Do you have a CRT TV or a Flat screen TV?

[Gregg2]

Power consumption is the only thing I can think of to justify buying a new TV. Hardly enough to chuck out a good, working TV though!

Well, I'm increasingly annoyed that my "square" CRT is not respected by broadcasters, who insist on sending only the "movie theater" image which gets cut off at either side of the screen. Now, my converter box can "fix" that by blacking out the top and bottom of the screen, which I don't like much either. I paid for the whole screen, I want to use it! But on satellite, I haven't explored that possibility.

I also am not about to let those broadcasters dictate to me that I have to not only buy a new TV to replace one that works just fine, but also new furniture. Even if you mount the thing on the wall, if you've got a 5-foot tall cabinet now, you'll have to junk it so you can see the bottom of the new screen.

What humors me is seeing all these huge TV screens in small 3-bedroom homes. (After dark, take a walk around and you can see them through a window.) Who needs an image that large when you can only get 10-12 feet away from the TV, max?

 

[0098386]

^ The smallest bedroom TV we have is 40". It's just nice sitting back with a huge image . It's engulfing.

We only have flat displays in our house. LCD, Plasma, TV's monitors... All the same now. Even our newest TV (2010 Bravia) still hasn't got the same rich blacks that our last tube TV had (2002). But still. It's all good! I like these new displays for the range of ports, how much space I save and the sharpness of the image. I don't even think they sell HD tube TV's in Europe. Or at least I've never seen one in shops.

No HD though. Don't believe in it. I can see the difference of high resolutions when I'm playing games on my PC, but in the living room my Xbox could be at 480 or 1080p... Sat back on the sofa it all looks the same! That said our sofas are 2-4 metres from the TV (46").

 

[Rodimus Prime]

Well I have a 19 in CRT that is in the garage and a 32 in LCD that is in the House. I moved back home to go back to school. LCD came into the house. CRT stored in the garage.
When I was living in my apartment I put my CRT in my bed room and would some times watch a little TV before I went to bed but it was pretty limited. Most of my real watching went on my living room on my 720p.

 

[mrsir2009]

^ The smallest bedroom TV we have is 40". It's just nice sitting back with a huge image . It's engulfing.

We only have flat displays in our house. LCD, Plasma, TV's monitors... All the same now. Even our newest TV (2010 Bravia) still hasn't got the same rich blacks that our last tube TV had (2002). But still. It's all good!

No HD though. Don't believe in it. I can see the difference of high resolutions when I'm playing games on my PC, but in the living room my Xbox could be at 480 or 1080p... Sat back on the sofa it all looks the same! That said our sofas are 2-4 metres from the TV (46")

Finally someone who agrees HD doesn't matter when your watching the telly

 

[RockPortTech]

50 inch Samsung 3D t.v. my wife wanted earlier this year. Funny thing we both wear glasses and from the bed now, a good 15 feet away, we can see all the letters of our DirecTv guide without them we don't bother with the 3D part, damn glasses for those are too pricey, but the picture quality on our tv is the really great for movies, and it has scary real surround sound.

 

[Fubar1977]

I have both and the flatscreen HDTV`s run rings around the CRT.

 

[mrsir2009]

Well, I'm increasingly annoyed that my "square" CRT is not respected by broadcasters, who insist on sending only the "movie theater" image which gets cut off at either side of the screen. Now, my converter box can "fix" that by blacking out the top and bottom of the screen, which I don't like much either. I paid for the whole screen, I want to use it! But on satellite, I haven't explored that possibility.

I also am not about to let those broadcasters dictate to me that I have to not only buy a new TV to replace one that works just fine, but also new furniture. Even if you mount the thing on the wall, if you've got a 5-foot tall cabinet now, you'll have to junk it so you can see the bottom of the new screen.

What humors me is seeing all these huge TV screens in small 3-bedroom homes. (After dark, take a walk around and you can see them through a window.) Who needs an image that large when you can only get 10-12 feet away from the TV, max?

Yes I hate widescreen stuff. It gets cut off or has black borders on the top and bottom.

Why exactly is "widescreen" better than square screen again?

 

[Young Spade]

Yes I hate widescreen stuff. It gets cut off or has black borders on the top and bottom.

Why exactly is "widescreen" better than square screen again?

I'm assuming that question is rhetorical? But our eyes allow us to see in "widescreen"; creating a screen and compatible video increases comfort and makes the experience a little bit more natural.

 

[MacNut]

I wish everything was broadcast wide screen. I don't like seeing my picture cropped on my 4:3 TV knowing that I am missing content. This is especially true when watching sports. Fox is broadcasting everything widescreen now I just wish the others would do the same.

Finally someone who agrees HD doesn't matter when your watching the telly

I disagree, at my cousins for easter they have HD sets and it is amazing the detail you can see with it. It is night and day from standard def.

 

[0098386]

I disagree, at my cousins for easter they have HD sets and it is amazing the detail you can see with it. It is night and day from standard def.

Up close, yeah. But sat back and everything blurs back to 576p. And by back I mean 2-4 metres away from a 46" Bravia.

 

[mrsir2009]

I wish everything was broadcast wide screen. I don't like seeing my picture cropped on my 4:3 TV knowing that I am missing content. This is especially true when watching sports. Fox is broadcasting everything widescreen now I just wish the others would do the same.
I disagree, at my cousins for easter they have HD sets and it is amazing the detail you can see with it. It is night and day from standard def.

Yeah, but does all this "amazing" detail matter that much? My 32" square box allows my to enjoy what I'm watching, and thats all that matters

I've watched super HD content at friends places on their 50" widescreen TVs, and the detail is way better, but at the end of the day: So what? It doesn't make me enjoy the programming any more.

