At what point do you think CRT's will be hard to find?

[Flam]

I know they are numberous and cheap now, but at some point I'd bet they are going to be harder to find, would you all agree? My point is how many do you have stashed? I have one extra right now, but thinking on stocking up with two more. What are your thoughts?

[Aussie2B]

Not in our lifetimes.

[bb_hood]

I dont see these becoming hard to find or expensive at all. CRT tvs are something that virtually everybody or every family would have at least one of at some point in time. There are just soo many of them out there, still. People love TV.
Id think that hoarding CRT tvs would just be a huge waste of space.

[Flam]

see, I think now is the optimal time to get them. With everything going to flat screen/HD, we are seeing alot of CRT's being dumped. I'm thinking in the next 10-15 years most will be in landfills.

[Flam]

virtually everybody or every family would have at least one of at some point in time. There are just soo many of them out there, still.

Yes but I think people are unloading them now


People love TV.

exactly, which is why I think they would be getting rid of out dated CTR's.


I know I'm probably in the minority in this, just seeing if anyone agrees, or sees where I'm coming from. I hope they are easily available during my life time.

[Aussie2B]

see, I think now is the optimal time to get them. With everything going to flat screen/HD, we are seeing alot of CRT's being dumped. I'm thinking in the next 10-15 years most will be in landfills.

By that logic, all 2600 games should be really hard to find now.

Although plenty did end up in a landfill, so maybe my comparison is a bit flawed here. :P

[kedawa]

Most CRTs were junk to begin with.
It took over a decade for televisions to even come close to the quality of the monitor that I got with my Amiga in 1989.
Anything without RGB input and adjustable screen geometry isn't worth keeping.

[bb_hood]

Anything without RGB input and adjustable screen geometry isn't worth keeping.

Very true, you also gotta think that demand will be very low. I cant see a use for CRT tvs other than playing older gaming systems.

[RP2A03]

It might not be a bad idea to pick up a higher end late model tube in prime condition now. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to find one whose phosphors aren't heavily worn.

[CRTGAMER]

I know they are numberous and cheap now, but at some point I'd bet they are going to be harder to find, would you all agree? My point is how many do you have stashed? I have one extra right now, but thinking on stocking up with two more. What are your thoughts?

The HD 4:3 CRTs will be hardest to find years from now. CRTs had only a few years as HDs and most of the limited of these were a wide screen tube. I own two 32" WEGA HD 4:3 CRTs, KV32HS500 in the living room and a "backup" KV32HV600 in the bedroom. The WEGA CRTs have an issue with the power detection chips which means more of these will fail sooner and get tossed. A shame since it is an under twenty dollar in parts though meticulous repair job.

I love the HD CRT especially the 4:3 screen, a good compromise supporting all the resolutions of Retro and current consoles as well as non HD and HD broadcast.

Sony Trinitron WEGA RLOD Repair Guide
http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=32118&p=458437#p458437

[dgdgagdae]

The HD 4:3 CRTs will be hardest to find years from now. CRTs had only a few years as HDs and most of the limited of these were a wide screen tube. I own two 32" WEGA HD 4:3 CRTs, KV32HS500 in the living room and a "backup" KV32HV600 in the bedroom. The WEGA CRTs have an issue with the power detection chips which means more of these will fail sooner and get tossed. A shame since it is an under twenty dollar in parts though meticulous repair job.

I love the HD CRT especially the 4:3 screen, a good compromise supporting all the resolutions of Retro and current consoles as well as non HD and HD broadcast.

Sony Trinitron WEGA RLOD Repair Guide
http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=32118&p=458437#p458437

An HD CRT still cannot support light guns though, so keep that in mind when looking for one.

[The 1 2 P]

Not in our lifetimes.

Pretty much. As long as there are Goodwills, yard sales, flea markets and junk shops you'll ALWAYS be able to find CRT's. You can still find vhs movies, cassette tapes and records over a decade after they are no longer sold new(well some places still sell new records) and you'll still be able to find these tv's decades from now.

