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Why would anyone still use a CRT?

dontwalkhand

dontwalkhand

macrumors 604
Original poster
Jul 5, 2007
6,536
3,180
Phoenix, AZ
What are the arguments for someone who still uses a CRT in this day and age? Is there such thing as a CRT with DVI or any other type of newer connector?

Also, same question for people who buy CRT TVs, or Projection TVs rather than LCD or another type of flat panel.

They're heavy, and they have a big "butt"
 
While LCD and Plasma TVs are good, they still don't match the response of CRTs. I expect this to change in a few years as LCD panels keep getting better all the time.

Personally, I find LCDs to be good enough for my tastes. But there are folks out there who still swear by the older technology when it comes to TVs and moving images.
 
sushi said:
While LCD and Plasma TVs are good, they still don't match the response of CRTs. I expect this to change in a few years as LCD panels keep getting better all the time.
Click to expand...

That pretty much sums it up.
 
I haven't used a CRT monitor in 5 years. I just bought a 52" LCD TV to replace the CRT TV in my living room, but I still have 2 others in my house (bedroom and workout room). I'll probably replace those in a couple years.
 
CRT blacks are unparalleled by ANY flat screen out there.

I would love to have a 60 inch CRT but the crane rental alone would c0st a fortune.
 
Cost, for me mostly. I have a bunch of CRT's that I can't afford to replace with anything else. But I don't mind them, I do think the colors are a little sharper then on LCD's.
 
They're cheap, they tend to have better color accuracy, and they last forever.

That said, I've got an LCD on my setup. This thing better last forever; I don't have the budget to replace it.
 
Mr. Owl said:
They're cheap, they tend to have better color accuracy, and they last forever.
Click to expand...

No they don't. I've had several CRTs crap out on me after several years, they usually begin to go blurry then the colors go all funky, like it'll have a purple tint to it. LCDs don't last forever either, but nothing does.
 
I have a 24" iMac & 21" Eizo lcd for my work & play but I still use a CRT TV. Why? Because it's just fine for the 2-4 hours I watch a movie on it every week. I rather spend the money for a big TV on some computer gear that I use more, or some nice evenings with friends. Plasma/lcd TVs are not worth their price for me.
 
My family has 4 CRT TV's and we use CRT's on our servers. My brother uses a CRT on his PC because it is the only thing we have for him. Why do we use CRT TV's? We have had them for longer than we have had the house we are living in. (one is so old it only goes up to channel 13:eek:)

For me a CRT is a no no for a computer. Have you ever seen a CRT that would fit into a 1.1 inch thick PowerBook G4 case?
 
I think the OP is comorming generally to CRT Monitors, not tvs. CRT tvs are still in wide use because they work great. You would NOT want to use a CRT TV with a computer because the pixels are far too large.

CRT Monitors are getting really cheap, have great color reproduction and have a decent life span.

For my needs a CRT is too big and clunky, the fact any magnet can harm it is a turn off, and you can't really move them to your liking. An LCD you can move all the way back and all the way forward and it has a higher tilt angle as well as being mountable. CRTs are just too heavy.
 
bruinsrme said:
CRT blacks are unparalleled by ANY flat screen out there.
Click to expand...

For CRT versus LCD, sure. The black on plasma displays is nearly as good as CRT, and FAR better than LCD. As a result, LCDs don't look nearly as good as plasma. IMO, the biggest downside of plasma TVs is price, and that's why they're not going to be in the market for much longer.


If you're just talking about computer monitors, CRTs have superior colour accuracy and aren't prone to colour shifts over time like LCDs are. They also don't need the rather long warm-up time before the display is steady, although LED displays will change all that.
 
dontwalkhand said:
Also, same question for people who buy CRT TVs, or Projection TVs rather than LCD or another type of flat panel.
Click to expand...

I went with projection for my TV because it had by far the best size to price ratio while still being very high quality. I was willing to sacrifice 10" of depth for 10" of screen size.
 
Some of the CRTs are dirt cheap, you can expect them to last until you get sick of looking at them.

The real insane part is they use less electricity than some of the new models, and if somebody breaks into your house they'll probably feel sorry for you.
 
Frisco said:
CRTs are much easier to clean, at least the screen is. LCDs are too fragile, especially to clean.
Click to expand...
Glass CRTs are sure durable. Very easy to clean as you say.

Sun Baked said:
Some of the CRTs are dirt cheap, you can expect them to last until you get sick of looking at them.
Click to expand...
My most recent CRT TV purchase was in 1984. A 19 inch Sony Trinitron TV. The first stereo model that they made. The monitor still works great. The tuner portion died a few years ago, so I connected it to a VCR. Donated to a local school about 5 years ago.

Since then, I've been using an LCD monitor.

Sun Baked said:
The real insane part is they use less electricity than some of the new models, and if somebody breaks into your house they'll probably feel sorry for you.
Click to expand...
In my case, they might leave something since I don't have a TV. :p

On a side note. At the local Yodobashi Camera store, they have the new Sharp Aquos XS models (52" and 65"). They are pretty awesome for those who can afford one.
 
CRTs are free, even good ones.

Our ooooold 24' CRT died last year, within a day of posting a wanted ad up on Freecycle I had a high-end 28' widescreen CRT.

When my landlord's CRT died it only took a couple of days to find another better one on Freecycle.

The new trend of buying flat TVs is great for people with low income, as it means they can 'upgrade' to a better CRT for free when the others realise they have no way to get rid of their old TV.
 
CRT's have good response when it comes to fast action but the sharpness can be an issue and we still have the NTSC color issue (engineers don't call it "Never Twice Same Color" for a reason when you change channels).

I've seen Samsung's new line of LED TV LCD panels that use LED backlighting and the picture quality leaves nothing to be desired--especially the amazing blacks (it's the first time I've seen blacks on an LCD panel that are just as good as a plasma panel).
 
I like CRTs but I don't think I'd use one now. I used to get migraines from the flicker (same for tube TV's).
 
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