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Why are there no tube televisions anymore?

It’s funny when you come to think of it and compare video with audio. How come in the audio world discussions sometimes become intense, while there seem to be far less intense discussions in the TV & video realm?

With TV’s there’s no talk on tubes, transistors, analog, digital, vinyl, cables, power cords, heck we can even get ’audio’ fuses and -USB cables.

No one has a tube TV (while they really have a ’warmer’ image :) and very few people use a $400 power cord with their TV set. And while there are expensive HDMI cables on the market, the vast majority uses one below $50. And no one spends money on floor spacers to avoid cable vibrations.

Our eyes may even be far more sensitive than our ears ... yet discussions are far less intense. How come?


rudyb
invalid
1,208 posts
 
My $90 Insignia flat screen has a picture quality far superior to any CRT set!


Motion is still better on CRT sets.

rudyb OP
141 posts
 
Motion is still better on CRT sets.
Not so anymore on my 120Hz OLED, no smearing or tearing at all.

I guess most of you got that the topic title was not meant literally. It’s just interesting that there still are tube amplifiers around, and vinyl records, with which there are countless steps (even chemical and mechanical ones) between getting from the studio master tape (where the noise level by the way is the equivalent of 12 bit or less digital sampling) to the final reproduction of sound on your speakers that it’s even astonishing there is any sound quality left. :)  While we can't imagine watching a TV set with tubes anymore.

And there are so many heated debates in the audio world, on how a USB cable or a power cord improved the sound (or not), while these kind of similar discussions are far less with TV’s and image quality. That’s what struck me.
invalid
1,208 posts
 
A lot of gamers still prefer CRT sets because of the more fluid motion even than the latest OLED sets.
fuzztone's avatar
fuzztone
5,631 posts
 
Why no cryo buggy whips?
This is uncalled for!
fiesta75
1,378 posts
 
invalid - you are absolutely correct. It seems strange that no one has mentioned frequency response. The new digital tv format requires excellent very high frequency response, tubes just can't deliver that. And then there's the reliability issue and servicing tube equipment. By the way, good OLED's now are 240Hz. or higher, time to upgrade.
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