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Non-NEC Console Related Discussion => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: ifkz on July 13, 2014, 05:36:24 AM
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I think I might have a bit of a problem.
It seems every time I go into a Goodwill thrift store I end up walking out with a TV of some sort. Recently I found a 20 inch flat tube TV that was a way better set than the other 'cable ready' set I was stockpiling. Then, the month after I found a vintage 1984 13 inch color tv with 70's style dials that I had to have.
This past Friday was the last straw. I walked out with a 42 inch plasma flatscreen that does 1080i because I wanted to play Fallout 3 on a screen that is the size of a door. It greatly overpowers the room, but, right now it is absolutely incredible. $70 out the door, the price of a new game (kinda). I could not say no.
Now I have a self-imposed ban from all Goodwills. The guilt from buying the set forced me to clean the room up for it's intended purpose as a guest room. Still, a 42 inch set in an 11ft x 12ft room is a bit much. It's a lot much...
So, am I nuts here?
My next project may be an s-video mod for my Turbo Duo. The prior owner already left me the hole in the case :roll: Gate of Thunder at 42 inches?
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You are nuts, but most of us are. At the moment Im residing in an 11x12ft room using a 56" hdtv, a 29" pvm and a 20" conventional crt... Its a little much but meh!
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im here, sitting with a 10" ich ish tv .... cant wait to be back home and buy a huge one!
The plasma tv + a s video mod sounds amazing! pics once u have it set it up please ;) i want ideas!
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You are lucky, most of the thrifts near me have stop accepting any tube TVs so my source for upgrades has run dry. I used to occasionally upgrade my set from there when they got a better set in and I'd re-donate the old one. Right now I've got a nice 27" Samsung that does a great job with SD inputs, but I was hoping I could find an older Trinitron eventually :(
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You are lucky, most of the thrifts near me have stop accepting any tube TVs so my source for upgrades has run dry. I used to occasionally upgrade my set from there when they got a better set in and I'd re-donate the old one. Right now I've got a nice 27" Samsung that does a great job with SD inputs, but I was hoping I could find an older Trinitron eventually :(
I'm not sure if there are Savers down your way, but they seem to still have CRTs up here.
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No more CRTs at the ones near me either. Craigslist is where I got my Trinitron for $50 a few years ago and I am guessing this will be my CRT until it blows...
then sadness.
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You are lucky, most of the thrifts near me have stop accepting any tube TVs so my source for upgrades has run dry. I used to occasionally upgrade my set from there when they got a better set in and I'd re-donate the old one. Right now I've got a nice 27" Samsung that does a great job with SD inputs, but I was hoping I could find an older Trinitron eventually :(
I'm not sure if there are Savers down your way, but they seem to still have CRTs up here.
The local Savers near me also seems to have a good variety (brand & size) of CRTs for like $7-$15.
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pics once u have it set it up please ;) i want ideas!
Here you go, research says it was an entry level plasma back in the day; only $3000 new. These Gateways were not well received, most have died at this point. So, it's a survivor. No HDMI, but it has a DVI port; I bought a $5 HDMI adapter but it still won't work with the PS3 (something about "locked" content). But, for the price of a new game, I could not say no. Looks like it has the lightest of light burn in on the upper right, only visible during absolutely pure white. I can't be unhappy with it. My 'it-won't-die-Gamestop-refurb' PS3 runs it on component. Not as terrible as I thought.
Thanks to everyone that has replied so far, it helps to be in a like-minded crew. OBEY is off to the right. Its drive is on order, once it is operational I may post a completed picture with this massive set. Gate of Thunder using composite?
(http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i430/ifkz/IMAG042_zps66cc68ab.jpg) (http://s1093.photobucket.com/user/ifkz/media/IMAG042_zps66cc68ab.jpg.html)
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thanks for sharing! too bad that there is no hdmi. but thats a cool looking setup! jelly!
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Nice! I too would like to play Fallout on a tv the size of a door one day
I was at a goodwill a few months back while at my home town and I was tempted to buy an old 50s black and white tv because I love vintage.....but they had it prices at $99 and it was a "tiny" tv. So I passed...
Of course it is no longer there when I went back two weeks ago...sigh....
