I went tv looking

[cam]

and to my amazement I noticed that 80% of all projection sets were either LCD or DLP. Future Shop, A&B Sound, and Audio Video were all the same. 6 months ago, 80% would have been the total of the CRT RPTV's. Are CRT RPTV's being phased out or are they just not sexy enough to be on display like they use to be. Keep in mind i'm only talking about big screens. All the stores I mention still have a huge display of direct view tv's.

[pwh03]

yea i noticed the same thing. I assume they just want to show off the new technology. Also many people don't understand the capabilities of the new technology, so they assume new is better even though it might not be.

Ph

[woodman]

and to my amazement I noticed that 80% of all projection sets were either LCD or DLP. Future Shop, A&B Sound, and Audio Video were all the same. 6 months ago, 80% would have been the total of the CRT RPTV's. Are CRT RPTV's being phased out or are they just not sexy enough to be on display like they use to be.

No cam - sex has nothing to do with it ... nor does it have anything to do with wanting to showcase exciting new technologies either.

The answer as to why you encountered what you did is a very simple one. It's because as prices continue to drop on CRT-based RPTVs, the potential for profits drop right along with 'em. Time for dealers interested in making a buck turn their attention to trying to market sets that have more profit built in because of their higher pricetags ... it's just that simple.

[kpzbee]

Woodman, If you don't mind me asking - what is the advantage & disadvantage of DLP vs crt RPTV? So far, I'm leaning towards a DLP unit. They have a brighter/sharper image than a CRT from what I see. Most of the CRT's I've looked at are kinda on the darker side. Plus, I need to be able to see the screen off center due to my living room & the CRT's seem to fade out bad off center.

[woodman]

Woodman, If you don't mind me asking - what is the advantage & disadvantage of DLP vs crt RPTV? So far, I'm leaning towards a DLP unit. They have a brighter/sharper image than a CRT from what I see. Most of the CRT's I've looked at are kinda on the darker side. Plus, I need to be able to see the screen off center due to my living room & the CRT's seem to fade out bad off center.

DLP advantages:
a. thinner cabinet
b. lighter weight
c. better off-axis viewing

DLP disadvantages:
a. much higher pricetag
b. light source (bulb) will require replacement every couple of years
c. possible "rainbow effect" on pix
d. "fixed pixel display" is not capable of as much fine detail as CRT-based RPTV
e. possibility of losing pixels - not a problem with CRT-based

CRT-based sets are capable of picture quality every bit as good as any DLP or LCD based set. In any TV showroom, there will likely be a vast difference in the way some sets are adjusted, resulting in a perception that the LCD and DLP-based sets have much better picture quality. They don't!

As far as CRT-based pix "fading out badly" off axis - this is not really correct either. They do fade out badly when moving well off-axis in the vertical plane - but not horizontal. There have been tremendous strides made in increasing horizontal viewing angle for CRT-based sets over the past 10 years. Today, most sets boast of horiz. viewing angle of 160 degrees, which means 80 degrees on either side of "on-axis". Of course there will be some loss of brightness when you're 80 degrees off center, but not a whole lot. Besides, whatever loss there might be can be easily corrected for by simply increasing contrast and brightness controls a bit.

What it boils down to in the end is ... are you willing to pay close to double just to have "the latest technology"? As Shakespeare said: "that is the question".

[kpzbee]

Great information Woodman! Thank you! That was some of the stuff I was wondering about. Is the resolution on CRT as good as DLP? What is "fixed pixel display"? I seen a post earlier about the size of the "guns" being a factor on the lower price sets & not producing a bright picture. Is there anything to this? Is it worth checking out? I will most likely get a Toshiba or Hitachi.

Thanks again,
Kpzbee

[woodman]

Great information Woodman! Thank you! That was some of the stuff I was wondering about. Is the resolution on CRT as good as DLP? What is "fixed pixel display"? I seen a post earlier about the size of the "guns" being a factor on the lower price sets & not producing a bright picture. Is there anything to this? Is it worth checking out? I will most likely get a Toshiba or Hitachi.

Thanks again,
Kpzbee

In response to your Qs:

"Is the resolution on CRT as good as DLP?"
The so-called "resolution" on a CRT is better than any "fixed pixel display!

"What is "fixed pixel display"?"
A fixed pixel display is one in which the number of pixels are limited by the screen layout - which is setup with a pre-determined number of pixels in both the vertical plane and the horizontal plane. This is the case with all of the DLP and LCD and Plasma displays, with 720 pixels vertically by 1280 pixels horizontally being typical. In CRTs the number of pixels is NOT fixed - and the only limitation is the height and width of the tube face itself. The 7" tubes found in the majority of RPTVs on the other hand, can display the full resolution of the 1080i format that is most common in HDTV.

"I seen a post earlier about the size of the "guns" being a factor on the lower price sets & not producing a bright picture. Is there anything to this? Is it worth checking out?"
No, there is no truth to that bit of video BS. It's most definitely NOT worth "checking out". Anyone propagating such nonsense should learn something about television technology before repeating something that they read somewhere - written by someone who doesn't know the truth to begin with.

"I will most likely get a Toshiba or Hitachi."
Good choices, either one.