Is anyone else here stockpiling CRT televisions ?

[imanerd0011]

I picked up a nice Sony Trinitron last weekend (KV-32HS510), but what I really wanted was the KV-40XBR800. It's the largest and highest quality Sony Trinitron 4:3 television ever. I'm just waiting until one pops up nearby that has the stand.

[FxMercenary]

I picked up a nice Sony Trinitron last weekend (KV-32HS510), but what I really wanted was the KV-40XBR800. It's the largest and highest quality Sony Trinitron 4:3 television ever. I'm just waiting until one pops up nearby that has the stand.

ah yes, the Sony XBR! Heres a pic of mine, the top mount subwoofer kicks @$$!

[imanerd0011]

Nice T.V.!

I picked up this T.V. and stand last weekend:

http://www.ultimatehometheater.com/i...V32HS510_2.jpg

The stand isn't really ideal for gaming, but I was able to get all 4 of my retro consoles on there without it looking to crowded.

I'm happy with the picture and LOVE the sound, but I'm still looking for something bigger/better. My only concern would be getting a 300+lb T.V. down my narrow and steep basement stairs.

[Retromangia]

Hey guys... great discussion going on here about old Tube TV's. I too must confess.. I have 3 hooked up in my apt now (1 in every room)...

This post is about which Sony Tube TV is THE DEFINITIVE model for 8bit - 64bit gaming. Everything from Sega Master System to Nintendo 64. (My next post will be about which Sony tube is best for newer consoles with 480p support (PS2, XBOX1, Gamecube).

Let me ask this now... is there an all in one SONY TV that does both SD and 480p perfectly?


Anyway... can anyone tell me what they think is The definitive CRT TV? We can safely say it's a Sony... but which Sony is best? I know the "Super Fine pitch" model's have the highest resolution, but wouldn't there be processing artifacts when going to lower resolutions like that of a SNES or Genesis?

I know there's lots of talk about native resolution on newer HDTV's, and as such If you don't have your game console set to that of the same resolution of the TV, the game will look like crap. Do Super Fine pitch SONY's have this problem as well? Their cross hybrid of analog/digitalness throw's me off a bit.


Below is a list of all the tube types that Sony produced. I hear on some forums that the "Hi-Scan" models actually look better than "SFP" in standard definition gaming.

Does anyone have experience with all 3 Sony tube types, and can compare the difference for us?


Trade name / Physical Resolution

Super Fine Pitch -1440x1080i
Hi-Scan -853x1080i
WEGA 16:9 -480i
WEGA -480i



By the way, this is a great thread that should be Sticky'd.. I think every gamer should want to experience all their retro gaming goodness the best way possible. Your TV will have the most significant impact on that.

[imanerd0011]

I'm not really sure exactly what model Sony Trinitron is the absolute best. I'm actually trying to find out the exact same thing myself at the moment.
The best for gaming would definitely be a 4:3 model. Since you plan on playing in 480P, it would have to be one of the HD sets, so that you could play Gamecube/Wii in 480P.
The best 4:3 model is the KD-36XS955. It is the only 4:3 Super Fine Pitch model. I'm trying to get one, but am having a hell of a time finding one nearby.
Here is a wikipage on all of the Sony Trinitron models:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FD_Trinitron/WEGA

I currently have the KV-32HS510, and I'm happy with it. NES/SNES looks good on it, and Wii in 480P looks awesome! Way better than it does on my Samsung Ln32B460. The only reason why I'm still looking is that I want the absolute best, since they currently sell for so little.
I wish there was more info out there, as to which models are the best for gaming, but there really isn't.

Hey guys... great discussion going on here about old Tube TV's. I too must confess.. I have 3 hooked up in my apt now (1 in every room)...

This post is about which Sony Tube TV is THE DEFINITIVE model for 8bit - 64bit gaming. Everything from Sega Master System to Nintendo 64. (My next post will be about which Sony tube is best for newer consoles with 480p support (PS2, XBOX1, Gamecube).

Let me ask this now... is there an all in one SONY TV that does both SD and 480p perfectly?


Anyway... can anyone tell me what they think is The definitive CRT TV? We can safely say it's a Sony... but which Sony is best? I know the "Super Fine pitch" model's have the highest resolution, but wouldn't there be processing artifacts when going to lower resolutions like that of a SNES or Genesis?

I know there's lots of talk about native resolution on newer HDTV's, and as such If you don't have your game console set to that of the same resolution of the TV, the game will look like crap. Do Super Fine pitch SONY's have this problem as well? Their cross hybrid of analog/digitalness throw's me off a bit.


Below is a list of all the tube types that Sony produced. I hear on some forums that the "Hi-Scan" models actually look better than "SFP" in standard definition gaming.

Does anyone have experience with all 3 Sony tube types, and can compare the difference for us?


Trade name / Physical Resolution

Super Fine Pitch -1440x1080i
Hi-Scan -853x1080i
WEGA 16:9 -480i
WEGA -480i



By the way, this is a great thread that should be Sticky'd.. I think every gamer should want to experience all their retro gaming goodness the best way possible. Your TV will have the most significant impact on that.