[jesse977]

I bought a few crt's from craigslist recently and let me tell you even though they are cheap A LOT of them are in really crappy shape and dont work well. If you buy a crt make sure it has a remote. I bought a crt that I cant use because the ONLY way to change to video mode is through the original remote. I tried to make it work with 4 different remotes with no luck. Some crts are like that. If you are going to purchase one get a brand name. Sony Toshiba JVC make sweet crt's.

[Leo_A]

Last I knew, CRT televisions weren't something that you could toss several dozen of into a single shoebox and toss it into your attic or your basement to forget about for decades.

People tend to not hang on to big bulky heavy things that they don't have any intention of ever using again.

[kedawa]

Last I knew, CRT tv's weren't something you could toss several dozen of into a single shoebox and toss it into your attic or your basement.

That's why you stack them in your living room, with a VHS tape of Max Headroom playing continuously on them.

[VG_Maniac]

My question is...at what point do you think a working CRT will be hard to find? As far as I know, most TV repair shops will not fix tube TV's anymore...only modern flat panel HDTVs. So that means it will eventually get to the point where most CRTs out there will no longer work, cause even the newest ones will be at least 15 or 20 years old, and the only way to fix one is if you know how to do it yourself, cause repair shops will no longer touch them.

[Collector_Gaming]

I also bet there will be a guy building these tv's later on a nostalgia thing and selling them online or something.

[Flam]

alright, I've decided my new get rich 'eventually' sceem is to buy up alot of CRT's and sell them to retro gamers 10-15 years from now.

[Ro-J]

Collecting retro tech has become increasingly popular over the past several years and I expect this trend to continue. Unfortunatey with CRT's, they're BIG and HEAVY. Your avavilable consumer base for these items will be relatively small (20 mile radius from your home?) as the cost of shipping will be too prohibitive for most people. Maybe if you live in the middle of a city or similar high population density location.... but I just don't see it worth the cost of space.

[wingzrow]

Crts in general? No. SPECIFIC CRTS are already becoming difficult to find though.

Trying to track down any CRT that does RGB in the states for example is much harder than you would think.

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

I don't see CRTs becoming rare in my lifetime. According to a source on the Internet, 740,000,000 were sold since 1980. You have to figure about 150,000,000 are still in people's houses, somewhere. There's probably only about 2,000 retro enthusiasts seeking them. That leaves plenty for all of us.

Yes, people are throwing them away every day, but I imagine many others are reluctant to throw them out because 1) they still watch them, 2) they have sentimental value, 3) they live somewhere that has restrictions on disposing CRTs due to lead content.

As for these CRTs becoming damaged over time, hopefully since many of them aren't in everyday use anymore, they won't degrade as much.

[Collector_Gaming]

most crts you can hop on craigslist and get em for free.

The really big bastard ones sometimes you'll get people who will actually pay YOU to take them away

[theclaw]

TVs of any respectable quality for gaming already are. The average Joe owns crap, with the gall to defend using it. A lot of people were drawn hook line and sinker into belief or denial that composite video is better than it is.

[Leo_A]

They're talking about down the road rather than today.


My question is...at what point do you think a working CRT will be hard to find?

Probably not for a long time will it be difficult to locate a CRT that works. But the window to easily locate a high quality large CRT with hopefully a low number of hours on it locally isn't going to last forever.

These things aren't the same as Atari 2600 cartridges.


As far as I know, most TV repair shops will not fix tube TV's anymore...only modern flat panel HDTVs.

There are barely even television repair shops today. Outside of warranty work (Which even then it's not uncommon for the manufacturer to replace the set and scrap the old one, particularly if the model isn't the latest model), televisions are largely a disposable item today. You run it until it breaks and then purchase a replacement.


I also bet there will be a guy building these tv's later on a nostalgia thing and selling them online or something.

You can't scratch build components like a picture tube, an electron gun, etc. Even in the late 1940's when people were constructing their own tv's in small numbers, it was from kits that you mailed away for. All the end user did was assemble everything.

I could see someone specializing in restoring things like Trinitrons. Replacing capacitors, fixing issues that are able to be fixed, cannibalizing sets for spare parts, purchasing up lots of spare parts, etc. But shipping expenses are going to keep even something like that limited, not to mention the cost of the entire deal.

