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

Showing 1 response by campaigner8

I still have my parent’s 1970s era console television in my art studio. Looking at it brings back great memories of watching Saturday morning cartoons, and shows like Mash, Kojak, The Million Dollar Man, and Baretta with my parents. Outside of my studio is my listening room. I have an 85 inch Samsung flatscreen mounted on the wall in that room. There just isn’t any comparison between a tube television and a flatscreen picture. I would say, it isn’t even close, unless your flatscreen is shot.

To bring in the tube television is comparable to taking my parent’s old console all in one stereo out of their garage, and scrapping all of my high end audio gear. I suppose if I hooked up my parent’s console stereo, I could bring over a crapload of 78s and 8-track tapes. Can you imagine going back to 8-track tapes? I can hear Comes A Time by Neil Young right now, as my Dad had it on 8-track. “Four strong winds that blow - fade out - click - fade in- lonely - Seven seas that run high,…plays a couple of verses and the chorus - fade out - click - fade in - But by then it would be winter - Not too much for you to do….”

Yes, audio has advanced light years, and so has visual technology. Be it a flatscreen, a decent computer monitor, or even your cellphone’s tiny screen, tube televisions simply can’t compete with the increased quality of the pictures available on these new flatscreen modes. Think of owning an eighty pound tube computer monitor. Even if it had a comparable picture, it would look ridiculous on your desk, and couldn’t work in concert with laptops. I guess the answer to your question is, tube televisions are gone forever because a newer, better technology has replaced the old dinosaurs with a much better picture.