Direct View CRT vs. RPTV,LCD,DLP, and Plasma

[Gonzo]

I own a sony KV-34XBR910 (direct view crt) - and i have seen hd progRAMMING on all of the types of tv's - and nothing so far has compared to my TV . it seems like most people in here own RPTVS and think the picture is amazing. I think they look like garbage compared to my tv. am i alone in this opinion? if it is all about the size then RPTVS take the cake - but when it comes to quality Direct view CRTS rule.

[Richard]

CRT has a specific look that is the nature of the technology. You can now get that same feel with a screen protector on an RPTV which unfortunately is no longer an option. The reason that is of concern is because both suffer from glare. Even in a controlled environment you can still make out the liquid look of the glass screen on a CRT or the screen protector on an RPTV.

CRT has a shadow mask that causes moire patterns to appear. This also reduces resolution and many will not even pass 960 lines or half of HD resolution much less 480 lines from NTSC. The shadow mask can also dome causing discoloration due to excessive beam current. Projection CRT has none of these concerns. Due to this many will perceive a direct view CRT as a cleaner image but that is only because of what it is hiding, it is not faithful to the original.

CRT direct view has a bigger face and suffers from poorer edge focus.

CRT direct view is better with uniformity.

CRT direct view suffers from incorrect phosphor color. With projection CRT we can put color filter lenses on the tubes to get the primaries correct.

CRT direct view suffers from poor convergence and RPTV has less errors in this aspect if not none.

CRT direct view is too small to meet the designed purpose of HDTV, the theater experience.

All of this is based on consumer grade displays. While professional grade overcomes many of these points it is about $30K for a 38" screen.

The best use of direct view CRT is for studio mastering in professional settings.

If you are a long distance viewer than this was the right choice for you but technically a good RPTV will present you with far more information.

[chuckken]

Gonzo...it is a good thing that you like your tiny tv. But I assure you that all RPTV's are not garbage. I wish you lived in N Georgia I would invite you over to view a 65" Toshiba that will definitely change your view of RPTV. I am familiar with your set and it is a good one, but I have just as good (if not better) an image on my 65" Toshiba. Not to mention that a smaller tv would be lost in my living room...So there would be no "theaterlike" experience.

[gonzo7176]

of course what i said - is my opinion - i work at a post production facility and work with High definition equipment all day. Alot of what i work on is 1080P/23.98Psf - that is what most features are transfered to - either on D5 or HDcam. i also work with 1080I/59.94/60/50 and 720P. So i am judging what i see at work - comparing to what i see at home. I have to say that my HDTV at home almost stands up the quality at i see at work. RPTV's look soft to me and the glare is ridiculous. i would love to see chuckenn set up.

[Richard]

RPTV's look soft to me and the glare is ridiculous

They look soft because there is no pixel structure. You are not supposed to see pixel structure at 3 screen heights.

The glare is due to the screen protector which can be removed on some. Nothing can be done about the glare of a direct view CRT except controlled lighting in the viewing environment.