TV repair was never cheap even when every small village had a tv repairman. And just because a hobbyist is doing it for the classic gaming community isn't going to make it any cheaper. Someone that attempts to do something like that at cost is quickly going to get sick of it.

[The 1 2 P]

most crts you can hop on craigslist and get em for free.

The really big bastard ones sometimes you'll get people who will actually pay YOU to take them away

This is true and I almost forgot that. Many people just want to get rid of the really big ones so they will leave it on the curb and place a craigs list ad saying "free pick up".

[o.pwuaioc]

This is true and I almost forgot that. Many people just want to get rid of the really big ones so they will leave it on the curb and place a craigs list ad saying "free pick up".

Or, in NYC, without any sign or notice on Craigslist or anything. RIP, way too many CRTs that I see out for the trash.

[Buyatari]

Some units and some parts I'm sure will be hard to find and become valuable. Which ones I can't say. Most people will trash these because as you said they upgraded to newer sets and these things take up a lot of room. People keep old video games that no longer play in the attic but few people keep an old tv that they no longer use. Just like people sell or dispose of an old car when they get a new one.

They are everywhere now but it will dry up. In the 90's you could find stacks and stacks of early computers from the 70s and 80s. Thrift stores and flee markets to garage sales... everywhere you went they sold for next to nothing but these days they are somewhat rare to find in the wild. Of course you can find anything online but the prices have gone up quite a bit for some of these. So if you have the space there is no harm stocking a few of these away but I wouldn't want to deal with them.

[Gameguy]

You'd probably be able to find CRTs for a long time but good ones will be difficult. It's really the same with anything high end that's now obsolete, you can still find turntables and 70's/80's stereo equipment pretty easily but try finding good quality stuff for cheap. Usually you'll find the low end stuff that nobody wants, most of the quality stuff is either in need of servicing or it's very expensive. You used to be able to find the high end stuff for decent prices at yard sales or thrift stores but now it's rare. It's the same with CRTs, the good quality high end ones were extremely expensive originally so fewer people bought these compared to cheap sets. These ones in good condition will be in demand later on. The low end poor quality sets will always turn up for sale.

[Aussie2B]

Boy, this topic is a real winner. On top of the fear-mongering, we also have a heaping load of video quality snobbery. Are you guys trying to resurrect the spirit of Anthony1 or something? Am I the only one perfectly happy to use my classic consoles without modification? I don't have any CRTs that support RGB, and I really couldn't care less. As long as I have at least one that supports s-video, I'm good to go. And for the systems that don't support s-video without modification, I'll use composite. And if they don't support that, I'll even play in RF if that's the only option. Horror and shock, I'm sure.

[theclaw]

The point is such things are often legitimately inferior. Video quality has both subjective elements and quantifiable fact.

Of course that doesn't justify obsession or anything. Let's not forget the law of diminishing returns either.

[kedawa]

The only reason to use a CRT instead of a modern LCD/plasma is for the video quality.
If you're not a 'snob', just hook your old consoles up to your HDTV and be happy with the blurry, upscaled mess it presents you with.

[Leo_A]

Video snobbery? That's a laugh. I didn't see anyone acting in this thread as if there was something wrong with someone else if they don't own a high quality CRT with a full range of inputs from RF all the way to component and RGB or would seek one out if they were in the market for a new CRT. Nor did I see anyone acting as if there was something wrong if someone wasn't modding their Colecovision for component output or installing a S-Video modification into their Atari 2600. In fact I didn't even see video modifications being discussed.

And fear-mongering? Oh come on, they're just stating the obvious. These things aren't going to be sticking around in huge numbers for years to come. The comparison someone made with older vehicles after they're taken off the road was far more accurate than your suggestion that a large supply of good used CRT's are safely going to be tucked away because so many Atari 2600 cartridges that barely take up any space and weigh very little even when dozens of them are involved have survived. Even classic gaming consoles themselves like 6 switch Atari 2600's take up just a small amount of space and more importantly weight just a tiny fraction of even a small CRT.

The only attitude I saw was from the person that just jumped in acting like something was wrong when people were discussing high quality CRT's becoming scare. Why someone might not be happy with that $5 13" CRT with just a RF connection a few years down the road from a brand that nobody ever heard of that they could've bought for $100 new at Wal-Mart a few decades earlier, isn't hard to comprehend. But why it would bother someone else that others prefer and seek out top of the line CRT's that are sometimes even available free these days is beyond puzzling.

