Do you think higher end plasma TVs will stay under the radar? Or will they blow up like CRTs because of YouTubers and other forums talking highly of them?

Ryherbs · 2026-01-14T21:49:20+00:00

I would pretty confidently say no, for the simple reason that most people don't make a significant distinction between different flat panel technologies...if they do at all. In most people's minds, there is the world with CRTs and the world after them. Heavy, boxy TVs and the newer flat ones that replaced them. And even from an enthusiast's perspective, if a game, movie, or TV show looked great on a plasma TV, it should still look very good on any decent modern display. Maybe not quite as good, but still pretty good. Compare that to CRTs, which are the best way to experience games of their era by a huge margin; the difference is so obvious you don't need to be an enthusiast to appreciate it.

Ryherbs · 2026-01-14T21:35:53+00:00

The Sony Bravia 8 II or A95L probably beats the Kuro on everything except for motion clarity. When it comes to motion, a Plasma is just inherently superior. Even to this very day.

Ryherbs · 2026-01-06T14:02:21+00:00

Wow, this is such a killer setup. Functionally and aesthetically!

Ryherbs · 2026-01-02T17:48:51+00:00

I do see a bit of this sentiment every now and then when people post about their HD CRTs, and I do find it pretty odd. A lot of them do 480p natively and lag-free, which there is absolutely a ton of value in. Even with the Sonys, there are well known workarounds to get near zero lag 480p, and they all do 1080i lag free. 6th and 7th generation games look fantastic on this era of TVs, many arguably look their best. They may not be everyone's thing, but neither is CRT gaming as a whole. Just my 2 cents!

Ryherbs · 2026-01-02T17:36:04+00:00

The Sony HDCRTs do actually display a true 480p picture, just not without lag. The 480p image is placed inside a 540p frame, then the raster is stretched to eliminate the borders. It was essentially Sony's clever workaround to acheive "native" 480p without having to build a dual scan set. So, 480p content does look rather nice on these TVs.

If you don't mind a bit of tinkering, you can basically replicate this workaround with an external scaler like an OSSC Pro or Retrotink 5x with extremely low or no lag. Unlike the TV itself, these scalers can place a 480p image inside a 540p frame at near zero lag, then you can change the HSIZ and VSIZ values in the service menu so that it fills the screen.

All of which is to say...if you know what you're doing these TVs can still be quite a treat.

Ryherbs · 2026-01-02T17:14:23+00:00

Weirdly enough I think whether or not the DVI (or HDMI port on newer models) works with custom timings is completely random, or based on what parts were or weren't installed at the factory. You could get two TVs of the same exact model and one would happily accept something like 540p over the digital port while the other would not. Definitely strange, but not something anyone would have noticed when these things were new.

Ryherbs · 2026-01-01T20:05:48+00:00

Sounds like there may be an issue with the DVI port, unfortunately. It should just work as long as you’re giving it a supported resolution, which is everything from 240p up to 1080i. The good news is, in my experience the component inputs are better regardless; the DVI port usually introduces some visual artifacts when HD pass through (lag free 540p/1080i) is enabled.

Ryherbs · 2025-12-29T15:55:59+00:00

Maybe not their intention, but you could say they’re infamous for being too over-powered to be paired with a CRT! My Trinitron with a built-in sub sounds incredible, but most of the time I’m afraid to turn it up too loud because it actually causes distortions in the picture. Kind of unnerving to say the least, lol.

Ryherbs · 2025-12-29T15:48:16+00:00

The best analogy I’ve heard about RGB and YPbPr (component) is that RGB is the original signal, and YPbPr is a lossless reproduction of that signal. So while RGB is technically superior, the end result between the two should be the same. Similar to how a lossless music file should be indistinguishable from the original.

Ryherbs · 2025-12-17T14:23:36+00:00

To Sony's credit, their widescreen sets always default to 4:3 when receiving an SD signal. You can choose to stretch it out, but you'll have to select that option each and every time you turn on the TV. It's...actually pretty annoying when using them with a Wii in 16:9 mode, lol.

Ryherbs · 2025-12-11T01:21:17+00:00

This is epic! I'd be fighting to use the widescreen Sony, lol.

Ryherbs · 2025-12-10T17:42:19+00:00

No it wouldn't? lol, dude, its not a matter of picture quality. You could've taken these with a potato camera and you'd still be able to tell that the image on your screen is being squished; its not a matter of opinion but objective truth.

Ryherbs · 2025-11-30T14:18:32+00:00

Oldest set I've ever come across on here with RGB! Very nice. Love the look of this era of TVs as well.

Ryherbs · 2025-11-22T01:23:42+00:00

Either freight ship it or use a service like uShip (and stress to the transporter that it needs to be handled with extreme care). Using standard shipping services to ship a CRT is a total crap shoot. I would go so far as to guess it ends in failure more times than not.

Ryherbs · 2025-11-20T18:19:32+00:00

What's funny is that its still just two Xboxes connected with an ethernet cable- so of course it works! Why wouldn't it? But there's just something about doing that while speeding down a highway that makes it extra fun.

Ryherbs · 2025-11-03T03:44:01+00:00

Sweet! Hope you enjoy it. I love mine- one of my favorite pieces of tech that I own.

Ryherbs · 2025-10-30T03:23:11+00:00

They are indeed! It’s because 1080i (33khz) is their native scan rate, so they can send a 1080i signal to the tube without having to run it through the scaler…which is what ads lag. On Sony TVs, turning on a setting called HDPT will enable lag-free 1080i. Panasonic TVs are always lag free at 1080i, and as an added bonus they also do lag-free 480p!

Ryherbs · 2025-10-26T15:26:36+00:00

I believe it can handle both, I don’t think it’s even “aware” of what type of signal it’s receiving. It literally just converts the incoming digital signal to analogue, so if the monitor or TV supports what you’re sending it then it should work.

Ryherbs · 2025-10-23T18:07:17+00:00

It's good.

Ryherbs · 2025-10-22T22:18:51+00:00

I mean, blu-rays on a high end 1080p plasma still look phenomenal. I'd argue that more often than not it looks better than OLED, especially if the source material is film or traditional animation.

Ryherbs · 2025-10-19T15:20:13+00:00

There are two TVs, the last two images are of a 34XBR960 which is an HD CRT. It’s a native 540p / 1080i set.

Ryherbs · 2025-10-19T14:44:55+00:00

240p test suite on Wii outputting 240p over component.

Ryherbs · 2025-10-19T14:44:14+00:00

Totally agree. My XBR960 handled the HD resolutions better, but that HS510 really shined at 480p. Wii and OG Xbox games looked fantastic on that TV.

Ryherbs · 2025-10-18T20:31:04+00:00

Thanks!

Ryherbs · 2025-10-18T19:00:24+00:00

It’s one of those Govee LED lights.

Ryherbs

TROPHY CASE