CRT HDTV - Always A Solid Choice

A closeup of a copyright symbol as produced by an old CRT TV.

Do you really need the latest technology when it comes to the quality of your HDTV and home theater system? I think not. After we take a look at the virtues of CRT HDTV I think you'll see that unless you have money to burn, the weight and size of your screen may be your only sacrifice. For now.

Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT's) are the old standard for TV image production. These vacuum tubes are basically little electron guns that shoot electrons at the screen coated with a phosphorous material and this creates the image along with a small magnetic field that helps manipulate the image.

The Direct View CRT HDTV is a pure analog TV set where the CRTs are designed with the capability to receive and produce HD images in the 1080i format and it does it quite well. Instead of pixels the CRT HDTV uses scan lines to produce its images. The resolution on these screens can rival that of the larger brothers in the HDTV family.

Advantages of CRT HDTV:

The CRT HDTV has some nice advantages over the other HDTVs on the market now. The first is price.  A CRT HDTV is much lower in price compared to its pure digital brethren although at the sacrifice of size. This is the best option for those looking to upgrade their technology without wanting a TV that's going to take up so much space.

Another great advantage is the picture quality.  A CRT HDTV will  produce very "black" blacks and very smooth contrasting of darker shades unlike the "watermark" look produced by most of the larger digital HDTVs out there. Also the picture is great no matter where you are viewing the TV from. The depth of the color and picture quality isn't lost due to the simple fact that you are sitting off to the side a little. This is a huge consideration if you have a few people over and your space dictates that some sit off to the side.

Another good quality of the CRTs is that they come in both 4:3 aspect ratio and 16:9 with more and more having the 16:9 aspect ratio. Even at 16:9 these sets will still priduce a better picture from any analog signal than your best digital set.

Life expectancy is another fantastic advantage of CRT HDTVs. I think the average useful life of a CRT tv is something like 20,000 hours. There's also no bulbs or filters to change once they go bad. Also, you'll never have to worry about pixels "burning out" as with plasma screens, leaving you with little black spots on your screen. These are not fixable. Once they're gone they're gone!

Disadvantages of CRT HDTV:

The only real disadvantages of a CRT HDTV would probably be the weight and depth of the set.  Some of these can weigh hundreds of pounds and be up to 20" deep. You won't be able to find anything as slim as some of the newer digital HDTVs.  One other disadvantage may be that the screens as of now are maxing out at around 34". Technology is improving so we'll see how slim the CRTs can get.  So if you plan on moving a lot or just changing the location of your set frequently then this option might not be for you.

Here are things to take into consideration when shopping for a CRT HDTV.

1 - Flat Screen - getting a set with a pure flat screen eliminates the bubble effect that is produced by the curve of a glass screen2 - Built in HD Tuner - This is necessary for picking up any over air HD signals from local stations. This feature isn't necessary though if you're going to be using a cable or satellite provider.

3 - Black Screen - The darker the screen is when the set is turned off the better the color production will be when viewing.

4 - Ability to Convert Analog Signals Up - This will produce near HDTV quality pictures from normal analog signals. The overall quality will depend on the brand and technique of image production used by the set.

5 - Number of Component Inputs - You'll want to make sure you have enough inputs for the number of components you'll be using and make sure you have connections for digital DVI and HDMI inputs. Another convenient consideration would be having inputs somewhere on the front of your set for quick hook up of video game consoles or camcorders.

Taking these things into consideration along with your available space and the frequency of future moves you should be able to find the perfect CRT HDTV that will function just as well as one of those high priced behemoths that are currently dominating the marketplace and your wallet won't feel so light in the end.