crt

EU hits Philips, LG, Samsung, others with $1.9B antitrust fine

European antitrust authorities have imposed a series of fines against former producers of cathode-ray tube (CRT) televisions and computer displays for "cartel" activity, amounting to 1.47 billion euros ($1.92 billion) in total.

The companies were charged under EU antitrust and competition law with fixing prices in the CRT television market -- a long-lived technology that was gradually replaced by alternatives such as liquid-crystal display (LCD) and plasma displays -- for a decade ending in 2006.

In a statement today, the European Commission said the companies artificially "fixed prices, shared markets, allocated customers between themselves and … Read more

Should I upgrade my CRT HDTV? (Morrison's Mailbag)

CNET Chris D. asks:

I have a CRT HD TV that is 5 and a half years old (one of the last ones they made). In terms of picture quality, it still looks better than any of the LED, LCD, or plasma sets I've seen. Am I right? I watch a lot of 4:3 TV. I'm concerned that if I upgrade I'll be forced to have a distorted 4:3 image (i.e., through "stretch" or "zoom" etc.). Is this still the case? Thanks for any reply.

Normally I don't answer "should I upgrade" questions, but who can resist a good CRT bashing?… Read more

iPad in a TV evokes the past

We'd heard of all sorts of unusual applications for the iPad, such as a giant calculator, but this is one of the more interesting concoctions so far. Here, we see the famed Apple tablet fitted into a vintage CRT TV-like casing complete with a nostalgic "snow effect" as wallpaper for added realism.

This is the handiwork of Frog Design's creative director Jonas Damon, who assembled the retro wooden enclosure from an iPad dock to recreate an emotional connection to familiar home appliances from his upbringing. You can drop by his blog to read about his other … Read more

Monitor wizard

Lutcurve is a sophisticated display calibration tool that can optimize your LCD or CRT monitor's settings. It's easy to use, but we agree with developer Atrise's recommendation that new users first read the PDF-based manual that comes with the download. It explains not only how to use the software but also what it does and why, so you get a good lesson in how your computer's monitor creates realistic displays.

Lutcurve's main window features a Command Button Bar along the bottom that includes Navigation Tabs accessing its calibration features. The program changes your monitor's … Read more

LG's spunky retro TV has rabbit ears, volume knob

All that talk of fancy 3D TVs making you long for your simple old analog set? LG is out with a bulky, retro-styled set that features rabbit ears, detachable chrome legs, and functional knobs for changing the channel and volume. You can even switch between full-color, black-and-white, and sepia modes.

But the glossy orange 14-inch set doesn't just look like it belongs in a living room on "That '70s Show"; it uses trusty old cathode ray tube, or CRT, technology with a 4:3 aspect ratio.

The LG Serie 1 Retro Classic TV does have some modern … Read more

Demand improving for LCD TVs

Yet another consumer electronics segment is bouncing back from the recession--demand for LCD TVs is showing new signs of life.

Third-quarter shipments of LCD TVs rose for the first time in a year, according to DisplaySearch's "Quarterly Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report," released Wednesday. That upward motion suggests that TV sales for the first quarter of 2010 could surpass those of the first quarter of 2009, the first gain in six quarters.

Total TV shipments will climb 6 percent in 2010 to reach 218 million units, versus 205 million for 2009, according to DisplaySearch's forecast. … Read more

Super Bowl turbocharges sales of tube TVs

It looks as if the obituary for CRT TVs will have to be postponed yet again. Sales of the bulky tube models bested the flat-panel and projection TV competition in the run up to the Super Bowl, according to data released by the NPD Group. Sales of tube TVs were up 61 percent the week before the big game (compared to the previous week), as opposed to a 40 percent jump for flat-panel LCD TVs, a 23 percent increase for plasmas, and a 25 percent rise for projection TVs (such as DLP and LCoS models).

While the sales figures may … Read more

Samsung's CRTs keep wide-screen HDTV affordable

Most CES announcements about new HDTVs pertain to products that cost more than anybody's grandpa would consider paying for a television, but traditional cathode ray tubes can provide high-def to even stingy old codgers. Samsung, along with Toshiba and no-names such as Insignia, markets a few wide-screen HDTVs that don't cost a fortune, and at CES 2007 it continues the tradition of models including the Samsung TX-S3082WH with an updated trio. The 30-inch TX-T3093WH and TX-T3092 (both April, $699 list) are identical but for speaker configuration; the first has side-mounted speakers, while the second saves width by placing … Read more