During a chat about next year's big changeover to digital TV transmission, and how many people are buying new televisions in anticipation, I suddenly realized that the last time I bought a new TV was in the early 90's. It's a 27" Sony Trinitron with a great picture that still sees daily use.
Sony's Trinitron brand dates back 40 years, earning the reputation of having the best contrast, brightest colors, and consistent focus across the picture (check out some older non-Sony TV's to see what I mean...). "Trinitron" TV's combine a unique CRT gun system and metal aperture grill to deliver quality video. Other companies licensed Trinitron tech, also bringing it to computer monitors.
Sony's CRT market peaked in 2000 with 11 million units sold, but by 2007 that number sank to 2.8 million. As of March '08 Sony no longer manufactures Trinitron CRT televisions, instead concentrating on LCD & OLED displays.
CRT displays aren't dead yet, but having a major company like Sony shutter CRT production lines is a powerful signal of what's to come. I'm just as attracted to thin LCD televisions as anyone else, but at this point CRT's still win in terms of brightness, viewing angle, and truly deep blacks.
There is a good chance that CRT's will stick around for a few years as a low cost HD display alternative (lots of folks don't seem to realize that CRT can do HD even better than LCD). LCD price cuts are slowing, so perhaps CRT's will keep their pricing edge for a while longer.
No matter which way technology goes, I'll be keeping some standard-def CRT's around for a good long time. They're still great for watching DVD's, playing classic video games, and holding up a fruit basket much better than a skinny little LCD screen can.
Learn More about Trinitron technology
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