The end of the CRT era...

Another option is to put the old CRT (an unremarkable 19" Philips) on the curb with a sign ("Free! Works"). In my case it was gone in an hour. Never underestimate the allure of a free item....

 

Now, if someone would only do that with a nice Tama kit with Zildjian cymbals.

 

Pieces of crap. Good riddance.

I still love analog tube processing in some cases of audio recording and mastering, but not for TV sets. Awful. Dump 'em. Over and done. Geschtunkita. Verklempt. Pushin' up the daisies. It is an ex monitor!

 

Awesome! I actually sell arcade games, and our multi game system is our most popular. I like the look of crt monitors for games much better, but we can no longer really keep them running and only use flat screens these days. But, games like Dig Dug will never look right to me on a flat screen! Frankly, though I have no CRTs now, I still think it was a nicer picture if you had a quality tube. It just isnt practical anymore!

 

I have a 32" Grundig SD Widescreen set that sits in my garage.. Unplugged. I spent a fortune on it in the early 2000's and don't have the heart to dump it (yet).
Was still working fine about a year ago when I set it up in my lounge (when the much newer LCD that replaced it died). I'm pretty sure that it would still work fine now

 

I just got rid of the first TV I ever bought - a Sony 27" XBR (I think I paid over $1,000!). It was a great TV and I had used it up to about 2 years ago when I finally replaced it. One thing I liked about it is the picture in picture which couldn't be used after my cable system went to needing a cable box to use.

 

Also, tubes and smaller LCDs hide the flaws of SD video sources.

 

My old 19" Sharp is in a room in our basement with my old Sony DVD player. It's our 'workout room' and we use it for workout videos. I bought it when I lived alone in the mid-90s, and amazingly it still works fine. Well, I think it does. It's been a while since I used the workout room.

I can be a nostalgic kinda guy, but not for CRT televisions. They served their purpose and were eventually replaced by far superior technology. Far, far superior. When I see one now all I can look at are the scan lines, especially on sets bigger than 19". Bleh.

dan c

 

I'm not sure. I guess it's perfect fit for an original NES and other vintage consoles? I used it on an Amiga I used through high school. Later I used it to watch DVDs. Obviously it has a long working life. Maybe all other monitors just died.

 

Vintage video games is a hobby of mine and I thought Wells Gardner made a flat panel that was capable of doing CGA & EGA with compatible refresh rates so it looks just like an old CRT... although maybe I imagined that and it was just wishful thinking.

 

When my parents married in 1964, they got a brand-new RCA color TV, which remained in use until 1977 (by then, people started commenting on the round screen)



They eventually replaced it with a boring, square Magnavox, which was our primary TV until 1985.



I was going through some junk they have in storage last year, and lo! There was the 1963 RCA sitting dusty in a corner, buried under boxes of old tax forms, rolled up carpets, and assorted storage room fodder. I hadn't seen the thing since the 70's, and had no idea it still existed.

It still turns on. It takes almost 45 seconds for the CRT to fire up and create a picture. The CRT is starting to burn out; there is a luminescent green glowing blob present on screen at all times. This reminded me of why we replaced it; my parents, frugal types, might still be using it now otherwise. However, I was impressed that it still worked. I couldn't watch it, because I don't have a digital to analog converter box. But I bet I could watch a videotape on it; our 1978 Betamax was in the same room...

 

In a sense....those are Jones'....if you get my drift.

Old school !!!!!!!

But not in a bad way.

Ok, I understand that. And it's still a "keepin' up with the Jones' " You're keepin up with YOUR Jonesin' for a "better" TV. Mine looks fine to me and I ain't Jonesin' for a new one. Monkey off my back.

 

They really did obsolete crts when hdmi was invented. Its kind of sad, but then again I had a 40" Mitsubishi glass TV. It was the last one they made and was very expensive. I went to move it and I found I couldn't move it by myself anymore. And boy did it take up a lot of room! So, I think like a lot of things, it became obsolete more because flatscreens are far more practical, especially if you want a larger size. But I have to argue that for something under 40", CRT was fine. I actually prefer the look.

 

I am in the commercial game business and you are correct, Wells Gardner makes one so that operators can retrofit their old games. You can buy them from imperial.com. They also make a board you can buy and it will allow you to go the other direction...you can hook flatscreens up. But the CRTs look better imo as the games were designed for that output. Kind of like trying to watch laserdisc on a flatpanel...it will likely look better on a crt as that is how it was designed to be viewed.

 

My 37" XBR is impossible to carry by myself. It's been in storage since I got a flat panel almost ten years ago, and I've had to move it twice since then. The only way I can do it is by strapping it to a hand truck and wheeling it around.

I had to move a year ago and was able to carry a 47" flat panel all by myself.

 

They made electronics to last back then! Now everything is disposable. I bought a $1200 HP printer and it made it 11 months. They told me to toss it and just buy another one! What?? The repair guy tood me they are all considered disposable products. I can see that on a $125 model, but since when is $1200 not much money? And less than a year? Thats ridiculous for a color laser printer with $475 worth of cartridges sitting inside. These big companies get so out of touch with the average consumer. I'm sure flatscreens are made with the same mentality.

 

Isn't it funny how so many of us hang onto this stuff! You think you might "need" it sometime, but I always seem to save stuff and then it gets thrown away anyway. I can't believe how cheap these are at a thrift store. Beautiful 35" sets for $29!

 

I hold out hope that I can use it again when I have a space to hook up my vintage video games and laserdisc player. I could almost use it now, but the thing is so huge that it would take up 1/4 of any room I put it in and I'd need help to get it up the stairs and onto the stand.

I paid 2k for it in 1998, and the thought of wheeling it out to the dumpster on electronics recycling day is depressing.

 

Using Angelfire (had no idea that was still around) to post about CRT televisions. Doesn't get much better than this!

 

LaserDisc does look good on the plasma flat panels as is and small LCD monitors (approx 20-30" or so) as that size hides the flaws of SD videos. If you wish to play Duck Hunt, the zapper gun only works with CRT as the gun uses the CRT for the light source.

 

I still have a few of those as well as a CRT spectrum analyzer.

 

I just carried a 50" upstairs by myself the other day. It's a Sammy LED and it's very light.

Btw, my Sammy 75" 4k set only weight about 60 pounds. I could most likely carry it as well if I could just find a way to hold on to it.

 

Still use my Sony KD-34XBR960 widescreen HD CRT TV everyday. I have yet to see a picture that betters it.

 

Wow, that's a name we haven't had in the States for a long time. I sold a Grundig AM/FM tube radio at a flea market two years ago. That's the last time I've seen anything of that brand.

 

The guy who delivered my last HD CRT was able to lift it by himself. But, then again, I think he could have carried subcompacts by himself, too.