, local markets, and op shops. Arrive early — the good ones go fast. Look for Sony Trinitrons (recognisable by the thin horizontal wire visible on the screen) or Panasonic Tau sets for good consumer quality.
The Upscaler Alternative
If you can’t find or don’t want a CRT, a modern video upscaler like the RetroTINK 4K or RetroTINK 5X can add scanline filters and process the retro signal for a modern display with minimal input lag. It’s not identical to a real CRT but it’s genuinely impressive and much more practical for a modern lounge room setup.
Either way — that old CRT gathering dust in your garage is worth more than you probably realise. Don’t put it on the kerb.
— Chris