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Nice! I too would like to play Fallout on a tv the size of a door one day
I was at a goodwill a few months back while at my home town and I was tempted to buy an old 50s black and white tv because I love vintage.....but they had it prices at $99 and it was a "tiny" tv. So I passed...
Of course it is no longer there when I went back two weeks ago...sigh....
What you described was what was going through my head, worst case, when I saw my 1984 made 13 inch TV. I had not seen the dial style in years, and even when I did all of them were black and white sets. But I saw the price tag, paid quickly, and got the heck out of the store. I did that with this 42 in TV too. I guess that's the normal thing to do upon finding a great deal: pay and run!
What would be neat to find one day: the 70's JVC VideoSphere. It looks as iconic as the Philco's Predicta sets from the 50's.
I've been spending a lot of time with the THX Optimizer on the Star Wars DVDs (usually under options). It has already helped out the picture a lot; if anyone likes to tweak image settings as much as I do, it is a great too. This 42 inch set hates blacks, they tend to devour everything.
I am making good progress in Fallout 3 on this set, next up: Fallout New Vegas on a TV the size of a door :dance:
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Before this year's MGC we were doing warehouse cleaning/inventory for the show and discovered 2-3 dead CRTs...so we went Goodwill hopping and hit the jackpot west of Milwaukee - I think we bought about 8 CRTs for $30 total (they're pretty much just liquidating the things).
But yeah - it's getting REALLY hard to find them anymore. I think most thrifts stopped putting them on the showroom floor since the digital switchover. Every once in a while you find a couple but not like in previous years.
I'm going to continue stockpiling them though since I finally have the storage space to do so. Might as well give them a good home.
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Oh - and while we're on the topic - the last time I dropped some yard waste off at the Milwaukee city dump, they had an entire SHIPPING CONTAINER full of CRTs. I saw a broken Gateway 32" VGA/CRT in there. I almost went berzerk.
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Oh - and while we're on the topic - the last time I dropped some yard waste off at the Milwaukee city dump, they had an entire SHIPPING CONTAINER full of CRTs. I saw a broken Gateway 32" VGA/CRT in there. I almost went berzerk.
I know. I still find crts at flea markets and goodwills around here but I'll be honest...
Typically
A). The thing is to heavy for me to lift
B). It litterly won't fit in my car due to the "bubble butt" as my friends 8 yr old puts it when referring to CRT TVs.....
And that is because I drive a Nissan sentra........hoping soon when we buy our next car. Just sold mine as it was getting lemony will be able to handle hauls.....we are looking towards getting a suv. Apparently I was out voted in the truck idea..
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i have 5 crt monitors right now so no i dont think you are nuts
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With VGS this weekend, the evening before I picked up two small CRTs for .49 each to use for Turbofest. Goodwills near me still seem to have them but are pickier with which ones they are accepting.
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You are lucky, most of the thrifts near me have stop accepting any tube TVs so my source for upgrades has run dry. I used to occasionally upgrade my set from there when they got a better set in and I'd re-donate the old one. Right now I've got a nice 27" Samsung that does a great job with SD inputs, but I was hoping I could find an older Trinitron eventually :(
I'm not sure if there are Savers down your way, but they seem to still have CRTs up here.
I just searched and the closest one to me is in.................. Highlands Ranch!
That's a bit of a drive just for a CRT though ;)
I'll stick with what I've got for now, the CRT and the PVM in my closet will hold me over. Technically I'd guess the tube in my woody arcade machine would count too, but I'm hoping to get rid of that this summer. I'd stockpile them if I had more room, but my basement is already chock full of stuff. :o
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I'm resurrecting this dead thread.
Two of my nearby Goodwills had this sign up.
(http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff85/DragonmasterDan/goodwill_zps7c385f1a.jpg)
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Meh..... They were over priced anyhow. All the GW stores around here sell 27in+ for 35$ +.
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Meh..... They were over priced anyhow. All the GW stores around here sell 27in+ for 35$ +.
2.00 or less in most cases in my area.
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Meh..... They were over priced anyhow. All the GW stores around here sell 27in+ for 35$ +.
2.00 or less in most cases in my area.
