[Stout Fellow]

There were some Samsung HDTVs sold years ago (were only £350 too) but there were Aspect problems with them and HD CRTs haven't been sold in this country since.

32" Sony, Panasonic and Samsung LCDs look okay with SD I think, it's just the bigger sets that look less good, if you could get 37" and above CRT sets they might not be so good with SD either though.

It took a lot of fiddling with the picture settings on my 42" LCDto get a decent picture with SD and although it's not as good as my CRT it's watchable.

[46 the goat]

Thanks Stout Fellow for the info on samsung. Thinking about it you may be correct in saying that 40"+ CRT's may not be so good on SD. Looks like I will stay with the Sony CRT. Maybe when there are more HD transmissions on Freeview i'll look at plasma / LCD again.
I thought I was being too criticle but after reading some of the comments on this forum I can tell that there are lots of people that think the same.
Much appreciated,
Alan

[homerging]

Am I going nuts or do other people feel the same.

You're not going nuts. CRTs were discontinued because they're too expensive, not because LCD/Plasma was a better display technology.

If you live in the UK you're probably out of luck when it comes to looking for a 2nd hand HD CRT TV as the UK models had the electronics to support 1080i omitted to cut costs.

If you're desparate and persistant enough you might be able to import a 2nd hand Sony 34XBR960 or 36XS955 from the US. They support HDMI and 1080i.
FD Trinitron/WEGA - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

ps
Make sure your current TV is being sent video from the STB via component and not composite. That makes a difference to quality.

[Blackcurrant]

This is my first post as I'm new to the forum.

About 3 years ago I upgraded from CRT to a big Samsung LCD, but the colours were so unnatural on freeview that I sold it almost immediately on ebay and then bought Philips flagship CRT the 32PW9509, which I'm still using. This is a fantastic (but very fat) TV with a high-definition CRT screen. It can’t take HD input, but it cleverly upscales SD to make everything look beautifully clear. It makes standard definition look superb - not artefacts of any kind, great black levels, motion handling and very natural colour.

However, I want a bigger screen with 1080p resolution, since my area now has HD and I’d like to see the occasional HD film. My problem is that most of the best HDTVs get pretty dismal reviews when it comes to handing freeview and other SD sources, which still make up the bulk of what I watch. Yet all the magazine & internet reviews concentrate on blu ray performance and don’t give enough emphasis to freeview quality. it's very frustrating trying to find out which TVs are actually up to the job of everyday use.

I’m quite tempted by the Philips 40PFL9704, but I don’t know what it will look like on Freeview. I’m loath to spend more than £1000 on a new TV if it’s going to be worse than what I currently watch. I have seen freeview handled brilliantly on 720p Panasonic plasmas, but I’m suspicious of any 1080p TVs – especially LCDs.

[mike7]

I don't suppose any manufacturer is likely to produce a CRT based HD TV are they ?

Almost certainly no. Production facilities have gone.

[PeteWebbo]

Can't help feeling that I'm falling into this same group of people. I've been looking at the Sony 40HX703 but having trouble justifying the circa €1200 outlay on something that may not give me a better picture than my Philips 32pw9570 although it will give me a bigger picture... worried the gadget geek in me is being sucked into a new TV for the sake of something fancy....

-petew

[Blackcurrant]

I remember reading a review of the much-vaunted Pioneer Kuro plasma (holy grail of TV geeks) that ended "as good as CRT".

When most mainstream TV is broadbast in 1080p, it will definitely be time to switch over, but until then we seem to be stuck in an interminable transition period in which CRT TVs are superior but flat-panel TVs in far greater demand for largely cosmetic reasons.

[homerging]

Anybody going from a CRT to a flat panel would probably be happier with a plasma than an LCD.

...And may like to wait several years until the plasma technology has improved.

[PeteWebbo]

I heard Panasonic have acquired the Pioneer plasma technology, does that mean that plasmas are still being developed and there's still a market for them ? Everywhere you look it seems to be dominated by LCD . LED . OLED etc...

[jmedcalf]

Completely agree with what's been said.

