My 1969 Sony Trinitron KV-1210U CRT TV (pics)

[Jeffhs]

I stated in a previous post that any flat panel TV which lasts anywhere near ten years will be one for the books. Several hours after I made that statement, I realized that someone here on VK has such a set, a "Coby" branded 15" FP HDTV that is now well over a decade old and still works. I don't remember offhand who said that.

I believe that the smaller an HDTV is, the longer it will last, simply because of the lower power requirements of smaller sets; also, if a FP TV is not used much, it will likely last somewhat longer than one that is on eight hours or more a day. The LCD panels on most flat panel sets are rated for 60,000 hours to half brightness, which equates to over 20 years of use; however, this does not necessarily mean the set will last that long. VK member timmy, in New York City, stated in one of his posts a few months ago that flat screens generally last between two and five years before they develop service problems, such as bulging or burst electrolytic power supply capacitors. If one knows where to look on the power supply board, replacing the defective capacitor could be very simple, involving just cutting out the bad part and soldering the new one to the leads still on the board. This, of course, only works for boards that do not have surface-mounted components; even if it is possible to remove the defective part, replacing it could be a real problem on boards having mostly or completely surface-mounted components. This is probably also why many service centers today will simply replace a defective TV with a new one, so the customer won't have to wait days, weeks, months . . . for the set to be repaired. The old set will be repaired at the factory and likely resold as a used TV.

[Robb]

I heard the newer LED sets can last 20+ years if they are used 3 hours per day.

[Jon A.]

Originally Posted by Robb

I heard the newer LED sets can last 20+ years if they are used 3 hours per day.

Nevertheless, your Trinny has far outlasted that, and will probably still last a lot longer. Much better looking too, bonus.

[Dreamsbeard]

Originally Posted by KV-1926R

. Much better looking too, bonus.

That would be my main grip with newer FP TV : They all look the same...nothing special. Dare I say it...? Boring!

[Sandy G]

That's one of the "Neat" things about my Porthole Zenith... They LOOKED like something, not just an ugly grey/black plastic box... Having a TV in 1949 was still Something Special, & the Zenith said it "Loud & Proud"...

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by Sandy G

That's one of the "Neat" things about my Porthole Zenith... They LOOKED like something, not just an ugly grey/black plastic box... Having a TV in 1949 was still Something Special, & the Zenith said it "Loud & Proud"...

What were you watching on that set in 1949? I remember you saying in one of your posts some time ago that your area didn't get its first TV stations until 1954. Unless you had a deep-fringe antenna on a rotor, I doubt if you were seeing anything other than snow.

BTW, did you ever find a replacement for the missing VHF channel selector knob for your Zenith roundie color set? Being Zenith, I would think that set would do well connected to a DTV converter box or cable (if Charter Cable still has analog service), since CRTs can often show better pictures than today's flat screens. One of the selling points for DTV digital-to-analog converter boxes was, and may still be, that "your old TV never looked better" when fed by one of these boxes. Given a good signal, the box doesn't care what it is connected to--they work just as well with a 1949 b&w TV or a 1999 knob-tuned color set.

[etype2]

Originally Posted by Sandy G

That's the thing....IIRC, even in '69, you STILL had to get somebody out to yr house & "Set Up" yr new color set for you.. The Sony, you brought it home, plugged it in, hooked up an antenna or cable, & you were Good to Go...Of course, the appliance store dealer made up on the service call DOUBLE what he'd "Given back" to you on the GREAT deal he gave you when you bought the damn TV in the 1st place.. I also remember how dreadfully "Cheap & Nasty" American consumer goods were getting about this time.. Plastiwood & fibreboard cabinets, except on the very "TOTL" stuff, "Carnival grade" plastic buttons & fitments, the whole business of being built DOWN to a price, instead of "Up to a Standard". The SAD fact of the matter was, Sony had a superior product, in many respects, & the American consumer electronics industry got caught being flatfooted.... Christamighty, WE developed Television-For the most part, anyway, & UNQUESTIONABLY developed COLOR TV, & we let it get taken away from us...But we have only ourselves to blame...

Couldn't agree with you more Sandy.

[Sandy G]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

What were you watching on that set in 1949? I remember you saying in one of your posts some time ago that your area didn't get its first TV stations until 1954. Unless you had a deep-fringe antenna on a rotor, I doubt if you were seeing anything other than snow.