Holy smokes!!!!! Must be nice.... We got some greedy f*ckers around here. I guess they set the price based on market
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Meh..... They were over priced anyhow. All the GW stores around here sell 27in+ for 35$ +.
2.00 or less in most cases in my area.
Holy smokes!!!!! Must be nice.... We got some greedy f*ckers around here. I guess they set the price based on market
Yeah same in my area $24-35 depending on size. Never seen them for $2.
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I am upset. My wife threw out two CRTs thinking I wouldn't notice. Sony Trinitron 27" and a cute JVC 19 inch.
I guess I'll have to find two more backup CRT's locally.
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I am upset. My wife threw out two CRTs thinking I wouldn't notice. Sony Trinitron 27" and a cute JVC 19 inch.
I guess I'll have to find two more backup CRT's locally.
I think the goodwills are managed regionally and this probably location by location based. So in New Jersey they might still take them.
Meh..... They were over priced anyhow. All the GW stores around here sell 27in+ for 35$ +.
2.00 or less in most cases in my area.
Holy smokes!!!!! Must be nice.... We got some greedy f*ckers around here. I guess they set the price based on market
Yeah same in my area $24-35 depending on size. Never seen them for $2.
Some of the other thrift chains are higher priced. I actually bought (while technically not a TV) a 32 inch Sony PVM for 1.99 not too long ago.
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I am upset. My wife threw out two CRTs thinking I wouldn't notice. Sony Trinitron 27" and a cute JVC 19 inch.
I guess I'll have to find two more backup CRT's locally.
I think the goodwills are managed regionally and this probably location by location based. So in New Jersey they might still take them.
Meh..... They were over priced anyhow. All the GW stores around here sell 27in+ for 35$ +.
2.00 or less in most cases in my area.
Holy smokes!!!!! Must be nice.... We got some greedy f*ckers around here. I guess they set the price based on market
Yeah same in my area $24-35 depending on size. Never seen them for $2.
Some of the other thrift chains are higher priced. I actually bought (while technically not a TV) a 32 inch Sony PVM for 1.99 not too long ago.
We're not worthy! We're not worthy!
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only if i can find a sony pvm at a goodwill. now that would be nice
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I'm jealous of you guys in America. Here in Japan, CRTs are starting to disappear from even the dingiest used electronics stores. I'll probably buy the next good one I find even if I don't need it, just to put it in storage for when my current one finally dies.
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Damn, I knew this day was coming. For things like MGC, we might only get one more chance to stock up, then whatever stock of CRTs we have is literally going to be it, until they die off one by one (we lose a couple every year during load up/tear down). Might have to start scraping Craigslist.
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Another one in: A woodgrain side Montgomery Ward brand 19 inch TV I bought for the woodgrain = $10
Another one out: A 1991 19 inch, cable-ready only hookup
A good swap, I think.
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Another one in: A woodgrain side Montgomery Ward brand 19 inch TV I bought for the woodgrain = $10
Another one out: A 1991 19 inch, cable-ready only hookup
A good swap, I think.
Post a pic of the wooden one
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Damn, I knew this day was coming. For things like MGC, we might only get one more chance to stock up, then whatever stock of CRTs we have is literally going to be it, until they die off one by one (we lose a couple every year during load up/tear down). Might have to start scraping Craigslist.
The TVs I've been bringing to VGS and Octurbofest were acquired in this manner, I have a few small ones for cons. But it may turn into higher priced thrifts and craigslist in the future.
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(http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff85/DragonmasterDan/goodwill_zps7c385f1a.jpg)
I assume they mean no crt/projection TVs?
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I assume they mean no crt/projection TVs?
I suspect they'd take LCDs/LED and Plasmas.
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I assume they mean no crt/projection TVs?
I suspect they'd take LCDs/LED and Plasmas.