I went TV shopping over the bank holiday weekend and can't believe how bad LCD TVs display standard TV. It's not just the bigger screens either. The 32" sets, even the more expensive ones, are easily beaten by old CRTs.

Definitely going to keep my 28" Phillips CRT, but just wish I could've fit the 32" version in my old hatchback!

If anyone is thinking about getting rid of a 32" CRT and live in the Northwest, please let me know...

[peve3]

I have owned many LCD's over the years and allways bought the latest and greatest when they came out. I came into a financial problem a year ago and so had to sell 2 46" LCD screens from Sony.

4 motnhs ago I bought a CRT tv to tide me over and after much research settled on a 32" Loewe Aconda TV which is regarded by many as having the best picture. I managed to get this with a VGA input so I can connect my Xbox360. I am completly amazed by the picture now its been setup properly it is just stunning and the motion is perfect.

2 weeks ago I bought a plasma TV cause I wanted to try HD resolutions again, I have been running them side by side now for 2 weeks and am going to sell the plasma its just simply not as good. Yes its a higher resolution but the overal image does not look as realistic as the CRT.

I will now not buy any LCD or Plasma screen untill OLED comes out.

[Blackcurrant]

I popped into a couple of TV shops over the weekend. In the first one I had a close look at one of the Philips 900 series (the 40-inch 9704), which is regarded as the best LCD on the market, with superb black levels and LED backlighting. I watched a few freeview channels - all dreadful. Not only loads of shimmery pixel artefacts caused by the TV helplesslely trying to upscale images to 1080p, but it also suffered from LCD's common habit of wildly oversaturating random colours here and there, even when colour is toned down. Behind me on the other side of the shop was a cheap Panasonic plasma, an older model. It outshone the Philips LCD by a wide mark.

So, a bit of internet research later, I visited another showroom to look at the best of the Panasonic plasma range (the G20s, e.g. PFL42G20B). Again, I had a good look at its freeview capabilities. It just wasn't a nice picture - at best mediocre, with muddy colours, OK (but not spectacular) black level, lots of freeview artefacts. Lots of niggling deficiencies that simply don't apply to my 32-inch CRT.

So for now, I'll wait until a few more channels become fully HD. BBC1 is going HD this autumn apparently. ITV1 and C4 already HD. I'll wait and see how well BBC1 is received - if it's full of upscaled old SD recordings, then obviously not truly HD. But if it gets good reviews, I'll reconsider my decisition to stick with CRT and by then the best plasmas will probably be cheaper still.

[SupplementMan]

1 thing I would say is try a HD flat panel through a Virgin/Sky upscaling box that outputs at 1080/720p and it will look amazing, then compare it to a freeview broadcast on your CRT.

My first Sharp looked terrible on SD, blocky, poor colour accuracy. I upgraded to an upscaling box and it was night and day. I upgraded for a Panasonic Plasma and the colour accuracy was far better alongside the greater detail.

I've never had a quality CRT to compare it to having bought the cheapest Toshiba 32incher available in 2001 previously, but both images from the upscaled box were much better than the old Tosh.

I don't think HD TVs can look impressive with freeview because they have to scale too much and the fact its a poor source but if you have a decent upscaling box from sky/virgin it makes all the difference

[The_kUrGaN]

Having previously owned a Toshiba 32" Picture Frame CRT TV up to June this year when the picture went (ironically at the time I was insisting to my wife we should keep it during our house move), I now own a Panasonic 42" G20 and honestly I have never looked back. Superb, and much as I loved my CRT, I'm really glad it packed in when it did as it saved me a load of hassle moving it and I am now LOVING my new plasma.

[Morkins]

I'm the most cynical of people going when it comes to picture quality, never been tempted by LCD or Plasma....until now. A few weeks ago I walked into a local shop and walked the lenght of the displays going crap..crap...crap.....crap, until I came to a sudden stop. I looked for the crap but it never came! it was a Panasonic. Two weeks later I have a 42" Panasonic G20 Plasma, and it's a stunning set. Freeview SD is amazing, HD more so. If you're still playing the waiting game like I was, now could be the time to go big!

