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Pros and Cons of a CRT TV for Home Theater

Pros and Cons of a CRT TV for Home Theater

 

CRTs, or cathode ray tube TVs, are pretty much regular television sets that use a series of tubes inside the TV to generate images on the screen. Modern TVs have evolved from CRTs, with the introduction of LCD and Plasma flat screen TVs that are gaining popularity in the global markets. When people talk about home theater systems today, they almost always refer to an LCD or Plasma TV as the centerpiece for the room. However, high defenition CRTs actually offer certain advantages over their "modern" cousins, and you should consider these differences before writing off CRTs as an option.

 

Heat Management - all electronic equipment generates heat when it operates. CRTs are on the "medium" end of this scale, with LCDs creating the least internal heat and Plasmas the most. However, CRTs are the LEAST sensitive to heat exposure, meaning in temperate climates, LCDs and especially plasma screens will deteriorate faster than a CRT.

 

Light Refraction - LCDs and Plasma TVs are flat screens because their method of displaying images uses small machines inside the pixels of the actual TV screen, whereas a CRT uses a bulkier device inside the TV to project the image onto the screen. This makes CRTs much less sensitive to changes in lighting inside a room. LCDs, for example, can't display the color "black" effectively due to the fact that it's LCDs block and filter light to generate an image. Plasmas, on the other hand, generate light within each pixel, so light from outside sources reflect more off a plasma screen than a CRT. Overall, this makes CRTs more stable in terms of their display quality.

 

Unit Screen Size - As far as screen size is concerned, CRTs and LCDs aren't quite as large as Plasma TVs. Plasma screen technology allows for the creation of larger screens by far than either LCDs or CRTs. Additionally, CRTs are bulky compared to the other two flatscreen TV types so this is one area where CRTs lose out.

 

Tube Lifespan - CRT TVs are on the medium end of the spectrum here. Plasma screen TVs have the longest lifespan before the displays burn out, and LCD TVs degrade the fastest. However, due to the high heat generated by plasma screens, they can actually die out as quickly as an LCD screen in hotter climates and with prolonged use. The main lifespan advantage of a CRT over flatscreens is that it's lifespan doesn't severely shorten if the unit is used frequently and repeatedly. It's the perfect movie marathon device.

 

 



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