Retro Scaling — OSSC, RetroTINK, Reshade

The video-scaling layer between original retro hardware (or analog-out FPGA gear) and modern HDMI displays. For FPGA hardware (Mister / Analogue) see Mister FPGA & Analogue. For software-side post-processing (RetroArch shaders, ReShade) see also Multi-system emulators. Different from streaming-encoder pipelines (see Live Streaming Software).

Hardware scalers

• ★ OSSC (Open Source Scan Converter) — paid (~$170-200); marqs's open-source line-multiplier. Sub-frame latency; passes-through 240p / 480i / 480p / 720p / 1080i. Line-doubling, not interpolating — looks correct on retro consoles. Now in OSSC Pro form.
• ★ OSSC Pro — paid (~$370); upgraded OSSC with HDMI ingestion, deinterlacing, profile saving, scaler-mode switching.
• ★ RetroTINK 5X-Pro — paid (~$325); Mike Chi's flagship. Excellent for SCART / component / S-Video / composite to 1080p. Per-system profiles, integer-scaling modes, generous out-of-the-box defaults. The polished consumer pick.
• ★ RetroTINK 4K — paid (~$750); the high-end flagship. 4K output, HDR-capable, HDMI passthrough, advanced de-interlacing. The "expense is no object" pick.
• RetroTINK 2X / Mini — paid (~$110-150); cheaper line-doubler.
• Framemeister (XRGB-mini) — discontinued; Japan-only; legendary; secondhand-only and pricey. RetroTINK 5X-Pro and OSSC Pro have eclipsed it.
• Extron / Kramer pro scalers — paid; broadcast / pro-AV scalers (DSC 301 HD, Crosspoint Ultra). Cheap on the secondhand market; capable but less consumer-friendly.

Cabling / signal sources

• SCART RGB cables — paid; cleanest analog out from PAL / region-free / modded NTSC consoles. Retro Gaming Cables, RetroAccess, HD Retrovision.
• HD Retrovision component cables — paid (~$40-60); component-out cables for SNES / Genesis / PS1/2/3/Saturn. Crisp picture without console mods.
• RGBs vs. component vs. S-Video vs. composite — preference varies by system; per-system community guides at retrorgb.com.
• Console RGB mods — community service for systems that don't ship RGB out (NES, SNES Jr, N64).

Software scalers (emulator side)

• CRT shaders in RetroArch — free OSS; CRT-Royale, CRT-Geom, CRT-easymode, Mega-Bezel. The default "make this look like a CRT" path inside emulation.
• Reshade — free; Win post-process injector; widely used for per-game color grading, sharpening, RTGI on modern PC games.
• Lossless Scaling (Steam app) — paid (~$7); Win frame-generation + integer / sharper-style upscaling for any windowed game.
• NIS / FSR / DLSS overlays — see vendor-specific tools; integrated in many modern games and at driver level (NVIDIA Image Scaling, AMD FSR universal toggle, etc.).

CRT side (the real thing)

• Sony BVM / PVM monitors — secondhand, expensive; the broadcast-grade reference CRT.
• Sony Trinitron consumer sets — secondhand; the affordable enthusiast path.
• Care and feeding: convergence adjustment, capacitor refresh, RGB SCART input, dedicated cabling.

Pick this if…

• Default "make my retro consoles look right on HDMI": RetroTINK 5X-Pro.
• Open-source / minimum latency / line-doubler purist: OSSC.
• Maximum quality / 4K HDR display: RetroTINK 4K.
• Budget alternative (under $150): RetroTINK 2X-Mini.
• Emulation only: RetroArch CRT shaders cost $0.
• Modern PC game post-processing: ReShade.