If you're happy with any CRT that you can find as long as it works, that's great and it will make your job that much easier to continue playing game's on a CRT for years to come. But don't act like there's something wrong if others don't. I'd just as assume let a HDTV scaling chip negatively affect my experience and save some space than play on a low end CRT of poor quality without a full range of inputs negatively affecting my video quality.

[Aussie2B]

You guys are hopeless and continue to prove my point. I love how just because I don't necessitate playing all my classic games in RGB I'm some sloven who's happy playing on a low-quality, RF-only, 13" CRT or I'd be content with a blurry, upscaled mess on an HDTV. If you guys can't see how there's a HUGE range between those, then you're lost causes.

First of all, input options don't equal quality. It's not like every TV produced without RGB is shitty, nor is every TV with a lot of options high quality. I have a TV from around 1990 that only has RF that has a great picture for what it does. Everybody who sees it tells me that it has a surprisingly good picture. I have another that only does composite, and it's also great at what it does. And my main, large CRT that has s-video has an excellent picture. I hook up every system I can via s-video (that is, if they support it), and it looks very sharp and clear. It's far better than the picture I get on my HDTV, thank you very much.

And even though modification wasn't mentioned by name, that's a given here. We're talking about retro systems. So unless we're talking PAL systems, which I believe do support RGB, modification is a necessity if you want RGB output. I have a ton of different classic consoles, including just about every major one, and none support RGB out of the box. I guess I'm just some idiot for actually using my systems as they were made. Where was I when it suddenly became a rule that everybody has to drop an extra $100 per system to ship them off to some hobbyist to drill a bunch of holes into my collectibles?

Oh well, I guess I'll continue to enjoy my ignorant bliss with my games that look like a mess and my TVs that aren't even worth keeping.

PS: The 2600 comment was half in jest. But the general point is that plenty of things from many decades ago are still plentiful. Old video game systems like the 2600 and NES aren't hard to find either, and they're relatively large. Stack a couple and it's practically the same size as a small CRT TV. And you'd be surprised at what people hang onto for decades in their attics/garages/closets. Sometimes it's the big stuff that hangs around even longer, if only because it's not necessarily easy to get rid of large stuff. Unless it's a real small one, you can't just drop a TV in a garbage can (and you may get in trouble for that anyway). You can't always leave a TV at the curb either. For a lot of people, the only options are to go out of your way and drive to a dump and spend money to get rid of it, donate it somewhere, or find someone to take it. When faced with the effort needed to get rid of something like that, many people just get lazy and forget about it wherever it's stored away. But this is ignoring an even more important point: countless CRT TVs are still actively in use. Remember the switch to digital? Remember those boxes that people could get to continue using their old TVs? Plenty of people are using those to pick up free TV on their old sets. These kind of people don't care about paying for cable or having an HD picture. And others yet who do pay for cable get boxes from the company that convert the signal for their old sets. My mother, father, and brother all use these methods to continue using their CRT TVs. I'm actually the only one in my family to own an HDTV, and if I didn't own modern game consoles, I don't know if even I'd bother with one. I don't really care about watching TV in HD either. And the most important point here is that the topic is merely asking when CRT TVs will be hard to find. The question isn't when huge, top-of-the-line, RGB-supporting CRTs will be hard to find. That's why I say that this is a bunch of fear-mongering. The evidence suggests that CRTs will be plentiful for a LONG time, even quite good ones. If you're looking for specific, rare models, then that's a different matter for a different topic, and, yeah, they'll probably be tough to find, just as I imagine they're probably tough to find right now.

[kedawa]

Just shut up.

