HD CRT....can it be true??

[Kimbleman]

Okay...it's not a projector...but....I have a four year old Panasonic TX32PD50 CRT TV and I was wondering does anybody know (or have an opinion) if I got a cheap Blu-ray player (I have a Samsung BD-P1500 in mind) connected it via the component out to my Panny and set the output to 720p...would I get a HD picture? This set upscales off-air and DVD to 833 x 1260 lines at 75Hz Progressive, so in theory it should work! Panasonic can't tell me (although they are interested to know the answer) and neither can Lakes Audio in Aylesbury from whome I brought it 4 years ago (and again they are interested in the answer). I read an old thread about an X-Box360 used with this set giving an HD picture with interest but I don't know if it Was that outputting at 720p?

I'd really appreciate an answer as I am loathed to throw this wonderful CRT TV away. If anybody out there in AV land has an old Panny and a Blu-ray have you/can you try it out and let me know!:

Cheers.

Garry (Kimbleman)

[1-Format]

Hi all,

I am also very interested to know the answer to that one.
I only like CRT because motion handling is the most important thing.

[KyoDash]

The Samsung 409/419 is the only 720p native HD CRT to ever be available in the UK, and has had various problems caused by cheap production and poor factory calibration.

I've been told by serveral users that it display 480p/720p and 1080i natively.

[never-right]

I dont think that you will see any difference on a 32" CRT, HD may make a difference on 36" and above.
A normal CRT will display a better picture, than a HD LCD or plasma.

N

[KyoDash]

I dont think that you will see any difference on a 32" CRT, HD may make a difference on 36" and above

The difference is pretty huge on any decent HD CRT, like the Sony XS955 US HD CRTs, and on both my PC monitors, 15" and 17". No so much so on the SlimFit Samsungs as they are stretching the picture and using cheap technology to make it work. Detail on my 15" monitor isn't that much better in 720p, though on my 17" it is noticeably better with great clarity and sharpness.

Now with regards to those 409/419's I mentioned in my last post. I can confirm that 720p is display natively and progressively, along with 480p/576p and 1080i. However the picture on the set I saw was very poor for HD representation and 480/576p material. The image looked like 480p/720p and 1080i through composite (if that would ever be possible), featuring blocky text and lacking definition overall. Basically the whole image looked like the sharpness was turned right up to max, even though the Sharpness, Brightness and Contrast were all set around the points where they should be.

This was no doubt caused by the DCE and VSM gains being turned right up as per factory reset settings, though it seems the course dot pitch and larger phosphor size didn't help matters either. The result being that my 21" 4:3 240p/480i Sony CRT had a sharper, clearer and more detailed picture in 480i (via RGB Scart) than the SlimFit in any of it's resolutions through HDMI or Component. Also the colour representation and black levels on the 419 were poor compared to my Sony too.

Maybe I just saw a bad one, though overall geometry, and focus on the sides, was better than any I have seen in the flesh before. Next to no serious geometry issues and only medium stretching. Sadly It's everything else that looked poor.

Having seen how wrong somethings can be in one area and not in another, I can't really recommend taking the chance on one, unless turning all the gain down dramatically improves the picture beyond my Sony in HD.

With that said, I'm off to try the new 32" LG Plasma, seeing how well 480p scales up on it and how bad the image retention is. I'll let you guys know if it stands up enough against a good CRT to be recommendable as a replacement. HD is from what I've seen varstly superior to my CRT doing 480i though, and quite CRT like. So it's just the IR and 480p tests left to do.

Last thing. Does anyone here have a 409/419 that has a good natural HD picture?

[never-right]

Originally Posted by KyoDash

The difference is pretty huge on any decent HD CRT, like the Sony XS955 US HD CRTs, and on both my PC monitors, 15" and 17".

I do not agree! You get people spending large amounts of money on leads and gold plated conectors, because people believe the hype.
If there was any difference, you would not see it from the normal seated viewing position at least 6 feet away (when viewing TV).

N

[1-Format]

Originally Posted by KyoDash

With that said, I'm off to try the new 32" LG Plasma, seeing how well 480p scales up on it and how bad the image retention is. I'll let you guys know if it stands up enough against a good CRT to be recommendable as a replacement. HD is from what I've seen varstly superior to my CRT doing 480i though, and quite CRT like. So it's just the IR and 480p tests left to do.

Yes, please do report. It's very important to find replacements for our old CRT'S

[Cujo101]

Your other option is to track down a JVC HV-32p37 crt which is 1080i via component. It's a good tv and I use one with a PS3, XBOX 360 and HD-DVD player via a component switching box. I think that Hyper-Fi are selling graded ones for £150 but contact them to make sure.

http://www.hyperfi.co.uk/default.asp..._32P37_A-Grade

[garydhooper]

From a fellow Panny 36pd30 owner.

This question gets asked about once every 6 months about the Panny PD30 and PD50. Unfortunately while the tube can display 1080 (I saw the US equivalent of the 36PD30 in the states running a 1080i demo and it did look very good) Panasonic did not include the relevant hardware in the UK version of the TV to allow a 720 or 1080 signal to be passed in via the component inputs.

Plenty of people on these forums have tried 720p and 1080i into the PD30 and PD50 via component but unfortunately you do not get a picture.

On a different note I have been looking at a flat screen to replace my Panny and there are sets out there with comparable SD quality. The best looks to be the Pioneer krl37v but this is very expensive for a 37" at around £1400. (Nearly as much as I paid for the Panny.) Alternatively there is the Panasonic 37PX80 plasma which is around £500. "Only" 720p but you would be hard pressed to tell the difference in resolution even with bluray when I have seen it next to 1080p displays.

[onkeh]

Originally Posted by garydhooper

On a different note I have been looking at a flat screen to replace my Panny and there are sets out there with comparable SD quality. The best looks to be the Pioneer krl37v but this is very expensive for a 37" at around £1400. (Nearly as much as I paid for the Panny.)

So basically the Pioneer:

- has similar (excellent) SD performance
- HD support
- much thinner/lighter
- can be wall-mounted
- has a bigger screen
- perfect geometry/convergence
- no doubt has a host of other features
- is probably a fair bit cheaper accounting for inflation (and much earlier into the technology's life-cycle to boot)

So what's the problem? Why was the CRT worth it and this isn't?

[elcapitan]

Sony made HD CRT's well over a decade a go.

Turn up from time to time on Ebay