Why don't they sell box TV's anymore?

[trendsetter240]

Re: Why don't they sell box TV's anymore?

this one i has takes 10 seconds to turn on, and takes 3-4 seconds to change channels.
it takes a little longer than direct tv takes to change stations.
and that is pretty long.

Something else is wrong here. My two year old LCD 46" changes channels in less than a second.

 

[Brewman61]

Re: Why don't they sell box TV's anymore?

A 32" CRT screen probably has about #100 of lead in it- it's what protects us from the radiation that the picture tube generates.
Lead isn't exactly cheap right now, and it's a haz-mat issue to dispose.

Comparing the price of CRT's to LCD, LED, or Plasma screens is apples to oranges.

Back in the day, CRT tube TV's were extremely expensive for their time period. I recall that a cheap portable color TV from the late 1960's cost about $500- a lot of money back then. The biggest screen was 25"- teeny by today's standards. Typical was 19".

Over the decades the economies of scale set in- development and initial costs of any new technology are expensive. So as time passed and technology matured, costs dropped.

Then LCD, LED, Plasma came out as new technology, and the costs were high. Factories need to be re-tooled, new development costs have to be recovered, etc......

Then there is simply the fact that new TV's are light years ahead in functionality than the old TV's. They do a LOT more now, so that alone is worth some money. Screen size alone is WAY bigger.

I am willing to be that in a dollars per dollars comparison, today's TV's are a bargain compared to the old CRT ones.

 

[bowman316]

Re: Why don't they sell box TV's anymore?

the tube tv's you are talking about are the ones they made in the 90's? i know they stopped putting tubes in tv in the 80's.

i'm not talking about a tv from the 60's

 

[Brewman61]

Re: Why don't they sell box TV's anymore?

They stopped putting in vacuum tubes into TV sets in the late 70's.
But the CRT (Cathode Ray Tube or Picture Tube) was essentially the same for the entire duration until they went out of production even thru the 1990's. A large heavy, lead cased glass bulb. That's what was in the (non projection) TV sets until the narrow screen LCD, LED, and Plasma screens came into the fold.
Transistors and solid state electronics replaced vacuum tubes, and mechanical tuners replaced as well, but the big heavy and bulky picture tube was in those TV's in one form or another for the entire run.

 

[BuzzStPoint]

Re: Why don't they sell box TV's anymore?

Something else is wrong here. My two year old LCD 46" changes channels in less than a second.

Nothing wrong with that..

My 42" does the same thing.
Also when I'm on a normal digital channel, then I switch to an HD channel, my tv will turn off then back on.

This all has to do with the firmware and tuner of the TV.. Now if you were to have the same exact TV, with the same board, with the same firmware, Then he's got something wrong. BTW: I have a Dynex LCD,(BestBuy brand)

As far as the TV goes,
It is actually cheaper to mass produce the new "flat screen" televisions. How ever, with the ever changing corp greed, and consumers wanting the newest technology. Manufactures and retail stores can sell at higher prices because we WILL pay for it.. Do we need 3d TVs? Nope, But people will spend thousands to have it.

There seems to be a mentality of "I got to have it" in people today. So they will find a way to buy it.. Name your poison, neighbor has a bigger one, friends don't have one so you have to have one, girlfriend will be impressed.. What have you..

My wife moved out CRT in our bedroom 2 weeks ago, Pulled the cable jack out of the TV. I could have bought a new one. Jump on a forum and they told me to junk the TV. It's 10 years old and not worth fixing.... Well 20 dollars for a new turner, 20 minutes to solder it in.... Seemed worth fixing to me.

 

[Brewman61]

Re: Why don't they sell box TV's anymore?

If you had taken that TV to a repair shop (assuming you could fine one), and the estimate to replace that tuner was $100+ would you have spent the money?
Assuming you installed the tuner yourself. Few I know would have the ability. Some I know would electrocute themselves on the capacitors.
CRT's are now a real PITA to get rid of. Best Buy will take them free, others charge. I paid almost $50 to dispose of my old 36" CRT TV when it bit the dust. That sucker weighed almost #150!

 

[jkust]

Re: Why don't they sell box TV's anymore?

We have 4 flat panel tv's in the house now from 42" down to 15" in the kitchen. All but the new LED tv I bought this week change channels quickly. It literally does take 10 seconds to power up and to me too much time to change channels on the LED. None have cable boxes of any kind.

 

[floatingwoody2006]

Re: Why don't they sell box TV's anymore?

well..For what it's worth, my 32' rca crt tv has beel bulletproof for over 10 years now. Both the rear projection 56" i had AND a Visio 32" lcd failed and were too expensive to fix in 4 years time. So..even thought the "facts" about how economical they may be, i would Much rather have a good ole CRT anyday..I hate spending money on things that should just work!

 

[Brewman61]

Re: Why don't they sell box TV's anymore?

