+wongojack Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 Anyone have an opinion about the late-era Samsung CRTs? I recently picked up a CR32Z30 (model TX R3079WH). It is an HD TV in the widescreen format, but it is a full blown CRT with Composite, Component, S-Video inputs as well as analog and digital tuners. I know people prefer Sony WEGA TVs, but this one seems to check all the boxes. And it is also a bit less "deep" than traditional CRTS. Any opinions out there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bratwurst Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 I would consider late Samsung CRTs practically on the same tier as Sony in terms of performance. Since it's an HD set it won't treat 240p content any better than modern LCD televisions however. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+wongojack Posted February 1, 2021 Author Share Posted February 1, 2021 I played around with the Samsung a bit tonight. It did nicely with the PS2 connected with Component cables. Compared to another RCA I have the contrast was definitely better even without any adjustments. Also, it really isn't super heavy for a 30" CRT. At about 120lbs, I could lift it by myself out of my car, up off the floor and slide it around on a pad without much difficulty. However, it was pretty disappointing with true SD stuff. I hooked up my AV modded Atari 7800 and gave it the "Kaboom Test." There was noticeable lag immediately and the performance just can't compare to a true CRT. We may use it as an "Office" TV and keep a spare X360 hooked to it for Hulu and some games, or you may see me offering it up here someday soon - LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youxia Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 Sony is great but it does not mean others were rubbish. Yeah, the HD TVs are good for 480i (and up) consoles, and for watching old films and such. I'm rather impressed that you were able to manhandle it yourself though, I draw a line at 21 inchers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+wongojack Posted February 1, 2021 Author Share Posted February 1, 2021 9 hours ago, youxia said: Sony is great but it does not mean others were rubbish. Yeah, the HD TVs are good for 480i (and up) consoles, and for watching old films and such. I'm rather impressed that you were able to manhandle it yourself though, I draw a line at 21 inchers Yeah, getting it up off the floor is a multi-stage process by myself for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Clae Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 Yep, HD CRT's are not good for 240p classic consoles. This is explained in this My Life in Gaming video: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Charlie Cat Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 (edited) 17 hours ago, Bratwurst said: I would consider late Samsung CRTs practically on the same tier as Sony in terms of performance. Since it's an HD set it won't treat 240p content any better than modern LCD televisions however. So true Brat. Those Samsung CRT's are bulletproof. Still have mine after all these years bro. 8^) Anthony.. Edited February 1, 2021 by fdurso224 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+-^CrossBow^- Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 1 hour ago, fdurso224 said: So true Brat. Those Samsung CRT's are bulletproof. Still have mine after all these years bro. 8^) Anthony.. I had a late model Samsung Tru-flat HD CRT. It was like a 32inch or something and was heavy as all get out! It had a really good picture but it did suffer from two issues I had with it. The first and most obvious was the convergence issues it had. There was a noticeable bow in the image along the bottom of the screen that I was never able to get sorted. Normal games you didn't notice it much, but when watching the news or anything with a scroller along the bottom, it would stand out. It wasn't able to handle light gun games. It had an issue where after a few min of being on, a noticed green and purple spots would form on the screen in the upper left and right corners. I was told this was due to the power supplies in those TVs not being quite adequate. The ONLY way to avoid these color spots was to literally turn the TV around as it was affected by the magnetic fields all around it. It did this at two different houses I lived in while I owned it and was a pain in the ass not being able to use the TV exactly where I wanted to in the house. Also the TV did have a built in degauss coil as you would hear it "grunt" when you first powered on the TV but as it only did it on initial power on, it didn't keep the spots from forming. Calls to Samsung support weren't helpful as they were the ones that told me to turn the screen to different directions to be rid of the spots. In general, the tru-flat screens just weren't that well regarded from what I would learn later on. It did have all analog inputs of coax, composite, s-video, component and not 1 but 2 HDMI inputs on it as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+wongojack Posted February 1, 2021 Author Share Posted February 1, 2021 I am crazy, and I am going to go pick up a Sony 32" and a Sharp 27." This is one of those "please just take it" situations, but I got the model numbers and they have ALL the inputs plus they are true SD TVs. I've already got a small collection of CRTs, but I think this little spasm of acquisition is pushing me into crazytown. I'll likely do a comparison and end up purging a few before summer. For some reason this month I really got motivated to upgrade my CRT game. We are at the VERY end of what I think will be when you'll be able to still find people dumping these things. I'm afraid if I wait too much longer then things will dry up and the only ones left will be costly. Even right now if you find a 20" Sony, people still want some money for it. I did see one of those locally, but it lacked S-Video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bratwurst Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 The larger tubes are going to end up being the rarest because so few people want to deal with them for the weight, but they're almost always the most feature rich with input support and picture options. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youxia Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 In UK some Trinitrons now cost as much as PVMs used to 5 years ago. PVMs on the other hand now count as much as used car prices. It's quite mental. I have a whole chunk of my cellar full of backup ones, so should be ok for a decade or two. But still check the classifieds just out of a habit... