Which of you guys still use a CRT for watching LaserDiscs? I have four altogether, but use two mainly, a Sony KV 20V50 (I hunted for months for this TV as my original broke when I was 12, and I finally got it this year). The other are two JVC AV 27530 (also includes component input. I got one of them used at a yard sale and one brand new this year. The other is some Sony TV from 2002 that includes component inputs. It's a 27 inch TV and is heavier than the other JVCs and Sony TVs.

Also, if anyone out there has this model, I really want this: JVC AV 2687S, the first SVHS TV from 1987. I can't seem to find that used anywhere.

I don't just use a CRT for Laserdisc, but for VHS, DVD and Blu-ray as well as nine consoles (Atari 2600 Jr., AV Famicom, Super Famicom, Wii, Dreamcast, PS2, PS3 slim and a pong machine).

It's a PVM-20M4U, one of Sony's last broadcast level CRTs. A quick rundown of things I love about it:

-800 line resolution Trinitron CRT with SMPTE-C phosphors.
-Accepts NTSC, PAL and SECAM signals from composite, s-video, component and RGB.
-The geometry settings are easily accessed by entering the main menu and pressing enter + degauss together.
-Black level point can be set as desired; there is one setting for composite/s-video and another for component/RGB making it rare that you ever have to change them.
-chroma and phase can be automatically adjusted to an SMPTE color bar signal for each input type. A real boon for someone with serious OCD as me.
-adjustable color temp. (though I leave it at the default of 6500k.)

I can't help but gush about it, it's an amazing display imo. Only downside is how incredibly revealing it can be.

I have a Sony Wega FD Trintron KV24FS120 (24" I think) which I got used for around $20 or so. Originally had a Sanyo 32 CRT but when I got my Hitachi 32" LCD I gave that one to my parents as an upgrade. The Sanyo was my first TV that I bought myself and when I was looking I wanted a widescreen CRT but ended up with the squarish Sanyo. I wish I did have that widescreen CRT to play movies on from LD would be awesome. Also if it had HDMI which some later CRT did that would have been awesome.

Only problem with CRTs is weight of them so it seems better to get a LCD since they are easier to move but since I have a LCD and the Sony CRT I this time I might just keep both or the CRT and get a PJ for movies if I ever decide to get rid of my Hitatchi

While there's no doubt that an LCD is lighter, the PQ for older analog sources is inferior to that of a CRT. A JVC HR S10000U looks fantastic on my JVC CRT compared to the Panasonic LCD. I've always wanted to see what Blu Ray and DVHS look like on an HD CRT. One day I've gotta find one.

i use a CRT, probably will as they are cheap as chips here in town and when they die i'll just get another one for 10 bucks.
the one that i would love to have would be the panasonic GA00 or GAOO
had the 27 inch, i think it was a very early super flat CRT.

only TV that i think about.
but boy was that heavy.

i remember helping my father take it to get repaired only 3 blocks away in NYC. glad i don't have to do that anymore.

________________________________
the rein-o official signature:

guess i am a heretic, as i run all my SD video sources through a 46" LCD, and find the result just peachy...

42" LCD here, Picture is actually better than my former CRT!
My LCD has a great upscaler, so has my receiver.
Maybe that's why?


I only use CRT's in my studio (9")
But also, a 32" LCD

My HT display is a Sony WEGA KV-40XBR800 40" CRT. 1080i capable with an HDCP compliant DVI input so I watch not only LDs, but VHS, DVD and blu-ray on it. All formats look amazing on it, and since it has one powerful 3D comb filter makes LDs nice and spiffy.

I just don't want to have to move that 300lb monster again.

Here's a pic I took when I was first setting it up . . .


(no, it didn't fit on my existing stand, so I have that stool there on the right helping to prop it up!)

Also have the aformentioned Sony WEGA KV-24FS120 in my bedroom (since I also have an LD player there.)

