I am currently enjoying Voom on a Sony 51" HD CRT TV in the family room and will be upgrading my non-hd TV in the bedroom. I am still undecided on which technology to go with. Should I stick with the old reliable CRT or make the switch to an LCD, DLP or Plasma? Cost and Space are not an issue. Can anyone out there who has switched from CRT to one of the newer formats comment on the HD pic quality on Voom? Do you prefer one to another? Are there any Voomers out there that are currently watching HD Voom on two or more technologies? Please share your opinions and recommendations.
CRT vs LCD vs DLP vs Plasma on Voom
- Thread starter joep
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I have a 52" rp HD Toshiba 4:3 downstairs and a 50" LC Panasonic upstairs. They both have great PQ but the Toshiba automatically stretches all HD content and there's nothing I can do about it. That gives it a slight grainy picture. The panny does edge out the Toshiba with the DVI input not to mention its a widescreen and has tons of inputs.
Thx for your reply. My current 51” Sony CRT is widescreen and also has a dvi input. How would you compare your CRT with the LCD in terms of color fidelity and overall image quality?
Are you asking about CRT and LCD RPTVs? Direct-view CRTs? Flat panel LCDs?
There is no one universal answer. A lot depends on your needs, preferences and budget. Each technology has pros and cons. And only you can decide what is important and what is not for you. When I was shopping for an HDTV set more than a year ago, I have chosen LCD RPTV (Sony Grand Wega). I liked the PQ, I liked the fact that it works well in bright light. Also, for me, it is very important not to stretch/squeeze anything. I'd rather have black bars, than stretched faces. And since with LCD (and DLP) burn-in is not a concern, this was an important deciding factor against CRT (and plasma, for that matter). Finally, the CRT seems to be a departing technology, and I didn't want to buy a TV set that would look as a dinosaur in just a few years. LCD RPTV seemed like a good compromise until the flat-panel technology matures and drops in price. Just my 2 cents.
There is no one universal answer. A lot depends on your needs, preferences and budget. Each technology has pros and cons. And only you can decide what is important and what is not for you. When I was shopping for an HDTV set more than a year ago, I have chosen LCD RPTV (Sony Grand Wega). I liked the PQ, I liked the fact that it works well in bright light. Also, for me, it is very important not to stretch/squeeze anything. I'd rather have black bars, than stretched faces. And since with LCD (and DLP) burn-in is not a concern, this was an important deciding factor against CRT (and plasma, for that matter). Finally, the CRT seems to be a departing technology, and I didn't want to buy a TV set that would look as a dinosaur in just a few years. LCD RPTV seemed like a good compromise until the flat-panel technology matures and drops in price. Just my 2 cents.
Ilya said:
This is one reason why I bought my 36" CRT (cost was the second). The technology & price wasn't quite there with LCD or Plasma. I don't have a plasma or LCD to do a side by side comparison but I definatly get the WOW factor depending on the show I watch. Some reviewers claim the CRT has much better white and dark levels, which from what I have seen I have to agree with. Also, there's no problem with veiwing angle with a CRT. The draw backs of course are size and weight. My TV is close to 250lbs. I happen to have a living room with an alcove that the TV fits perfect in so it I don't get annoyed by its size.
My thought was I pay $1k for a 36" now (a 36" HDTV can be had for under $700 these days) and then pay $1k- $2k in a couple of years when Plasma & LCD catch up in price. It's still cheaper than the $4k - $10k one can pay for a good plasma or LCD. my 2 cents worth...
CRT is the past. BEsides CRT flickers, kills your eyes on the long run, unlike the LCD. CRT HDTV looks pretty oldskool compared to LCD HDTV.
Sure it's old school but if style of the TV is less important than best all around deal a CRT is the way to go. I don't know about the channel flicker. It's probably there but I've never seen it. I get as good a quality picture as any other Plasma or LCD that I've seen (medium to low range - none of my friends have a high end plasma or LCD). Don't get me wrong the 250lb behemouth is a drag but luckily for me I have a special set up where the back of the TV is hidden and out of the way.
The CRT is a proven quantity and still the best technology. I like the idea that one can sit anywhere in the room and get a quality view without picture loss. It also has better lights and darks compared to the LCD's & Plasmas that I have seen. I bought a 16" LCD HD for my folks and the darks really bug me in that they are more of a dark gray and oh yeah, it's a 16" (same price one can get a 36" for)... Style is for the rich guys...
The CRT is a proven quantity and still the best technology. I like the idea that one can sit anywhere in the room and get a quality view without picture loss. It also has better lights and darks compared to the LCD's & Plasmas that I have seen. I bought a 16" LCD HD for my folks and the darks really bug me in that they are more of a dark gray and oh yeah, it's a 16" (same price one can get a 36" for)... Style is for the rich guys...
T2k said:
Them's fight'in words pardner! CRT is still king of the hill for video. Come on over and take a look at what a re tubed Sony G70 picture looks like on a 8' wide screen. I will help you put your eyes back in their sockets before you go back to NYC.
Look, I work for an animation & post company, I DO know when and why CRT is the best.
And yet I said what I have said. Flickering is flickering, no matter what you do - interlace and tube rays kills your eyes on the long run. The only reason I haven't changed our CRTs to LCD because the professional LCD prices are in the 'horror' range, and the others (non-high-end) are useless when it comes to color correction etc.
T2k said:
The only reason I haven't changed our CRTs to LCD because the professional LCD prices are in the 'horror' range, and the others (non-high-end) are useless when it comes to color correction etc.
Can you elaborate on professional LCD? How much are we talking about for let's say a 40" Widescreen model? Can you give me some model numbers to look up? Are you talking about a "pro" model as opposed to a consumer model?
joep said:
AFAIK there's no such thing yet.
I'm talking about broadcast LCDs, not prosumer stuff - some prices:
http://catalog2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ModelDetail?displayTab=O&storeId=11201&catalogId=13051&itemId=67903&catGroupId=14625&modelNo=BT-LH1800&surfModel=BT-LH1800
PS: only these kind of LCDs have such color capabilities you can depend on...
I found a cheaper Sony one too: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...SOLMD320WS&is=REG&Q=&O=productlist&sku=349679
We went with Sony CRT which was the best picture quality for the price at the time, and that is a constantly moving target. The drawback of course is the size and weight, and if you want larger than 35 to 40" then CRT is not even an option. We deliberately stayed small (34") so the picture would not be grainy. Voom looks fantastic on our CRT. We are very happy with the whole setup. This will last us a few years and then we will upgrade to flat panel technology which will be much improved by then.
we have a 40" sony crt here....what a monster! i still think the picture quailty is the best. anyone know anything about a vizio 30" lcd? is vizio a good brand? does one of the major manufacturers make this and rebrand it vizio?