[havoc]

Ah, thank god for that...I thought the same as the OP when I went shopping yesterday for an HD TV - and came away thoroughly unimpressed, wondering exactly why I should shell-out nigh-on £1k (including the rest of the kit) just to get a worse SD picture and worse audio than I currently have.

The G20 that is mentioned just above was hard to compare as Comet had this one on the back wall with all their bells-and-whistles attached to it (and to be fair it DID look good).


So can I join "CRT Anonymous" now then?

[RichB14]

Not anymore, taken the plunge on a Sony KDL40ex503 which will be delivered a week saturday.
Got it with a BDP-S373 bluray and a stand for £600

Will miss the kv32fx66 though it has been a very good servant to us

[Sonic67]

Originally Posted by homerging

You're not going nuts. CRTs were discontinued because they're too expensive, not because LCD/Plasma was a better display technology

CRT had also reached their limit. They have a poor ANSI value, convergence errors (they were never intended to show a widescreen image), and they had a physical size limit. Flat screen TVs are growing steadily larger in size. CRT is pegged at a max of about 36". Beyond that you'd struggle to get one through the door.

TVs also are now used for connecting to PCs and for HD and many people like the idea of a TV they can put on the wall. For years it's been a sci fi staple. My old 28" CRT is now in the kitchen/dining room but it's days are numbered. No HD, the image isn't as sharp as a flat screen and it just takes up too much room when I could put a giant screen on the wall.

I know some people still watch SD but why? It's like sticking with AM when others have FM.

[KiLLiNG-TiME]

I have a Philips 32PW9763/05 & have use it daily since I brought it (around 1998) its been well loved & has never let me down (besides the on/off switch once deciding it had had enough) but I must say the time has come for a change, to motivate myself I have just brought BDP LX-08 (as am not upgrading my Denon AVC-A10SE/ POA-T10 Power amps just yet) which now sits next to my equally well loved DV-717.

So now its just a case of finding a screen, am a movie watcher & don't really care to much for TV besides the odd program, but find myself looking for a Kuro 9th Gen (second hand).

So for the moment I guess I am still "CRT Anonymous" but only just.

[NethLyn]

Ironically my Mum having enjoyed her Bravia for almost a year, is encouraging me to lose my CRT and go flat right when I'd only just made up my mind to get a flat monitor and remove the least efficient computer CRT screen from my PC setup.

If I choose to take the Sony "scrappage scheme" for CRTs which is apparently back again, at least I'll have more than one to choose from. For convenience's sake it would be the smaller 25in that I'd keep for the back room telly, mainly because I can lift that one myself.

[Inferno]

What most of you seem to be missing is that the sd signal you receive is meant to be shown on a SMALL screen so if you go from say a 21" to say a 42" it blows the picture up to fit the 42" and it will look worse wont it.

I mean its like a small picture on your pc blow it up to fit the screen and what do you get a worse picture its not rocket science is it?

Hd on them or upscaled like some of itv hd's stuff look unbelievable fantastic especially hd.

[RichB14]

Originally Posted by TheBorg

Not anymore, taken the plunge on a Sony KDL40ex503 which will be delivered a week saturday.
Got it with a BDP-S373 bluray and a stand for £600

Will miss the kv32fx66 though it has been a very good servant to us

Well i'm not sorry so far, even the sd stuff looks good, watched our first blu-ray last night so much better, just waiting for the old tv to be picked up now by the next owner

[NethLyn]

Well, it's like a bus station round here: Have inherited a Philips 32PW9631/25 after helping that mate move house so a vehicle was hired to bring it over and we both lost a few pounds getting it up my stairs. Because it uses 130w, I use that for entertainment only like DVDs. For analog broadcasts and breakfast news I've got a Panasonic TX-14S2T right next to it that uses less than 40w and my old Panny remote from a VCR can control the screen as well.

The large one will do for a nice stopgap until the right flat offer comes along, but the 14in was my Dad's final TV so I used that for five years when I was listening to more music on my hi-fi. So that's me sorted for a bit.

