Yes unfiltered scaling requires exact multiples or it looks wierd.
But I find the ultra-sharp blocky pixels look wrong to me, just as filtered scaling looks wrong to you. The definition was never that good (or even close) when I was playing Turrican through my TV.
If you have the time, I suggest that filtering be optional. You don't like it, but I do. Emulators tend to have this option.
Another thing that emulators do: scanline effect. Simply blacking out every other scanline on the screen gives you a nice TV effect which is just sooo oldskool.
But I find the ultra-sharp blocky pixels look wrong to me, just as filtered scaling looks wrong to you. The definition was never that good (or even close) when I was playing Turrican through my TV.
If you have the time, I suggest that filtering be optional. You don't like it, but I do. Emulators tend to have this option.
Another thing that emulators do: scanline effect. Simply blacking out every other scanline on the screen gives you a nice TV effect which is just sooo oldskool.