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I've been thinking about a smaller HDTV and I am looking at what I can afford. Are there any limitations to CRT HDTV's as far as performance? How about going forward over the next 5 years? I can put up with a fat and awkward TV as opposed to a svelt flat panel TV if I'm not giving up performance or I'm not subjecting myself to a significant risk of obsolesence. Any thoughts? Thanks!
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We went into CC expecting to buy the new Sony 34" wide screen but after about 2.5 hrs came home with the Panasonic for 1150.00. I wish they had the Philips there to compare as well.On paper the Sony looks better with the fine screen picture tube but side by side standing back a 8-10 feet we still like the Panny better. In fact up to the $5-6K figure we like the Panny over all. We'll enjoy it untill the 5-6K sets come down to 1.5-2K.
Also we just got the DVD-S97 and connect it to the TV via HDMI and Panasonic XR45 via coax for an asome DVD playback.
10 years ago if some one would have said "Scott your going to have an all Panasonic HT set" I would have laughted them out of the room. My stereo is MAC, JBL and DIY with a revolving door of vintage and other more respectable gear.
I would think most people could be very vrey happy with either one of the Sony's, Philips or Panasonics in a room around or smaller than 20, by 15, mines 13 by 18 and we sit 9' from the tube.
The Panny has super contrast - if you sit that far back I can see why you love it. I bought the Panny for my dad and he loves his too. Sony is not the only answer.
Like Abe, I have a 34" widescreen direct view CRT. Mine is refurbed Phillips with Pixel Plus - 2 years old and we've enjoyed it immensely. I'd never buy a 4:3 TV again. Never.The main drawback is that it's a HEAVY sucka. It doesn't get moved much.
I really don't think there are many serious drawbacks to buying a widescreen CRT now, other than size limitation and the weight. If you've been watching on a 14" set, then a 30"-34" will seem plenty exciting. You will enjoy movies and HDTV for years on the set...certainly more than "5 years". You're not risking obselesence, just coolness facor for thin sets. The performance of most CRTs is very good because of the inherent brightness and sharpness. You're not really giving up anything but a bigger screen and thinness by buying a CRT. Some of the issues you may read about with larger displays or emerging technologies either won't apply or won't be egregiously noticeable on a small CRT. The brightness on most CRTs is excellent, BTW, far exceeding RPs.
If you are buying a TV for HD and movies, don't waste time with a 27" or 32" 4:3. Assuming you're in North America, where screens are measured diagonally, the two CRT widescreen sizes are 30" and 34". Anything smaller won't really do much of a job displaying HD. When it comes to home theater, bigger is better. Get outa that small-think. (I know, I used to watch on a tiny set). Don't worry about buying last year's model if it's a good deal. The most popular WS CRTs are the Sonys, but I love my Philips and even though it was a refurb, I've never had a minute's trouble. Samsung used to have a great price on their 30" WS - I bet they're not alone.
Go to www.avsforum.com and check out the direct view forum.
Happy hunting.
My 34" 16:9 Sony XBR is almost a couple years old now and I couldn't be happier. There are in fact advantages to CRTs over rear projection big screens. I've never seen a rear projection big screen (even recent DLP or LCD based) that comes close to the sharpness of a CRT. Viewing angle is also very good, brightness is very good too. Someone commented that the brightness is low on HD CRT sets. I have to disagree when compared to rear projection sets. The CRT is much brighter and sharper. Now I'd love to have a Plasma or direct view LCD but they're still way too expensive and I find that my CRT is still less expensive than the rear projection sets and looks better too.
Accuphase DP65V cdp or Denon DVD-5900 Universal
PS Audio PCA-2 Pre - Krell KSA50S - Tannoy D500 spkrs
Regardless of the money, I belive that 34" picture on HDTV CRT is hard to beat. Consider that it cost around $1000 and you are sold :-)Click here for the comparrison chart
Thanks for your replies! I am currently using a little NAD TV/monitor I have had for many years. I love this little thing. I think it is a 14" set with capability of maybe 450 lines of resolution. I first contemplated one of the Sony WEGAs, 20 or 24 inches. I realize I need to accomodate DVD use and I've been interested in HDTV since I first saw one -- who wouldn't be?I am starting to consider one of the wide format sets (27"?) and I would like HDTV because the price is dropping into my budget (if I get a CRT set.) I'm not in a hurry. I would love to find a set I could use for 5 or even 10 years. A holy grail?
Buying something likr and getting one's money's worth is a real trick!
Wide format, 26".
$700
You won't find one cheaper.
Set top Tuner run in the $200+ range.
So we're talking 500 for the screen.
All CRT direct view sets are limited in size -- think of how difficult it is to build a massive vacuum tube. In order to get enough lines of resolution to even remotely qualify as HDTV, the shadow mask (metal grid with pin holes that blocks all but a narrow beam of electrons to strike the pixels) has to have a lot of small holes. The compromise is that a lot of the area of the tube is not lit and the sets are noticeably dimmer than non HDTV sets. Personally, I think that all CRT sets have more than adequate brightness so this is not a big problem.However, to counteract the dimness "problem," this year's Sony WEGA models have boosted brightness. The result has not been good. Look at the edge of the picture to see how bad the focus is and how much visible bloom (sign that the tube is being overdriven -- this significantly shortens life) the current sets have. Quite disappointing. If you can find a 2003 model, you would be better off.
Im looking at the Sony XBR Wega. 34" I think it will do me fine for the next while. The fancy flat panels are nice but good ones are mucho donaros. Can you define small?
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