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeonSpaceBeagle Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 CRT LOVE! I just picked up a 20 inch JVC I'Art Sunday night. I've been using a 14 inch Toshiba (love that set). The same guy had/still has a 27 inch version of the Toshiba I have.. I kind of wish I took that one. I am glad to have two CRT's now. When they are gone they will be gone. Going back and playing systems I was playing on LCD's has been an amazing experience and it really angers me that us gamers were duped in the mid 00's to switch to LCD. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+wongojack Posted February 2, 2021 Author Share Posted February 2, 2021 I keep thinking that eventually the processing in the TVs will "catch up" and the upscaling will just happen automatically without any issues. It might still not look as good, but the lag will be resolved. I dunno if that future is realistic or not. We might move on to some other kind of display technology that involves no wires or something . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeonSpaceBeagle Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 The radiation coming out of the CRT's is the best part though. They will never be able to replicate that. I mean they could, but it would be absurd. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youxia Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 For me 0-lag is just an added bonus. It's all about the looks, and these are simply inimitable. Although I must admit that there are some extremely good shaders out there. But even best of them are still somewhat limited by modern panels themselves. I'd love to try shaders combined with OLED tech, but it is still too expensive. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeonSpaceBeagle Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 When I switched back to CRT I also realized I wasn't as horrible at games as I thought I was! I always thought lag was kind of hard to detect. I mostly play racing games so lag wasn't really too much of an issue for me, but I noticed it in shmups and other type of games. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeonSpaceBeagle Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 Also CRT's have a more nostalgic smell to them. A much sweeter smell than LCD's too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatPix Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 And that good old high pitched whine. And older TV looked so more original. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+GoldenWheels Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 My rule is no more than one CRT of any given size. Yes, I needed a rule. CRTs were everywhere, free, until just a year or two ago around here. I have a nice little Sony Trinitron 13 inch (mono though), a JVC I'art 20, a WEGA 24, and a WEGA 32. The 32 (my gaming TV), I actually bought my sis a flat screen for xmas years back but told her part of the deal was....I get the WEGA CRT hand me down (up?). She even had the matching Sony stand. All my CRTs are 4:3, as is only right and proper. I actually had a spare 32 WEGA picked off a curbside...got it down into the basement with a buddy....dropped it three feet from the stand. Ruined. Sheesh. If I see a better free CRT at the dump or out front of Goodwill....I exchange. If I bring home a TV that looks cosmetically nice but has a wonky picture...buh bye.. One thing I always tell people....it doesn't matter at this point if it is a Sony or a freakin' Quasar. These things are old. You have no idea what it will look like until you turn it on and hook something up. I'd always try to test something, especially something heavy, before taking it home. (One of my best finds, since handed to a buddy, was a 27 inch RCA. It was a a Walmart/Circuit City Special back in the day, low end even then. But the unit itself had held up like a tank. Wheareas I have brought home more than one WEGA that had gone totally to shit) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cedropoole Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 (edited) I bought a Sanwa TX R3079WH when they were brand new. After just 2 years it stopped working never to fuction again. It was nice while it lasted. My 36" Sony WEGA that I also bought new in it's day from the DAX catalog is still going strong. I also have a 27" RCA for light gun games as they do not work on a flat screen CRT like the Sony WEGA. Edited February 4, 2021 by cedropoole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeonSpaceBeagle Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 CRT's cured my depression ? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin Posted February 9, 2021 Share Posted February 9, 2021 (edited) I had a Samsung HD CRT and did not like its picture quality at all. I don't recall the model number, but whatever internal scaler it was using wasn't particularly good for non-HD content. The SD image was always soft regardless of connection type. HD content looked excellent on the other hand. My Wega HD CRT was nice however. SD stuff still looked great on it. It definitely had the edge there. Edited February 9, 2021 by Austin 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonGrafx-16 Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 I really love my 27" Trinitron from 1999. Perfect for classic consoles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+wongojack Posted March 1, 2021 Author Share Posted March 1, 2021 Well I finally pulled off that additional TV run I talked about almost a month ago. I got Covid and had to delay (I'm fine). THEN we had the deep freeze here in Texas that pushed things back another couple of weeks. The Trinitron is a Sony KV-32FS17 made in 2001. It was even heavier than I expected. The lady also gave me two other TVs to take away that were both about 20 or 21". One of those has Component and the other has S-Video, so I should have a nice supply of various inputs and stuff on hand for a while now. I'll have to evaluate and probably get rid of another CRT that I have stuffed away that only has Composite (and RF). Meanwhile the Samsung HD CRT has now become my Collectorvision Phoenix display. It is the only HD TV in my house that works with the Phoenix without any extra bullsh!+ - LOL 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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