Create a scenario where CRTs make a comeback

[Username1]

I think the scenario where CRT sets make a comeback so to speak would likely be in a shift in home decore. I don't know about you all, but in the homes I have been in that have a flat large screen tv, you know it its on the wall..... I saw one on the wall 5 feet above the ground attached to the stone chimney above the fireplace. In each wall setting I find it quite uncomfortable to look more than 4 feet above the ground watching tv. I am use to looking lower, like the level of my floor model zenith, what are those screens only about 12" off the floor. Who knows maybe one day Dr. Oz or some other tv entertainment doctor will have an "in Depth" story about the new neck pain wall mounted HDTV is giving people.... But I can see a retro-living room style being one real scenario that at least brings back a small demand for the latest 20" to 30" crt's, like the Black Plastic Crafted sets now popular on CL. Get yours this week in all sizes for only $10 - $30! Be ahead of the coming trend! When I finish restoring a few of my older tv's and one 1937 floor model radio I plan on setting up a little corner of a room with 1937 decore for the radio, and a little period stuff around my CTC5. I think some of that thinking is what drives the prices of some rabbit ears on ebay....

[etype2]

I can't see any practical reason for a comeback. They are still used for photo editing/television production, medical and research work. Until the inherent issues with LCD and plasma (which are getting better all the time) are worked out, and OLED looming on the horizon, these professional CRT's will continue to exist for those markets.

Sony made a 32 inch prototype Index Beam tube in 1981 and was know to be working on large screen, flat, hang on the wall Indextrons in the late 80's early 90's. They abandoned research with knowledge of the coming plasmas and LCD's. I would have loved to see what they came up with if R&D on these continued.

[Robert Grant]

Suppose a particular "doctor" with a syndicated TV talk show, who makes simplistic arguments for lifestyle changes by stacking the deck during "experiments" and "demonstrations" that impress people with an I.Q. of 80, were to tell his followers that they could get AIDS from the donated plasma in plasma TV sets?

[andy]

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[rcanewvista]

I noticed a lot of members here really dont like flatscreens, (and it shouldnt be surprising since this is a vintage tv forum) however I dont understand the arguements against flatscreens besides the issues regarding longevity. I mean, a lot of folks have said that crts are much clearer better colors etc etc...and frankly I dont see it (pun intended). I know this is a subjective issue but I've tried both types of tv's and it seems clear (at least to me) that flatscreens have the advantge in producing a better picture.

Dont get me wrong, I love crts and the technology behind it and I really wish crts would still be produced. In fact the only tv I currently own is a 1968 Maganvox Stereo Theatre combo... all tube color chassis. However, about a year ago, my brother gave me a 50 inch lcd flatscreen as a wedding gift- it was totl with a 1080p picture. At first I told him I didnt want it, but I relented and used it about a year before I finally gave it back... and I must say I was really impressed. The picture was so good, especially from blueray or hd movies that I didnt have much reason to go out to the cinema any more. The same could be said for the hd cable I was receiving- it looked great. I also hooked the tv up to use as a giant computer monitor. Plus I didnt think the tv looked all that bad in the living room, even when it was off (and I like wood console tvs with concealing doors).

When my brother bought a new home, I gave the flatscreen back since I figured he would have better use for it. Now I am back to the Magnavox crt. With a digital converter, I must say the Magnavox does look really sharp and I've impressed most of my guests- who initially didn't believe such an old tv can produce such a great picture. However, beyond the initial wow factor- I can't honestly say that the crt produces a better picture than a flatscreen, simply due to the capabilities of the resolution and size of the picture. Perhaps to some people it is the lack of sharpness that makes the picture seem more realistic? I dunno, and I couldnt figure it out- unless people are biased for sentimental reasons?

Maybe the other members here can tell me what I am missing, since after trying the best of both worlds- a totl crt tv from 1968, and a totl flatscreen tv circa 2009- I'd have to say the 2009 has a better picture hands down. But in terms of styling, longevity and pride of ownership- nothing can beat the Magnavox!

[Dude111]

Originally Posted by andy

I don't think anyone is still making professional CRT monitors any more.

Yes thats quite sad......

I get a headache looking @ one of those flat screen POC monitors!!

CRT has always been better!