[YorkshireDave]

I too am a fully paid member of CRT Anon and at my age qualify to be a MISOG too (miserable old git) We have a philips 36PW9607/05 and, as far as i'm concerned, its the dogs due to its picture quality and awesome sound.

Unfortunately... it will shortly have to go due simply to its sheer bulk and I'll be forced to replace it with ???

We watch SD tv via sky and have a reasonable collection of DVDs but no BR or such. To be honest a 32" would be just fine so can anyone suggest what kit I will need to buy to get the same picture AND sound quality. By the way I'm not into sport viewing on tv either.

Everytime i go into a shop I get a load of flannel based on what they have in stock and want to shift rather than whats actualy right for us! so i thought I'd ask people who can be objective... hopefully!

Dave

[Blademanx]

lol Ive been considering HD flat screen for 6 years. I remember When I wanted to get one but went against it and stuck with the Toshiba 24 inch CRT. Which has been reliable for the past 10 years as my older bro also used it before he upgraded. Obviously HD is better on the eyes. But walking into Curry's in the UK I was a bit dissapointed with the quality of picture....So much artefacts and motion judder....I was only impressed with a few sets...and these sets were close to a £1000 pounds. The rest were trash....

As for Plasma never been a big fan, always looks pale and dull in comparison to LCD. Most of the LED's had some blurry detail around lettering and some issues with detail of the pictures. Maybe they needed calibrating.

But Im prolly gona take a chance and settle for a Samsung LED UE40C5100 or a C530 LCD 40 inch panel...both FULL HD and 50 herts....one of them has juddering issues the other is fine with low input lag....

CRT will never be beaten in terms of quality. They can last for a decade no problem they just bad for your eyes and take up power.

What you need is a good tv for SD and HD

[YorkshireDave]

Well, this old fart finally took the plunge and bought a Panasonic plasma the Viera TX-P42G20.

I did research until I was sick of doing so but have to say I simply could not put up with the falseness of colour of either LED or LCD. I also wanted deep blacks (not deep greys) and a glass front.

Thus far we are extremely impressed by the thing in general. I have turned most 'enhancements' off to start with and look forward to it settling down and being able to calibrate it properly.

There are a couple of criticisms and one is very monior indeed. The minor one is that in rare circumstances I can see a little banding of colours when watching SD but it has to be where the screen is trying to display an artificial colour pallette.

The other is the sound and a far more 'serious' issue. Frankly it's like going back to listening to an early transistor radio under the bedclothes at night. Awful when coming from my Philips CRT with inbuilt subwoofer and 6 speakers! DO NOT buy this, or for that matter any other, flat screen TV without a decent surround sound system.

Although prior to owning it I swore that HD was of little/no use I am, shamefully, now a complete convert. The built in freeview box is superb and makes our Sky + box look rubbish in comparison. I will probably buy an external hard drive to pause live TV and record in much the same way as the Sky + box does at pres. I've not yet connected it up to my network so look forward to that.

All in all, shame faced I know, I have to admit that Panasonic have completely altered my perception of what flat screens can deliver.

One last comment. Until I bought this beast I had never considered extended warranties. My research has indicated that both their life span and reliability are only a fraction of a CRT so I took teh plunge and purchased a full 5 year one. If you want to do the same, only John Lewis and Richer Sounds do NOT rip you off for it...

[NethLyn]

Originally Posted by YorkshireDave

There are a couple of criticisms and one is very minor indeed. The minor one is that in rare circumstances I can see a little banding of colours when watching SD but it has to be where the screen is trying to display an artificial colour pallette.

It's good news to me that the only minor fault you have with a brand new Panny Plasma is the same issue I've seen with my old Philips CRT. The banding for me only happens when I'm inside the optimal viewing distance of 2m with live broadcasts - anything off air/recorded or when further away than 2m and it almost disappears completely.

Sound-wise I agree it's a hidden cost but I'm glad I never bought a proper AV receiver before everything went Blu Ray/3D for 7.1. Whenever it's time to go down that road I can get the speakers before the flat screen and then the performance shouldn't sound any worse when the CRT gets retired.