Sony bids adieu to Trinitron CRT sets

Just months after Sony hauled its RPTV production business off to the graveyard, the firm is now bidding a fond farewell to the Trinitron CRT. Believe it or not, the first Trinitron became a reality in 1968, and here we are some 40 years later shedding a tear as LCDs and OLED displays steal the thunder. Reportedly, the firm has moved some 280 million units worldwide between televisions and computer monitors, but we suppose all good things must eventually come to an end. So long, Trinitron -- it's been a mighty impressive run.

[Via Slashgear]

[MosquitoControl @ Mar 3rd 2008 2:07PM]

I really need to pick up a spare CRT monitor while I can. I still find them far more useful as main monitors (with one or two LCDs supplementing them.)

Unfortunately, as they become more scarce, the price seems to go up.

[tekdroid @ Mar 3rd 2008 5:51PM]

I have no idea why you were ranked low.

*best colour accuracy by far (LCD doesn't come close to CRT here)
*best viewing angles and response rates
*easily able to switch to required resolution without looking sucky in 'non-native' res
*Trinitrons had best sharpness for a CRT and their later iterations were basically vertically and horizontally flat.

The only downsides: size and power consumption (and perhaps not as much sharpness as an LCD, but imperative for accurate graphics work)

Shame it has come to this "crap colour, poor response rate and colour shifts as u move your head, but look, oooh it's slim"-type market.

I always thought that CRTs (Trinitron CRTs in particular) - because of their superior qualities in these areas - would always have a niche following in the market.

Looks like I was wrong.
Getting one second-hand is becoming the only option. Now we have sections of the market searching in vain for LCDs that offer accurate colour and I'm thinking to myself "why?".

[Pavan @ Mar 3rd 2008 6:02PM]

Don't forget the radiation...

Wow, 280 million units? That's less than one per person in the USA alone. I really would have estimated their shipments to be much higher than that!

[Sam @ Mar 4th 2008 1:13AM]

I'm still using one of these...damn shitbox.
I need HDTV!

[adder @ Mar 4th 2008 4:10AM]

well i bought myself a trinitron based tv a month ago,just wanted to own the last best trinitron,although i do find the bravia picture to better may be due to the bravia engine.my first sony tv was bought in 1984,which had a wooden cabinet kv-2032ME mk2,then in 1996 i bought my secoond sony tv KV-2167mk2 which was flat vertically,and in 2008 i bought my last sony crt which is flat,i find my older tv better in picture quality then the newer flat tv.all the processing makes picture bad,my parents feel the best was the 1984 model.
but one thing is that its by far the best in crt.

[Panathas17 @ Mar 4th 2008 11:44AM]

It must be really sad to have the first comment and have it become low ranked...

[Zal @ Mar 3rd 2008 2:12PM]

A fond farewell indeed. I still have three Sony Trinitron TVs at home--they just continue to work flawlessly and offer great (SD) picture quality. RIP Trinitron.

[ScareyJ @ Mar 3rd 2008 4:03PM]

Ditto ... I just replaced my 36" with a new LCD but I'll pay the $$$ to get the powerboard fixed and use it in my office. Now my lights don't dim/flick when I power up the TV anymore :-)

Kudos to Engadget's recent reporting (less cynical diatribes), has been better reading.

[Chuckles McGee @ Mar 3rd 2008 4:24PM]

And great HDTV quality, I might add. I have a massive 36"er at home. Gigantic as heck, but hey- Trinitron's were the best CRT ever.

[jwbeck17 @ Mar 3rd 2008 2:17PM]

Wow... that photo really took me back. I remember growing up with one of those, sitting in my parents room watching Scooby Doo, sipping on a coke when Tab was popular. Wait - are they discontinuing Tab, too? Say it ain't so, 'cause I'm hiding the last of the Mateus.

[BradStar @ Mar 3rd 2008 4:26PM]

Alas, poor Trinitron, I knew thee well.

[Ethan @ Mar 4th 2008 11:22AM]

Discontinuing Tab would cause no pain for anyone. Tab is one of the worst drinks I've ever tasted!

[Flashpoint @ Mar 3rd 2008 2:18PM]

Even though I was part of the wall-mounted HDTV craze, I still perfer my good ole 32 inch CRT TV because thus far, neither LCD nor Plasma offer a picture better than it.

Plasma (in my eyes) gives better Black and White contrasts but it suffers from fuzzy pixelated images - especially in fast moving sequences.

LCD tv's work better with my 360/PS3/Wii but when I watch TV on them, the contrast isn't dark enough in the blacks.