[Username1]

rcanewvista does have a valid point, the clarity and sharpness of LCD's are very good. My wife and I got newer imacs to replace our Windows 98 boxes this year. The wife had what I believe to be the best color tube ever made as a monitor screen. She had a 17" Samsung Dynaflat monitor. It was very sharp, clear with itsy itsy bitsy little dots and perfect convergence all the way into the corners. Except for the fact that the imac LCD screen brightness decreases as you move away from dead center, the picture is at least as good as the Dynaflat, maybe better. But the imac has no contrast knob, only brightness. and the resolution is set higher than the card on the win 98 box would allow, so direct comparison was not possible. I would imagine that the possibilities of LED technology producing a better picture than crt's is there, in every respect. I think plasma was a step backwards because I saw several at the recycling center with really bad screen burn from displaying CNN or some other channel with a stripe across the bottom all day, and the fact that those plasma sets used 300 or more watts. Remember Caliefornia was going to slap them with a coal gobbling tax a few years ago. Well while the wife needed a new computer for her work, I still mostly use my windows boxes with crt screens and we don't have any flat screens that are not crt's. I know eventually our stock of crt's may run out, and maybe when we are in our 70's maybe than we'll have a small 117" LED-Plasma-Super-tron outside the picture window. Assuming they make one that small in the future. PS our current big screen/flat screen is a Panasonic CT34WX54J 34" 16:9 currently on a dolly in the living room waiting on me to replace the IC that makes the 6.3V for the picture tube. And that's really big for our living room. Our set for daily use there now is a Sanyo 25" that I got temporarily from my sister that had a bad cap. I wrote about it on here somewhere.

[andy]

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[etype2]

I like them for their technology. I like them for the same reason I like a 40 Ford Coupe or a 57 Chevy, nostalgia. :-)

[ChrisW6ATV]

Originally Posted by mwplefty

People think I'm a hypocrite for using a laptop and watching TV on an LCD TV. I'm really not.

Who thinks you are a hypocrite, and why? I do not understand.

Is it even possible to create a digital cathode-ray tube TV?

Quite a few digital-tuner CRT TVs were made. The higher-priced ones were widescreen HD sets such as the Sony KD-34XBR960 that have HDMI inputs. There were also low-priced 4:3 non-HD sets sold up until a year or two ago, at Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and other stores. 13-inch digital TVs were available for less than US$100 at these stores.

[Eric H]

LCD & Plasma are "Fixed Pixel" displays, CRT is not but it can still do HD.

Definition of Fixed Pixel:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixed_pixel_display

[mwplefty]

Originally Posted by ChrisW6ATV

Who thinks you are a hypocrite, and why? I do not understand.



Quite a few digital-tuner CRT TVs were made. The higher-priced ones were widescreen HD sets such as the Sony KD-34XBR960 that have HDMI inputs. There were also low-priced 4:3 non-HD sets sold up until a year or two ago, at Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and other stores. 13-inch digital TVs were available for less than US$100 at these stores.

My family thinks that I'm a hypocrite because I have an interest in vintage electronics but still use an LCD TV and laptop computer at the same time. However, many of you guys own at least one non-CRT TV (or did at some time) and obviously all of you use either a PC or laptop. Therefore, personally I don't believe that I'm being hypocritical, but apparently from the perspective of my family, you can't like 1960's/1970's TV sets and still watch an LCD TV or you can't like 1960's/1970's manual typewriters and still use the laptop recreationally. They neglect to see that I'm one of those collectors that likes to look forward to the future of technology but simultaneously remember the past by owning both new and old pieces of technology.

For example, when I move in a couple years, I want to live in a used home built in the mid- to late-1900's (so about 1950-1970); however, it would be impractical to use ALL of the original appliances (considering that they are all still there and haven't been replaced) because chances are good that they aren't working properly and honestly, I have no idea how to fix a stove or oven from the 1960's. In that case, I would either find someone who knew how to fix it or unfortunately have to replace it. Yet, maybe I would keep the 1960's wallpaper in the kitchen or the nice console TV sitting in the living room, something to help maintain the originality and spirit of the home. I would need to incorporate new things into an old house while at the same time remembering what the house once was by keeping some things the same.

[jeyurkon]

I like both CRT and modern technologies. Guess I prefer DLP over LCD and Plasma. I would certainly watch a recent release on a flat screen, while an old movie just feels better on a 12" B/W vintage set. Even some fairly recent releases like "The Shadow" are more enjoyable for me on a vintage set.

With radio I remember listening to baseball in the evening on AM and hearing the signal flutter along with the static gave you a feeling of the distance of the event and transmitter from you adding to the romance. Now you can listen with perfect clarity on Internet radio and it's just not as fun.

Sometimes better isn't always more enjoyable.

[Chad Hauris]

For some reason I still prefer the look of a TV picture on a CRT rather than a flat panel. I have seen a lot of LCD, DLP and plasma TV's but prefer the CRT. We use DTV converters and DVD's for video sources. The 23" Zenith solid state Chromacolor II in our living room has been working perfectly with no adjustments or repairs for 7 years or so steady now.

I do have an LCD computer monitor that I got for $10.00 at an estate sale that I use with the computer in the kitchen as it is so much lighter and thinner that it fits so much better into the limited space than a CRT monitor.

[peverett]

In fact, quite a few CRT based TVs were made in the last few years with DTV tuners. I have one that I bought at Wal-Mart a couple of years ago for a little over $100. Of course, these were standard definition, not HD.

However, I think the sales of these has ceased. I no longer see CRT based TVs displayed in any of the stores now.