I never did buy a flat/widescreen CRT display. I just went from several tube CRT TVs to LCD. I still have a couple of working CRT TVs in a spare room but to be honest I never really liked them. They were big, bulky, ugly looking and the curvy screen was always too small. I use a 32" LCD for Laserdisc playback and it looks great to my eyes, especially the later stuff. With that said, I absolutely love the look of flat/widescreen CRTs! I know how that sounds but they look so much classier and better then standard tube CRTs. If I could find one suited my liking in my area, I would seriously consider using it for LD instead of my LCD.

I use a Sony XBR960, a 34" wide HD CRT. It's amazing and when it dies I will cry. Bluerays look amazing on it and so do older sources.

I use it for everything except arcade boards, for that I have a JVC production monitor.

LONG LIVE THE CATHODE-RAY TUBE !!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think that set has the firewire I/O right? I really want that set. The JVC sets I have resemble the first TV I had when I was 10, except those model numbers were manufactured in 2003 and 2005, wheras the first TV I had was an old living room TV manufactured in 1997. I had my Dads old HD CRT for a few months as well, and LDs looked really good. Sadly, he gave it away and I got a LCD instead.

It might be true that the LCD sets look classier than a standard CRT, but for the RPTV's, those look like a million bucks. My Dad used to have a Mitsubishi WS Diamond series TV, and once it started to bite the dust, he replaced it with the Sharp Elite TV. While the sharp has that nice Elite bezel, the Mitsubishi was a lot more attractive in my opinion.

they are such HEAVY b**ches though; you pretty much need at least two strong men and a boy
to move a CRT monitor of any halfway respectable size and build,
plus you are usually stuck with the crappy aspect ratio, widescreen source material or no...

my retro setup (where I do have my iPod hooked up sometimes)


I would have to say I have enough bass

I came across this today. They are not mine. They are located in Boston Massachusetts. Pro monitor(HD CRT) with DVDO iscan scalar. $200 obo
http://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/ele/4384468879.html

Yeah, I saw that Princeton Graphics monitor often in Widescreen Review magazine. It was a big deal since it could natively do 720p.

I know some of you have had luck with it but I've given up on HD crts and I'm running a 27" SD Trinitron.

A friend of mine has a bad eye. He's getting more interested in my LDs but it's tough for him to watch on that small of a display. He's a younger guy, apprenticed under me in carpentry and I under his dad way back. Point being he's young and the bigger-is-better sentiment actually has relevance these days because big a** screens can look great from a closer view.

It's tough to recommend LD to anybody. It has a lot to offer and he sees that. My copies of Valmont, Screamers, and Haunted attest to that, along with Alien (!!!), unmolested Star Wars trilogy, Even old classics like Dracula. But it's better to just watch them here at my place rather than say, "go get them!"

I don't like SD Sonys any bigger. I love my 27", I love it about 8 foot (2.5m) away. Bigger Trinitrons don't look good unless you sit farther away.

I'm looking for another brand that will perform in full 36". Are the Invar masks nice in later big sets? Toshiba seems to draw nice reviews in the big Theaterview sets.

I've been thinking about getting a BVM och PVM later this year, mainly because I want to get some further experience with some real CRTs before I start my ISF course. Are there any specific models you guys recommend? Due to expensive shipping I will probably not be able to get anything bigger than 14" but I'm alright with that as I won't use it as my main display.

I once had an SD Sony Trinitron, 28" from 1999. Lasted for eight years and was really nice. Certainly better than the BeoVision MX models that I've seen.

Some late 14"+ BVM/PVM's are capable of 1080i, so that'd be worth a look. I might get a 20" one myself if I find a good local deal on one with low enough hours.

I have a 2002 PVM-ish (I forget the #) security monitor that's just 480i, and interestingly made in the UK factory that now makes Raspberry Pi's among other things.

Sounds like a good idea, though resolution isn't my main criteria this time (color accuracy and contrast is more important).