ntsc-rs
Shares rank 3 of 8 animation software by recommenders
Free open-source software that simulates analog TV and VHS video artifacts, with convincing output and fast performance. Critics say its many settings are overwhelming.
Free open-source software that simulates analog TV and VHS video artifacts, with convincing output and fast performance. Critics say its many settings are overwhelming.
15 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 14
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 93%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 14 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 14 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Convincing, accurate analog look
“I'm stupefied by the accuracy of the SP/LP/EP rendering differences”
Comment from 7 Jun 2026 in “Ntsc-rs – open-source video emulation of analog TV and VHS artifacts” “this is really good effect, fantastic output”
Comment from 7 Jun 2026 in “Ntsc-rs – open-source video emulation of analog TV and VHS artifacts” “heres a test output it looks convincing”
Comment from 6 Jun 2026 in “Ntsc-rs – open-source video emulation of analog TV and VHS artifacts” Models real NTSC signal processing
“generating and decoding an actual NTSC signal, as the OP project does, would be true in ways that a generative model”
Comment from 6 Jun 2026 in “Ntsc-rs – open-source video emulation of analog TV and VHS artifacts” “It's actually a software NTSC modulator/demodulator, not just an effect to simulate it.”
Comment from 6 Jun 2026 in “Ntsc-rs – open-source video emulation of analog TV and VHS artifacts” Nostalgic TV and VHS feel
“Greg! I love this!!! Just last night I was trying to rewatch the x-files”
Comment from 6 Jun 2026 in “Ntsc-rs – open-source video emulation of analog TV and VHS artifacts” “That's nice. I've always been a fan of this effect.”
Comment from 7 Jun 2026 in “Ntsc-rs – open-source video emulation of analog TV and VHS artifacts”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Too many settings
“Very cool but the number of settings is overwhelming, not even sure what to do.”
Comment from 7 Jun 2026 in “Ntsc-rs – open-source video emulation of analog TV and VHS artifacts” Less accurate than NTSC-CRT
“These are both amazing projects, but why does NTSC-CRT feel more accurate to how I remember television looking than ntsc-rs?”
Comment from 6 Jun 2026 in “Ntsc-rs – open-source video emulation of analog TV and VHS artifacts”
Other animation software people recommend
The four most recommended other animation software, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Motion | 17 | 1 | 94% | 7 | — | Approved |
| CorridorKey 2.0 | 17 | 5 | 77% | 2 | — | — |
| ntsc-rsThis page | 14 | 1 | 93% | 2 | — | — |
| Adobe After Effects | 14 | 12 | 54% | 10 | — | — |
| Adobe Animate | 9 | 23 | 28% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
13 of the 15 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“That might be of interest”
“I'm stupefied by the accuracy of the SP/LP/EP rendering differences”
“Very cool but the number of settings is overwhelming, not even sure what to do.”
“this is really good effect, fantastic output”
“That's nice. I've always been a fan of this effect.”
“These are both amazing projects, but why does NTSC-CRT feel more accurate to how I remember television looking than ntsc-rs?”
“Still don't like this nostalgia-esque recreation.”
“It runs snappy and looks awesome with tons of control.”
“generating and decoding an actual NTSC signal, as the OP project does, would be true in ways that a generative model”
“It's actually a software NTSC modulator/demodulator, not just an effect to simulate it.”
“heres a test output it looks convincing”
“Greg! I love this!!! Just last night I was trying to rewatch the x-files”
“I do love that this is an area of such active development.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.