CRT Bliss.

[cpd2009]

Even though I love new technology (with the exception of Windows 8 for obvious reasons), I still have a soft spot for CRT TV sets. Sure, they can't display HDTV or 480p content, but they do excel at displaying standard definition content such as old VHS tapes, SD TV programs and retro video games. However, one place where a CRT will never return is a computer monitor. LCD > CRT for computers these days. But I digress...

You may remember that I recently got a 19'' CRT which was originally intended for retro games. Well, I found a better one...



20 inch "Sylvania" CRT TV from 1991, which I recently scored at an auction. It's a charming little set with a great picture, perfect for my mostly standard-def content and retro games. The name? It's named after this one-shot character from a certain show featuring a young polar bear doing stuff at the North Pole...


Meet Nanouk! Husky puppy one-shot who should have became a main character in DKE, but since the series lasted only 13 episodes, you could only do so much I guess.

What does this mean for Anna-Lena? She will be an480p and HD content monitor, perfect for my forthcoming Wii U. She will also monitor my DVD recordings as well. Basically, anything component and upwards in terms of video quality. As it stands, both sets can view my satellite receiver output, but I don't plan on viewing both at the same time. As crazy as my current set up is, that is a tad overkill.

But, once I get an apartment, these two sets will go to their intended places. Anna-Lena in the bedroom for my Wii-U and whatnot, and the CRT in the main room. A less crazy setup indeed.

Final word... being made in 1991, Nanouk does have a very simple way of a menu system...


Yeah. You just hit the menu button on the remote and cycle through very primitive looking color sliders and other settings. One weird feature is that he has a "reminder" feature. Turn it on, and you can always have the channel number in the lower left corner. :?:

[huckleberrypie]

Looks 'swell for a CRT set. Such sets are still being sold here in the Philippines, but not as much as before as cheap Chinese LCD flatscreens are becoming commonplace nowadays.

[RAMChYLD]

Well, we're still seeing CRT sets here from some very strange brands. Although, I don't prefer them. Not because of their low resolution mind you, but because of Gamma ray and X-Ray which isn't good for the body. When the phosphor dots get hit by the proton particle, minute amount of X-Rays and Gamma Rays are produced. Long enough exposure results in nausea, eyestrain and headache.

And oh, for some reason CRTs tend to do badly when trying to sync their output with NTSC signals here. I've also gotten headaches from flickering when playing a NTSC game on the original Quetzal. Strangely enough the flickering only comes on if I put a NTSC signal through Quetzal- a PAL signal shows no flickering. Don't know if it's a side effect of the TV trying to pull down a 30fps signal into 25fps in realtime while maintaining the speed of the input, or if the TV is having a hard time Syncing because the power from the mains is 50Hz (yes, our power is only 50Hz despite being double the voltage of a typical US mains. This is due to historical reasons of being a former British colony). However the flickering doesn't happen with LCD. The image does become a little blurer if a 60i/60p/30p signal is fed compared to a 50i/50p/25p signal, but there is no flicker, and from a distance it doesn't look that bad compared to flickering.

Samara and Digimons are the third and fourth reason actually. The abovementioned problems are my main issues with CRT.

[cpd2009]

Well, we're still seeing CRT sets here from some very strange brands. Although, I don't prefer them. Not because of their low resolution mind you, but because of Gamma ray and X-Ray which isn't good for the body. When the phosphor dots get hit by the proton particle, minute amount of X-Rays and Gamma Rays are produced. Long enough exposure results in nausea, eyestrain and headache.

Though any CRT emits small amounts of X and Gamma rays, it's definitely not enough to cause health problems IMO. For all the years I have used a CRT set (which amounts to over 10, even more counting childhood), I have never got sick or experienced any health issues relating to a CRT.

A more important health problem is being constantly bombarded with an AM radio signal from the tower next door. Sometimes when I try to adjust a volume on a cheap speaker set (like Greta's), I can hear the AM radio station through the speakers when my hand is near the volume or the rear power switch. But, I digress..

As I mentioned earlier, I would never use a CRT for a computer monitor again. For one, CRT monitors are truly obsolete. Two... CRT monitors are a pain to carry, especially if you have more than one. Three... many CRT monitors don't support the high resolution necessary for today's computing tasks. Four... noticeable flicker. To me, I notice flicker more on a CRT monitor than a CRT TV. When I used CRT monitors, I had to set the refresh rate to 85hz to get rid of the flicker. 60hz was unacceptable, even though a 60hz CRT TV never bothers me.

Fun fact. For a short time in the US, there were HD CRT sets. I never seen one turned on, but I read the HD picture on said sets is amazing. The problem? The immense weight of said HD CRTs since they are widescreen format. No wonder HD CRTs never took off.

[RAMChYLD]

Though any CRT emits small amounts of X and Gamma rays, it's definitely not enough to cause health problems IMO. For all the years I have used a CRT set (which amounts to over 10, even more counting childhood), I have never got sick or experienced any health issues relating to a CRT.

Well, it's enough to cause headaches and eyestrain for me in the long run. Or maybe that was caused by the flickering as well, not sure. Now that I think about it, it's not just NTSC signals that causes flickering. Pure VGA signals (640x480x60) as well. The only way to avoid flickering is to use a refresh rate that isn't 60Hz, for example 75Hz or if the display supports it, 50Hz. However, if I'm using a LCD, I don't have such problems, only a minor blurring issue which isn't as bad.

[huckleberrypie]

Yeah, the flicker and interlacing effects can be a drag, too.

[cpd2009]

Here is one thing I should have done in the past... kept Anna-Lena V1, the 2004 RCA CRT.

Remember that 2004 RCA CRT that I had? Why didn't I just keep that and avoid going through about two years of evolving displays?

Well, I was having quite a hard time at my old college. I didn't get the dorm I wanted, and I got stuck on the 4th floor of an all-male dorm. I guess that the reason why I ditched Anna-Lena V1 for the 20'' flat panel is that I wanted something easier to carry up to the 4th floor, and moving around in general. From then on, I was using a flat panel exclusively for awhile.

What made me go back to CRT yet again is my retro games. You all know that already.

I really need to learn how to stick to something and not keep changing things up every six months.