CRTs ( even cheap ones ) generally have much better static contrast ratio than nearly all flat panels ever made. I measured my Sony HD KD-34XBR960 ( discontinued in 2005, the best CRT TV Sony ever made, and they made a whole bunch ). Static contrast ratio measured at 50,000:1 (static, not the phony dynamic modes which only improve some scenes )
That's what gives the picture the real "pop" as they say. There are some brand new 2009 model LED-LCD and OLED flat screens that supposedly just now can match that 50,000:1 static measurement, but I havent seen them yet. These new ones are rated over 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. CRT displays never used or needed those dynamic contrast circuits because the native static contrast ratio was already so high they were not needed as band-aids like they are on most flat panels. If you don't mind the smaller screen size and and big cabinet size & weight, you can pick up for next to nothing some really nice 16X9 HD CRT tvs in thrift, pawnshops, and via craigslist now. I saw an very very nice 30" 16x9 Sony HD set that was over $1200 new only a few year ago selling for only $150 recently and many other similar CRT HDTV deals. People are dumping them in favor of bigger flatscreens at this time, but a good CRT HDTV can look pretty damn amazing for its sharpness AND extremely high static contrast ratio. Its too late to still be using non-HD sets IMHO, DVDs and HD programming looks way way better on a 16x9 HD CRT. Even non-HD programming looks better because of the internal upconversion and better video bandwidth most HD CRT sets have. Look around, you can find some amazing deals on CRTS at the moment. BTW, the market is flooded with non HD CRTs sets, those can be had for as little as $20-$40 but there isnt much interest in those, they are piling up sky high, just like surplus VHS decks are now ( in the $5 range). jco -- J.C. O'Connell (mailto:[email protected]) Home Page - www.jchriso.com Join the Audio CD PLAYER DISCUSSION list - http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/cdplayers/ -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Joseph McAllister Sent: Thursday, July 16, 2009 4:42 PM To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List Subject: Re: :( K20D gone. On Jul 15, 2009, at 13:14 , Bob W wrote: > I do have some Sony things. A 14" TV that visitors laugh at because > it is > old and apparently very out-dated - it's a 1996 model if I remember That's why we buy Sony. My 13" Trinitron was mf'd in 1983, and still looks better than either of my flat screens. No HD, of course, and limited channels, but still sparkles like new. Joseph McAllister [email protected] http://gallery.me.com/jomac http://web.me.com/jomac/show.me/Blog/Blog.html -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