[Gameguy]

Boy, this topic is a real winner. On top of the fear-mongering, we also have a heaping load of video quality snobbery. Are you guys trying to resurrect the spirit of Anthony1 or something? Am I the only one perfectly happy to use my classic consoles without modification? I don't have any CRTs that support RGB, and I really couldn't care less. As long as I have at least one that supports s-video, I'm good to go. And for the systems that don't support s-video without modification, I'll use composite. And if they don't support that, I'll even play in RF if that's the only option. Horror and shock, I'm sure.
I'm not sure if this was aimed somewhat at me or not, but I'm not talking about modding systems or needing RGB compatible TVs. None of my TVs have RGB inputs, so far just composite and I still use RF on my older systems. My DVD player is just hooked up with RF as well as my VHS VCR. I just have some spare good TVs as people offered them to me for free or they would have been thrown out, and why not keep them as spares? I don't exactly have a lot of spare space so I'll only bother to store these if they're good quality, if they're low end/poorly built TVs I don't see a reason to bother with them. I've seen some used poor quality TVs in thrift stores with other people trying them out, the pictures sometimes look blurry or the colours look washed out, sometimes there's other errors or problems with them too. I wouldn't be surprised if the reason so many people complain about RF or composite is because they're using poorly built TVs that aren't looking so good anymore. As for becoming hard to find, look at vector arcade monitors. Finding replacement ones to get old arcade machines working again is getting difficult, people who had NOS monitors just a few years ago have pretty much ran out of them. These TVs will get hard to find years from now, not impossible but certainly not common.


The only reason to use a CRT instead of a modern LCD/plasma is for the video quality.
If you're not a 'snob', just hook your old consoles up to your HDTV and be happy with the blurry, upscaled mess it presents you with.
Yeah, the only reason I'm using a CRT TV from the 90's as my main TV is for the better video quality. Not having to spend hundreds of dollars on a LCD/Plasma TV isn't something that affects my decision at all, it's strictly about the video quality. :roll:

[kedawa]

You can get an LCD for $100.
Don't be an ass.

[theclaw]

You guys are hopeless and continue to prove my point. I love how just because I don't necessitate playing all my classic games in RGB I'm some sloven who's happy playing on a low-quality, RF-only, 13" CRT or I'd be content with a blurry, upscaled mess on an HDTV. If you guys can't see how there's a HUGE range between those, then you're lost causes.

Quit being hypocritical. Such accusations made with that attitude don't help your case.
It's common sense the middle ground is ideal for most users. Nobody competent needs to be told that higher and higher end options become less cost effective past a certain point.


First of all, input options don't equal quality. It's not like every TV produced without RGB is shitty, nor is every TV with a lot of options high quality. I have a TV from around 1990 that only has RF that has a great picture for what it does. Everybody who sees it tells me that it has a surprisingly good picture. I have another that only does composite, and it's also great at what it does. And my main, large CRT that has s-video has an excellent picture. I hook up every system I can via s-video (that is, if they support it), and it looks very sharp and clear. It's far better than the picture I get on my HDTV, thank you very much.

True. What input options offer is POTENTIAL quality. Because composite and s-video are lossy formats, TVs limited to them cannot receive as pure of source video to work with, compared to component or RGB models.
No one has implied there aren't seriously awful RGB TVs.


And even though modification wasn't mentioned by name, that's a given here. We're talking about retro systems. So unless we're talking PAL systems, which I believe do support RGB, modification is a necessity if you want RGB output. I have a ton of different classic consoles, including just about every major one, and none support RGB out of the box. I guess I'm just some idiot for actually using my systems as they were made. Where was I when it suddenly became a rule that everybody has to drop an extra $100 per system to ship them off to some hobbyist to drill a bunch of holes into my collectibles?

Oh well, I guess I'll continue to enjoy my ignorant bliss with my games that look like a mess and my TVs that aren't even worth keeping.

Consider 1985 the cut-off year. Sega Master System introduced console RGB to the US on a wide scale. Standard versions of Genesis, SNES, Saturn, Dreamcast, PS1, and PS2 followed suit (to name examples).
There's a major difference between good and bad hobbyists. RGB is a perfectly valid improvement given proper care. It's so obvious that work done wrong could damage the hardware, we don't need to mention it.


