Am I the only one who still likes CRT "tube" TV's?

[austinado16]

I have to admit, I still love the picture quality of CRT style televisions. More specifically, the big Sony XBR Trinitrons of years gone by.

Just picked up a big 40" Sony XBR (KV-40XBR800) with matching stand for $50. Didn't even take it out of my pickup...I just drove it right over to the local TV repair place so they could fine tune the picture even sharper than the "normal" factory settings. Can't wait to get it back. It's about 6 years old, and the original owner told me he paid $3,500 for it! He couldn't give the silly thing away on Craigslist.

 

[peterh770]

Definitely. My 22" Sony give better picture than my 42" Sharp flat. If there is movement on the screen, the Sony "follows" it much better. I have yet to see any flat screen in any store follow as good as a CRT.

 

[cfz2882]

yes to CRTs

i still like them-i have a 42"lcd and a 42"plasma,but still
really enjoy my CRTs as well-newest is an '87,oldest a '57
CRTs have been perfected and refined over the decades.

 

[112561]

I just bought a 23 inch Magnavox Total Automatic Color, I have yet to see the picture, I bought the unit mostly for the stereo set and the cabinet. I watch Comcast digital cable on a 9" Zenith color set, I also own a 1987 Zenith 19" stereo color, and a 1987 13" Zenith color. So yes, I will have and watch CRT as long as they work.

 

[polkanut]

Todd,

I had the exact same set as the one you just picked up. Ours died in July and we ended up getting a 40" Toshiba LCD, and I miss the old Sony so much. The tech that looked at our Sony told me that a circuit board was fried and that a new or reconditioned one was impossible to get. Even if he could have gotten a new board, he couldn't guarantee the part's longevity.

The guy you got your set from is spot on about the price. Ours came from my cousin who wanted a plasma and gave us the Sony, free for the hauling. Those things weigh about 250 lbs, and are beasts to move though.[this post was last edited: 1/11/2011-15:50]

 

[austinado16]

304lbs of CRT goodness!

Yes, these 40's are the largest CRT Television ever built (according to what I've read). We have the 700 series which is a year or 3 older and doesn't have the DVI connection on the back. I wanted this one because it's a newer version and it has the DVI, so I can buy a DVI-to-HDMI adaptor and hook my wife's new Sony Wi-Fi Blue-Ray Disc player into this bad boy.

Too bad you guys go rid of that Sony, but they are cheap as chips on Craigslist right now, so maybe if you still want one, one will come up. They run about $50-$150ish out here.

I also just purchased a 32" version with a similar Sony stand (except it has smoked glass doors in front of the shelves) for $125. Sadly, it's not an XBR, but it's a late model Wega w/ DVI, and almost identical as far as version of the 800 model goes. That's in the bedroom, replacing a Sony 32" XBR that had the infrared remote headphones (one of their 1994 black TV's). Sold the black XBR on CL for $130, so it was a good trade.

 

[countryford]

I love the crt tv's. Especially the tube style ones. This is the one we use on a daily basis. Origianlly it was an all tube RCA. But at some point someone pulled out the original rca tv and inserted a mid 80's zenith tv. The stereo is still there and original. Just the tv has been changed out. Works great.

 

[polkanut]

Justin,

Even though the set was changed, you'd never know it if you hadn't said so. Looks showroom minty!

 

[bugsyjones]

I like 'em.

I personally like older cabinet or floor models. They're a piece of furniture to match everything else. I always liked the idea of TV's and Stereos as furniture.

I find new tv's especially flats, as cold and harsh looking.

The good thing about CRT televisions are now, with flats being all the rage, (and misinformed individuals who think they need a brand new tv to get digital transmissions) CRT televisions are DIRT CHEAP! I saw a pretty good size and pretty new CRT set at the thrift store for $30. It was completely working and perfect. I don't need another TV, so I passed by.

