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A performance-optimized Unreal Engine post-process shader for VHS, CRT, and NTSC composite video effects, built entirely in custom HLSL using real-time approximations of ntscQT-style analog degradation algorithms.

Bring ntscQT-inspired analog degradation into Unreal Engine with one performance-optimized custom HLSL post-process shader.

Add VHS tracking damage, CRT scanlines, NTSC dot crawl, color bleed, tape noise, ringing, overexposure, head switching, and signal failure without relying on a flat overlay or a sprawling material graph.

Overview

Signal Decay turns clean Unreal Engine renders into unstable analog footage.

Built entirely in custom HLSL for optimized real-time performance, it adapts the high-quality NTSC, VHS, and CRT degradation techniques used by tools such as ntscQT into a single Unreal Engine post-process material.

Signal Decay processes the scene directly instead of relying on a flat overlay. It recreates luma and chroma separation, composite color bleed, chroma delay, dot crawl, ringing, tape noise, scanlines, head switching, tracking distortion, overexposure, and signal loss.

Three included presets provide progressively stronger VHS degradation, making it easy to move from lightly worn footage to severe analog signal failure:

• Light Damage for restrained VHS character and everyday gameplay

• Moderate Damage for visibly worn tapes, surveillance feeds, and found footage

• Heavy Damage for analog horror, corrupted recordings, and major signal failure

Use Signal Decay for analog horror, found footage, surveillance cameras, CRT displays, retro sci-fi interfaces, corrupted menus, hallucinations, and cinematic interference.

Dial in a clean CRT. Push it into worn VHS. Break it into full analog decay.

Key Features

• Coded entirely in custom HLSL for optimized real-time performance

• Real-time approximation of ntscQT-style analog video degradation

• VHS, CRT, NTSC, and composite video effects

• Single post-process material workflow

• Fully adjustable Material Instance controls

• YIQ-style luma and chroma processing

• Color bleed, chroma delay, and chroma bandwidth loss

• Dot crawl and cross-color interference

• Ringing and analog sharpening

• Luma, chroma, and phase noise

• VHS edge wave and head switching

• Scanlines, tracking damage, and chroma dropout

• Highlight bloom, overexposure, and emissive protection

• Presets for clean CRT, VHS horror, and damaged tape looks

Technical Information

Signal Decay is implemented entirely through custom HLSL, keeping the processing inside a purpose-built real-time shader rather than assembling the effect from a large chain of general-purpose material nodes.

Its single-pass design uses shader-friendly approximations of luma and chroma separation, composite interference, bandwidth reduction, ringing, timing instability, head switching, halation, noise, and signal dropout.

This provides a flexible balance between analog fidelity and real-time performance for gameplay, cinematics, camera feeds, UI effects, and in-world displays.

Disclaimer

Signal Decay is an original Unreal Engine shader inspired by analog video processing techniques and tools such as ntscQT. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or packaged with ntscQT.