Why don't people buy CRT TV's

[Keith from Canada]

You may be right. The dealer kept of saying "check out this TV beside the Sony. It sucks compared to the Sony" Of course the Sony cost twice as much as the other TV so I suspect that they set things up to sell the more expensive TV. . So, how do I tell if a TV is good if the dealers don't calibrate their TV's properly?

One thing that I forgot to mention was that not all sets on the market are created equal. When my set was being calibrated, I spoke with the specialist and was told that there are many sets on the market that can't be properly calibrated. He gave the example of a Philips CRT widescreen set which he said could not come close to reaching a proper 6500k grey scale. This means that the colours on this set will never be what they could be. He also mentioned that some sets do not give the user enough controls even in the Service menu to allow them to fully adjust the set.

In regards to what makes for a good set, my personal observation has been that the only way to find out is to do some research. Here you have people like woodman telling you that a widescreen CRT may not be the best investment for your $'s. Given his experience, I would bank on his opinion and avoid those sets. Also, I personally found it important to keep an open mind. When I bought my RPTV, I read that it was horrible out of the box, that it had red-push problems, that there was no way to deselect the SVM in the user menu etc... I also read that all of these problems were defeatable and that the Service menu allowed virtually total access to any possible feature needed to do a thorough overhaul of the set. I then reat that when properly set-up, that this TV rivaled sets at twice the cost.

To answer your next possible question (why don't dealers calibrate their sets?)...the answer is that a calibrated set a) doesn't attract as much attention (browsers tend to notice overblown colours like red...hence the red-push on most TVs) b) would not sell as well on a typical showroom floor (bright lights tend to wash out colours which would make a calibrated set look more 'drab').

[yakkosmurf]

I agree that dealers and manufacturers have no need to properly calibrate their TVs and could even reduce their sales by doing so. Why are concept cars so often brought out in colors they never offer when they sell them 5 years later?

I do understand the point about the screen being bigger on an RPTV and that leading to some graniness. That's part of my point. I would prefer a smaller screen that is clear, rather than a large screen that isn't. It's a matter of preference. I have compared TVs showing the same source material, on the same DVD player, using the same cable, that were calibrated by the same person. The CRT was noticeably clearer to both observers.

As for the cost issue, you do make a good point. It doesn't concern me, however. I guess different people see different things as important. My TV came with a 5 year warranty for a ridiculously small extra cost. My home owners insurance comes with a pretty good deductible and similarly covers items. If my $3k CRT is dead in 6 years, I probably won't be too upset. Rarely in the past have I ever kept anything that long. Typically, I'd rather upgrade to something that's better (which there will be in that price range by then). Would you really care about long life out of a Dolby Pro Logic Receiver you dropped $1000 on 8 years ago? If you're like me, you upgraded to something with digital surround 4 years later, and now you're looking to upgrade to something that handles dts ES and DD EX.

Just my thoughts.

[dax]

Today, I'd buy for myself (and recommend to others as well) a front projector over an above any other type of video display. I would NOT risk my hard-earned on any direct-view CRT set ... period.[/i]

I would love a front projector. Unfortunately, I do not have the room layout for something like that. I only have enough space for something like a 42" screen. I was seriously considering the Mitsubishi RPTV, but have fallen in love with the Samsung hln467w, which is a 46" dlp which would fit in about the same space. What are your thoughts on these dlp sets, Woodman? Or anyone else?