Man, so today i stopped at a salvation army (as i always do to check the cd section for hidden obey) sure enough a really nice toshibi 32" sd flat crt was in there with a few rows of component hookups for $10! Had to really fight it lol and then thought of this thread as soon as i was considering to buy it! May still go back lol never know :-"
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Man, so today i stopped at a salvation army (as i always do to check the cd section for hidden obey) sure enough a really nice toshibi 32" sd flat crt was in there with a few rows of component hookups for $10! Had to really fight it lol and then thought of this thread as soon as i was considering to buy it! May still go back lol never know :-"
If it had the remote and you have the room/vehicle capable of easily transporting it and you've tested it (see if there is a power strip area, grab a used DVD player or something and try hooking it up to verify the screen is okay) then at 10.00 it's probably worth it. If it has component it's presumably an EDTV (or a CRT HDTV)
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Man oh man. Does anyone want to buy two or three of these sweet CRT sets to store for me for if/when I come back to the states? I am massively jealous.
In Japan, it's just crazy. For one thing, 4:3 aspect ratio sets were never made larger than 29 inches except in rare circumstances, like models aimed at businesses rather than consumers. 32 and 36 inch sets sound freaking fabulous.
For another thing, though, the whole Japanese mindset about consumer electronics - that having the latest and greatest is important to support the economy, not just to be trendy - and the extra pressure people here feel to save space in their small living rooms mean that CRTs are vanishing rapidly. Three years ago, when I searched for a nice 29 inch Sony Wega, I could take my pick. There were multiple auctions of each model on Yahoo Japan. Now, though, the really good models only come along every few weeks or months. Even the not-so-good sets are in short supply. In two more years, I think it's going to be damned difficult to get any CRT with component inputs.
Stock up, you guys. This day will come to America soon enough. After looking at the current situation, I'm going to buy one or two sets in the next few months. I might even buy like three or four, then keep the best two and sell the rest.
Or maybe I should just suck it up and get an upscaler. That's probably what would make my girlfriend happier. #-o
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Man oh man. Does anyone want to buy two or three of these sweet CRT sets to store for me for if/when I come back to the states? I am massively jealous.
In Japan, it's just crazy. For one thing, 4:3 aspect ratio sets were never made larger than 29 inches except in rare circumstances, like models aimed at businesses rather than consumers. 32 and 36 inch sets sound freaking fabulous.
For another thing, though, the whole Japanese mindset about consumer electronics - that having the latest and greatest is important to support the economy, not just to be trendy - and the extra pressure people here feel to save space in their small living rooms mean that CRTs are vanishing rapidly. Three years ago, when I searched for a nice 29 inch Sony Wega, I could take my pick. There were multiple auctions of each model on Yahoo Japan. Now, though, the really good models only come along every few weeks or months. Even the not-so-good sets are in short supply. In two more years, I think it's going to be damned difficult to get any CRT with component inputs.
Stock up, you guys. This day will come to America soon enough. After looking at the current situation, I'm going to buy one or two sets in the next few months. I might even buy like three or four, then keep the best two and sell the rest.
Or maybe I should just suck it up and get an upscaler. That's probably what would make my girlfriend happier. #-o
Nahh, stock up on the tubes man! It always makes a great conversation piece for me when people come over and see the old consoles hooked up to a tube TV. :)
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Post a pic of the wooden one
(http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i430/ifkz/IMAG0459_zps3361729b.jpg) (http://s1093.photobucket.com/user/ifkz/media/IMAG0459_zps3361729b.jpg.html)
Sorry about the length of time to make this post, but here you go, complete with price stickers. It's a Montgomery Ward from 1989..surprisingly old styling for the date. Wow, did Montgomery Ward retirees get screwed over (thanks Wikipedia!).
Of course I made another swap between posts:
(http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i430/ifkz/IMAG0452_zps63b23898.jpg) (http://s1093.photobucket.com/user/ifkz/media/IMAG0452_zps63b23898.jpg.html)
Out: Phillips 19 inch with a bit worn electronics inside (tube was either too bright or too dark).
In: Perhaps my best set yet: a 23 inch viewable Samsung from 2006. It even plays a short jingle on power up and power down. It is a bit too large for my desk, but I am getting used to it.
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I have that tv, it was my main rig up until last year. It's got a pretty great component picture. I was using it in a second room until a couple of weeks ago when I found a PVM.
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In: Perhaps my best set yet: a 23 inch viewable Samsung from 2006. It even plays a short jingle on power up and power down. It is a bit too large for my desk, but I am getting used to it.
