How many of you are actually still using CRT TVs?

[Anapan]

I don't think CRT rear projectors suck. I have a 48" Sony 3CRT rear projection TV that I really like the output of. It took a lot of work to get the focus and convergence to my liking, but aside from the angle viewing problem, it's awesome. It weighs nothing, has great stereo bass speakers, and the color is beautiful (because it uses lighting gels on B&W CRTs). It's the biggest native 240P capable screen I've seen, and it was free - the owner replaced it with a 32" LCD.

[CRTGAMER]

I game on a 29" Sony Trinitron KV-29FS60 Series, which I bought with its stand for about $50 a few years ago, from a second hand store.

Though I have a few other CRT's they are either for back-up or don't work.

I still have my 1998 bought 100hz 29" Sony Trinitron KV-29C3D, but is broken beyond repair, I keep it because there may be some parts I can salvage.

All in all, I love CRT's for anything 240p and 480i native, and I plan to hoard as many of them as I can find! I'm looking for a 32" Sony Wega, a 61" Rear Projection Sony.

I'm not keen on the rear projection units, the pricey lamps and dim when viewed from the sides. I love the Sony flat tube WEGAs especially my HD CRT; all SD/HD resolutions crystal clear with no upscale issues. Look up Sony Support, you can find PDFs for all your various Sony gear.

Sony Support - https://www.sony.com/electronics/support
Sony Support Europe - https://campaign.odw.sony-europe.com/support/index.html

Never heard of a 29" Sony Flat Tube, looked it up; learned something new! Your KV-29C3D might be an inexpensive fix.

Sony Trinitron WEGA RLOD Twenty Dollar Repair Guide
http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=458437#p458437

[Arenegeth]

That's my baby alright! She carried me through some of my best gaming years from 1998 to 2006.

But I don't think it would be easy to fix.

For one thing, back in 2006 she started to have this problem where she had some green wavy lines that showed up on the screen.

I took it to a 'technician' since mainstream CRT ones supposedly still existed back then, who charged me a ton of money, to basically clean up the inside and do nothing else, since the lines still showed up after he brought it back to me (come to think of it, he also stole an RF extension cable that was on it at the time since he didn't bring it back with it). In retrospect, I should have given him no money and even beat the crap out of him, but I was pressured to have the TV ready for a surprise birthday party at the time, and I ended up not using it even for that.

His excuse was that the tube had 'weaken' and couldn't basically be repaired, and there was a dial of sorts inside the TV that if you turned it a bit, the lines would go away, but always came back later. God knows if any of that was true, since the guy was obviously an idiot.

I messed with the dial a bit and played a couple of games on it after that, but I fully retired it in late 2006. A few years after that in 2009 to 2010 after being inactive for all that time, I tried power it on and it wouldn't turn on anymore, at all, no red light no nothing.

From 2010 to 2018 I had it stored in a less than an ideal place, I was even pressed for space and put some stuff on top of it (that thought were pretty light, but as it turns out not light enough) causing the plastic top to crack.

I have pretty much given up on her ever getting back to her former glory, but I still keep her, partly as a memento, partly so I can hopefully salvage something from her guts to use with another unit later.

If space to store her becomes an issue, I will probably gut her and keep only the good parts, if there's any left to salvage.

This particular model was pretty popular in Germany back in the day, I'm inclined to take a trip with a van over there and track one down, not that there aren't other good reasons to take a trip to Germany anyway.

Thanks for the links though, it might help me fix this new one I found and my main one if it ever breaks.

[Ziggy]

I've been thinking about offloading a CRT or two. I was hoarding them for the future, so I have replacements if any ever break. But how many spares do you really need? I think I just have too many now for the amount of space that I have to store them.

Off the top of my head...

TVs:
27" Sony Wega
32" Sony Trinitron
13" Sony Trinitron
13" Sony PVM
27" Samsung flat screen
19" Panasonic TV/VCR bubble screen
13" Sharp TV/VCR bubble screen
19" Sanyo flat screen

PC Monitors:
19" eMachines flat screen
19" Compaq flat screen
19" Dell bubble screen

I think that's all of them. So of course I'll be keeping the Wega and PVM.