BTW, did you ever find a replacement for the missing VHF channel selector knob for your Zenith roundie color set? Being Zenith, I would think that set would do well connected to a DTV converter box or cable (if Charter Cable still has analog service), since CRTs can often show better pictures than today's flat screens. One of the selling points for DTV digital-to-analog converter boxes was, and may still be, that "your old TV never looked better" when fed by one of these boxes. Given a good signal, the box doesn't care what it is connected to--they work just as well with a 1949 b&w TV or a 1999 knob-tuned color set.

Yep, my Porthole came from Harry Poster in NJ.. I dunno WHERE it came from before that. The guy who had my 7" Admiral, he & his buds had an antenna rigged up on top of a mountain outside of town, in the summer they'd go up & monkey w/it, & if everything was "Just So", they'd get in a little bit of a signal from WAGA or WSB in Atlanta, MAYBE WBT in Charlotte. But OTA signals were a "Catch as Catch Can" proposition til late 1953 or '54, when WJHL in the Tri-Cities came on the air. And I DO have a cable box in the "Ships' Radio Room", where the Porthole & most of my Boatanchors live.. Never have got an inner VHF knob for the '65 Zenith roundie color set.. It also needs to go see Terry, but getting it down there is problematical, to say the least...The Porthole truly ASTOUNDS visitors, ESPECIALLY kids, most of whom have either NEVER seen a largish B/W set, or ANY TV that old... May as well be Prehistory... (grin)

[dr.ido]

I have a few 10+ year old flat panels - A few LCD TVs, a Fujitsu SD plasma monitor and an NEC Computer monitor from 1999.

There have been a few that came through that I probably should have kept, but let go of for one reason or another. Such as a 22" SD Panasonic LCD that retailed for $4999 in 2002 (they can't have sold many of those), or Fujitsu plasma a generation or 2 earlier than the one I still have that (barring the screen burn on this example) had the best SD picture I've seen on any plasma or LCD.

A lot of the "better" old flat panels that come through are actually still working. They were dumped as they don't have built in digital tuners.

Perhaps I should do a "vintage" flat panel thread.

The capacitor plague has largely been solved. I still find stuff from that "era" that has bad caps (which are usually nice easy jobs), but the caps in most newer stuff are fine. I am already starting to see bad or partially bad LED backlights, so I don't believe they will last as long as CCFL backlit sets.

[ChrisW6ATV]

Originally Posted by Sandy G

I DO have a cable box in the "Ships' Radio Room", where the Porthole & most of my Boatanchors live..

If it has a "porthole" and "boatanchors", then it must be on a ship.

[Sandy G]

Originally Posted by ChrisW6ATV

If it has a "porthole" and "boatanchors", then it must be on a ship.

Hehehehe... Hadn't thought about it like THAT.. Unfortunately, the nearest Ocean is a good 7-8 hr ride from here-Maybe I oughta re-christen it the "CIA Listening Room"... (grin)

[Jon A.]

Originally Posted by Dreamsbeard

That would be my main grip with newer FP TV : They all look the same...nothing special. Dare I say it...? Boring!

Yup, I don't see their "styling" ever changing dramatically. The future of repurposing TVs is turning these things into picture frames. Not much cash to be had there.

For me, a TV has to look good when it's off too, which is most of the time. Actually, my interest in watching TV (pre-recorded stuff that is) has increased since I got into the older sets.

Originally Posted by Sandy G

I DO have a cable box in the "Ships' Radio Room", where the Porthole & most of my Boatanchors live..

Good thing that porthole doesn't open, that's what contributed to the sinking of Britannic and the Empress of Ireland.

[Sandy G]

Good thing that porthole doesn't open, that's what contributed to the sinking of Britannic and the Empress of Ireland.[/QUOTE]

Fortunately, the Porthole sits atop my roll-top desk, far away from small, prying fingers... Bethany's son Logan is the only one I REALLY have to worry about, but he's only 9 months old now, it'll be a year or so before I really have to worry about him... He WILL get a full indoctrination of how wonderful Tube stuff is, as Bethany & her husband, Corey, and by extention, Logan, stand to inherit all my Good Junque one of these days.. Hey, Bethany's the daughter I never had, I honestly COULDN'T love her any more if she was my flesh & blood... And I thought I would lose her when she married Corey... I DIDN'T lose a "Bethany", as much as I GAINED a "Corey"...DAMN good deal, if you ask me...

[andy]

...

[Jon A.]

The only flat-panel displays I'll allow in my possession are computer monitors. I'm using a 2007 LG Flatron L192WS, amazingly NOT made in china. That alone may make it a museum piece in years to come. Then there's the LCD panel that's part of my PowerBook 1400cs, which has such a lousy response time that the mouse cursor leaves trails even with that feature turned off.