I remember as a kid going into tv stores with my dad, and it seemed like every single time, the sets displayed had the color intensity turned all the way up, I guess to attract attention, yet some of the pictures dsiplayed a poor representation of the color image properly set up. I also remember seeing sets at Sears where the purity was awful and the signals were poor.

still the color intensity now, but set up by manufactors

I remember one time I was a teenager watching TV at my uncle's house; he and my aunt had a Sylvania color portable with a picture so washed out and contrast-free it wasn't funny. I looked around, saw no one, and fixed it to look like a picture postcard. Gorgeous! After 5 minutes of enjoying a great pic, my uncle walked in and said, "What the &$@# is wrong with this thing?" and proceeded to "adjust" it so that it was washed out and contrast-free again. Sheesh.

Tom

When I was a kid I would go through the color sets at the May Co. Dept. Store and readjust the sets to look more natural. The cigar smoking sales guys hated me but I actually saw one customer buy a set that I had adjusted, claming that it had the best picture, heh.

What can I say? I was a weird little kid.

I do that at thrifts sometimes. Gives the old sets a fair shake. 'Course, dealers still don't display sets right (thanks to the manufacturers, as D-man said).

I have seen this too at Best Buy, etc. poor adjustment and weak signals. It does not make you want to buy a 3000 dollar set when the picture is crummy!

Also in pawn shops and thrift stores I see their used TV's turned on all day. It sure doesn't make me want to buy one of these sets whose CRT and other component life is being wasted 8 hours a day on every day in a store.

i see that often at beast buy,circus city,ect.
who tries to light the room with a tv anyway?
explains all the worn out projection crt's i get to change!