My favorite CRT televisions are of course, vintage tube-type. My current love is this semi-rare 1956 Zenith Flash-Matic. I'm in the process of preparing for it's re-cap.

~Tim

 

[polkanut]

Tim,

That is a beautiful set! My Great-Aunt Helen had a Zenith? which was a little bit newer, swiveled, and had a blonde cabinet. I would love to have your set as it would go perfectly with the woodwork in my house.

 

[austinado16]

That Zenith is fantastic!

I have a 1956 "Airline" that's similar. Here's where it usually lives.

I agree, the CRT's of the last 20 or so years are waaaay too modern for the serious AW type collector with a home full of period stuff. I currently have the big 40" XBR hidden inside a pretty nice cherry wood armoire, so that helps some....although it's like having a huge double-door refrigerator in the living room. But, when I'm watching a movie, I really want excellent picture and sound. The 32" in the bedroom is exposed though. Not much I can do about that due to location and space.

The TV's are really the only modern thing that's "sitting out" in the entire house, so I guess that not too bad.

 

[lordkenmore]

I much prefer what I see with CRT sets vs. the flat screen sets I've seen. From what I've seen, my impressions are the sets are often overly bright. Possibly could be eye tiring if watching long enough. And colors often seem simpler, thinner than CRT.

It sort of reminds me of the early days of CD, when everyone talked about how great CD was with the detail and the quiet background. Yet, what a lot of people didn't notice was that a lot got lost with CD. Musical notes might have been more detailed, but became thinner, less rich.

The only definite minus I see to CRT is the weight and bulk. I constantly move my set away from my audio system whenever I want to listen to music seriously--the speakers sound slightly better with nothing between them. This can be a huge pain, although it's not that bad--I just keep the TV on a cart, and roll that cart away when I want to move the TV.

I think it's possible that I could find a flat screen to like. So far, I've only seen the lower end modern TV sets. Most of which were probably not carefully setup. The only remotely high end model was a Panasonic plasma at Target. I was not impressed, but then again Target is probably not the best place to judge TVs. I'd be surprised if they do any setup past connecting cables, and the store lighting is not like what I'd use at home.

However, even if I could find a flat screen I liked, there is one problem--the price tag. There are many good used CRT sets floating about. The example earlier this thread of $50 buying a $3,500 set is just one example. Not only does my dollar go further, buying used has positive side benefits. It may keep a TV from the landfill, or third rate recyclers a few years. It puts off the impact on the environment of making a new TV. And the money I spend stays in the local economy. At least, until it ends up in the hands of someone who decides to have a buying binge at a "almost everything is made in China!" store like Wal-Mart, Target, or K-Mart.

 

[appliguy]

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[appliguy]

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[appliguy]

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on the 1957 General Electric Ultravision TV

 

[appliguy]

My Sony Trinitron Portable

From Circa 1974...It is an exact replica of the one my parents had in the master bedroom when I was a kid

 

[mattl]

I think I have one of the largest CTRs ever made, the 38" 16:9 HD RCA F38310, I think the screen area is bigger than a 40" 4:3 display. Someone else can do the math. Mine weighs in at well over 250lbs too.

As good as the image is on the 38" CRT modern panels will outperform it easily. A properly adjusted panel is simply stunning when fed a good source, just OK on a crappy source.

AS to buying a used CRT, there are only a handful that will properly display an HD signal that is the norm today, anything that down res's the signal is really a poor second or third display wise.

 

[112561]

Love your '57 GE television!

Does it have the coaxial oval speaker in it? This big Danish one was complete here in town, until some moron gutted it completely!

 

[whirlcool]

We have a 36" Wega set we bought about 2002 or so. We really love it. Usually when new technology comes out we try it out. I was all hyped up for HDTV, but then after I saw it and then looked at our WEGA set I thought I'd save the money. But you are right about the weight of these things. Ours is installed in an entertainment center and it takes two strong guys to put it in there.

