Are CRTs still the way to go for HD Reference Monitoring?

[Dylan Reeve]

CRTs are still the best – the top of the range LCDs advertise themselves as ‘CRT quality’…

I don’t really have a good reference monitor at the moment, so I can’t comment on those options, but I’ve heard good things about the eCinema range – even the lower-end FX and PRO range are apparently really good

[Jason Porthouse]

Tim,

If you haven’t already, take it to an independant engineer. Make sure it is the tube. If it is, and the rest of the monitor checks out, I’d fix it and wither a) use till it dies or b) sell on with a new tube and a fresh service.

Jason

_________________________________

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[Paul Huppe]

Some say the new LCDs are as good as CRTs. If you line them up side by side, you can see how untrue that is. While the new LCDs have made huge advances, you can’t compare the two. We’ll always get better pictures from CRTs than from pixels. That’s not to say that LCDs aren’t any good; they’re just not as nice as a good CRT.

I just bought the JVC 17″ DTV (same version of your 19″, I think), and it’s smoking hot. I can’t get my ioHD to deliver the picture to it properly, but that’s another story…

See if you can’t get a second opinion on what it’ll take to repair it. And if you decide to scrap it and go LCD, I’d be curious to see how much you’d sell your input cards for. I’ve got the SD-SDI and the HD/SD Component. I’ve love to get my hands on a decent-priced HD-SDI card…

Cheers,
Paul

[Bob Flood]

jason

replace the tube and keep the crt. the tube is the most expensive component in a crt monitor, so if anything ele dies its gonna be cheaper (actaully i am surprised at 700, i would think it would be more like 1,000 to 1500)

crt monitors are more accurate than flat screens for color and detail I still have my 2 sony 19 PVM’s and would not trade them for the world.

hope this helps

“I like video because its so fast!”

Bob Flood
Greer & Associates, Inc.

[Rafael Amador]

Hi Tim,
I think if the monitor still OK, 700$ for replacng the tube is a bargain. And if you have paid 3.000$ for a 19’HD/Sd is a bargain too.
I bought a JVC-DTV 17 last year and I paid 3.000$. Now the HD card it cost me 3.300$. More than the monitor. JVC have the lower prices in the market. If you look the Sony, Ikegamy or Barco, at least double the price.
Rafael

PPC G5 2x2Gh 4GbRAM/BlackMagic SD/PMBP 17″Core2Duo 4GbRAM
JVC DTV-17″/FCS2/AE CS3/COMBUSTION/SHAKE

[Walter Biscardi]

Panasonic 1700W and 2600W are both very good LCD’s. Not perfect, but very good and probably the best for the money.

TV-Logic makes a set of monitors that are definitely CRT Replacements. We tested the 24″ unit here with our Sony CRT HD monitor and it was just perfect. Actually better than the Sony and it works equally well for SD.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media
HD and SD Production for Broadcast and Independent Productions.

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[Ben Holmes]

I third or fourth that. We always use the JVC DTV 20-inch monitors and they are top-notch. Next to them, we have probably the best flat screens on the market, at a higher price than the JVC, and it’s far softer.

Stick with the CRT for now.

Ben

PS – I think there’s a link to a picture of the JVC in place on my sigfile – I forget.

[Chris Borjis]

[Tim Gibbons] “I’d love to know your insights. I’m looking to spend $5000 tops so the TV Logics and that new fangled Sony LED are out.”

For that I would recommend a Sony PVM-20/L5
add on the SDI card and your on budget with
a great multiformat crt.

[Baz Leffler]

I think we all agree that CRT is the best reference monitor (as long as it is a ‘grade 1’)

But for HD why fork out so much money for a HD CRT when most top of the line HD devices have built in down convert.

I use Blackmagic stuff and feed the HDMI to a Hi-Def 42″ plasma and feed the SD YUV to a Sony 20″ BVM monitor for colorgrading. It is a very cheap alternative and I also get a SD composite to feed the vector/waveform monitors.

When I output to tape I use a HDlink connected to the output of my HDCAM deck and feed the plasma screen.

Baz

[Tim Gibbons]

Hey guys,

I really appreciate all the input on this. It looks like the TV Logic 24″ is the way to go. I don’t want to keep spending money on this tired CRT even if it is still viable. I hate the idea of spending $700 more for something that is so difficult to support (considering that JVC was so incompentent with their support in the first place) So I I’ll be dumping the component input card (IF-C01COMG) and the HD-SDI card (IF-C21HSDG) on Ebay in the next week or so unless any of you are willing to make a fair offer.

Thanks again.

Tim Gibbons

http://www.timgibbons.com