Posted by jakdedert on 11/07/07 14:39

panteltje@yahoo.com wrote:
> On 7 nov, 01:36, "Bob Myers" <nospample...@address.invalid> wrote:
>> "Jan Panteltje" <pNaonStpealm...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>>
>> news:fgqhir$v9j$1@news.datemas.de...
>>
>>> On a sunny day (Tue, 6 Nov 2007 12:20:43 -0700) it happened "Bob Myers"
>>> <nospample...@address.invalid> wrote in
>>> <fgqeu2$5c...@usenet01.boi.hp.com>:
>>>> The shortest-lived component in terms of useful service
>>>> life is, of course, the tube itself.
>>> I think not.
>>> I have had a TV repair shop for many years.
>>> CRT replacement is relatively rare compared to other problems,
>>> like HV, bad joints (thermal), dried out electrolytics, etc.
>> Read what I said again - the CRT is the shortest-lived
>> single COMPONENT.
>
> No, I doubt that, as I mentioned electrolytic capacitors, solder
> joints
> due to thermal stress, all have a shorter life.
> It depends a bit on how you define 'life' in this case,
> a bit less brightness from CRT phosphors is easily compensated by
> a bit more drive (say contrast) and or brightness.
>
Nevertheless, at some point, the crt will become unviewable...period.
Bad caps, solder joints and all the rest will be easily and reliably
corrected. Crt's absolutely *will* wear out and be economically
unobtainable at some point.
>
>>> My Samsung Syncmaster CRT did 6 years at 12 hours a day (makes
>>> 25632 hours) before I retired it (it is in the attic) this
>>> summer, with NO noticeable decrease in anything (brightness,
>>> white balance, contrast, convergence etc).
>> You checked it by eyeball, or did you actually measure the
>> brightness?
>
> Well, If you were to do this right, then you would have:
> For a new set, measure beam current, and luminance for
> a red, green and blue screen.
> Also measure EHT, and focus voltages, screen voltages on the tube.
> Then after say 25000 hours measure it again.
> And to see if it is phosphor you'd have to increase beam current
> for the same brightness, if you need more beam current (with all
> other parameters equal) for the same brightness, then it is likely
> phosphors.
> etc.
> In this case I did not do that clearly, but I have fixed lighting and
> what I normally did, is set white to the same brightness as the CRT
> monitor frame.
> That is a very precise point, (does not work with the LCD it has a
> black case).
> But you could use a piece of white paper.
> Any loss of light output would have to be compensated for by a
> different
> knob position of contrast.
> (Set black first with brightness, then white with contrast).
> I also had a Philips monitor, that needed more and more brightness,
> finally opened it up, adjusted the screen voltages and focus.
> Samsung monitors are in a quality range that I am very happy with..
>
All obfuscation and beside the point. At some point, every crt which is
used will become eventually untenable, no matter how much you crank it.
Fact...indisputable.

You might keep yours longer, and there will always be a few NOS units,
but they will get rarer and rarer and thus more expensive.
>
>> Putting a brand-new monitor next to one that's
>> been in service for a few years is very often a literally eye-
>> opening experience.
>>
>>> That estimate could be right.
>>> But I must point out that the life expectancy of a fluorescent
>>> tube in a LCD is likely much lower then that of a CRT.
>>> Maybe once LED backlights are more common, things will improve.
>> MTBFs of CCFL tubes are currently in the neighborhood
>> of about 20-30k hours, barring mechanical damage; longer-lived
>> tubes are possible, but at the cost of efficiency/brightness. LEDs
>> will certainly improve the situation, as long as the number of
>> individual devices is held within reason.
>
> I do notice, as some other poster also remarked, that I
> need to run the the Samsung LCD at zero to 30 percent
> brightness, as it is extremely bright (indoors, artificial light).
> Maybe running the CFL tubes at <= 30% will extend their life, wait and
> see.
>
It doesn't matter. CFLs can be economically replaced. The technology
is simple enough that a cottage industry could easily be generated to
produce them, if the demand materialized. Crt's are a whole different
story.

Despite all advantages/disadvantages of the various styles of display
technology, the market will follow the demand. Demand is dictated by
initial cost, overall quality and life expectancy. Crt's are on their
way out. If the technology survives at all, it will be at a cost that
will not be affordable by the average user.

Period.

Now...as the OP asked, what will you be using when that happens? For
myself, that's a question which can't be answered with any certainty. I
expect I'll eventually switch to lcd. I've already converted to some
degree, as I have at least a couple of laptops that I use regularly.
That said, I've got a number of crt monitors that I use daily and unless
I run out of storage space, I have enough spares to last for a while.
In the interim, very likely some new technology will emerge that will
compel me to jump a generation and avoid converting to lcd for my main
display.....

jak

[Back to original message]