[Baloo]

I found out that the main TV in my house is a 42" Sony Grand Wega, rear projection screen, serial number KDF-42WE655, manufactured in 2004. It's a great TV, the old and new games look wonderful on it. Older 3D systems like the Saturn don't look jagged like they do on the more modern LCD TVs. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a good TV. I'm not sure if light guns work on the TV or not though, haven't tried any.

[Leo_A]

The best for gaming would definitely be a 4:3 model. Since you plan on playing in 480P, it would have to be one of the HD sets, so that you could play Gamecube/Wii in 480P.

No you wouldn't, they've made EDTV sets.

[imanerd0011]

No you wouldn't, they've made EDTV sets.

What do you mean by this?

[TheDomesticInstitution]

What do you mean by this?

He means that during the transition from analog sets to digital sets a few companies introduced something called "EDTV" sets. At the time, EDTV were more affordable digital sets because they only displayed digital signals in 480p (or 480i). If I'm not mistaken some of them would down convert 720p and 1080i signals to the sets native 480p resolution. Of course, I have no idea why anyone would want one of these sets nowadays. If you're gaming is primarily with 480p capable games only, then maybe. Samsung made a few of them, and from what I remember from my TV salesmen days, they had a horrible "red push." If it were me I'd either buy a new HD set or find an analog set.

[Leo_A]

What do you mean by this?

If someone wants to play 480p content, they don't need a HDTV like you said they did. There are 480p televisions out there. It's known as extended definition. 480p isn't HD. I believe Sony even offerred a few EDTV CRT's a few years ago before the rush towards LCD/DLP/Plasma started.

They're the best way to play 480p content since they're natively 480p.

[imanerd0011]

If someone wants to play 480p content, they don't need a HDTV like you said they did. There are 480p televisions out there. It's known as extended definition. 480p isn't HD. I believe Sony even offerred a few EDTV CRT's a few years ago before the rush towards LCD/DLP/Plasma started.

They're the best way to play 480p content since they're natively 480p.

Oh, I see.

I always thought that the HD CRT televisions were the absolute best for 480P (or at least that is what I had read).

[jdchess]

I have a 30" Toshiba 16:9 HD CRT. It'll display 1080i and 540p...not a typo...it's actually 540p and not 480p.

AMAZING TV...the picture quality is incredible...perfect game room TV. SNES games look incredible.

[Greg2600]

Here's an old thread I remember well. Why am I adding to it? Well, not really stockpiling, but here's a weird thing I've seen lately. When I'm riding my bike I can see this kind of stuff, as opposed to zooming past in the car. I've seen many CRT's left on the curb or side of the road, and they are opened up, with ALL components inside missing except for the tube. Literally. Is there something in there valuable? I think the flywheel assemblies have copper but I didn't think that much of it.

[wiggyx]

I can't think of anything of value in em :/

I see a lot more old rear projection TVs than anything at this point. Use to pick em up and fix-flip em. Pretty damned easy to fix. 90% of the time a new bulb would do it

[MetalFRO]

I'm wondering about others' experience with rear-projection LCD sets. I bought a 55" Sony WEGA from an acquaintance, and it's a great TV. It does 720p max output, but I think it looks good at lower resolutions as well. I was playing my TG-16 for a few hours on it the other day, and other than a bit of light discoloration in spots (could be my crappy ancient composite switchbox I have it hooked to), I thought the graphics all looked nice. I don't know about how that compares with a full 1080p set, since I've never owned anything higher res or nicer than this unit, but I've played several consoles on it, including a Genesis (composite), Saturn (S-Video), XBox (Component), Gamecube (S-Video), etc. and I think they all look pretty good. It kind of marries the advantages of LCD and CRT together in a way, because it's screen is flat and there's no image distortion in the corners like you'd get with a CRT. Plus the colors are bright and clear, and nearly as accurate as my last 2 CRT sets (one of which I still have/use). Anyone else have any experience with rear-projection LCD and older consoles? I'd be curious to know what others think. Assuming I can afford it when it's released, I'm considering the Retron5, and that will be hooked up via HDMI alongside my PS3 and Roku, and I suspect that will look fantastic on this set.

[bigbacon]

there is a huge yard crawl this weekend out by me and I will be on the lookout for a decent CRT TV.

[sloan]

I saw a 36" JVC CRT at a thrift for $15 a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately, I didn't have room in my car for it.

[Greg2600]

Don't know where you live, but I DO suggest trying Craigslist. I say that because high quality CRT's are cheap, and you can see it in a picture before wasting your time.

[TheRetroVideoGameAddict]

I have all of my game consoles hooked up to a 50 inch 1080p TV and I prefer it that way, but I do kind of miss the nostalgic feel of a CRT television at times. Still, I have no plans to go back and enjoy my set up the way it is, but yeah, it seems like most of my retro video game collecting buddies are still holding onto CRT's and seem to like the look and feel of their games better using them than putting money into a top of the line big screen.

Either which way, if you're enjoying your games than that's all that matters.

[bigbacon]

I saw a 36" JVC CRT at a thrift for $15 a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately, I didn't have room in my car for it.

this is sorta my problem also but I want one just to store it until I have a place to put it. My 50" plasma works wonders on all my old consoles except I can't do any light gun stuff, which I have a ton of SMS gun games I haven't been able to play yet.