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When TVs hang on too long...

topgunn

topgunn

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Nov 5, 2004
1,570
2,091
Houston
So I have this 10 year old Zenith 32" TV that won't die and I have told myself that I won't get a new TV until it does. The picture quality has degraded a bit over the years but aside from that it still works just as well as the day I bought it. Each time I turn it on I cross my fingers and hope that today is the day.

Has anyone else here been in a similar situation? If so, did you just give in and buy it or tough it out and wait? How long do CRT TV's typically last, anyway?
 
Mine is from the early 1990s and I'm hoping to get a few more years out of it (a 19" Sony...or maybe 23").

I don't watch that much TV. I mostly watch stuff on my computer or external monitor hooked up to a DVD player.

I'm hoping that by the time I want to replace my TV, roughly 30" 1080p TVs are like $400-500.
 
Depending on your definition of "work", CRT TVs can last for a long time. I have a 10 year old Zenith that works almost as well as when it was new. However, it has started to hiss a bit when the picture shows a lot of bright white color. I guess when it gets too bad or to the point where it bothers me too much I'll replace it. The trouble is that the new TVs don't fit into the entertainment center that I use for that TV.
 
My Zenith sort of retains color or probably light is more appropriate. For example, my daughter used to watch a kids show called "Bear in the Big Blue House" and at the end of every show Bear would talk to Luna (the moon) who was very big and a very bright white. After watching this show for a few weeks, I started to notice that there was a large discolored spot where luna always appeared. My daughter hasn't watched the show in more than a year and the spot is still there. We have two other similar spots which are a bit smaller but still rather annoying.

I hear people talk about refrigerators having parts that are designed to wear out after so many years. You think I can get one of these parts for my TV? Maybe I can hire some sort of electronic hitman to come and take care of my TV at some random time in the next year.
 
topgunn said:
So I have this 10 year old Zenith 32" TV that won't die and I have told myself that I won't get a new TV until it does. The picture quality has degraded a bit over the years but aside from that it still works just as well as the day I bought it. Each time I turn it on I cross my fingers and hope that today is the day.

Has anyone else here been in a similar situation? If so, did you just give in and buy it or tough it out and wait? How long do CRT TV's typically last, anyway?
Click to expand...
My Mom is still using a 20" Radio Shack tube TV which I originally bought for myself in 1988. Looks just as good now as the day I bought it. One reason for that may be that it has a Mitsubishi tube inside it, and they were known (they don't do tubes anymore, I believe) for outstanding build quality and endurance.

So don't hold your breath waiting for your Zenith to die. CRT TVs can last a LONG time if no random part fails.
 
I have an old Philips/Magnavox piece of junk that no longer receives signals from a remote control. So, to change the channel I have to go up to the TV... not a big deal since I really only watch DVD's and not much network TV, but annoying nonetheless.

I'm waiting for HDTV's to come way down in price before I buy one.
 
I had a 12 year old 32" Sony that would still be with me now if the movers hadn't accidentally ripped the top off it. :( It was as great as the day I bought it, but alas, I was forced to buy my first HDTV as a result. I got a 30" Philips that I love. :)
 
Its a CRT, other than perhaps the phosphor coating losing its "luster" it can be adjusted and calibrated back to "normal"

all those fiddly knobs you have:

tint, brightness, contrast, color, sharpness

have other knobs inside the TV itself. not always but usually.

youd need to know monitors or TVs or at least something about electrical components before doing anything yourself.

but, it can be re-adjusted further than the front knobs allow you to.

i think its changing the tolerances of what the front knobs MAX/MIN levels are....
 
My girlfriends parents have a zenith 32" in a wooden cabinet that they bought in 1991. Still going strong.

My girlfriend and I are still using her Sharp 19" tube tv from 1997 as our family room tv. She says we can't get a new LCD or anything till either hers or her parents' tv dies (since we'd get theirs if ours died)...:mad:

The sad thing is I work at Circuit City in the TV department, so you could understand my frustrations.

But yeah, tube TV's last FOREVER in most cases. My mom still has a CRT rear projection that is 12 years old. My dad had a Mitsubishi rear projection CRT that lasted 15.
 
I remember when I was younger we had a Sony TV for about 10 years then one day while we were watching it, it literally went bang and had a giant (abeit gentle) flame flickering out of the back. It still worked but only while the flame was visible. If you blew it out the picture would fade and eventually disappear. Turn the TV back on and the flame would reignite.

TVs with built in candles are great. Maybe thats where the Ambi-light idea came from?
 
So what you guys are saying is that by the time my TV actually dies I can replace it with a holodeck.
 
I have a 10 inch (?) color GE "portable" tv that was a high school graduation gift for a relative. It was purchased in 1982. Works fine.
 
miloblithe said:
I'm kind of amazed that we should be surprised that a TV lasts for 10-15 years. That should be a bare minumum standard.
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You have to think about the hammer TV sets get. They are on all day every day alot of the time. 10 years is very good i think. However I just dropped £1400 on a new plasma and if it doesnt last ten years I'll be pissed. :D

My hypocrisy knows no bounds :p
 
My folks have an old Sanyo that they picked up election night 92. Our old TV died during the early returns, and within 45 min we had our new 32" TV. It's worked since and they are thinking about maybe possibly upgrading and giving us that one to replace our 13" No Brand from the mid 90s (which we won't replace until it dies).

So, yes - you will never have a new TV.
 
nbs2 said:
My folks have an old Sanyo that they picked up election night 92. Our old TV died during the early returns, and within 45 min we had our new 32" TV. It's worked since and they are thinking about maybe possibly upgrading and giving us that one to replace our 13" No Brand from the mid 90s (which we won't replace until it dies).

So, yes - you will never have a new TV.
Click to expand...

We had an old sanyo that lasted forever too. damn.

So yeah, I give the OP's TV another 5 years lease on life.
 
LOL It is quite funny reading through this list. I have a Bang & Olufsen BeoVision 600 from 1970, which is still in absolutely perfect working and cosmetic condition with all the original manuals and receipts. It's still one of the coolest looking TVs around:

beovision600a.jpg


Mine's in white though, and as I said perfect cosmetic condition.
 
I have a 13 year oold Toshiba 32" that works as well as it did day 1.

My mom has my first color TV, a 12" Panasonic from the early 80s. She keeps it in her laundry room. Has a rotary tuner and still works well.
 
In my dorm room I have a 12" CRT TV made in 1982. It works fine but something is wrong with the cable connector so I can only get broadcast channels on it. :rolleyes: :p
 
Killyp said:
LOL It is quite funny reading through this list. I have a Bang & Olufsen BeoVision 600 from 1970, which is still in absolutely perfect working and cosmetic condition with all the original manuals and receipts. It's still one of the coolest looking TVs around:
Click to expand...
Very cool! :D
 
topgunn said:
So I have this 10 year old Zenith 32" TV that won't die and I have told myself that I won't get a new TV until it does. The picture quality has degraded a bit over the years but aside from that it still works just as well as the day I bought it. Each time I turn it on I cross my fingers and hope that today is the day.
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One suggestion:
 

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My dad has this massive TV that ways like 3 tons or something in our living room that he wont just get rid of. It's something like 50 inches and it dies like every 3 months. Then it costs him a fortune to get it fixed. He's spent more money on that thing than it would cost to buy a decent sized LCD. It's older than me and I'm 16.
 
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