CRT TV FAQ's
How does the picture quality of
CRT TV's compare to the newer technology TV's?
Do CRT TV's have a limited
life?
Do CRT TV's suffer from
burn-in?
Why can you sometimes get a
skewed/discoloured image at the edge of a CRT screen?
Do CRT TV's or monitors
contain lead?
Why are CRT TV's so heavy?
How does the picture quality of CRT TV's compare to the newer technology TV's?
CRT TV's are still capable of displaying excellent picture quality, and providing the best contrast, colour performance and black levels of any new technology TV's. There are high definition CRT TV's available on the market and the picture quality of these rivels the high definition LCD and Plasma displays.
Do CRT TV's have a limited life?
You can expect at least 5 years of intensive TV watching before the picture quality will start to degrade. CRT TV's have no lamps or filters to change, unlike plasma, LCD and DLP sets making them virtually maintenance free.
Do CRT TV's suffer from burn-in?
Yes they do, though not to the same extent as Plasma TV's.
Why can you sometimes get a skewed/discoloured image at the edge of a CRT screen?
It is possible to get a skewed or discoloured image at the corners of a CRT screen if you have speakers (usually from a home theatre setup) right next to the TV. The magnetic field generated by the speakers interferes with the the electron beam in the CRT tube. If you move the speakers further away from the TV you will see the image go back to normal. LCD and Plasma TV's are not affected by magnetic fields.
Do CRT TV's or monitors contain lead?
Yes, the cathode ray tube within a CRT TV contains glass, so much glass in fact that a CRT tube on bigger TV' can weigh more than 23kgs. That glass in the CRT tube contains a lot of lead. A big CRT can contain up to 2.2 kgs of lead. It is mixed into the glass for two reasons:
- Adding a small amount of lead to glass is very common when creating glass for lenses as it improves the optical quality of the glass.
- Optical quality is especially important at the front of the CRT. The lead acts as a shield against radiation generated by the electron gun and electron beam.
The problem with lead is that very small amounts of it cause lead poisoning, so there is a large effort to keep lead out of landfills.
Why are CRT TV's so heavy?
The cathode ray tube within a CRT TV is large and contains a lot of glass, thus the tube itself is heavy and the unit to house the tube is large adding extra weight to the TV.