this post was submitted on 26 Sep 2026
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[–] Anchorxiety@reddthat.com 91 points 2 weeks ago (6 children)

One advantage of modern TVs is how slim they are. It's so crazy to me now how much space those old TVs took up. You just had a big TV stand sticking out from the wall.

[–] Jestzer@lemmy.world 74 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

And CRTs are unbelievably heavy in comparison, making them a bitch to move at all.

[–] foggy@lemmy.world 24 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

I distinctly recall Sony's 40" Trinitron CRT weighing over 300 lbs. The 32" was ~200 lbs.

[–] 0ndead@infosec.pub 8 points 2 weeks ago

Yup. That was the last CRT I ever owned. Thing was a tank and took two people to carry it.

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[–] DmMacniel@feddit.org 15 points 2 weeks ago

even Flatscreen CRTs were not that slim :/

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[–] Hubi@feddit.org 47 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

And if it breaks, it literally implodes.

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[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 42 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

Just in case anybody is stupid enough to believe this, there was nothing radioactive in old CRT-based TVs. And they sometimes had black cases but weren't a "black box".

They worked by bending a beam of electrons that hit phosphors in the screen, which is cool enough that saying stupid BS about "radioactive" is unnecessary.

[–] lichtmetzger@discuss.tchncs.de 25 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

CRTs can emit X-Rays, but they are properly shielded so they never leave the tube.

The X-Ray scare mostly came from a line of GE TV's in 1968 that had improper shielding and had to be recalled.

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[–] leftzero@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 2 weeks ago (9 children)

beam of electrons

Let's say it cooler: they were particle accelerators you pointed at your face.

Also, massive glass vacuum bottles that could implode if mishandled.

And with massive capacitors that could electrocute you if mishandled.

And heavy enough to seriously crush your foot (and possibly implode and electrocute you) if mishandled.

And the static electricity felt really neat on the back of your hand if you put it close to the screen.

They were so fucking cool, and we took them for granted, and now they're gone, and life is significantly less cool without them.

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[–] Tiger_Man_@szmer.info 9 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

they did emit x rays but most of them was blocked by the leaded glass

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[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 35 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

I've never had a CRT TV that lasted more than ten years.

[–] justdaveisfine@piefed.social 34 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

All of mine did but got increasingly quirkier over time. Sometimes you needed to hit it on top to get the picture looking right. Audio got crackly. The component cables needed a fine touch to display the picture correctly.

That sort of fun stuff.

[–] TheRealKuni@piefed.social 20 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Sometimes you needed to hit it on top to get the picture looking right.

Ah yes, percussive maintenance.

[–] justdaveisfine@piefed.social 11 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It took skill to do it right. If you hit it too hard, it got worse, so the smack needed finesse.

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[–] Widdershins@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago

The soup pot we used to whack the TV with when it cut to static has outlasted the TV and the channels displayed on it.

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[–] lichtmetzger@discuss.tchncs.de 13 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (5 children)

I got a CRT from 1983 a few weeks ago. Still works fine, just needed a little color adjustment.

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[–] its_kim_love@lemmy.blahaj.zone 13 points 2 weeks ago

I've never had a CRT fail on me.

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[–] farmgineer@nord.pub 32 points 2 weeks ago (8 children)

I think that's some major rose-colored-glasses thinking. They did break. A child with a magnet could also cause issues, at least on older ones (I say having been said child).

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[–] boydster@sh.itjust.works 23 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I will forever remember using the magnet that came with this old Klutz book near the TV in my parents' room when I was around 10 and noticing the rainbow pattern it made in the picture. And then, after further investigation and experimentation, noticing those colors stopped going away when I moved the magnet away. And then, never speaking a word of it. For, like, 40 years.

When Bill Burr's Netflix cartoon show put a similar bit in an episode it finally dawned on me that lots of kids must have messed up their parents' TVs with those magnet wands.

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[–] titanicx@lemmy.zip 20 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

Crt tvs broke all the time.

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[–] Little1Lost@gehirneimer.de 19 points 2 weeks ago

Modern smart TVs: data pls 👉👈😊😊😊

[–] username_unavailable@lemmy.world 18 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Fun fact: These TVs also had a self-defense system built in. One wring move with a screwdriver and they'd throw you across the room.

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[–] noxypaws@pawb.social 18 points 2 weeks ago (8 children)

they will record you anyways and store the recordings and transcripts long enough that if a future owner of the TV ever connects it, it'll upload all that shit it's stored.

and they know what wifi networks and hardware addresses are nearby so those recordings will be associated with your location even if it uploads them from another physical location.

these things are all advanced wiretaps that should probably have their antennas permanently destroyed.

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[–] calcopiritus@lemmy.world 17 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

CRTs did break. And they did suffer from burning.

Just buy a non-smart modern TV, you won't need a replacement and it won't connect to the internet.

[–] Logical@lemmy.world 15 points 2 weeks ago (9 children)

Please tell me where I can get a modern high-res TV that is NOT smart. I have tried but cannot find them anywhere

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[–] wooferTwo@thelemmy.club 13 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

Give me one specific example of a non smart modern TV that has a decent quality panel please.

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[–] BeMoreCareful@lemmy.world 16 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

The way CRTs work is absolutely amazing. You're basically watching a ray gun shoot you and it's so quick it looks like a picture. It's an absolutely wild marvel of engineering.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathode_ray_tube

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[–] WesternInfidels@feddit.online 15 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

There was a time when CRT TVs were so cranky and reliably in need of service that your local drugstore had a rack of replacement tubes and even a tube-tester machine. You could pull a bunch of tubes from your set, test them at the store, and buy a replacement for whichever one was bad.

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[–] thatKamGuy@sh.itjust.works 14 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

All I want is a brand new CRT that I can connect my PSOne to, so that I can play Point Blank 1-3 again.

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[–] mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca 13 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

"your TV needs to install an update, please connect to the internet", it says

how did it know it needed an update?

I am 60% sure I have seen this happen IRL

[–] lime@feddit.nu 9 points 2 weeks ago

could be a timer set to go off after a month of no internet.

[–] filcuk@feddit.uk 8 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

I have seen it mentioned in other threads that they may connect to open hotshots.
I don't know how true this is, but it would make sense.

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[–] W98BSoD@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 2 weeks ago
[–] eestileib@sh.itjust.works 12 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

"if you go reaching inside me I might just decide to kill you" -CRT

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[–] fleem@piefed.zeromedia.vip 11 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

i finally got mine out of storage and set up

it turned on 3 times and the kids got to see the static. they got to hear the super high pitched wine

but now it doesn't respond to anything 😭😭

I'll try to get it fixed one day 😓

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[–] tackleberry@thelemmy.club 10 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

First question I asked myself when I saw it was, "Why does my TV have an update?"

I bought a TV to watch videos, not the other way around. Promptly disconnected that shit from the internet and it will stay that way.

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[–] joelfromaus@aussie.zone 10 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I used to joke about my CRT monitor going “Pop” and breaking. The. It when POP and stopped working, guess the joke was on me.

[–] hOrni@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

Let's not pretend that crts ware better than modern TVs. The picture was shit, the ratio was 4:3 and they had the size and weight of a small car. I can deal with a little upgrade once in a while. And that's not even true as I haven't seen a TV that needs upgrades yet.

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[–] Tiger_Man_@szmer.info 7 points 2 weeks ago

i bought a crt some time ago for 13$ (50pln), mainly to use with some old computers but gaming on it is cool asf too

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