We watch maybe 8 hours of TV per week. Usually news and documentary type shows. After I saw that when you buy a HDTV you are just getting into the cost of it. Then you have the HDTV feed costs, the surround sound stereo costs, installation costs, etc.

When this WEGA goes (how long do SONY sets usually last?)we'll go to HDTV.

 

[supremewhirlpol]

Well...I have a 36" Sony WEGA Trinitron that look to be made in 2004? I got it on CL and have had it for ~1year. Sure is VERY heavy! It has an awesome picture. When it does fail, I'll have to call a repair man, because it's just too awkward and heavy to move.

 

[jetcone]

My 22 inch Trinitron ran strong from

1991 until last spring almost 20 years! And my WEGA HD 36 inch from 2004 is still going strong it gets lots of use!

But I just saw the new LED's and they are now as bright and fast as my WEGA, BUT that took 6 years for flat panels to catch up, now will the FP's last as long?? I bet my WEGA has another 13 years left in it!

 

[qsd-dan]

I have 3 CRT TV's and nothing else. Picked a 28" CRT off the sidewalk 2 nights ago that had "Free, Works" taped to the screen. It's now in a loving home

 

[lordkenmore]

I can understand the HDTV argument, but it's not anything that interests me or concerns me personally at the moment. My highest resolution source is DVD. I still regularly play VHS tapes, even. (Yes, I know VHS is limited. However, the tapes are dirt cheap in thrift shops, and I'm getting a chance to see things I might not otherwise.) I don't watch regular TV--reception is hard where I am at best, and I refuse to pay for cable TV. Blu-Ray won't happen until I'm forced to buy into it, which will probably be when the library drops DVD in favor of Blu-Ray. (Most of my DVD watching is library material.)

 

[austinado16]

John, you and I have similar points of view.

We still watch VHS too, refuse to "pay" for TV, and only get 2 channels via rabbit ears. The only reason why I bagged the Blue-Ray Disc player was because I thought we might be able to use it to jump online and maybe watch some HULU and catch some episodes of things we don't get. But so far, I'm not impressed.

 

[launderess]

Many Persons Have Been Forced To Abandon

Perfectly working CRT televisions simply for want of signal.

Even with "Rabbit Ear" or other ways of capturing signal over the air, many television stations are moving programming to digital. This means even with those converter things the feds were handing out a year or so ago, some stations and or programs may no longer come though. Prices for LCD and plasma televisions have come down so low, many simply give up the fight.

Only persons around here who pick up CRT televisions kicked to the curb are the "recycle persons". Even there one hears the sound of glass shattering and banging as they simply hack the things to bits in order to get at whatever metal inside.

 

[DADoES]

 
Plasma and LCD units have default settings geared toward a "torch" picture. First thing should be done upon putting one into use is dial-back the brightness/contrast/sharpness settings to a more natural level.

 

[peterh770]

My 22 inch Trinitron

was brought new in 1984 and is still fine (except that the power button is broken, and the remote died in 2004 after 20 years of being dropped).

 

[petek]

Places like thrift stores and our local Habitat for Humanity Restore are getting so many sets in now they'll be needing to refuse accepting them pretty soon. Not too many people want them anymore

 

[appnut]

Yes I do too. Early 1980s Zenith Chromacolor.

 

[cfz2882]

zenith chromacolor

i have a big zenith chromacolor console made in 1982,works good
but has a fault in that it does not turn off all the way!
-goes dark when "shut off"but i can still hear the flyback,the
filament remains lit,and get "static"off the screen.
It's an occasional use TV so i just unplug to turn off the
rest of the way...
Sometimes i hook my RCA selectavision CED disc player to it
and watch a movie '82 style LOL(i have a lot of discs for the
CED player,a couple of them"period"rock music videos-can't
get more early '80s than watching "freezeframe"or"abracadabra"
or the like on a CED disc using the above setup!