I also have a Samsung, though I believe it's around 19 inches rather than 23, and it plays a little chime when powered off and on as well.
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I have the Toshiba equivalent of that Samsung. Awesome late era CRT. I bought mine new in 2006
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The Goodwills I go to only have TV's larger then 32' I want to find a 13' again
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I have a nice 21 inch crt branded as Schneider though I think the internals are Toshiba. Does rf, composite, svideo via scart and rgb via scart. 4:3
Shame you having such problems crt tvs are still relatively easy to find here. Not uncommon to find a large trinitron and such for £10-£20
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I stopped into a goodwill this evening and was shocked by the vast selection of tube crt's on sale.
I think the most expensive one clocked in around $12.95!
I'm thinking of picking up a spare or two for my PCE setups.
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Not Goodwill, but my GF sister... awesome grab today
(http://i.minus.com/j4TpfyLaus2Il.jpg)
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Nice work!
What do American CRT Sony Wegas have in the way of inputs? I assume the usual composite/s-video/component, but do they have anything else? DVI?
In Japan, I've been trying to get Wegas exclusively because they have an analogue RGB input. One of these days, I'll make a thread about my adventures. I have four 29 inch CRTs in one room right now, and it's madness. Beautiful madness.
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RF/Composite/S-vid/Component is all I have ever seen on Trinitron/Wega US models.
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RF/Composite/S-vid/Component is all I have ever seen on Trinitron/Wega US models.
I've seen DVI and even HDMI on CRT Trinitron/WEGA's.
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I think I have enough now.
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u305/sirsinnes/100_1082_zps4d850ba2.jpg)
Also, there's this one.
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u305/sirsinnes/100_1087_zpsf6189eb1.jpg)
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In case anyone wants to know about some Japanese CRTs, I'll write up a little bit about them.
After reading Japanese reviews and testing for myself, I have come to believe that the Sony KV-29DX650, which went on sale in mid-2003, is possibly the best consumer-level 4:3 gaming TV ever made in any region.
It's an HD-CRT, so there are no scanlines, but the analog RGB input has zero input lag and nothing in the way of pseudo-interlace scroll-fuzziness that you sometimes see on HD-CRTs doing 240p. The colors are awesome, the sharpness is crisp and clean without being too harsh, and the picture is super-consistent across the screen. I think there's a 25 inch version, but nothing greater than 29 unless you go for a widescreen set. I can post some pics of it in action later if anyone is interested.
I tried to buy another one to keep as backup, but due to scarcity I settled on a KV-29DX550. It's almost identical, though ever-so-slightly less sharp in some circumstances. It was also the first of either model to turn up on Yahoo Auctions in about six months. I'm telling you guys, this day will come to America as well. Like I said, two/three years ago, both models turned up practically every week.
Speaking of which, if I ever move back to America, I'll probably get a big-ass shipping crate at least in part for the purpose of getting these back.
And for the scanline obsessed, there's the Sony KV-29DS65, also from 2003, which is Sony's last true standard-definition set (240p/480i only, no 480p). I've got two of these, but one is kind of burnt out, so I'm trying to get rid of it. The RGB inputs on these forces certain color settings and doesn't look so great, so component is actually the way to go. The corners are a bit fuzzy as well. This model might lose to some of the better SD sets from manufacturers like Sharp, Toshiba or Panasonic.
You can forget about finding any Korean TVs here, by the way. Japanese people are hyper nationalistic about buying domestic brands...even when they were manufactured in China or Malaysia.
Anyway, scanlines don't matter much to me, so I am happy to use the HD sets pretty much all the time.
Finally, for tate shooters, the Toshiba 29ZP47 is pretty sweet. It's another 29 inch set from 2004. Many TVs, like all those Sonys, don't have the kind of case-construction that will let you turn them on their sides. This one, however, stands on its side all by itself and is fairly stable. It's also 480p compatible, which is great for all the 360 shooter ports.
I would actually like to get one more of these for storage. However, if another TV shows up at my door, I am afraid my girlfriend will strangle me with the power cord.
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Damn. Damn. Damn.
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More coming in and more going out.
