When larger CRT?

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sysctl

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Jul 10, 2004
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I want to buy my dad an HDTV for Xmas, since he likes to watch TV and I know he likes my HDTV. Anyway, he currently has a 36" Mitsubishi, and I do not want to decrease the size of the TV i buy him vertically. A 34" would be a little small I think. Sony offers a 40" 4:3, but I want to buy him a widescreen. I know he doesn't want a RPTV (reason he bought a 36" Mitsubishi). I can't afford a plasma, and was just curious as to if any companies are set to offer anything above a 34" widescreen, so I can choose my options.
 
I have a 40XBR800 Sony TV. Like you say it is 4:3, but it does have a 16:9 function that "squeezes" the picture into a 37" widescreen. The picture looks great to me, but I'm sure the newer 34" widescreens with finer pitch look better - I just didn't want to downgrade in size either so I chose this TV. Just my 2c - hope it helps some...
 
The largest 16:9 tube TV I have see is a 34" unit. A 34" 16:9 TV will give you the same image height as a 28" 4:3 TV. To keep the same image height as a 36" 4:3 you would need to move to a 44" 16:9 set, definitely into RPTV territory there.

What is your father's objection to RPTVs, is it the bulkiness of the CRT based units? If $2500-$3000 is in your price range you may want to look at a LCD or DLP based RPTV in the 42"-46" range. They are much more compact than the CRT based RPTVs of equal screen size. The height of the unit would be a little taller than a 36" 4:3 Tube TV (~32" vs. ~30"). It will be wider than the 36" (42"-49" vs. 34"-38")but this is due to the wider nature of a 16:9 screen. It will most likely be less deep than the 36" tube TV (13"-16" vs. ~24") and will weigh less (65lbs-100lbs vs. 180lbs-220lbs).
 
As for when a 16:9 Direct-View CRT TV will be available in a size larger than 34". The answer is, probably never. In fact over the next 5-10 you probably expect CRT TVs (both direct-view and RPTV) to start disappearing from the market.

The trend will start with the higher end devices. RPTVs will most likely to complete the swath from CRT to FPD (Fixed Panel Display... ie. LCD, DLP, D-ILA etc.) technology. As it stands now there is only a $1000-$2000 premium to move from a CRT RPTV of a given size to a FPD RPTV of equivalent size. Tube TVs can expect to last longer, but as the direct-view LCD and Plasma technologies mature and economies of scale kick in their resolutions will increase and their prices will come down, then the CRT Direct-Views will start to disappear.
 
There was a 36" RCA available, but performance and reliability was spotty. Loewe makes one that is highly rated but highly priced. Check out here to compare 16:9 vs 4:3 screen sizes.
 
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