If you have a working CRT, then by all means keep it. But sooner or later it's going to fail. And professional repair may not be possible, and will likely be expensive. But getting a replacement of similar style, should you want to do that should be as easy as scanning craig's list. People will give these things away because it's cheaper than paying to dispose of them. You might get more years, or only a few hours. But they're going to be all gone eventually.
The CRT for us consumers, at least, is a dinosaur. Not enough demand to keep making new ones, just like VHS,audio casettes, 8 tracks, reel to reel, vinyl LP's, corded telephones, and soon to join the list, audio CD's.

 

[bowman316]

Re: Why don't they sell box TV's anymore?

so your not supposed to throw a tv in the dumpster?
i have done that before

 

[BuzzStPoint]

Re: Why don't they sell box TV's anymore?

If you had taken that TV to a repair shop (assuming you could fine one), and the estimate to replace that tuner was $100+ would you have spent the money?
Assuming you installed the tuner yourself. Few I know would have the ability. Some I know would electrocute themselves on the capacitors.
CRT's are now a real PITA to get rid of. Best Buy will take them free, others charge. I paid almost $50 to dispose of my old 36" CRT TV when it bit the dust. That sucker weighed almost #150!

I wouldn't have taken it to a shop. I guess I'm handy that way.
I have a 27 inch at work that turn on and off. Management said I can have it. With guidence I can fix almost any thing.

so your not supposed to throw a tv in the dumpster?
i have done that before

Nope not suppose to throw them away. Recycle them... (I toss un repairables in our dumpster too)

 

[Brewman61]

Re: Why don't they sell box TV's anymore?

Might vary by state, but here in MN, it's illegal to throw this stuff in the regular garbage. They don't want the hazardous materials in the appliances leeching into the ground.

 

[scca vette]

Re: Why don't they sell box TV's anymore?

I have to say that this tread really amazes me!! Somebody is actually looking for a old CRT TV?

I think the biggest thing that nobody has mentioned is that most (I say most not all) of the generation now has to have the latest and greatest and the "best" they offer on the market that they can afford. The new flat panel TV's have a LOT better picture, take up less room, can be mounted on a wall, and well they just look "cool". They are the latest and greatest thing when it comes to TV's. Who cares if they do not last longer than 4 years, there will be something even better out by then that everybody will have to have. In the last few years we went from Plasma to LCD to LED and the other day I looked at a new LED 3D television that is suspose to be the next hottest thing in TV's.

We have become a throw away society unlike our parents and our grandparents. We change items now that people use to keep years and only replaced when they had to not because something new and better was out to replace it. I remember my Grandparents had the same TV when they died as they did when I was younger and stayed with them. They also had all the same 1960's furniture.

The manufacture of these items are only doing what the population wants, making reasonable priced items that are cutting edge technology that will last a few years until something new and more advanced comes to the market that people think they can not live without.

 

[marlboro180]

Re: Why don't they sell box TV's anymore?

The manufacture of these items are only doing what the population wants, making reasonable priced items that are cutting edge technology that will last a few years until something new and more advanced comes to the market that people think they can not live without.

Amen brother!

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Why don't they sell box TV's anymore?

The new TV's are much lighter and take up so much less space. You can watch in direct sunlight without having to darken the room. Pretty tough to hang an old 56 inch big screen projection TV on the wall eh !!!!
Mind you, the older tube TV's were much better value if you were buying by weight !!

 

[floatingwoody2006]

Re: Why don't they sell box TV's anymore?

Wow..I can't believe im in a minority here when i state that something i pay 800 dollars or more for, i expect to last for more that 3-4 years? Only thing i watch on TV is sports really, but my better half likes the usual shows. The Phillips 56" rear projection tv we had looked awesome, and we really enjoyed it. Until the color wheel broke, and the parts were about 1000 bucks to buy. Cant sell just a wheel, need the whole assembly apparently. It a major hassle not only to research repair, but then frustration at the cost of said repair, and then ultimately paying 20 bucks to dispose of something that should last for years! I have real issues with the throw away society idea..Ill stick with my CRT's until they can manufacture something that will last ...

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Why don't they sell box TV's anymore?

DLP was probably not a good technology to buy unfortunately. That TV relied on a moving part(wheel) and that part broke. Plasma and LCD passed that technology by, for TVs at least.

 

[hostage]

Re: Why don't they sell box TV's anymore?

but they are not more expensive to make than the new tvs are.
But the shipping space argument makes sense.

and why do these tv's take 30 seconds to turn on, and 10 seconds to change channels?
they are like computers now. that really annyos me not being able to surf chanels fast.

and how come i still need a comcast box to get certain channels, when these are supposed to be digital tvs?

Try normal definition TV channels, they should change faster.

 

[bowman316]

Re: Why don't they sell box TV's anymore?

I don't want the best tv technology becasue i want to save money on my tv, and use it for my boat instead.
it is not worth 2 grand to but some big plasma tv.

this tv i was talking about is just slow. just a really slow tv.

 

[PGFISHER]

Re: Why don't they sell box TV's anymore?

I'm 65 and my kids and grandkids joke about my getting into the 20th century; much less the 21st, but I hung a flatscreen in the bedroom. Much easier than the old TV shelves that needed a stud or joist to support the load; or barking my shins on the TV stand, and the picture is fantastic. It also uses much less power.