Out:
1. The Montgomery Ward was very large and coax only. The wood grain helped but in the end it had to go (-$10) and the tube looked a bit weak. I still have one great early 80's TV left: a dual dial based 13 inch RCA. One is enough.
2. The Samsung was entirely too large for the space and nothing would fit correctly on the desk afterwards. Lesson learned (-$25). It also had a color issue in the left-center of the tube, like permanent magnetization I could not remove.
In:
1. A freebie curbside 19 inch tube TV with a built-in DVD player and VCR ($0). The picture on this one looks fantastic.
2. A Sharp 19 inch flat tube TV ($10) that replaced the Samsung. Much better picture and a ton of inputs to boot. The decals have a 90's aesthetic: "X-treme Flat" written in an edgy graffiti like font.
3. A tiny-tiny LCD TV only 8 inches and cheap ($8). The adapter I found for it is only half the rated amps, so it might burn out or catch fire! Still, it is just a novelty that I only keep powered when I am in the same room. A former Walgreens Black Friday special according to Google searches.
I think I have affected prices in my area. Now the tube TVs at my local Goodwill(s) have gone up to $20 and $25...way too much. I am pretty happy with my group now, as long as I do not see the same sets on the "Hoarders" TV show, I am good.
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I think I have affected prices in my area. Now the tube TVs at my local Goodwill(s) have gone up to $20 and $25...way too much. I am pretty happy with my group now, as long as I do not see the same sets on the "Hoarders" TV show, I am good.
The ones near me have mostly quit taking them. So consider yourself fortunate.
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Yep, I have also heard that from forums and relatives in different states. This is partially what is motivating me to get better sets while they are available.
There are also other uses for tube TVs; in the arcade world new monitors were discontinued several years ago, some have turned to thrift store 19 inch tube TVs for tube swaps to help the look of restored games. (I prefer good colors and a sharp image with some burn in but everyone is different)
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In my area TVs at good will are pretty damn expensive. 20-40$ for a 20+ in.
Craigslist is the way to go here. I got a 27in JVC with svideo and component inputs for $5. Many people list them in the for free section.
This might be gross but when u buy a TV, and other electronics for that matter, open them up before bringing them into your home. There are some nasty mofos out there and you don't want to smuggle roach eggs into the hizzle.
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Around 2k7 a local furniture place bought up an order of hotel room tv's that were made by LG and sold under the Zenith brand. They were 27" flat fronted CRT's with a special cable that accepts an 800X600 VGA signal, in addition to composite, S-VHS, component and coax.
I saw visions of MAME machines so I bought 2 of them for projects. 1 is currently in an unfinished, scratch built MAME cabinet and the other has recently been set up with an old school TV stand for some glorious 90's style gaming...
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Like Dan, We sadly have no more tube TV's around here. what little CRT's that go to goodwill or the donatonation bins go to the recycling center and are sold off for scrape. Occasionaly you an find a few random one's around 20 bucks or free, but they are far and few between. I just need to get my PVM up and running now - if only I could find a spot for it.
Some neat pick ups though. enjoyed the read for sure.
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More recently (last several months) I upgraded to a 27" flat tube Trinitron from Craigslist for about $15, guy was moving and it worked out for me. Some damage to the trim but the tube itself is crisp and clear. It has component, Svid, and composite on it, plus I used the service menu to tweak it a bit and it plays nice with a lot of stuff.
Had to ditch my old Samsung that I loved but it went to a good home I think. No luck at thrifts anymore either, everyone is turning away CRTs so CL was the only option.
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I had to give up a pretty nice, huge CRT last time I moved. It was too heavy to deal with at the time. I want to get a nice PVM of some kind for my next monitor.
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I often see free TVs by the road side because no charity shop will take it and trash collector can't take it either.
I almost had a free 32" Wega but when I got to it on the road side, the glass was all smashed in. Probably a prank by people walking by.
Right now I have a tiny 9" color CRT with A/V input to use as testing modded systems, a 13" with RF only as spare (may throw it out when i get better), a Commodore 13" RGB monitor (was almost free and works fine). I do plan to get a PVM to replace that Commodore monitor.
