Flat CRT Televisions Are Coming To A Living Room Near You

[Kent Pribbernow]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://news.com.com/Picture+tube+TVs+try+a+slimmer+strategy/2100-1041_3-5543184.html?tag=nefd.top' target='_blank'>http://news.com.com/Picture+tube+TVs+try+a+slimmer+strategy/2100-1041_3-5543184.html?tag=nefd.top</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Standard picture-tube TVs, the kind that the vast majority of Americans still buy, have long been video non grata at the Consumer Electronics Show. Seen as yesterday's technology, they have been relegated to the back room of the show, the industry's biggest gadget festival, where flat-panel LCD and plasma sets take center stage. But at this year's show in Las Vegas, picture tubes made a small comeback in thinner televisions designed to appeal to Americans' penchant for all things slim."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/slimtvtease_135x150.jpg" /><br /><br />This is really interesting. With these Flat CRT televisions costing far less than a typical LCD, it just might be the catalyst the finally pushes traditional CRT sets out our living rooms for good.

[mcsouth]

This certainly looks like a great option for those of us who can't even consider the prospect of buying a $3000 tv - a $1000 HD tv option is going to drive HD to the masses much quicker than waiting for folks to be able to afford LCD or plasma TV's.

I couldn't tell from this article what the aspect ratio would be -are these standard 4:3 tv's, or are they 16:9 widescreens? For that matter, is there such a thing as a widescreen CRT? I don't know that I've ever seen one.... The sizes are a bit small, too - 30"? I had hoped to go bigger than that with my next tv - probably not 55 or 65", but somewhere up around 40-45" would be nice. Probably not practical to expect a widescreen format HD CRT tv in that size, I suppose...

[Bob Christensen]

Does anyone have good information on the life expectancy of these slim CRTs vs. LCD or plasma screens?

I never see it mentioned in marketing material, but isn't the life of a plasma screen relatively short? I've seen some discussion that plasma screens lose about 50% of their brightness after 6-7 years. LCD?