Yes, on a CRT the pixels were smoothed a bit, depending on the quality of the CRT and your cable connection, even TVs were available with analog RGB input. But

Yes, on a CRT the pixels were smoothed a bit, depending on the quality of the CRT and your cable connection, even TVs were available with analog RGB input. But with a good TV you always would also see the pixels. Of course modern, pure digital LCD screens show a rather cruel sharpness and in general are much larger than the typical CRT (desktop screens were 12-15" back then, TVs less than 30"). That is why the best emulators try to strike a middle ground, where pixels are just blurred to the extend to which good CRTs would doo.