 

[0098386]

I've watched super HD content at friends places on their 50" widescreen TVs, and the detail is way better, but at the end of the day: So what? It doesn't make me enjoy the programming any more.

Depends on the content. Would HD make Rhod Gilbert, Phoenix Nights, Fawlty Towers or [insert any classic comedy show here] any funnier? No. Does it make drama any more dramatic? No. But it is wonderful for games, documentaries, things where you can gawp at detail. When I saw Planet Earth in HD on my monitor... even thought it's just 20" I found myself pausing and repeating scenes just to see every little beautiful bit of it.

Also, aren't you a little grumpy for a 14 year old? With all these threads I imagined you'd be some retired chap who hates new fangled gidgets .

 

[Young Spade]

Depends on the content. Would HD make Rhod Gilbert, Phoenix Nights, Fawlty Towers or [insert any classic comedy show here] any funnier? No. Does it make drama any more dramatic? No. But it is wonderful for games, documentaries, things where you can gawp at detail. When I saw Planet Earth in HD on my monitor... even thought it's just 20" I found myself pausing and repeating scenes just to see every little beautiful bit of it.

Also, aren't you a little grumpy for a 14 year old? With all these threads I imagined you'd be some retired chap who hates new fangled gidgets .

Just to nitpick (but still support your argument somewhat), I am now going back and watching all of my favorite movies in HD since I now have a computer that can play HD video (MB). Of course I'm doing it for movies like Pirates of the Caribbean, 300, and pretty much all action/adventure movies, however for practically everything else, after living with SD and sub-HD content, going to HD really lifts a viel and lets me get that much closer to the content I'm watching.

I'm watching everything on my 13.3 inch screen now and I'm sure it will get even better on my widescreen 19 inch.

 

[mrsir2009]

Also, aren't you a little grumpy for a 14 year old? With all these threads I imagined you'd be some retired chap who hates new fangled gidgets .

Nah its just a combo of my parents being slow to upgrade stuff and the fact that New Zealand is slow at adopting new technologies. We didn't actually get widespread adoption of DVDs until only a few years back! With the exception of Macs, I'm mainly used to old SDTV, VHS tapes, crappy $90 DVD players etc... Its funny because my dad wants to get rid of our SDTV and get a new HDTV, but me and my mum want to keep it!

 

[MacNut]

Up close, yeah. But sat back and everything blurs back to 576p. And by back I mean 2-4 metres away from a 46" Bravia.

I think you might need a new pair of glasses. HD is viewed better when not sitting on top of the TV. 6-10 feet back is the optimal viewing.

 

[SactoGuy18]

Today's 720p/1080i widescreen broadcast TV makes the most sense for one thing: live sporting events.

It's just so different to watch American football games on HD--you can see every blade of grass on a natural grass field and you can even see the beads of water on the football helmet during a rainstorm. In one case, it literally transforms the enjoyment of ice hockey--the wider screen means you see almost the entire ice rink in most TV views (even with Olympic ice hockey, which uses a larger-sized ice rink), which makes it easier to see the positioning of players and how plays develop.

I believe that 720p/1080i HD is starting to become fairly common in Europe; I know in the UK has Freeview HD and other channels available through cable TV and satellite.

 

[mrsir2009]

Today's 720p/1080i widescreen broadcast TV makes the most sense for one thing: live sporting events.

It's just so different to watch American football games on HD--you can see every blade of grass on a natural grass field and you can even see the beads of water on the football helmet during a rainstorm. In one case, it literally transforms the enjoyment of ice hockey--the wider screen means you see almost the entire ice rink in most TV views (even with Olympic ice hockey, which uses a larger-sized ice rink), which makes it easier to see the positioning of players and how plays develop.

I believe that 720p/1080i HD is starting to become fairly common in Europe; I know in the UK has Freeview HD and other channels available through cable TV and satellite.

New Zealand is pretty much all satellite - There are many providers but SkyTV and Freeview are the main two that most of the country use (I use Sky)

 

[Plymouthbreezer]

I have a 19" CRT in my apartment, since I only turn on the TV if something newsworthy is happening (like the Japan Earthquake, 9/11, etc).

I really don't watch much in the way of television.

 

[R94N]

We have a Panasonic Viera LCD.

 

[tooz]

reppin the CRT, though the image is funky and stuff... would love a HDTV but no money

 

[Dalton63841]

reppin the CRT, though the image is funky and stuff... would love a HDTV but no money

Someones been playing with the stretch menu settings...Almost as much fun as deguass...

 

[tooz]

Someones been playing with the stretch menu settings...Almost as much fun as deguass...

haha nope. Just decided to do that one day, I suspect that it's the alignment or whatever it's called, but i'm not opening it up. I would open LCD or Plasma, but not CRT. that ****'s dangerous!

 

[mrsir2009]

reppin the CRT, though the image is funky and stuff... would love a HDTV but no money

Woah that TV is narely!

If it wasn't screwed up though it would be a widescreen

 

[Liquorpuki]

No HD though. Don't believe in it. I can see the difference of high resolutions when I'm playing games on my PC, but in the living room my Xbox could be at 480 or 1080p... Sat back on the sofa it all looks the same! That said our sofas are 2-4 metres from the TV (46").

I actually bought an HDTV last year because Fallout New Vegas and Mass Effect 2 were pretty much unreadable at 480.

Today's 720p/1080i widescreen broadcast TV makes the most sense for one thing: live sporting events.

Yeah, I've been watching the NBA Playoffs in 1080 @ 120 Hz and it's way more enjoyable.

Other than that, there's no point in owning a Blu Ray player if you're only watching movies at 480. And if you're using an XBox360 or PS3 on Standard Def, you'll run into problems with some games like I did. If you stream Netflix off your PS3, get free HD channels from your cable provider or own anything with an HDMI port, might as well take advantage of the higher resolution.