Its funny because sometimes i visit my friends who have HDTV's and their pictures look HORRIBLE but they seem satisfied because they don't realize everything that's wrong with the quality.

With CRT, the only complaint is that it isn't thin, but, my picture quality is perfect for games and movies.

[Tony @ Mar 3rd 2008 2:54PM]

Me, too. I still have a Sony 34" 34XBR960 which is, arguably, the best consumer CRT HDTV ever made. It still blows away the Plasma's and LCD's that my friends have...True blacks, no motion blur whatsoever...awesome. Someday, when I have a larger living room and *need* a bigger screen, then I'll see what's available. Until then, I'll continue to rock my CRT goodness.

[tcc3 @ Mar 3rd 2008 3:21PM]

Agreed gentlemen. Mine is a 36" tube HDTV (similar to the XBR). Best looking set at the time and maybe since. The only drawback is the weight. I'm afraid one day it will collapse into a black hole. If I ever move again i think it may sell with the house.

[Jason @ Mar 3rd 2008 3:25PM]

My friend recently picked up the 36" model (used) you described. Me and a few of my friends helped him move into his apartment UP THREE FLIGHTS OF STAIRS. Needless to say that TV will never leave that apartment.

[itchy @ Mar 3rd 2008 3:28PM]

Me too, guys. I love my KD-34XS955. I keep telling myself that when I move from this top floor apartment (6 flights of stairs), I'll ditch the 200lb behemoth. But who am I kidding. I love it for all the reasons mentioned above and will probably keep it until it dies, or my back gives out.

[Don @ Mar 3rd 2008 3:44PM]

I won't deny that your "true blacks" are a downfall of LCDs and Plasmas, and even your contrast ratios, however Sony and Samsung with their 120Hz displays are doing a fairly descent job trying to put this downfall to rest. The flat screen market is saturated with cheap options that really put shame to the enhancements that are available to those willing to pay for them. I love my 40" Sony Bravia and wouldn't go back to a CRT for anything.

[David @ Mar 3rd 2008 4:06PM]

I agree, the slight difference between a crt and a "good" lcd or plasma was not enough for me to keep my 200lb sony trinitron HDTV.

[quidnunc @ Mar 3rd 2008 5:18PM]

I tried to keep my KV-36XBR400 alive but there's a factory defect that I spent several thousand dollars repairing. Motion was much better than any of the plasma or LCD sets I've seen :(

That said, the plasma I have now is easier on the eye strain in HD resolutions.

[kal326 @ Mar 3rd 2008 6:25PM]

@Flashpoint

I too was a fan of the CRT, I had a 19" Trini monitor and had good picture and was one of the few able to pull 1600x1200 for a decent price.

I also have a 30" CRT Widescreen HDTV, not sure its got a Trinitron tube, but it weights over 150lbs so it might as well be. Unfortunetly its not my secondary HDTV since I got a 50" 1080p DLP late last year. Price to screen size DLP beat LCD tvs hands down. Still has a pretty good picture.

[- @ Mar 3rd 2008 2:19PM]

I see this article, I turn around to look at the TV on the kitchen counter, the same one! Mine is from 1969 and still runs perfectly. My speaker screen has horizontal bands versus a perf grill though and I have 3 RGB ellipses rather than the BRG stripes underneath the speaker.

[Khris @ Mar 3rd 2008 2:22PM]

Say it isn't so! You just can't buy quality TV's like Panaphonic, Magnetbox and Sorny like you used to!

[Lee @ Mar 3rd 2008 3:52PM]

Simpsons Quote FTW

[Mehul @ Mar 3rd 2008 2:23PM]

Trinitron is what made Sony what it is today. People think all Sony electronics have the same reputed quality as Trinitron.

[sunil @ Mar 3rd 2008 2:28PM]

mine's as old as i am. 27" piece of nice 80s aesthetics. kv-27hfr, i dont think im ever gonna get rid of it.

[Whiplash @ Mar 3rd 2008 2:30PM]

I still have my 10 year old 32" Trinitron as our main TV. It looks great and since the place where my TV goes will only hold something so wide... I'm going to watch this sucker until it dies.

[Frank @ Mar 3rd 2008 2:32PM]

I still use a Triniton as my main TV. Works like it did when it was new, except the power button sometimes requires a few presses for it to work. Pretty good considering it's from the '80's!

[Jonny @ Mar 3rd 2008 2:37PM]

Such a great series.

I have a Trinitron from 83, its still going, and my main computer monitor is the rare 24" Sony Trinitron GDM-FW900 1920x1200 widescreen CRT.