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i have picked up a few 32" wega roadside
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I do wonder if since the demand for PVMs is outstripping currently supply there will be more people trying to pick up and RGB mod consumer level sets for sale. It seems people are either going the CRT route or using devices like the XRGB to get the best picture now, the next 10-15 years will be interesting to see which has better adoption. (Hopefully not 16:9 RF)
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I do wonder if since the demand for PVMs is outstripping currently supply there will be more people trying to pick up and RGB mod consumer level sets for sale. It seems people are either going the CRT route or using devices like the XRGB to get the best picture now, the next 10-15 years will be interesting to see which has better adoption. (Hopefully not 16:9 RF)
Well there's only so many high quality CRTs out there. Eventually the XRGB type convertors will be more popular than RGB native or modded CRTs, but it will be a while.
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A year later past post #1 in this thread and I have an updated cheapskate flat screen. I am a nutter.
I came up with a paper thin excuse to search for another cheap-o flat screen TV: lack of an HDMI connection on the $70 gaming flat screen TV (component only). I figure a paper thin excuse needs a paper thin budget. My pursuit for a more modern TV was going nowhere; this Goodwill TV has ruined my size standards to 40 inches or larger. No-name Aquarius and Quasar TVs from the local grocery chain were $350 and up. Best Buy, Sears, and Frys were way too expensive. My friendly neighborhood pawn shop had a TV with broken speakers but a nice picture that was 37 inches that I missed out on purchasing; it had dropped from $150 to $100 and someone else bought it. Curses! I was prepared to buy it and wire up some external PC speakers to solve the audio problem.
Okay...okay...Yesterday they had a shelf worn (slight scratch on the lower right of the screen) LG that was 42 inches at $180+tax. I made them a $100 offer and extolled the extra shelf space freed up once the TV was sold. The first employee said they were already losing money at $180 since it had been in the store so long and they had paid a lot of state inventory tax on it over the years. When they bought it, they loaned out a lot of money because it was worth more back then (it had a manufactured day of 2011). Anyhow, they shot a counter offer of $160 and I said no thanks but I would do $100. I wandered around the store and other prices caught my eye. $100 for a set of car trunk speakers in a wooden box. $100 for a guitar amp. $120 for an old faded beer sign that would be above a pool table. $100...does it really does not go far nowadays with electronics? I dont know, but I honestly thought I was being insultingly cheap after looking around and thinking about my own bills for the car, grocery, water, electricity, and car registration.
I heard the other clerk make a commotion and dart to and from the TV area; he had hauled it out to the counter and told me to come and get it. I was shocked and he said: 'look, this TV has been here longer than I have' and 'some people are just too hung onto stuff.' My new favorite clerk! I paid my $100 + tax and was outta there. I stopped by a local Tex-Mex restaurant for a mushroom stuffed Chile Relleno ($6.89) to celebrate and I spent the night cleaning up and adjusting my new TV. A 50/50 solution of white vinegar and water does a great job of cleaning the flat screen (a handy trick from a co-worker of mine).
The Goodwill 42" flatscreen will go out in the garage as soon as I can get a friend to help lift it! The front is a sheet of glass (since it is an early EDTV - non HD). I almost snuck the new one past my fiancee but she saw me and asked 'What is that?' My 'you see nothing,' needs some work. She says sell the Goodwill one, but it is having some problems (image ghosting and constant horizontal interference) that I think make it more suitable for a use-it-until-it-quits garage TV. I have been wanting to open the back up and re-seat cables to see if the image quality improves anyhow. Any other ideas for it? It is about 4 inches thick from front to back.
Unnecessary? Maybe. Duplication? Sure. Extravagant? Yup. Waste of good money? Humm. Am I happy? YES.
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Am I happy? YES.
In the end man, that's all that matters :)
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A year later past post #1 in this thread and I have an updated cheapskate flat screen. I am a nutter.
I came up with a paper thin excuse to search for another cheap-o flat screen TV: lack of an HDMI connection on the $70 gaming flat screen TV (component only). I figure a paper thin excuse needs a paper thin budget. My pursuit for a more modern TV was going nowhere; this Goodwill TV has ruined my size standards to 40 inches or larger. No-name Aquarius and Quasar TVs from the local grocery chain were $350 and up. Best Buy, Sears, and Frys were way too expensive. My friendly neighborhood pawn shop had a TV with broken speakers but a nice picture that was 37 inches that I missed out on purchasing; it had dropped from $150 to $100 and someone else bought it. Curses! I was prepared to buy it and wire up some external PC speakers to solve the audio problem.