PS: The 2600 comment was half in jest. But the general point is that plenty of things from many decades ago are still plentiful. Old video game systems like the 2600 and NES aren't hard to find either, and they're relatively large. Stack a couple and it's practically the same size as a small CRT TV. And you'd be surprised at what people hang onto for decades in their attics/garages/closets. Sometimes it's the big stuff that hangs around even longer, if only because it's not necessarily easy to get rid of large stuff. Unless it's a real small one, you can't just drop a TV in a garbage can (and you may get in trouble for that anyway). You can't always leave a TV at the curb either. For a lot of people, the only options are to go out of your way and drive to a dump and spend money to get rid of it, donate it somewhere, or find someone to take it. When faced with the effort needed to get rid of something like that, many people just get lazy and forget about it wherever it's stored away. But this is ignoring an even more important point: countless CRT TVs are still actively in use. Remember the switch to digital? Remember those boxes that people could get to continue using their old TVs? Plenty of people are using those to pick up free TV on their old sets. These kind of people don't care about paying for cable or having an HD picture. And others yet who do pay for cable get boxes from the company that convert the signal for their old sets. My mother, father, and brother all use these methods to continue using their CRT TVs. I'm actually the only one in my family to own an HDTV, and if I didn't own modern game consoles, I don't know if even I'd bother with one. I don't really care about watching TV in HD either. And the most important point here is that the topic is merely asking when CRT TVs will be hard to find. The question isn't when huge, top-of-the-line, RGB-supporting CRTs will be hard to find. That's why I say that this is a bunch of fear-mongering. The evidence suggests that CRTs will be plentiful for a LONG time, even quite good ones. If you're looking for specific, rare models, then that's a different matter for a different topic, and, yeah, they'll probably be tough to find, just as I imagine they're probably tough to find right now.

Well I'll concede it's not my place to judge which CRTs I'd consider worth using. I've seen very few models in action to give much specific insight.

[Buyatari]

You guys are hopeless and continue to prove my point. I love how just because I don't necessitate playing all my classic games in RGB I'm some sloven who's happy playing on a low-quality, RF-only, 13" CRT or I'd be content with a blurry, upscaled mess on an HDTV. If you guys can't see how there's a HUGE range between those, then you're lost causes.

First of all, input options don't equal quality. It's not like every TV produced without RGB is shitty, nor is every TV with a lot of options high quality. I have a TV from around 1990 that only has RF that has a great picture for what it does. Everybody who sees it tells me that it has a surprisingly good picture. I have another that only does composite, and it's also great at what it does. And my main, large CRT that has s-video has an excellent picture. I hook up every system I can via s-video (that is, if they support it), and it looks very sharp and clear. It's far better than the picture I get on my HDTV, thank you very much.

And even though modification wasn't mentioned by name, that's a given here. We're talking about retro systems. So unless we're talking PAL systems, which I believe do support RGB, modification is a necessity if you want RGB output. I have a ton of different classic consoles, including just about every major one, and none support RGB out of the box. I guess I'm just some idiot for actually using my systems as they were made. Where was I when it suddenly became a rule that everybody has to drop an extra $100 per system to ship them off to some hobbyist to drill a bunch of holes into my collectibles?

Oh well, I guess I'll continue to enjoy my ignorant bliss with my games that look like a mess and my TVs that aren't even worth keeping.

PS: The 2600 comment was half in jest. But the general point is that plenty of things from many decades ago are still plentiful. Old video game systems like the 2600 and NES aren't hard to find either, and they're relatively large. Stack a couple and it's practically the same size as a small CRT TV. And you'd be surprised at what people hang onto for decades in their attics/garages/closets. Sometimes it's the big stuff that hangs around even longer, if only because it's not necessarily easy to get rid of large stuff. Unless it's a real small one, you can't just drop a TV in a garbage can (and you may get in trouble for that anyway). You can't always leave a TV at the curb either. For a lot of people, the only options are to go out of your way and drive to a dump and spend money to get rid of it, donate it somewhere, or find someone to take it. When faced with the effort needed to get rid of something like that, many people just get lazy and forget about it wherever it's stored away. But this is ignoring an even more important point: countless CRT TVs are still actively in use. Remember the switch to digital? Remember those boxes that people could get to continue using their old TVs? Plenty of people are using those to pick up free TV on their old sets. These kind of people don't care about paying for cable or having an HD picture. And others yet who do pay for cable get boxes from the company that convert the signal for their old sets. My mother, father, and brother all use these methods to continue using their CRT TVs. I'm actually the only one in my family to own an HDTV, and if I didn't own modern game consoles, I don't know if even I'd bother with one. I don't really care about watching TV in HD either. And the most important point here is that the topic is merely asking when CRT TVs will be hard to find. The question isn't when huge, top-of-the-line, RGB-supporting CRTs will be hard to find. That's why I say that this is a bunch of fear-mongering. The evidence suggests that CRTs will be plentiful for a LONG time, even quite good ones. If you're looking for specific, rare models, then that's a different matter for a different topic, and, yeah, they'll probably be tough to find, just as I imagine they're probably tough to find right now.