The 32" Sony Trinitron is my largest screen, but it's also the most pain in the ass. It's big and heavy. I really can't move it by myself (I'd probably throw my back out if I tried to lift it). It's not a flat screen, but I don't mind that. The tube looks fine, but it has one blown speaker. I could easily replace the speaker, but I don't even care since I usually use external speakers these days. On one hand I should keep it because it's my largest screen, and I should keep it because it's the best backup I have for the Wega. But on the other hand, it's the most annoying TV in my collection due to the size and weight. I can't lift it by myself, and it takes up a lot of room to store.

The 27" Samsung was my backup for the 27" Wega. But honestly, the 32" Trinitron is a nicer picture. But the Samsung is smaller, and is super light (compared to the Sony TVs) so it's a lot more manageable to keep around. So it's really hard to decide which one to keep.

The 13" Trinitron I might as well keep. I've replaced this one with the PVM. But it's so small, it doesn't take up much room to store. The only caveat is it's RF and composite only. It's very usable, but I'm spoiled at this point. I might try and mod it for RGB input at some point. So I definitely want to keep it. Even with just the composite input, it's still a good backup for the PVM.

The 19" Panasonic TV/VCR combo use to be on my work bench. I've decided that it's too big for my new work bench. I suppose I could get rid of this one and not mind.

The 13" Sharp TV/VCR combo I got for my new work bench, since it's smaller. I'll probably hold on to this one for that reason, and 13" TVs are very manageable. Also, I figure I could attempt to RGB mod this one before attempting on my more prized 13" Trinitron.

The 19" Sanyo is kind of a shitty TV. The only real reason I still have it is because it's currently on loan to someone so I don't need to store it myself. Otherwise, I guess I have no issue getting rid of it.

As for the computer monitors, I really want to keep all three but I really don't have room for them.

[nightrnr]

I think 32" CRT's are supposed to last longer. Not sure where I heard that, but seems to be true in my experience. I'd hold into it if relatively convenient.

13" tv's are indeed nice to have around, easy to move and can fit anywhere on just about anything; I just had one die on me, but all well.

I know what you mean about how much of a pain they are to move though. I have a 32" flatscreen HD tv that is an absolute beast (must be 200+ lbs). Don't even use it right now either. Still, I had a lot of fun with it one year and had hookups up the wazoo.

I think I have you beat on TV hoarding (16 total tv's (19", 25", 27" 32" CRT size ranges) and only 2 are LCD). Not sure everything I would give up if it came to it (definitely my projection TV will have to go one day, but I bought it cheaply and just for kicks).
PC monitors, I have no great attachment to CRT, but not gonna tell you how many backup 4:3 LCD monitors I'm stashing.
I admit I have a problem (living alone with room, so not a major problem), but at least have no desire to add to the pile.

Just waiting for a few to die off...

[CRTGAMER]

For one thing, back in 2006 she started to have this problem where she had some green wavy lines that showed up on the screen.

This particular model was pretty popular in Germany back in the day, I'm inclined to take a trip with a van over there and track one down, not that there aren't other good reasons to take a trip to Germany anyway.

Thanks for the links though, it might help me fix this new one I found and my main one if it ever breaks.

Anytime. Agree, the chip replacement alone would only fix the power on issue. The wavy lines could be a multitude of issues from capacitors to the tube itself. Great reading all the CRTs you own, that chip replacement Guide I wrote handy for many of the flat tube Sonys.

Know what you mean about how much of a pain they are to move though. I have a 32" flatscreen HD tv that is an absolute beast (must be 200+ lbs). Don't even use it right now either. Still, I had a lot of fun with it one year and had hookups up the wazoo.I think I have you beat on TV hoarding (16 total tv's (19", 25", 27" 32" CRT size ranges) and only 2 are LCD). Not sure everything I would give up if it came to it (definitely my projection TV will have to go one day, but I bought it cheaply and just for kicks).
PC monitors, I have no great attachment to CRT, but not gonna tell you how many backup 4:3 LCD monitors I'm stashing.

Try a Dreamcast with a VGA CRT, House Dead with Lightgun works!

TVs:
27" Sony Wega
32" Sony Trinitron
13" Sony Trinitron
13" Sony PVM
27" Samsung flat screen
19" Panasonic TV/VCR bubble screen
13" Sharp TV/VCR bubble screen
19" Sanyo flat screen

PC Monitors:
19" eMachines flat screen
19" Compaq flat screen
19" Dell bubble screen

I thought I was a CRT hoarder, glad to read part of the lost our minds team! I have backups stored in the washroom in climate control area matched sizes of the three TV CRTs in the rooms. Few extra CRT SVGA and SVideo computer monitors as well.

