Do CRT TVs lose picture quality as they age?

Question

I heard that plasma TVs and some LCDs get "dead pixels" and lose picture quality as they age. What about CRT TVs? For the past 4 years, I have been using a Toshiba flatscreen CRT with built-in VHS/DVD players (although the DVD player bummed 3 years ago) that has worked good for me so far, and I was wondering if I really need to switch to an HDTV? Especially considering that I am getting a Xbox 360 now.

What is the lamp life of an average CRT TV? I also heard that CRT TVs have better picture quality in some aspects than plasmas or LCDs, is that true? And by the way, my CRT was factory refurbished (does not mean "used" or "defective") when I got it; will that affect the life span and quality of my CRT? Or is my CRT still as good as it was when it was made?

The average amount of time the TV is on in our home, for whatever uses, is like 6 hours per day (estimate).

Answer 1

With the active electronics (TFT) embedded in the screen of an LCD HDTV, you are going to find that dead pixels is really an issue with LCD HD TVs and not plasma or CRT TVs.



A CRT will dim (lose brightness) with age, but they do not lose their color accuracy. The typical life of a CRT is 15-20 years. There are no lamps in a CRT TV. Plasma TVs also dim with age and do not lose color accuracy. Expect a plasma screen to last 20-30 years. LCD TVs use cold cathode tubes as their light source. These tubes not only dim with age, they change color and, therefore lose their color accuracy as they age. Expect these tubes to last 20-25 years.



All flat panel HDTVs lose resolution with motion; this is not true for a CRT TV. An LCD TV loses more resolution than a plasma TV with motion. LCD TVs also blur and jitter motion. Plasma and CRT TVs do not. SD content looks the best on a CRT TV. HD content looks the best on a plasma or LCD HDTV.



CRT TVs do not create video lag when using gaming systems. All flat panel HDTVs (plasma & LCD) have video lag unless they have an effective gaming mode. CRT TVs can have burn-in when used with game systems. Plasma and LCD TVs can also burn-in with game systems, but it is harder to do with a new plasma TV and even harder to do on a LCD TV.

Answer 2

Plasma TV's have the closest picture quality to a CRT displaying a quality SD signal. A good quality plasma TV from a quality brand (Pioneer, Samsung, Panasonic) have 100,000 hour half life. That means that viewing your television for 6-7 hours a day you would have about 35 years before your television was half as bright as it was when you purchased it.



Plasma TV's much like CRT's lose brightness over long periods of time slowly. It should not be a problem at all considering it will be decades before it even becomes noticeable.



If you are getting an Xbox 360 I would suggest that you spring for an HDTV if you can afford one. The Xbox has a large number of games in full 1080p HD and the experience gaming in Hi Def is amazing. You will also be able to stream movies from Net Flix to your set if you have a wireless network (or hi speed ethernet connection) and a Gold Xbox membership. Prices should be low for the upcoming holiday shopping season if you decide t pick one up.

Answer 3

CRTs can last a long time. I have a 1984 Mitsubishi and it's as good as the day I bought it. CRTs don't have a lamp per se - the cathode ray tube runs by shooting an electron beam at the screen surface to excite phosphors that glow when hit. Degradation typically occurs when the set gets out of color convergence, but that's much less of a problem than it used to be. My 1984 Mitsu has never required adjustment.



LCDs can get dead pixels. usually its only one or two, and they usually happen at manufacturing. Some sellers will let you return a set if it has more than a certain number of dead pixels, usually 2 to 4. As far as aging goes, I'm not sure. LCDs have a backlight lamp, which can dim and may limit the sets lifetime. I'm not sure if it's replaceable.

Answer 4

CRT tvs display SD tv better than HD tvs do. So in that respect, yes they have a better picture.



HD stations on HD tvs blow SD away in picture quality, no comparison. So in that respect, HD wins.



CRT tvs lose their color saturation as they age, it just gets less defined. If your is looking good to you, it's good. How long they last is totally dependent on the tv, only time will tell, tho 10 years or so is about normal.



You don't need to switch to HD unless you want to. I love mine but SD will not look as good. If your Xbox looks good to you, it's fine.



LCDs are about to drop in price quite a bit. So if you are really interested in one, keep checking the prices after Thanksgiving and going forward from there, you will be pleasantly surprised.

Answer 5

CRT's should not fade. The lamp life is 4,000-8,000 hours.

Refurbished means that someone returned it for any possible reason and the factory knew they could make it as "good as new" and they did. It comes with a different warranty,sometimes..

CRT's are not better than the newer sets. But they are very good..