Video Asylum

Posted by Harmonia (A) on December 09, 2004 at 14:32:15

In Reply to: CRT HDTV -- Any opinions posted by gjharrington on December 6, 2004 at 15:44:15:

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.