For me no worries of the larger TVs especially that crazy weight of my 32' HD CRT (almost twice as heavy as SD tubes); I have not moved any of the CRT TVs in the shelves or the spares stored away.

[samsonlonghair]

One problem I’ve been seeing (or hearing) recently is noisy flyback transformers. It seems like every CRT screen I test out has a noisy flyback. Maybe some people can tune out that sound, but I can’t stand it! It’s like nails on a chalkboard to me.

[Anapan]

I've thrown a pile of TVs away for that. I'm investigating how to fix it, but the nuances still escape me. Most of mine don't have that problem, but I know a couple of people who have noisy CRTs that I have to ask them to turn off before I can have a conversation with them.
Last week my niece asked me to turn off my 1084 monitor because of the flyback noise. I can't hear it, but it's too bad that it has started making noise. I'll need to find a solution to this quickly.
Just like my joy from playing old games on passive matrix displays, I also have great fun playing games on shit CRTs.
Listing CRTs now? Okay:

1/2 inch composite modded CCD-TRV11 viewfinder. LGR did a video on it
2" Sony FD-2A Watchman - B&W
2" Sony FD-20A Watchman - B&W
5" Sony FD-40A Watchman - B&W
5" PVM 5041Q - Color
8" Sony KV-8AD10 - Color - Flyback transformer noise
8.5" Apple G090S - Green monocrome - Pic here
14" 1084 Amiga - My favorite screen. It handles composite so well, and it's the ideal RGB monitor IMO
14" AAmazing CM-8428SX SVGA - This one can handle SOG, and deals with low resolutions well. It can't display over 800x600.
17" AOC 7E-SLK SVGA - I used this all through highschool.
17" SyncMaster 753DF - found outside the recycling depot off-hours. I'm gonna make it into a vertical cabaret arcade cab.
21" Sony M50LMD15X - It can do 1920x1440.
25" Insignia - I'm going to turn this into a horizontal 2p arcade cab.
27" sony KV-27FS120 - This will be turned into a cocktail cab - it's just the right size that I can put horizontal controls and it'll still fit through a standard door frame.
32" FD Trinitron - This is currently in my WIP cocktail cabinet.

Yeah, too many. Tho aside from the tiny ones, each has a purpose - something I need it for.

[sevin0seven]

I've been thinking about offloading a CRT or two. I was hoarding them for the future...

haha , I'm also a hoarder of my CRTs.

On top of my head:

TVs:
30" Sony Wega (Wide Version - w/HDMI)
27" Sony Wega (w/ Component and HDMI)
27" Sharp (Has the best picture of all my CRT; forgot the model name)
27" Toshiba Trinitron (the same version in the background of Game Sack episodes)
20" Toshiba Trinitron
13" Sony Trinitron
10" Sony Trintiron

PC Monitors:
22" Viewsonic flat screen

[Ziggy]

Sev! What's up? It's been a while since we've crossed paths on the forum!

27" sony KV-27FS120 - This will be turned into a cocktail cab - it's just the right size that I can put horizontal controls and it'll still fit through a standard door frame.
32" FD Trinitron - This is currently in my WIP cocktail cabinet.

Hmm, interesting. I've never considered a cocktail cabinet. If I turned my 32" into a cocktail cabinet, that would kinda solve the issue of storage space. If I put it on caster wheels, I could roll it into a corner out of the way if need be. I could throw a table cloth over the top and just use it as an all-purpose table if need be. And I suppose I could also turn it back into a TV set for retro gaming if I ever needed to.

I suppose I could do the same thing with my smaller screens, too. It would probably be a hell of a lot easier too since that 32" beast weighs a TON.

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this before, but I'm terrified of getting electrocuted. I really need to find a way to get over this. I have a bunch of CRT sets. And I have a guitar tube amplifier which also needs to be discharged before you can safely work on it due to high voltages. I've watched several videos of how to discharge a CRT, and dozens of videos showing how to discharge tube amplifiers. Still, I'm scared to even attempt the discharge!

I can bring myself to deal with building wiring, I only have to check 3, 4, 5 times that the power is off lol. I have one of these, and I check way past the point of being sure. I'd really like to do some work in the panel, like add GFCI and AFCI breakers, but I'm too scared to work inside the panel. Again, even after watching dozens of videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0X28FX_XxtU