TV: Picture Tube is my problem

[HD Library]

A common statement we hear is my TV has such and such problem and it is the picture tube. How much for a new picture tube?

Regardless of your problem in most cases it is not your picture tube. If you have a bad picture tube in most cases it will be the servicer telling you your picture tube is not in good shape even though it has a picture. What that means is your picture tube is not displaying the image correctly.

If you should need a new picture tube for a direct view CRT display then it is time to replace it since the price of a new tube pretty much equals if not exceeds the replacement cost of the display. If you have an RPTV that is more involved because you have three, red, green and blue. Replacing a single tube is not too bad but 2 or more can get pricey. If your CRTs have significant wear on them but you only need one tube your servicer may still recommend all three be replaced so they will match for the correct color temperature. A good rule of thumb is 4 years or less is typically not a problem, 4-6 becomes sketchy and over 6 you will likely have too much wear to get away with replacing only the single bad tube.