Okay...okay...Yesterday they had a shelf worn (slight scratch on the lower right of the screen) LG that was 42 inches at $180+tax. I made them a $100 offer and extolled the extra shelf space freed up once the TV was sold. The first employee said they were already losing money at $180 since it had been in the store so long and they had paid a lot of state inventory tax on it over the years. When they bought it, they loaned out a lot of money because it was worth more back then (it had a manufactured day of 2011). Anyhow, they shot a counter offer of $160 and I said no thanks but I would do $100. I wandered around the store and other prices caught my eye. $100 for a set of car trunk speakers in a wooden box. $100 for a guitar amp. $120 for an old faded beer sign that would be above a pool table. $100...does it really does not go far nowadays with electronics? I dont know, but I honestly thought I was being insultingly cheap after looking around and thinking about my own bills for the car, grocery, water, electricity, and car registration.
I heard the other clerk make a commotion and dart to and from the TV area; he had hauled it out to the counter and told me to come and get it. I was shocked and he said: 'look, this TV has been here longer than I have' and 'some people are just too hung onto stuff.' My new favorite clerk! I paid my $100 + tax and was outta there. I stopped by a local Tex-Mex restaurant for a mushroom stuffed Chile Relleno ($6.89) to celebrate and I spent the night cleaning up and adjusting my new TV. A 50/50 solution of white vinegar and water does a great job of cleaning the flat screen (a handy trick from a co-worker of mine).
The Goodwill 42" flatscreen will go out in the garage as soon as I can get a friend to help lift it! The front is a sheet of glass (since it is an early EDTV - non HD). I almost snuck the new one past my fiancee but she saw me and asked 'What is that?' My 'you see nothing,' needs some work. She says sell the Goodwill one, but it is having some problems (image ghosting and constant horizontal interference) that I think make it more suitable for a use-it-until-it-quits garage TV. I have been wanting to open the back up and re-seat cables to see if the image quality improves anyhow. Any other ideas for it? It is about 4 inches thick from front to back.
Unnecessary? Maybe. Duplication? Sure. Extravagant? Yup. Waste of good money? Humm. Am I happy? YES.
The best part of the story, for me, was the celebratory chile relleno! I'm starving right know.
Jesus Christ, I'm starving.
:)
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Yes, the Chile Relleno plate and that restaurant are dangerous. I was given one of those coupon books where high school students go door-to-door selling them to support the local football team and they come with a variety of coupons lasting a year, no limit. This is the best deal in the book: $5 off anything excluding alcohol. This full sized dish is turning me into a full sized person. It is like those sci-fi TV shows, where they have food replicators available all the time. Why are they all not 500lbs? Why is it when I hit my mid 30's that all food that is decent turns into the best food ever? I used to not even care about steak, bacon, cheesecake, etc!
I am trying to turn that place into a once every two week treat. A chile relleno is a hard dish to get right and this is the best I've had. I have not tried their cheese enchiladas, which I have a problem liking; a like the size of my TV habit documented in this thread....
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Yes, the Chile Relleno plate and that restaurant are dangerous. I was given one of those coupon books where high school students go door-to-door selling them to support the local football team and they come with a variety of coupons lasting a year, no limit. This is the best deal in the book: $5 off anything excluding alcohol. This full sized dish is turning me into a full sized person. It is like those sci-fi TV shows, where they have food replicators available all the time. Why are they all not 500lbs? Why is it when I hit my mid 30's that all food that is decent turns into the best food ever? I used to not even care about steak, bacon, cheesecake, etc!
I am trying to turn that place into a once every two week treat. A chile relleno is a hard dish to get right and this is the best I've had. I have not tried their cheese enchiladas, which I have a problem liking; a like the size of my TV habit documented in this thread....
I still have not eaten!!!
Stop it.
I'm not joking.
Also, I know the struggle—I would love to eat the portions I did 20 years ago, but I'll gain too much weight.
IT IS NOT FAIR!!!!