Analog TV Death toll

Its Analog TV Death Day in Canada and to celebrate here are a few personal observations.

While I sadly don't have access to any sort of statistics, just going to work each day using my bicycle I got to see lots and LOTS of Analog TVs on the curb. NO thanks to the imps at BestShop for turning customers away from the standalone ATSC->composite converters and towards new LCDs instead. "You know your TV will be dead soon" ... My dad couldn't give a rats ass about HD, while of course I do to an extent.

I bet you a hundred bux my Dad's 1988 Sony Triniton will outlast any new Chinese LCDs. Just please don't listen to the imps cause this is what happens when you do:

Ecocentre des Carrières, Montreal


As a Video Game Console turned Arcade PCB collector, I have to say that right now I'm on the lookout for good analog monitors with RGB inputs being thrown away, these really REALLY can't be replaced. You just have to be able to experience a game on the support it was built for and classic arcade PCB's output pure Analog RGB with 15KHz sync. While I have a trusty Commodore 1084 to support this format It ain't immortal so I need backups!

So the other day, going to work this scene really torn my heart apart:





Poor 1702's! They don't even have a TV TUNER! ... no RGB either, but they of course support SVideo (if you split its luma/chroma signals to separate RCA cables), and Composite. Great for any classic console. A Copper Joke ain't worth that much you scavengers!

Collectors, please stash up at least a spare analog monitor and keep it in a cool dry place, cause prices someday might make you regret you didnt.


Comments

  1. Similar situation here in Australia... CRTs on the sides of the roads everywhere. The "top of the line" models can be found on eBay for prices ranging from $50 to $100 AUD. The same units that cost $4k+ back in the day. I recently got a Sony KV-HR32M31 with RGBHV sockets on the back. I was hoping to hook it up to my PC via VGA but getting a properly sized image has proved difficult. Have you had any experience in this area? I also have a Loewe Calida with RGB via SCART. Again, I struggled to get an image without huge overscan. BTW, keep the posts comin'... I love your blog!

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  2. I didn't do much of the PC->CRT link. There are lots of people making Arcade MAME machines that know a lot about this.

    What im looking for are Sony PVM and BVM series....

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  3. more info:

    http://retroblast.arcadecontrols.com/articles/monitor.html

    and

    http://community.arcadeinfo.de/showthread.php?t=9366

    And thanks for the .au curb CRTs update!

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  4. Thanks for the links David! Some great info there...

    I was at home with a cold this weekend so I had some time to mess around with the Loewe Calida 5784 ZP that I recently bought. Using a VGA to SCART cable that I made previously I was able to get a PAL sized picture using Powerstrip. The image was squashed and the interlacing was annoying. A few hours later and the "aha!" moments started to happen:

    1. Finding the 4:3 setting in TV (RGB mode was defaulting to 16:9). Yes! Fullscreen!

    2: Working out how to use soft15kHz and quickres – much easier than Powerstrip! When I first saw the low-res, progressive modes on the TV my jaw dropped! Wow. No flickering and some nice nostalgic scan lines!

    3: Getting into the service mode and adjusting the over scan. Very easy on this set thanks to well presented menu that uses English words instead of just cryptic codes.

    Ironically, considering our mutual interest here, the audio still isn't hooked up! That'll be easy though and the Loewe pumps out a decent amount of noise for this kind of application.

    Thanks again for the links and also for providing the inspiration to go down this path in the beginning. It was your pictures of the SNES running in RGB mode that got me Googling in the first place!

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  5. Well, it's coming up hard rubbish time again in my suburb. There's a Sony PVM on the street just a block away from me... what can these be used for? I couldn't make out any RGB inputs on the back...

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  6. Depends on the model. Most that I've seen had them, in various connector types.

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  7. A newspaper article very much inline with your blog post:

    http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/a-sorry-end-for-our-tubby-tellies-20120324-1vqtt.html

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