[UnnDunn @ Mar 3rd 2008 2:39PM]

They've given up their CRT and RPTV businesses, they don't make Plasmas and their LCDs are now made by Sharp.

Does Sony even make TVs anymore?

Meh, I guess it was worth it... anything for blu-ray to win, right?

[Bibhu @ Mar 3rd 2008 5:05PM]

Sony is making its own LCDs. Sharp doesn't make it for Sony.

[UnnDunn @ Mar 3rd 2008 6:44PM]

My bad, I misconstrued this article:

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/26/sharp-and-sony-tie-the-knot-on-lcd-hdtv-production/

[bsm0f0 @ Mar 3rd 2008 2:46PM]

My only beef with my Sony Trinitron was that it weighs a freaking TON. Otherwise, perfect in every way.

[Ethan @ Mar 4th 2008 11:25AM]

Weight = quality in the CRT world :D

[Joel @ Mar 3rd 2008 2:56PM]

I thought I noticed a tear emanating from my Trinition this morning.

[Joel @ Mar 3rd 2008 2:56PM]

And I just noticed another since I spelled its name wrong.

[Sam Zebian @ Mar 3rd 2008 3:02PM]

Sad day for TV's today... I still have a 20" Sony trinitron in my basement.... I still remember when my dad bought it for us back in 1998 (I was 6) and we got it from BJ's.

[Plawa @ Mar 3rd 2008 3:15PM]

Am I the only one who feels terribly old when someone goes down the memory lane to recall something that happened "back in 1998"? Geez, that's like yesterday...

[named @ Mar 3rd 2008 3:17PM]

Most people get them with money, but hey, whatever works for you...

[Sam Zebian @ Mar 3rd 2008 3:20PM]

if yesterday was 10 years ago...

[aaronbareford @ Mar 3rd 2008 3:46PM]

"named" that is the best comment ever! It caused quite a bit of LOLage XD

[Sam Zebian @ Mar 3rd 2008 3:49PM]

Named, I knew someone would say something like that!! LOL though...

[Frankenstein Black @ Mar 3rd 2008 3:02PM]

I still have a 27in Trinitron XBR in the bedroom with features that still NO TV has today! In addition to the usual:
- Dual tuner
- Dual size PnP
- Split screen (Tuner & Video source)
- Digital Replay (PnP loops the last 3 seconds of video)
- Digital picture freeze (full screen)
It has, ready for this?
- A Digital multi channel feature which display 8 channels at once in an “L” shaped pattern (down the left side and across the bottom of the main picture)! It refreshes every second and when the button is pressed again moves up to the next 8 channels.

THAT FEATURE WAS AWESOME and I hope (given new technology) this makes it into the PS3 when it starts to do IP TV ( PS3 Home in the middle, live TV channels or PS3 eye pals down the left side and across the bottom). Come on Sony, let’s bring this 90s Trinitron feature back to the future...

[Arkweld @ Mar 3rd 2008 3:40PM]

you mean a channel preview mosaic or screen index?

It's been available on lots of models. I'm sat next to a JVC LCoS that has screen index. You don't see it that often now because it's mostly useless with digital services that require external boxes.

[Frankenstein Black @ Mar 3rd 2008 4:51PM]

Neither. Mosaic and Screen index covers the entire screen. This keeps the main picture BIG and real time active (center and slightly to the right) while the small channel preview windows run along the right side and bottom. All this on an old 4x3 set. An update to this on a modern 16x9 (with real time previews) would even be more awesome!

[atomicthumbs @ Mar 3rd 2008 3:04PM]

And yet my 50-pound 1996 Trinitron 20-inch monitor is sitting on my desk, working perfectly (aside from a cable that has to be bent to keep the picture from turning yellow).

I won't switch to an LCD until this thing breaks. I like my 85hz 1024x768, as long as it runs TF2 at a high framerate and maximum settings.

[applefreak @ Mar 3rd 2008 3:07PM]

my Dad uses a trinitron, and it has worked great for 9 or 10 years. the picture is great, and the only bad thing is the weight and size.

[wesg @ Mar 3rd 2008 3:16PM]

That was a great TV.

20 years old, 3 lamp replacements, 2 circuit boards, and our 27" is still going strong.

[B.C. @ Mar 5th 2008 9:41PM]

Ya, that sounds about right. My folks Trinitron lasted about 20 years too. The tube was still good, but the dial contacts wore out once.

[michas_pi @ Mar 3rd 2008 3:19PM]

I have a 32 inch Trinitron in my living room and I love it to death. It weighs enough to have its own gravity field but it's the best TV I have ever owned.