This thread has NOTHING to do with one upping other gamers. Pure speculation on the future price of out dated electronics. In a nutshell the question he is asking is..... Do you think the price will go up in the future and why. The information on how these TVs are different is interesting to me so I enjoy these conversations.

Personally I use whatever TV I have laying around to play games on. One on my TVs fell over and has a huge purple spot in the corner. Still works so I don't throw it away but it is far from a top notch electronic device.

I think a better example than the old 2600 carts would be a radio. EVERY house in America had a large old tube radio and sure they are out there but certain models are now hard to find and considered desirable. Why? because most people chucked these things out years ago. For most people if you upgrade that means you are not using it any longer AND it takes up too much room. Trust me if there is a female in the house that combination just doesn't fly. You will go to work and the next day it is GONE !!!

[BricatSegaFan]

I should be ashamed at myself then. I just got a huge 36 in Sony wega with hdmi and rgb inputs for some of my retro gaming as well as a 27 in Toshiba.

I used to use just composite and rf but man does rgb look fantastic!

[Parodius Duh!]

Give me a beater, cabinet looking TV anyday to rip NES on, that reminds me of my childhood and means more to me than perfect picture quality. Without the blips and static and fuzziness its just not the same. I like to feel nostalgic.


But Of course I have a 42" RCA CRK76A1 which is by far the best CRT for vintage console gaming. Blows a Wega out of the water. Has every hook up you can imagine and an incredible picture and audio.


As far as CRTs being hard to find.......I wouldnt worry for the next 10 years at least. Goodwill has piles of CRTs, at least in my area.

[kedawa]

Nostalgia doesn't need to be justified, but it does wear off for most of us.
People still listen to eighties music, but how many insist on using a cassette deck to do so?

[Leo_A]

I should be ashamed at myself then. I just got a huge 36 in Sony wega with hdmi and rgb inputs for some of my retro gaming as well as a 27 in Toshiba.

Snob ;)

[bb_hood]

I think there is a differance between something being hard to find in the future and something being expensive because its something alot of people want and hard to find. Like for example if my current CRT breaks 10 years from now it might take 2-4 weeks to find one locally thats exactly what I want, but thats really not a huge concern because I can handle going that long without a CRT. But if 10 years from now a replacement CRT ends up costing 400-500$ because they are rare and sought after... that would really suck.

Also you gotta keep in mind that if you were to stockpile a bunch of large CRTs with future plans and then later on have to move, you would probably end up just having to give or throw them away.
Just because they are something we like as gamers doesnt mean they are something that many people care about at all. Where I live in order to dispose of any tv or monitor you gotta pay a recyling fee (15$ i think).

[kedawa]

Charging a recycling fee is such an absurd idea. They may as well just tell people to leave them on the side of the highway.

[bb_hood]

Charging a recycling fee is such an absurd idea. They may as well just tell people to leave them on the side of the highway.

The only problem with this is that in RI recyling is the law, transfer station or local pickup will not take them otherwise. Leaving them on the side of the road is obviously illegal

[Gameguy]

Where I am you're charged an environmental fee whenever you buy electronics like a new TV or a computer, you're basically forced to pay for recycling costs up front so you won't be charged when you drop the things off later.

Even so I believe CRT TVs can still be thrown out with household waste, I'm not sure why that is when other electronics or computer equipment have to be disposed of properly but last I checked actual TVs were acceptable for regular household disposal. I would have to double check to see if that was changed recently but I know as of a few years ago that's how it was.

[bb_hood]

Where I am you're charged an environmental fee whenever you buy electronics like a new TV or a computer, you're basically forced to pay for recycling costs up front so you won't be charged when you drop the things off later.

Even so I believe CRT TVs can still be thrown out with household waste, I'm not sure why that is when other electronics or computer equipment have to be disposed of properly but last I checked actual TVs were acceptable for regular household disposal. I would have to double check to see if that was changed recently but I know as of a few years ago that's how it was.

Its mainly a regional thing when it comes to stuff like this, different states have different laws. Where I live you gotta pay fees for getting rid of other things as well like paint cans and matresses, but the general fee to use the transfer station is very cheap.

My basic point is that if you were to stockpile CRTs, you might at some point just need or want them gone. Disposing of them would become a headache and might cost you some money.

[kedawa]

They do that where I live as well, and it's a complete sham. The fees are completely arbitrary, and the recyclers actually make money from anything new enough to have had the fee attached, so the program is nothing but a cash grab. I refuse to pay it, so I don't buy anything from the major retailers. There are smaller shops that don't charge the recycling fee or the bogus 'recordable media levy' on CD/DVD-Rs that corrupt politicians have forced onto us.

The only problem with this is that in RI recyling is the law, transfer station or local pickup will not take them otherwise. Leaving them on the side of the road is obviously illegal
Illegal =/= impractical.
In my city, they stopped taking hazardous materials for household pickup and expected people to bring their old car batteries and paint cans and whatnot to some facility in the middle of nowhere. It was completely impractical, and all that hazardous waste just ended up in the regular garbage or dumped on public property. Now all you have to do is call the city and tell them to come pick it up.

[bb_hood]

They do that where I live as well, and it's a complete sham. The fees are completely arbitrary, and the recyclers actually make money from anything new enough to have had the fee attached, so the program is nothing but a cash grab. I refuse to pay it, so I don't buy anything from the major retailers. There are smaller shops that don't charge the recycling fee or the bogus 'recordable media levy' on CD/DVD-Rs that corrupt politicians have forced onto us.

Illegal =/= impractical.
In my city, they stopped taking hazardous materials for household pickup and expected people to bring their old car batteries and paint cans and whatnot to some facility in the middle of nowhere. It was completely impractical, and all that hazardous waste just ended up in the regular garbage or dumped on public property. Now all you have to do is call the city and tell them to come pick it up.

Of course money is made from recycling. Its more state revenue that would otherwise just end up as bulk in the landfill. This comes from collection of metal and paper. I think paying recycling fees to dispose of stuff is because there is something toxic or hazardous inside. Like I said its the law in my state, so arguing that its a sham or not is kinda irrelevant because if I needed to get rid of like 5 CRT monitors its just an issue I would have to deal with. Leaving garbage on the side of the road is never an option for me.

[kedawa]

That's on you.

[kainemaxwell]

In my town there's an electronics recycling place people take stuff to for money, I think it's like $1 a pound or something. Last I checked when it comes to tvs and monitors, they'll take them not for money.

Other hand worse case, I have an old 1 input RCA crt (think like 20 to 30 inches) sitting in the breezeway I was using before I got my hdtv that's always a suitable backup.

[Esquire Fox]

CRT televisions may still be plentiful, but finding one with a good tube is getting harder and harder. Having spent the better part of 2 years looking out for a specific model of tube (found in a specific range of Zenith TVs), I have yet to find a tube with a great picture. The color guns break, leaving the picture with a pink or greenish tint, and some tubes have moderate to heavy burn in. All I want to do is replace a tube in my Playchoice-10 that has some light burn-in. If I knew how to swap the color guns, I would just find a tube with bad color guns but a clear display and I'd be set. However, the processes is risky if you don't know what you're doing. I could easily end up destroying both tubes in the processes.

I wonder if CRT tubes will ever be manufactured again. There are a lot of arcade hobbyists, so the demand is certainly there. Though I'd imagine it would be costly to manufacture in such a limited quantity.

[kedawa]

I don't think they'll ever come back.
Arcade monitors don't have to be multiscan capable for any one specific game, so a fixed pixel alternative like OLED or LCD would be more practical.
The only type of product that still uses CRTs is the oscilloscope, and even those are transitioning to other display technologies.